Self Defense Products
Protective Equipment
Over reliance on training gear will lead to bad habits, but there are a few necessities, especially when training with and against blunt objects. Every practitioner should have a mouth piece, cup, goggles, gloves, head gear, and face cage. Here are a few I'd recommend:- Macho Dyna Head - This head gear is cheap, and it provides the just the right amount of protection.
- Macho Dyna Cage - I'd highly recommend getting this cage along with the above head hear. Without the cage you can get punched right in the nose or jabbed in the eye, even with a padded stick. Remember, the cage will not protect your eyes in knife training.
- Macho Dyna Punch - These gloves by Macho, that go with the above head gear, are another good and cheap option for light to moderate empty hand sparring with no head gear, and for light to moderate sparring with sticks.
- Shoc Doctor Gel Max - A great mouthpiece by Shoc Doctor, essential for stand up, clinch, and ground sparring.
- Shock Doctor Ultra Carbon Flex Cup - Another great and essential self defense product from Shoc Doctor.
- Protective Goggles - These protective goggles are a must when practicing eye strikes or using training knives and sticks.
Training Gear and Weapons
Training Sticks
- Cold Steel Unbreakable Escrima Stick - Like all Cold Steel products, this is an excellent training stick that will last a lifetime. And, the price here is lower than on the Cold Steel website.
- High Quality Escrima Stick Pair - These are the best sticks for partner training with light to no contact.
- Kali/Escrima Sticks - A less expensive pair of kali/escrima sticks. These are fine for training but not quite as durable as the sticks above.
*Learn how to use your sticks with the techniques and training methods on our FMA Single Stick page.*
Training Knives
- Cold Steel Rubber Tanto Trainer - If you're going to train with a knife and/or against knife attacks, you need a good training knife. This one is cheap, and it's one of the best there is. Get it!
- - Another good training knife...but this one is WAY less forgiving, it's metal.
Training Guns
If you're going to train against gun threats, you need a training gun that can take some abuse. This one is perfect for the job:
Yellow Rubber Gun- Airsoft Gun - A more realistic training gun that shoots BB's, from Airsoft. It's also important to train with a gun like this so you know if you would have gotten shot or not!
Self Defense Weapons
Be sure to find out if the items below are legal in your area before ordering them, and check out our page on what constitutes legal self defense:
- Pepper Spray - Pepper spray is an excellent option for self defense. However, like any self defense weapon, you need to know how to use it and it needs to be in your hand when you need it.
- Surefire LX2 - The best self defense flashlight on the market. This light is extraordinarily bright and will blind an attacker for a few seconds if shined in his face at night. It's also small and very easy to carry. Highly recommended.
- ASP F21 Airweight Baton - This expandable baton will fit right in your back pocket. IF you know how to use it it can be an excellent self defense weapon against multiple opponents, or opponents armed with sticks or knives. Although this airweight version is lighter than the standard one, it's faster and easier to carry.
- ASP F26 Baton - This is the 26" version of the above baton, and not in airweight. This sucker packs a punch, but is a bit heavy and bulky.
- Cold Steel Recon Tanto - Although I don't personally recommend the knife as the most ideal self defense weapon for reasons stated here, if you're going to carry a knife for self defense, this Cold Steel Recon Tanto is one of the best knives available. The clip can be configured so it can be worn and deployed in any manner, it's lightning fast to open, the axis lock is as solid as can be, etc. If you want a knife for self defense, or just a great knife in general, get this one.
Self Defense Books
Although many people don't think of books as a self defense product, knowledge is power! The books below include techniques, drills, information on awareness, and more:- The Gift of Fear - While this book doesn't cover self defense techniques, it's one of the best books on awareness, putting you in touch with your natural instincts, and providing case studies of many real life self-defense situations. This book is a must read for anyone serious about self defense.
- Attack Proof - Another great book on self defense. Not all of the techniques in this book are excellent, but the vast majority of the drills are. It's also filled with realistic case studies that show many fallacies of traditional martial arts training for self defense.
- Tao of Jeet Kune Do - Filled with notes and drawings from Bruce Lee, this book has outstanding advice on self defense, from not getting stuck in one style of fighting, to realistic observations and techniques from a variety of styles. Every technical practitioner of self defense should own the Tao of Jeet Kune Do.
- CHOKE EM OUT - 65 Chokes to End Any Fight Fast - Chokes are one of the few techniques that always work. Against a crazy or drugged attacker they're invaluable. Burton Richardson, the author, is first and foremost concerned with self defense, and this book is also a must have.
