Should I buy my 7 yo boy a mace?

Context: we live in a not-the-best neighborhood, very walkable though, parks and what not nearby. My 7 yo boy is very active and wants to go on a bike everywhere, wants to be more independent etc.

I'm not as concerned about people being aggressive towards him as much as I am concerned about big dogs that irresponsible owners let loose very often. Sometimes these larger dogs sneak around our house, so even if I make the guy stay at home all the time there are higher than zero chances he can get attacked by a dog.

Is a mace a good idea? The guy is not very responsible, chances that he will use it on another kid or it is taken from him and used against him or on someone else and then he gets blamed are above 0. I thought it is still better than letting him out without any chance to defend.

I am going to buy a bunch of sprays and let him use one on me to give him an idea what it is (and give me an idea if he is ready for it)

Thoughts?

Submitted February 12, 2026 at 03:12PM by Use_Lemmy https://ift.tt/OdEpaw5

Self Defense Tips for Someone who’s hamstrung by Zero-Tolerance?

Hey!

This is going to sound weird but I could use some advice.

I work at a retirement home and we have a new resident who has been making me and some of the other residents/workers uneasy. You know the person you don’t want to sit next to on the subway? He’s that guy.

My bosses are aware of the situation, but they can’t do anything because while the new resident is a creep, he hasn’t done anything against the rules yet.

Making matters worse is that the home has a zero-tolerance policy. So if you get into a fight, you can’t even defend yourself (which is stupid but I don’t make the rules).

My job pays in room and board so I really can’t afford to lose my job. However, I don’t want to get badly injured in case he does decide to attack.

So what is something I can do to protect myself and others without getting into trouble? Scream “fire”? Barricade myself in a room? Stand tall and proud?

Any advice would be greatly appreciated.

Submitted February 11, 2026 at 09:32PM by Bella_Notte_1988 https://ift.tt/ZjAl7Qd

Escapes for The Side Headlock

https://youtube.com/watch?v=lRBLPoIrSo4&si=sFVbAajEpKMRI4wV

Submitted February 10, 2026 at 12:26PM by EliKnight173 https://ift.tt/p9i6g3L

How to teach stranger danger to an adult?

My younger cousin (21F) grew up incredibly sheltered/boundary-less to the point where she trusts literally everyone with her life. I am so scared she's going to end up on the news as missing.

Just this weekend, she told me she pulled over on the highway for a truck of guys that was driving next to her trying to ask her number. I tried to share how horrifying that is, but she seemed to think it was funny and was happy they thought she was pretty. She responds to scam texts and has conversations with them if they tell her they're trying to make friends or something.

I'm so lost at what time do other than sharing after the fact why these situations are so dangerous. Are there self-defense classes that teach adults how to be safe around strangers? (she isn't neurodivergent other than ADHD, just incredibly sheltered)

Submitted February 09, 2026 at 02:04PM by Beezwax_8335 https://ift.tt/hycvb3V

Is muay thai good?

Im doing muay thai for a couple of months and im. Wondering is it any good for self defense

Submitted February 09, 2026 at 10:18AM by Appropriate_East1663 https://ift.tt/2okCERF

My quick no BS checklist for "beginners". Feel free to add on

1 grappling art, 1 striking art, put them together in mma sparring until you can reliably beat untrained opponents bigger and more athletic.

Lift weights and start running umtil you are above average.

If american train with firearms, if uk or the like carry a good flashlight

Learn to not be a cunt when it matters. Dont hang around bars or shady places at shady times. Keep your ego in check.

Dont doubt yourself if something feels bad, leave. Enforce boundaries.

If home is a concern go about reinforcing and getting security features.

For family be present and learn how to spot and avoid predators to teach them.

Submitted February 09, 2026 at 04:53AM by urdadpullsguard https://ift.tt/XmPvakV

SELF DEFENSE IN STR33T QUESTION

Had a question for you guys, I am a complete noob and haven't begun to do ANY form of martial arts, I wanted to do whats best for a real street fight/self defense and I figured I would go here and ask.

I want to train at an MMA gym but the ones near me only have a pure MMA class once a week and the other days are BJJ, there is another gym that specialized in Muay Thai and BJJ and I could go 4x a week, I also considered going to a pure boxing gym aswell but from what iv'e seen online, mma/muay thai + bjj seem to be better for a real street fight vs just knowing boxing, so my question is, if I wanted to be best in a street fight for seld defense what is best, pure boxing or Muay Thai + BJJ, again I'd love to join a pure MMA gym but there are none near me that have multiple classes per week, sorry for the noob question but I'd really like some advice, i'm getting kind of frustrated with all these options, thank you guys. (PLS DONT ANSWER WITH "JUST RUN AWAY" PLEASE)

Submitted February 09, 2026 at 02:38AM by Famous-Procedure-420 https://ift.tt/FHmMcJ2