Urban Survival

Training my kids in Israeli Survival and Kenpo

I was on the Q28 bus coming home during rush hour. The bus was crowded, and when it stopped suddenly I lurched forward and stepped on some kid's foot. I took off my headphones and apologized to him. He said to me if I touched him again he would punch me in the face. I apologized again, and he became agitated and more aggressive. I told him I would move to the other end of the bus, but could only get a couple of feet away from him. In Israeli Survival, we are taught to fight using anything at our disposal. Although I turned my back to him, I kept him in the corner of my eye. He still looked like he wanted a fight, so I took my Fisher Bullet Pen out of my pocket, discretely put the end cap on and held it in my fist, waiting for whatever might happen. He may have been a street fighter, no doubt about it, but he wasn't trained, otherwise he never would have come on like that. If he made a move, I had my plan of attack worked out. I would have jammed the end of my pen into his eye as hard as I could using a quick back-fist technique that he would never had seen coming, and then jammed it into his neck and swept him to the ground. This is New York City. Do not fuck with strangers. Do not challenge. Do not be aggressive. Always apologize when you bump into someone, and then get out of their way quickly. This is urban survival. I don't carry weapons. I am a weapon; I just find ways to avoid using it. Scared the shit out of me, because street fighting in New York City is all about survival, and there is always someone better than you. Let this be a lesson to my fellow students. Anything can happen anywhere. Be prepared, but do your best to avoid physical aggression at all costs. It’s not worth the consequences, no matter the outcome.


Love to all!


James M. Weil