Carl Levitian
member
In this time of increasing political correctness, I have to wonder if some things from the past are not correct for today. I speak of some ethnic methods of defence from places where outright weapons were banned.
I'm sure you all know about the Japanese monks and peasants turning rice flails into nunchuks, walking staves into bowken, and other agricultural tools into weapons. But I had the good luck in my younger day to know a real family from Romania who were of the Romani race. Gypseys as the rest of society called them.
In the late 1950's, I got to know a Mr. Emory Varhidy, who was the owner of a Simca auto service. Becoming friends with the man, he became a mentor of a curious 18 year old. From Mr. Varhidy, I learned how to handle a length of wood, to defend myself from an attacker. Durring this period of mentorship, I got to know his older brother, Marco, who also grew up poor in Romania. Like Emory, he learned at a young age to inflict enough damage to disable and get away from an attacker. Unlike his brother though, he preffered a very small knife. A small lockblade, not much bigger than a penknife, if any bigger at all. Knives like Spyderco and Kershaw not being around yet, Marco would take a very small lockblade from Puma, Weidmanshall, or other good quality european makers, and with a jewlers file smooth out the inner corner of the blade tang so the blade could be "pinched" between the thumb and middle finger to open one handed while being held down out of sight behind a leg or in a coat pocket. He would tell me to hold the thumb on the blade marking and use a thumb jab motion to stab into a vital area.
I think about the gypsey way of defending themselves, and I see a real connection to the modern world. It seems as though our ruling powers don't want us to be able to defend ourselves, judging from their eagerness to ban guns and even knives. Even to the ridiculous extreme of placing charges against a person who does defend themselves. Now we have to watch out for what we use, least it seems too "militant" or mall ninjaish.
I recall Marco telling me about his boyhood in Romania before WW2, and it was harsh. If for some reason a group of men deceided to chase down a gypsey and beat him, it was leagal. Gypseys were forbiden to own firearms, carry large knives, and could be victimized at will. Gypsey women could be taken from thier families and pressed into house servant duties with no compensation. As a result, they developed ways and tactics of dealing with these problems, and being armed while appearing to be unarmed. Like the Japanese and Chinese monks and peasants, having to deal with oppressive weapons laws while traveling roads populated with bandits.
Food for thought, if things get tight. Or you have to travel through TSA country or a federal building in a big city.
I'm sure you all know about the Japanese monks and peasants turning rice flails into nunchuks, walking staves into bowken, and other agricultural tools into weapons. But I had the good luck in my younger day to know a real family from Romania who were of the Romani race. Gypseys as the rest of society called them.
In the late 1950's, I got to know a Mr. Emory Varhidy, who was the owner of a Simca auto service. Becoming friends with the man, he became a mentor of a curious 18 year old. From Mr. Varhidy, I learned how to handle a length of wood, to defend myself from an attacker. Durring this period of mentorship, I got to know his older brother, Marco, who also grew up poor in Romania. Like Emory, he learned at a young age to inflict enough damage to disable and get away from an attacker. Unlike his brother though, he preffered a very small knife. A small lockblade, not much bigger than a penknife, if any bigger at all. Knives like Spyderco and Kershaw not being around yet, Marco would take a very small lockblade from Puma, Weidmanshall, or other good quality european makers, and with a jewlers file smooth out the inner corner of the blade tang so the blade could be "pinched" between the thumb and middle finger to open one handed while being held down out of sight behind a leg or in a coat pocket. He would tell me to hold the thumb on the blade marking and use a thumb jab motion to stab into a vital area.
I think about the gypsey way of defending themselves, and I see a real connection to the modern world. It seems as though our ruling powers don't want us to be able to defend ourselves, judging from their eagerness to ban guns and even knives. Even to the ridiculous extreme of placing charges against a person who does defend themselves. Now we have to watch out for what we use, least it seems too "militant" or mall ninjaish.
I recall Marco telling me about his boyhood in Romania before WW2, and it was harsh. If for some reason a group of men deceided to chase down a gypsey and beat him, it was leagal. Gypseys were forbiden to own firearms, carry large knives, and could be victimized at will. Gypsey women could be taken from thier families and pressed into house servant duties with no compensation. As a result, they developed ways and tactics of dealing with these problems, and being armed while appearing to be unarmed. Like the Japanese and Chinese monks and peasants, having to deal with oppressive weapons laws while traveling roads populated with bandits.
Food for thought, if things get tight. Or you have to travel through TSA country or a federal building in a big city.
