‘‘Look, Mom, No Arms’’

Unarmed Self-Defense

This article is based on the Safety Member Certification training module "Basic Use of Force Laws," the Church Security Guide article "Self Defense Laws, Your Rights and Use of Force," and the Expert Resources article "Less-Lethal Skills for Church Safety Teams: A Guide for Prepared Protectors."[1][2][3][4][5]

From the Bible –

Samson killed a lion with his bare hands:

And the Spirit of the Lord came mightily upon [Samson], and he rent [the lion] as he would have rent a kid, and he had nothing in his hand: but he told not his father or his mother what he had done (Judges 14:6 ).

This was an example of the widespread violence before the Flood:

And Lamech said unto his wives, Adah and Zillah, "Hear my voice; ye wives of Lamech, hearken unto my speech: for I have slain a man to my wounding, and a young man to my hurt" (Genesis 4:23).

When he was unarmed, Benaiah fought and defeated an armed enemy soldier:

And [Benaiah] slew an Egyptian, a goodly man: and the Egyptian had a spear in his hand; but he went down to him with a staff, and plucked the spear out of the Egyptian's hand, and slew him with his own spear (2 Samuel 23:).

Paul made references to boxing and wrestling:

I therefore so run, not as uncertainly; so fight I, not as one that beateth the air (1 Corinthians 9:26).

For we wrestle not against flesh and blood ... (Ephesians 6:12).

Introduction –

Kids might do this today: When I was teen, kids would ride their bicycles not holding the handlebars, but steering with body positioning. Showing off to a parent, they'd say, "Look, Mom, no hands" or "… no arms."

How about self-defense with no arms? Currently, it is common for us to think of using a weapon of some kind - usually a firearm or a knife - in self-defense, followed by less lethal devices, such as pepper spray or a Taser. Totally unarmed defense is commonly expected from those who have a Black Belt in one or more of the martial arts. However, without going to that extent, most of us can learn to defend ourselves without using a weapon.

In the News -

Brooklyn, New York City, NY, January 1, 2025 - A 71-year-old woman on her way to a church service on New Year's Day had just gotten off the subway and gone through the turnstile when she was accosted by four teen girls demanding her purse. She refused to hand it over, so they tried to take it from her by force. She fought them. One grabbed her wallet from the purse, but the woman grabbed another girl by the hair and forced her to the ground. The one who took the wallet tried to free her accomplice and was also grabbed by her hair and taken to the ground. When the woman finally let go, all four girls ran off without anything.[6]

Manchester, New Hampshire, May 2, 2015 - A street robber tried to grab the wallet of a 95-year old World War II veteran leaving a pharmacy. The vet had a cane, and used it to fight off the robber, who fled when a passer-by came to help. The passer-by drove the vet home.[7]

Columbus, Ohio, May 4, 2018 - Police were chasing a young man who had a 9 MM handgun. He ran down the sidewalk in front of a library. A man waiting there for his granddaughter heard the sirens and saw the fugitive fleeing the cops. As the suspect ran behind him, the grandfather stuck his cane behind and tripped him. The thief fell and his gun slid out of reach. The police caught up with the suspect and arrested him.[8]

North Braddock, Pennsylvania, May 5, 2024 - The pastor was preaching the sermon at a North Braddock church when a young man came in. No one seemed to notice until the man walked up the aisle to the front, but a deacon sitting halfway back watched the unexpected visitor. When he got to the front, the young man raised a pistol and aimed at the pastor. The pastor turned and put his arm over his face as the trigger was pulled. The gun jammed.

The deacon, who had had risen from his seat, ran down the aisle. Flying over the front rail, he tackled the assailant and held him down. Someone had called 911; police soon arrived and took the shooter into custody.[9]

Tampa, Florida, January 22, 2023 - A man entered an apartment building's gym and tried to assault a woman who was working out. She fought him until he finally gave up.[10]

The Preferred Alternative -

Being armed is an advantage in some situations, which is why in many places at least some of the security personnel have weapons. There is also an advantage to less-lethal weapons, such as defensive spray. However, the use of these weapons is not always the best choice. If a violent disrupter is not armed, deadly force is obviously not the answer except in very few situations.

Even if the attacker is armed, your weapon may not be a good choice. There may not be time to pull it out, especially if the attacker is too close. When within arm's length, a response with a hand or leg will be quicker. A little more distance, and the assailant could be tackled. People have died because they could not pull a gun out of the holster fast enough, such as a security team member at the West Freeway Church of Christ.[11]

Also, in a crowd your shot may hit someone other than the assailant. It took Jack Wilson another second to shoot because he waited for a clear shot.[11]

Being Ready to Defend -

In the news stories above, with one possible exception, people successfully reacted to active threats without specific training in self-defense. That gives us hope that with training and situational awareness we can defend ourselves and others in most cases without using a weapon.

Avoiding Violence,

The first option usually is to avoid violence. The skills for this are observation, managing space, verbal de-escalation, and crowd control.

Observation:

Be in the habit of watching people. This is, figuratively speaking, keeping your finger on the pulse of the crowd. You will see when tensions are rising and will also notice behavior that is not normal. In those cases you can determine whether to intervene.

Managing Space:

When dealing with tense persons, it is important to manage space.

• First, steer non-participants away from the point of tension. One thing not needed is a crowd closing in.
• Secondly, try to put more space between hostile persons. This may take two team members, each de-escalating one person.

Verbal De-Escalation:

This art is intended to defuse threatening situations in order to maintain or restore peace. It will calm someone who is in a crisis. It can also derail or distract someone intent on violence.[12]

Crowd Control:

Our mission is to keep people safe. Crowd control is to keep people out of harm's way and to keep them calm.

• If violence is imminent, get the crowd to a safe place by evacuation or with a lockdown. Maintaining calm will help this process to be orderly.
• We do not want the crowd to become part of the problem. Well-meaning persons may actually complicate a situation, making it more difficult to maintain peace. Be alert for vigilantes, such as the one at the Keystone Fellowship Church.[13]

Self-Defense Skills,

Unless you are going after a black belt, it is better to learn a few good moves well than to load up with dozens of them. We can give brief descriptions here, but it is better to learn control and defense moves from an in-person trainer. The trainer can coach you as you practice the moves. Four of these are listed in a previous weekly article, "Handling Trouble: Unarmed Defense and Control."[14]

• Escort Hold - Holding the person's wrist and elbow, you can steer them in the direction to go, such as to the door.
• Wrist Lock - This is commonly known as "twisting their arm behind the back." It is pain control used to compel compliance.
• Arm Bar - More extreme than the wrist lock, it is used when the threat is serious bodily harm. It can throw the person off balance.
• Shoulder Lock - This is an effective control move when done well. It does require a lot of practice to get it right and to build muscle memory.

There are a number of online sources for these holds.[15][16][17][18][19]

Training Notes -

Find a self-defense trainer for the Safety Team. Have the trainer teach a few good moves and have class members practice them. Follow with defensive moves drills.

This is in addition to Safety Member Certification training. This course, with its eight training modules (classes), is designed to give Church Safety Team members well-rounded training in church safety and security. All members of a Church Safety Ministry should be trained and certified.

There are also additional resources to train and educate safety team members, such as Security Articles in the Church Security Guide, the Team Briefing, Lessons Learned, Guest Articles, and Expert Resources.

In addition is Kris's interview with Michael Caughran of American Reconstruction Concept on

self-defense training. Michael says, "You are the weapon. Whatever is in your hand is the tool."[20]

Conclusion -

Since lethal weapons are the last resort, we must know how to defend ourselves and others without them.

References -

1. Kris Moloney, "Basic Use of Force Laws," Safety Member Certification, Sheepdog Church Security, © 2020 [https://sheepdog-church-security.thinkific.com/bundles/safety-member-certification].
2. Kris, Moloney, Church Security Guide, Sheepdog Church Security, 2018 [https://sheepdogchurchsecurity.net/church-security-guide/] and [https://sheepdog-church-security.thinkific.com/pages/security-articles?c=church-security-guide].
3. Kris Moloney, "Self Defense Laws, Your Rights and Use of Force," Church Security Guide, Sheepdog Church Security, 2018 [https://sheepdogchurchsecurity.net/use-of-force-arrest-laws] and [[https://sheepdog-church-security.thinkific.com/pages/security-articles?p=self-defense-laws-your-rights-and-use-of-force].
4. Kris P. Moloney, Expert Resources, The Sheepdog Sentinel, Sheepdog Church Security, January 1, 2023 to March 1, 2024 [https://sheepdog-church-security.thinkific.com/pages/security-articles?c=expert-resources].
5. Kris P. Moloney, "Less-Lethal Skills for Church Safety Teams: A Guide for Prepared Protectors," Expert Resources, The Sheepdog Sentinel, Sheepdog Church Security Academy, April 1, 2023 [https://sheepdog-church-security.thinkific.com/pages/security-articles?p=non-lethal-skills-for-church-safety-teams-a-guide-for-prepared-protectors].
6. WKRC News Staff, "71-year-old woman fights off 4 robbers while on her way to church," Local 12 (WKRC), January 5, 2025 [https://local12.com/news/nation-world/elderly-woman-fights-robbers-purse-church-old-burglars-mugging-mugged-girls-4-71-robber-snatchers-snatch-subway-station-train-id-medical-information-wallet-money-fight-fought-assault-beat-attacked-attack].
7. Matt Adams, "95-year-old man fights off would-be robber with cane," Fox59, May 5, 2015 [https://fox59.com/news/95-year-old-man-fights-off-would-be-robber-with-cane/].
8. Stephanie Haney and Danyal Hussain, "Bold moment a brave grandfather with a walking stick TRIPS UP wanted armed suspect, 18, as he flees cops," Daily Mail, May 4, 2018 [https://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-5690345/Brave-grandfather-hailed-police-tripping-disarming-man-fleeing-officers.html].
9. Holly Yan, "A pastor escaped death when a man pointed a gun to his face and pulled the trigger. Then he told the gunman he forgave him," CNN, May 5, 2024, Updated May 7, 2024 [https://www.cnn.com/2024/05/07/us/pennsylvania-pastor-church-gunman/index.html].
10. Chloe Mayer, "Woman Who Fought Off Gym Attacker Breaks Silence," Newsweek, Feb 20, 2023 [https://www.newsweek.com/gym-attack-woman-fight-viral-video-tampa-florida-1782421].
11. Rachel M. Moloney, "Lessons Learned from the West Freeway Church Shooting," Lessons Learned, The Sheepdog Sentinel, Sheepdog Church Security, December 4, 2024 [https://sheepdog-church-security.thinkific.com/pages/security-articles?p=lessons-learned-from-the-west-freeway-church-of-christ-shooting].
12. Kris Moloney, "Deescalating Disruptive Persons," Safety Member Certification, Sheepdog Church Security, © 2020 [ [https://sheepdog-church-security.thinkific.com/bundles/safety-member-certification].
13. Rachel M. Moloney, "Lessons Learned from the Keystone Fellowship Church Shooting," Lesson Learned, The Sheepdog Sentinel, Sheepdog Church Security, September 25th, 2024 [https://sheepdog-church-security.thinkific.com/pages/security-articles?p=lessons-learned-from-the-keystone-fellowship-church-shooting].
14. WGV, "Handling Trouble: Unarmed Defense and Control," Sheepdog Church Security, May 23, 2023 [https://sheepdogchurchsecurity.net/articles/handling-trouble/].
15. Frank Borelli (Editorial Director) et al., "Control Holds," Officer.com (Officer Magazine), March 20, 2008 [ [https://www.officer.com/home/article/10249034/control-holds].
16. J. J. Truncale, "Effective Compliance Holds," Law and Order, Volume: 41 Issue: 9 Dated: (September 1993) Pages: 145-148, accessed on U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs [https://www.ojp.gov/ncjrs/virtual-library/abstracts/effective-compliance-holds].
17. Ed Sanow, "Controlled Force: Easy to Remember Defensive Tactics: NCJ Number 189114," Law and Order, Volume: 49 Issue: 5 Dated: June 2001 Pages: 70-73, accessed on U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Justice Programs [https://www.ojp.gov/ncjrs/virtual-library/abstracts/controlled-force-easy-remember-defensive-tactics].
18. Melanie Pinola, "Basic Self-Defense Moves Anyone Can Do (and Everyone Should Know)," LifeHacker, July 28, 2011 [https://lifehacker.com/basic-self-defense-moves-anyone-can-do-and-everyone-sh-5825528].
19. Sam Fury, "15+ of the Best Arm Locks in Self-Defense," Survival Fitness Plan Blog, no date [https://www.survivalfitnessplan.com/self-defense-lock-flow-drill].
20. Kris Moloney, "Interview with Michael Caughran ARC | Church Security Roll Call 376," Sheepdog Church Security Academy channel, YouTube [https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IupOEKoFROw&t=11s].