Better to know your limitations than to learn about them when you wake up at the hospital.
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or you may not wakeup-
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I think there are many of us here, like myself, who likely wouldnāt win a straight up hand to hand fight due to age or health issues. But I still think that makes it even more important to learn whatever physical skills you might be capable of. Being old or infirm will make you more of a target and increase the chances of not being able to immediately get to your firearm. But it will also likely make your attacker feel safe from physical harm and leave an opening.
A stomp to the ankle, knee to the groin or finger to the eye could buy the time needed to get to your firearm.
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I disagree. In my current Krav class thereās a lady that is all of 5ā tall and MAYBE 100lbs and in her 50ās. We were doing 2 on 1 drills and she was pulling me (6ā3, 260) around the gym and actually kinda hurt my neck a little!
Her husband, who is in the same class, just had hip surgery around Thanksgiving, with a bunch of metal being installed and heās working his way back to training.
Moral of the story: Itās not about the size of the dog in the fight, but the size of the fight in the dog.
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Yeah, but I think youāre better off knowing that, because it makes you more aware and more willing to avoid that fight whenever possible, or ending it as quickly as possible. As compared to, say, the kid who just got his blue belt in Tai-What-Ever and now thinks heās Jack Reacher.
Iāll have to look up the quote, but I recall no less than Bruce Lee talking about the dangers of street fighting. It wasnāt so much that he feared he would lose a fair fight, as much as that there are no fair fights on the street. In a competition, there are rules to protect the competitors. In a real fight, anything can happen. There have been plenty of young, fit dudes with some level of martial arts training who have ended up in the emergency room or the morgue after a brawl.
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Agree that avoiding the fight is always the way to go. But sometimes the fight finds people no matter how good they are at avoiding them.
Fights can often start close enough that we donāt have the chance to cleanly draw and present our pistols. Having at least a few moves designed to quickly buy enough time and distance to draw just makes sense to me. All the typical range time in the world is useless when you have someone all over you preventing a safe draw and aim.
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Where I live you CAN NOT keep a āsafeā distance from the people that I often put in the yellow/red category, itās just not possible. Having hand to hand skills, if anything, gives one the confidence, a look that many predators recognize and avoid. I study and practice MA not to hurt people but so I donāt get hurt. There are many cases where a wrist lock ended a conversation that could have escalated. There are many cases where the attacker was shocked when the lady fought him off.
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Making kind of sense! If youāre forced to use hand to hand fighting skills, youāve lost the advantage of having a firearm. That being said, martial arts skills are an important part of your personal security.
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I am 75 years old & have extensive arthritis which causes muscle weakness. Would be very reluctant to get physical with anyone. Thatās the reason I carry. The skills I can use is situational awareness, removing myself if possible & trying to talk the tension down. Does anyone have any suggestions as to any defensive physical training someone with my limitations can pursue?
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We train everyone. We tailor our training to suit the physical and phycological abilities of all who wish to learn. We have students in wheel chairs, with Muscular Dystrophy, victims of terrible assaults. Look around, talk to the instructors, be honest with them. You may be able to find a school or maybe an individual that can help.
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Kind of depends on how brittle your bones are, donāt it? 
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Well Yes and No. Certainly we donāt want to get injured while training, for that reason we carefully evaluate each students needs and abilities including a doctors recommendation where appropriate, that said, the thug on the street isnāt really concerned about your physical abilities, they are concerned about your wallet or your aaaa body parts that they can take advantage of.
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Please 
donāt take what I am writing out of context.
Reading all the comments, and few have already stated, what about to say. Training/ adding tools to your toolbox are essential. What is mandatory is your mindset. Saying I have these issue or I can not do it because fill in the blank- is an excellent start to knowing yourself and your limits. We, including myself, need to push our minds and body to understand what our actual limits are. Just saying it doesnāt make it accurate. Try different training methods. What metrics make you think you can draw your firearm in every situation? I created this post to bring awareness; carrying a firearm does not always protect you. It can give you a false sense of security. We live in a world that tolerance is a second thought; caring for others is a passing memory; doing what is right now becomes a mental exercise. Me belonging to this forum/community - helps me rethink my values and principles. Learning and growing are constant with me. Challenge yourself to do some research on what makes sense to add new tools to your toolbox- Stop saying I can not do fill in the blank ā Growth Mindset, training, breaking the cycle of I will start tomorrow - tomorrow never comes -
keep your head on a swivel
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Youāre 100% correct, a firearm cannot always protect me. USCCA recognizes that truth better than some other organizations Iāve seen. And thereās no such thing as complete security, either. We (this community) sometimes fall into that trap, playing the āwhat ifā game until weāve exhausted every unlikely scenario. Itās a valuable exercise from time to time, so we can think through the types of risks we face when we get out of bed. When we dedicate time and money into actual training, weāre usually better off focusing on more probable scenarios. No matter what, though, living is dangerous.
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Unfortunately, not everyone is so fortunate. In my younger days I could take care of myself and more (physically). But I, like many of my brothers, have suffered disabilities from military service, tragic accidents, or just plain bad luck.
I did alot of soul searching and after finally admitting to myself that physical was no longer an option I trained myself in other ways to defend myself.
First. Be aware of your surroundings and avoid and/or remove yourself from any situation that looks like there is a potential to go sideways.
Seond. If you do get inadvertently caught up, know and use de-escalation techniques.
Last. If all else fails and you are in a situation where deadly force is required, then and only then - well, you know what needs to be done.
Not to say that youāre wrong at all, just thought , that thereās another perspective that needs to be thought about.
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Awesome response!! Brother!!!
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I was an Amateur Boxer for 12 years. Heavyweight. Itās a different animal than Pro boxing. On the Navy team for three years I was 47 - 8 with 27 KOs. This being said, all those skills in the ring do little to help disarming an assailant with a knife or gun. I would suggest special training from a certified instructor for any hand to hand knowledge. It is money well spent. Especially when youāre 65 years old like me. Iām in pretty damn good shape, 6ā3" & 250lbs but Iām old & slow 
. Thatās life
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Actually, itās called Escrima. Started when I was 15.
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So you understand!! I have seen enough to say no thank you and run away! PQ my best friend Is no joke with a Bailisong. Even at 49, I would not mess with PQ close range.
You know what I find cool about this is, how many women and men have hand to hand training. Some more formal than others but all useful in the real world.
Iām 62, went 8 rounds last night with 2 different MMA fighters. I like to think I as good as they are but for some reason the little ā ā ā ā heads kept tapping me. Oh Well, Iāll write it off to youth and old age. 
but it was a lot of fun and it gives me a small level of confidence that I might be able to survive an empty hand fight on the street.
Thatās me in the Blue Shirt
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