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Old 10-29-2012, 06:18 AM   #26
Lyle Laizure
 
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Re: 83 year old aikido black belt repels home invader.

Quote:
Janet Rosen wrote: View Post
What is the alternative you suggest if you are a woman or a senior (the bb in aikido is nice but nobody at 83 has the muscle mass and proprioception of a young fit man) at home and afraid because there is an intruder who may/not be armed and whose intent you prudently must assume is malevolent? To huddle under a bed or in a closet and hope for the best? I'll be grabbing something to enhance my personal capabilities, make use of my superior ability to navigate my home in the dark and hope the decision as to where and how to engage is of my choosing .
My suggestion is to get out of the house, if possible. I would also encourage the individual to arm themself with something for defense if the intruder is encountered on the way out. As you said, they have the superior ability to navigate their home in the dark. But certainly I am not saying cower under the bed hoping nothing happens.

As for the 83 year olds muscle mass and proprioception. I doubt the 83 year old could give a 30 year old a run for his money at the gym, either lifting weights or on the treadmill. However, he is a grown man and certainly if he has a blackbelt (and that is all it says in the article so we assume he only has a shodan) that his proprioception is decent. Probably better than someone that doesn't train marital arts.

Beyond that however is the fact that after the intruder jumped off their balcony the article says both seniors were in pursuit. The article doesn't give enough information on this point. Did the seniors jump from the balcony and give chase? (I doubt that.) But if they had to run down a flight of stairs, out the front door, and then after the intruder...again I think proprioception is decent.

Even wounded the intruder was able to out run the old folks but think about this...why did the couple chase after him? The intruder no longer posed a threat to them.

Interestingly enough the article does not mention who called the police and when they were called.

Quote:
Janet Rosen wrote: View Post
(there is a reason aikido trains to elicit a specific attack).
I do not understand this statement.

Last edited by Lyle Laizure : 10-29-2012 at 06:24 AM.

Lyle Laizure
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