Can blind people REALLY protect themselves with A Personal Defense?
The truth is, being blind is a major disadvantage - of course. You can't see who is there or how many of them there are, or even assess the terrain.
The key to personal defense for the blind is to start with what they have rather than what they do not. Assuming a sound body, they have the same hands and feet. They can feel and think and respond as well as anyone. By paying attention to their other senses, they are more aware than most of sounds and smells and physical touch.
The truth is, being blind is a major disadvantage - of course. You can't see who is there or how many of them there are, or even assess the terrain.
The key to personal defense for the blind is to start with what they have rather than what they do not. Assuming a sound body, they have the same hands and feet. They can feel and think and respond as well as anyone. By paying attention to their other senses, they are more aware than most of sounds and smells and physical touch.
The idea of a blind swordsman is more than a bit ridiculous to me, but a blind woman is just as capable as her counterparts in extremely close range. When you are close enough to grab someone's head, or when you are being pinned to the ground, your eyes are not very helpful. You don't have time to look for your opportunities, and that close, you probably won't see much anyway. Here, a blind woman can train to feel the attacker's intentions without seeing them. She can sense when they are off balance and use that. They can find eyes to gouge and a groin to knee strike.
None of this is magic. It's just training. Once you learn to stop thinking about what personal defense "should" be, you are free to explore what could be. Whether you are blind or not, you have some limitations and a great many strengths. A Personal Defense starts and ends with YOU.
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