I remember him also saying to go for the eyes, which is just ... ick.

The one quickie self defence lecture thingy that I attended recommended eyes also and I had the same ick reaction. Then I get mad at myself for having a hard time of getting out of victim mode and being willing to do some actual damage to them.

If my math has it right, episode 18 of this season which airs on April 15th. And judging by the title of episode 17, I think my math is right.

I think I would be willing to do a lot of damage if it didn't involve using my bare hands. Um.

Then I think about someone hurting one of the kids and the whole picture changes to me in berserker mode.

was to actually grab the blade and suffer the injury to the hand rather than elsewhere

I'd never do that! It will take them just a moment to disengage and stab you where they wanted, and you're out one hand. Go for the wrist. Wrist on wrist blocking is what we teach in krav. I don't see any advantage to grabbing a blade. It's not like you can wrestle it away, and you'll definitely sustain damage.

Eyes, crook of the throat between the clavicles, testicles, all sorts of soft and squishy places that being muscular can't protect.

I thought it sounded stupid, ita.

Soft and squishy places, check. Also, ::shudder::.

Then I think about someone hurting one of the kids and the whole picture changes to me in berserker mode.

Oh yeah. Cross my kid and I lose any pacifist particle in my being. As Alan Tudyk said in A Knights Tale, "I will fong you!"

I was thinking about the knife thing as well. It would be so hard to grab a blade because it is cutting the tool, your hand, that you would be using to grab it. It would just cut and then be gone and you would be injured. However, I guess people would instinctively hold up their hands and therefore you get defensive wounds.

One of my favorite parts of karate is practicing take downs on people of different sizes. I'm just at the beginning of this part of the training and it is so empowering. With each technique we learn the classical form and then how to apply it on the street. Knees, crotch, eyes, carotid artery...all lovely targets.

I have never worked with real weapons. Never held a gun.

Kicking guys in the nuts can rapidly become a pleasure. Kicking girls in the groin is pretty fun too.

The eyeball thing will need mortal danger of me or someone around me to be tested. I don't have any children to function as a trigger, but I'd go balls to the wall (no pun intended) if I felt better equipped to than whoever I was with. Family determines the extent to which I'd go for revenge.

We learn defenses against guns in krav. There came a point where it just seemed stupid to be able to take one away and then not really know what to do with it other than squeeze and pray (or pistol-whip), so I took some classes. I'm a good shot with a handgun, although not a fast aimer. My shotgun skills need more sharpening up, although I surprised everyone by not bruising myself at all. Apparently girls are supposed to hurt themselves.

::sits a little further away from ita::

That was another thing I loved, in my rewatch of Sympathy For the Devil. When Zachariah offers to heal Bobby if Dean says yes to Michael, he doesn't even waver -- it's a blunt no. And yet, for a lot of people that would be such a trigger. And Dean held firm.

Jesus, Thursday night cannot come fast enough.