Self defense by what? a tweed suit? A guide for highschool

First things you should know:

1.People are as easily munipulated as a ball of silly putty.

2.We live in a soceity that values image over substance. Sadly.

Okay, here is what I routinely wear to school (or some vairiation)...
a white long sleve shirt, a tweed suit-coat over that, a tie (preferable with a amuseing design, I have one like a fish), a trench coat, baggy jeans, a hat that looks like something amish person/cowboy/mob memeber would wear and finally a pair of heavy duty motor cycle boots (with steel toes).

The overall image is quite impressive, the tie a tweed coat; a sutble reminder of "the man". the trench coat and hat; lone gunslinger. Boots; biker badass with a touch of dangerous eccentricty.

How is this self defense? see #2.

This combind with a quite confident attitude and cold stare has an interesting effect on the would-be bullies and punks around me.

The whole get up is "dangerous" enough so I don't look weak (confidence is importent), but is passive, so I don't look like a threat (a challenge).

I have placed myself out of the spectrum of avalible targets.

The trick is to make your mind-set so that your ready to fight to the end (even if your not); This will come across in subtle ways it others, and if you don't try to start a fight people will generally leave you be.

I keep a quite, sullen attitude when in potentially dangerous company.

Your attitude controls everything. Feel powerful, imagine your-self crushing your bullies skulls beneth your feet.

The problem of course, is acheiving this air of dangerous mystic after your bullie already knows you as a wuss.

To defeat this impression is usually simple, depending on you agressor. Act agressive back, but ten times as much. If insults you, start yelling at him, if he touches you shove him back, hard. Heres the philosophy:

You go until they think you will go all the way, and then you can stop.

If worst comes to worst, kick him in the nads. This is often veiwed as cheap, but this works to your advantage, it gives you the image of a rebel who plays by his own rules. One some level, nearly everyone respects that.

After eliminating any current bullies, just dissappear into the masses. I'm talking figurativly here, not literally...become another kid just minding his own business.

Your clothing and attitude will protect you.
Its done so for me.

This is true. While working in mental health I started wearing a long coat in winter. Nothing sinister about it, just a standard coat, but I got the reputation as "the guy in the long coat". I actually had a client tell me it was intimidating. Came in handy a few times with more difficult clients who didn't know me.

Sometimes the clothes does make the man.

We had strict dress codes "even before the trenchcoat mafia" incident, but there are certain valid responses and unspoken warnings given by a certain attire. In my highschool you wore Blue and white=safe, black and blue=toleratable, red and black=immediate punishment. This was vice versa at the rival High school, anything else was just ignored. Trench coats were banned, spiked wrist bands/collars, wallet chains, chain neclaces, metal teeth, and steel toe boots were also banned. That would greatly decrease your options of dressing tough, but maybe in some schools elsewhere this would work.

the exception

Interesting.

When image fails however, you better have some substance. Confidence won't keep you from getting knocked or choked out.

I guess it depends on your location. Where I'm from, (Spokane, WA), wearing all of that stuff will get you massacred, no matter what kind of "cold stare" you have. I just wear baggy jeans, a shirt and one of my leather jackets, not to try and intimidate anyone, but it has that effect. And I think when you have multiple people hanging out with you wearing the same thing, they see you differently.

It's sad how easily people accept fallacies like "image over substance". The original poster here says he wears a certain dress as "self defence" and states he wears a tie and a hat. I hate to be the first to note the obvious, but in the interests of self-defence these are extremely poor choices.

The whole premise is entirely wrong, in fact, as a predatory person can instinctively detect lack of confidence, and the idea that you can protect yourself through appearance implies that you are less than confident in your ability to do so in physical actuality. The aggressive individual is *extremely* aware of and sensitive to this fact.

Dressing for self defence is based, first of all, on being inconspicuous, that is, dressing within the bounds of social convention and normality. Teenagers in broad-rimmed hats defies this principle, at least where I live. It's expression, not self-defence, and make no mistake that an attempt to dress in an intimidating manner is expressing a lack of self-confidence and there are many who can see that quite plainly, it is a beacon in fact to the predatory individual. Also, there are many who will simply see the hat as silly, not intimidating, and of course should they challenge a single aspect of this artificial image, if no real force exists to back it up, the whole psychological construct can be made to collapse very readily.

All that being said, I think there are a few rules to dress that do assist in self-defence.

Whatever restricts your movement should be avoided. I think this is fairly obvious. Clothing that allows a maximum amount of movement is best.

Anything that gives an opponent something to grab is bad. Particularly anything about the head. So, if you really wanted to dress in the least capable manner possible, the ideal would be long hair, a tie, a hat, and a hood for good measure. The most capable dress would be very short hair, no hat, no tie, no hood.

Finally, jackets are preferable to coats in my opinion. Jackets are less cumbersome, allowing greater movement, and they afford less purchase. There is one drawback, however, as jackets are not as readily removed as coats.

The one thing about the original poster's misconceptions that I personally would agree with is steel toed boots. These are functional, and possibly surprising, weapons. On the other hand they reduce movement considerably, and if you don't know exactly how to use them effectively, I wouldn't bother with those either. A kick to the shins with steel toes (although preferably a rounded, not pointy, tip - easier to make contact) is said to be extremely painful.

Finally, a belt is always a good thing to have! Especially if it's not necessary to hold your pants up. Belts have many surprising uses in self-defence.

They do have steel toed tennis shoes. If you dress intimidating you are asking for trouble from those whom you do not intimidate. [IMG]http://www.fightingarts.com/forums/ubb/smile.gif[/IMG]

[QUOTE]Originally posted by Chang Wufei:
I guess it depends on your location. Where I'm from, (Spokane, WA), wearing all of that stuff will get you massacred, no matter what kind of "cold stare" you have. I just wear baggy jeans, a shirt and one of my leather jackets, not to try and intimidate anyone, but it has that effect. And I think when you have multiple people hanging out with you wearing the same thing, they see you differently.[/QUOTE]

Same here, wear that stuff, and you're like a lamb to the slaughter

If there are a few things i've learnt in high school, it's

1.Be Assertive
2.Not Agressive
3.And never passive

[QUOTE]Originally posted by edgy:

The whole premise is entirely wrong, in fact, as a predatory person can instinctively detect lack of confidence, and the idea that you can protect yourself through appearance implies that you are less than confident in your ability to do so in physical actuality. The aggressive individual is *extremely* aware of and sensitive to this fact.
[/QUOTE]


As I said in post, parhaps not clearly, is that attitude is exetremely importent; Wearing this clothing and not "filling" (so-to-speak) the image it implies, on every level, is a death wish. Like I said, be ready, feel ready, mentally to fight and it will show through.

I wear this clothing so I don't have to fight, not because I can't nor because I'm afriad to.

Wearing "indistictive" clothing as camoflauge effect is okay, but there is the off chance of hiting up against some punk who in a bad mood. And again, as I said before, the clothing puts me that much further out of that spectrum that deffines viable targets.

I do agree, though, that the clothing is somewhat impractical for combat purposes. How ever, half the year down and fights have occured yet for me, even after I have encountered several incidents in which things could have esculated, and didn't.


I don't know... maybe its not for everyone, but it works for me okay.

[This message has been edited by Liquid Rock (edited 02-11-2005).]

I find that I am most intimidating when I wear fluffy bunny PJ's with the urine stains at the front and the poo dribble down the back of my right leg. Add to this outfit a pair of bright yellow diving flippers and a chainsaw and I find that nobody bothers me on the street. Imagine that!!!!!!

As for attitude, I dribble as often as I can and I always find a copious amount of dribble keeps any attacker at arms length.

Maybe Hugo Boss should make clothes for the lone mysterious martial artist.

I am partial for Amranis with Gucci loafers...

I don't think clothing is anywhere important as stature or demeanour.

I agree. Clothing means nothing, unless I can use it against you physically. If you are scared or less skilled, Im going to know it and use it. And no amount of clothing or bluffing can change that.

wtf did someone delete my post?

[QUOTE]Originally posted by mikelw:
wtf did someone delete my post?[/QUOTE]

I believe so. I remember reading it. It wasnt me however, as this isnt my forum.