Makeshift Weapons

[HanshiClayton]

I have made my reservations for UKAI. Four plane flights, ouch, expensive.

I enjoy the game with TSA where they prohibit me from carrying innocuous items like nail clippers, but permit much more robust weapons to pass unheeded. For instance, the removable battery pack for your laptop makes a nice blackjack.

But even better is this: http://www.amazon.com/Airplane-Seatbelt-Extender-7-24-Southwest/dp/B006Z907TY/ref=sr_1_5?ie=UTF8&qid=1360549131&sr=8-5&keywords=seatbelt+extender

It's a seat-belt extender, as demonstrated on countless flights every day. I love they way they show it to you, and then show you where they store it in case you need it.

I bought one and took it to the dojo. As a flail or blackjack it has few rivals. There is no question that the buckle on the end of that short belt will crack a skull.

Best part is that they sell this item at the airport news stands. You can take it through TSA, and carry it anywhere.

I don't know why people think they can disarm us. Just wishful thinking, I guess.

[HanshiClayton]

Back in my misspent youth, I wrote martial-arts books under a pen name. This was one of them: Black Medicine II: Weapons at Hand.

Practically everything in your house can be used effectively as a weapon. Except marshmallows. Even when frozen they just don't measure up.

[HanshiClayton]

Gillian said:

Well your youth could not have been too misspent or you would not be the Dr. you are today?

The doctorate is how I misspent my youth.

[colinwee]

The doctorate is how I misspent my youth.

There is yet the opportunity to revisit lost opportunities.

Colin

[HanshiClayton]

On this topic (makeshift weapons) I wanted to mention an episode of the rather preposterous TV series, Deadliest Warrior. Each episode was a rather elaborate fabrication, but with a few moments of intense interest. A regular segment involved testing various weapons against anatomical-simulation targets, followed by an "autopsy." Sometimes the target was a human head and torso molded from hard ballistic gelatin and containing a detailed skeleton and organ structure.

Attempts to cut the head off this dummy using medieval weapons (claymores, broadswords, axes and the like) were generally not successful. This was a surprise but it establishes a base line. It was one tough dummy to decapitate. However, in an episode about US Army Special Forces, one of the close-quarters fighting tools tested was the Entrenching Tool. This is a short, stubby, folding shovel about two feet long. One side of the shovel blade is serrated, presumably for sawing through roots.

When this tool was tested as a makeshift battle-axe against the anatomical dummy, a remarkable thing happened. The soldier took one swing at the dummy and removed the entire top half of the head in one clean stroke. He cut the skull in half horizontally at the level of the eyes.

Sometimes makeshift weapons can be better than the real thing. Or perhaps some experts know more about combat than others do.