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I came this close to fighting a guy today....


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Quite the experience actually! As many of you know, I do martial arts (5 years now) and have always been security conscious. Today I was working at the store when a guy walks in at roughly 8:30 PM. Nothing unusual except that the guy was holding a screwdriver in his right hand, along with a small black bag. And holding the screwdriver like a knife I might add. Without a word he begins walking towards the till, not at the counter but to the side where we walk behind the counter. He takes a step up onto the raised dias behind the counter and at this point alarms are going off in my head.

At this point I'm about ready go for him. The first thing that came to mind was to grab his right arm in order to control the screwdriver, followed by slamming his head into the cabinets behind the till. A second plan of attack would be to grab his right arm, break it, then see where I was, probably looking for a way to get out of the store. Just as I was about ready to move something told me just take a breath, which is when he said "Pump?"

I'm so bewildered that I watch as he walks right past me (although I'm still on the edge) and towards the back where the breakers are. "I'm here to fix the pump," he says again. Then it clicks into place: he was there to fix the pump that had malfunctioned that morning. Of course my boss forgot to tell me that he was coming, plus the entire situation hadn't been explained to me by my coworkers, what had heard was mostly in passing. Plus he wasn't wearing a uniform or anything that might denote him as a repairman, besides the screwdriver in his hand (y) As a result I wasn't expecting anything. Needless to say I began to relax.

Rick, as I later learned his name was, probably has no idea of how close I came to seriously ruining his day. Even more unreal is the fact that he lives in Moberly and I've probably seen him before and simply forgot. I am thankful that I waited and didn't just jump into a fight! :) Strangely there was no fear, only an overwhelming sense of awareness, confidence, and purpose. No thoughts of "What am I gonna do? What am I gonna do?", just simple, logical calculation. Necessity and facts were the only thing going through my mind. My training kicked in and it was all about taking him out as fast as possible if he made a move. Plus I kept waiting to see what his intentions were, which probably saved me from assault charges :D

A very interesting experience to say the least :D I've never been faced with the very real possibility of having to use violence and it was nice to know that I felt ready and able to take on an armed opponent with confidence of victory/survival.

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Yes, I'd definately have a pretty good lawsuit on my hands Øyvind :D I try not to be a hero, but if he had gone for me that would have been it....for him :D

As for company hats and vehicles, nothing :P No hat, no logo on his shirt, just driving a regular early 1990s Dodge pickup.

Didn't realize so many folks at WFG were former martial artists :D You guys all need to start up again :D If you are wondering, I am a blue belt in Wado karate (only brown belt left before black), and will be starting Shorin-Ryu karate in the fall. Hopefully I will get to train with Greg Reid this fall. In Wado karate he is the #1 practitioner in North America, 8th-degree black belt. Evidently he can break your spine and crush your heart by punching you in the chest.

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But if he had turned out to be harmless (which he was) I'd be in quite the situation, wouldn't I? Not to mention him..... I bet you'd like to have a broken nose, concussion, and hyperextended elbow all at once? :D

Violence is only a last resort, and that line hadn't been crossed.

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But if he had turned out to be harmless (which he was) I'd be in quite the situation, wouldn't I? Not to mention him..... I bet you'd like to have a broken nose, concussion, and hyperextended elbow all at once? :D

Violence is only a last resort, and that line hadn't been crossed.

How do you know he was harmless? He could've been a spy, planted a bomb, anything! :D:D

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