Zombie Cliche Lookout: Catharsis
To say that the zombie apocalypse is stressful is like saying that the ocean has a lot of water in it. It’s going to be rough, and some people are just going to snap from the pressure of day to day survival. That’s why finding ways to blow off a little steam here and there are going to be incredible important. Otherwise, that steam is going to boil over into something incredible destructive.
A fine example of this is from the recent version of I am Legend with Will Smith. A lot of the first half of the movie (the good half, as far as I’m concerned) is devoted to Smith’s character trying to maintain his shaky grasp on sanity by keeping his mind occupied with a variety of tasks, from watching every movie in the local video store to using a decommissioned aircraft carrier as a driving range.
About this Episode:
This episode does two important things for me. First, it give me an extra couple of days to put together the set for the next few episodes. Now don’t get excited, my sets are never terribly good. But still, I could use the time.
Second, I wanted to force the yet to be named Cameraman into a different role in the group. Thus far, he’s only served to be in the background, a quiet and frightfully annoying chronicler of everyone’s activities. Now, he’ll have to actually do something, even if that’s just being churlish and getting in the way.
Discussion Question: Zombie Self Defense
Here’s another one that came from the comments. Many self-defense techniques rely on belying you attacker with pain (hitting nerve clusters, groin shots, etc). In the case of zombies, that’s just not going to cut it. There are, however, many other techniques that will likely still be effective, such as various methods of breaking away from an attack to flee.
What sort of self-defense will be the most important when it comes to surviving zombies? Should you still focus on other things, considering that there will likely also be a contigent of dangerous living humans out there?
Murphy should probably throw that videotape in the fireplace! 😉 Why? Because there’s zero chance some genius will discover it after they’ve left this temporary spot in the woods, and see some rather interesting footage! 😀 Plus, they’ll need a smell that will tell the local zombies that there’s no food here. What stinks worse than smelly slowly burning plastic? Not much, in my opinion! 😉
Yeah, burning plastic is not much of an appetizer.
Hmmmm… Martial arts wise, what I think you would want for zombies is well, what you would want for battlefield work: Wrestling or grappling techniques aimed at hurling opponents as forcefully to the ground as possible, and kicks aimed at breaking legs and knocking people over.
This sort of combination can be seen in everything from the Ringen of 14th century German knights to the grappling of the Samurai, to the modern martial arts of the military today.
The modern conception of martial arts as being high-flying kicks is not particularly common in arts intended for the battlefield, and although it could be made to work against zombies (hey, I can’t remember seeing a zombie actually block a blow except in a Japanese movie I saw once), such flashy techniques are tiring and risky. The last thing you want to do is tire yourself out kicking zombies in the head, only to fumble and fall on your butt in a crowd of zombies trying for a fancy round-house-hook combo.
That would be crowd of zombies, not a coward of zombies. Zombies certainly aren’t very cowardly.
Fixed it for you.
‘Cause I love to monologue…
Yes, I am aware a lot of military techniques, ancient to modern, do have a lot of pain and joint manipulation that would be worthless against zombies. Just don’t do any of those (especially any mouth hooking or pretty much anything having to do with the face for that matter), and focus on the heavier stuff.
What I wonder is, how many of those techniques become automatic after a while. Does your muscle memory just kick in when you’re fighting and you start doing some of those moves, even knowing they’d be ineffective against zombies?
That’s an interesting point. I am a big proponent of training how you fight, fighting how you train. I went through a metamorphosis years ago. I started training straight Wing Chun kung fu. It’s simple, and relies upon “feel” more than thought. Later I added juijitsu and boxing. That’s when things started to get complicated. I had to ask myself my purpose. I dabbled in sport fighting; but when school got serious (12-16 hours a day), I had to rethink what I was in it for. I concluded that hand-to-hand techniques served two purposes, to get drunk Uncle Harry to stop being an asshole at the family Christmas party, or to facilitate transition to a knife or firearm. That’s it. I am not going to mess around and get into a scuffle at the bar or movie theater. I consider all of those as precursor to lethal force.
A big part of that is likely because you’ve got nothing to prove. People who get into fights generally do. At least in my experience.
And too much to lose. Who’s going to take care of my kids if I get seriously hurt, or even killed?
We should all commit to a lifetime to deselection, avoidance, and deescalation. That’s the essence of survivalism.
Well said.
Heh. I had a little trouble too when I dabbled in Juijitsu. Even after years of not doing any Tae Kwon Do, when faced with an incoming punch I still instantly responded with an inner forearm block. Since we were supposed to be doing some sort of palm block with a funky Japanese name, this was a problem. (At least I could say I still had something going for me.)
If it’s stupid but it works then it isn’t stupid.
“The last thing you want to do is tire yourself out kicking zombies in the head, only to fumble and fall on your butt in a crowd of zombies trying for a fancy round-house-hook combo.”
Yes indeed. Hopefully that’s how Chuck Norris goes.
Its pretty much accepted in the martial art community that no single style provides all the best self defense solutions. Hard styles like Karate and Tae Kwon Do work well for multiple opponents and fast moving combat but if an opponent manages to get you off your feet or get a good grip on you they are pretty useless. Soft styles like the much touted Brazilian Jujitsu are deadly in a grappling situation but also force you to “lock up” with a single opponent and leave you vulnerable to a 2nd attacker while you are dealing with the first. Most schools these days teach a style that has been modified to include some aspect of other styles. The dojo that I attend, for example, teaches primarily Okinawan Karate with some Akido, and both traditional and Brazilian Judo mixed in. Generally I think that martial training would be an asset in the ZA, but not a huge one. Being able to sidestep a zed lunging at you and blow out its knee with a quick kick would be useful, but so much of what we do relies on the human pain response and aversion to having your limbs ripped off that I would question its value. Some techniques that make use of leverage for throws might work well, but they usually force you to grab hold or your opponent and step inside his stance…I dont wanna do that with a zombie. Plus Dave has an excellent point, we train to do this stuff without conscious thought which could be a real problem when dealing with an unconventional opponent. What might work well is some traditional weapons training. Forget that “light saber” katana that whats her name uses in the “Walking Dead” series, bladed weapons have this nasty habit of getting stuck in bone. But being trained with either a long or short staff or some of the Chinese long spears or club style weapons might be useful. I remember seeing an Arnise (Philippine stick fighting) demonstration by a martial artist who had substituted his two short staffs for a pair of kid sized aluminum baseball bats. Very cool.
Really good thoughts here, Damage.
I’ve studied Judo, Kung Fu, Jiujitsu, Thai boxing, and Kali escrima. The only unarmed technique I can see working against zombies is track and field. One simply cannot do enough damage to a zombie to keep it from biting you. Even attacks designed to stop your opponent won’t do any good against a zombie. What are you gonna do, put him in a choke hold or armbar?
I have observed basically two attacks in zombie movies. First is the surprise bite. Joe or Jane Bagadonuts is walking along HUA (That’s Head Up Ass) in Condition White (Google “Jeff Cooper Color Codes for more details), and the lone skulking zombie bites ’em on the ankle. Then there is the human wave attack. Like the Chinese, Russians, and North Koreans, a couple dozen of them will fall upon the lone defender. This is usually the cocky prat who thiks he can go it alone (usually because the group is filled with retards, but still..).
No unarmed techniques I can think of can overcome these two attacks. Ones best bet is good conditioning, good footwork (stacking attackers, using terrain and obstacles, etc.) and beating a hasty retreat. Realistic melee weapons, like clubs, bowie knives, and hatchets will do more good than feet and hands (save those for keeping your own party in line). Keep your shoes in good shape, for beating a hasty retreat.
This is another case when simple armor might save the day. Pieces of industrial carpet cut and strategically glued to a denim jacket might buy you enough time to get away or mount an effective attack.
Well said, Bo.
I think the times it would come in handy is when you get attacked but not immediately bitten by an unseen zed. One that grabs first and then tries to bite.
Yeah, smashing that video tape is a good way to blow off steam.
Also a good way to hide something he doesn’t want anyone seeing! >.>
That it is, but I can’t imagine what Murphy might want to hide.
That’s what I thought on the Walking Dead season II until Shane killed Otis :/
I’m with you ZQFMBG. Looks like clean up to me.
Damn. Not at all what I was going for. But I guess when you have someone in an authoritative position destroying something, that’s just where the mind goes.
Look at it this way Dave. You now have an opening for a possible twist if you see fit!
Very true
I like how Bo put it above: track and field.
The self-defense I’d recommend for zombie apocalypse is that found on the below website, No Nonsense Self Defense:
http://www.nononsenseselfdefense.com/index.html
The author is a former street fighter/bouncer. Most of what he recommends emphasizes the difference between self defense, fighting, and combat. Self defense is primarily about avoiding dangerous situations in the first place. Fighting is an exchange of hostilities between two (or more) mutually willing participants. Combat is life or death, desperate physical struggle.
Of these three, fighting is worthless against the undead, and combat is really dangerous. Marc MacYoung points out that, on the street, martial arts moves don’t cut it; when stuff gets real, you reach for a weapon.
You do NOT want to fight zombies unarmed. So once again, Bo was right: track and field. Run like hell.
I’ve done a bit of reading on that guys site before. Really solid, well thought out stuff that cuts through all the bullshit.
im not even sure if a lot of people have VCR players anymore. i have one but that’s only because it came with the DVD player, the thing wuold be useless.
I doubt many people under 40 do these days.
I try to make Bricks of the Dead feel a little bit short of contemporary though. I like having a bit of a nostalgic vibe going in it. That’s why you don’t see people trying their cell phones, and the TVs are all big CRTs.
I still think that the VCR’s are nice, you cant scratch them, but i guess that Blu-Ray does both, i hate Blu-ray
What’s wrong with Blu Ray?
I never liked the color Blue, and it cost’s more to put i little blue plastic thing on the outside.
Bo brings up a good point about the track and field. I’ve taken up running in the last year to improve my cardio and increase my odds in a ZA.
However, I will add that too often you see the scene where the person is down and the zombie is literally on top of them and you just think, “Oh, they’re done for…” Perhaps a little Brazilian Jiu Jitsu to learn how to use simple physics to get the person OFF of you? Then run…
well said, Kim. Running away is the way to go, but if you need to, being able to break contact would be an invaluable skill.
A little joint manipulation, like a simple armbar or triangle choke is good to keep in the repertoire, just because; but my thoughts are if there’s someone on top of you, and you do not know who that person is, you are justified in going lethal (I am not a lawyer). A person on top of another has a tremendous advantage, especially if he has friends. One can hold you while the other punts your head, for instance.
Breaking contact then is the best bet. I have a couple of small knives that work just for that purpose; and when I get some time I will do a little writeup on them. Suffice it to say that in a life or death struggle against the undead grappling techniques become murky at best. Choke holds don’t work when the creature you’re fighting doesn’t breathe. Standing grappling often depends upon grabbing your opponent’s neck, which is close to those teeth we’re all trying to avoid. You want to knee the zombie in the head? What if his teeth break your skin, even as you break its teeth? Yeah, sucks to be you.
This is actually an interesting exchange, as it applies to any survival situation. As I alluded to before, many grappling techniques are good for defusing a situation at a party, or for a cop trying to make an arrest; but when everything becomes life or death in a WROL situation, the situation becomes more desperate. A fight that causes a broken bone or deep cuts and scratches can cause death in a grid-down scenario. Suddenly we must become much more protective of our health. Fights have the possibility of escalation, and will likely be over life-sustaining resources.
In sum, my advice is to add simple techniques. Google Get Tough and “Gutterfighting” for more ideas. In these situations we’re not trying to “beat anyone up”. We’re trying to break contact and create distance between us and the attacker(s). In any conflict, distance equals time; and all conflicts are time-based competitions for limited resources.
This has caused some conversation in the European martial arts scene. (I’m referring to the revival of old 14th-17th century European styles that really haven’t been seriously practiced for a few hundred years.)
People who think of MMA as the ultimate martial arts have spoken out against the European arts as incomplete for featuring very few ground-fighting techniques. However, in a time without antibiotics, where everyone and his brother carried knives/daggers, often fought in groups, and wouldn’t have any problems biting or clawing an opponent, the idea of going to ground suddenly becomes less appealing. The European grappling largely aimed at hurling an opponent to the ground and then applying a weapon or engaging other opponents makes more sense in that light. Never get yourself tied up if you can possibly help it.
I’ve seen what well-trained “sport” fighters can do in a clinch and in a dirty fight. I’m to the point where I consider it a lethal attack. Period. An armbar or choke can cripple or kill, just like a gun or knife. That’s just what it is. I am getting old enough that if someone wants to grapple, he had better be ready to consider getting gut shot.
This was the crux of the George Zimmerman case. When a 200 pound seventeen year old man is pounding your head into the ground, lethal force is justified. Now apply that to a WROL event. No one is coming for you. YOYO.
Every martial art, every one is environment specific. I remember reading about a Southeast Asian style (Malaysian, maybe?) centered around fighting in swamps and standing water. When there is a foot of water on the ground, grappling won’t cut it, and running becomes difficult. This led to specialized techniques.
We do have twentieth and twenty-first century American martial arts. They focus around the pistol, shotgun, and carbine. That’s not hyperbole. That’s my application of the word “martial” meaning “suitable for war” to sports like IPSC and IDPA.
“This was the crux of the George Zimmerman case. When a 200 pound seventeen year old man is pounding your head into the ground, lethal force is justified. Now apply that to a WROL event. No one is coming for you. YOYO.”
See, I think the crux of the case is a likely-unstable man pretending to be Batman.
Say what you will about escalating the situation, the wounds and forensics tell me that Mr. Zimmerman was flat on his back getting the cornbread hell beat out of him when he let that one .380 round go. If someone were on top of me, pounding my head into the concrete, I might do the same thing.
I have no doubt you or I would do the same thing. The question is, would we be stupid enough to put ourselves into that situation in the first place? I think not.
Agreed. That goes back to avoidance, deselection, and deescalation. He likely bit off more than he could chew and got himself into a tricky situation. But confronting a predatory thug doesn’t necessitate retaliating by banging one’s head into a sidewalk.
Robert Heinlein said that an armed society is a polite society. Trayvon Martin wasn’t very civilized.
Much as I like martial arts and it has it’s place and uses. In the zombie apocalypse… to paraphrase Zombieland… having a good cardio regime will be good. Being able to out run and get away from the zombies. Parkour as well. Do those insanely awesome leap stunts and climbs.
Armor, something to help protect you for the surprise bites, but it also has to be light weight enough so that you can move quickly.
While firearms are all well and nice, too often movies have it that the noise only attracts and draws the zombies to you. Getting good with a bow, crossbow and even a sling for those head shots will be good. And having a good solid club or sharp weapon to behead and dismember zombies will be good.
Always being aware of one’s surroundings will be good, keeping escape routes in mind. Getting boxed in during a zombie outbreak often seems to be bad.
I’d love to see a parkour master with a sling in a zombie movie. That would be awesome.
Indeed it would…. something to consider now…
Just have enough ammunition to take out every zombie in down.
In the end it would probably end up like the television show Revolution (and I effing HATE that show). We would use up all of our ammunition killing off the zombies, then use muskets and bows and arrows on each other, until the manufacturing starts back up again.
I don’t discount the nuclear option, either. There are an estimated 19,000 nuclear weapons in this world. To say that none of them will go off in a WCS is folly.
It’s an extremely frustrating show. Cool ideas, but terrible execution. The main character is a terrible actress. She’s got one expression: confused. It’s infuriating.
I like Twilight’s dad though.
And the dude from Breaking Bad. Seriously, that character is evil, and well played. Unfortunately, IRL I would have shot him first. Always shoot the leader first. It confuses and demoralizes the underlings.
Pollos (Gustavo) is a hell of an actor. I kind of want this show to fail just so he gets a better roll in something else.
There’s also a character from Justified (another of my favorite shows), but he just got killed.
why cant zombie games be more realistic?
The most realistic at the moment is Day Z.. To make a perfect and realistic zombie game would take quite some time especially for all the mechanics.
Project Zomboid was coming along quite well in the realism department.
I haven’t kept all to updated on Project Zomboid.. I should probably purchase it as early to avoid higher future prices.
game prices go down after about 2 years, Left 4 Dead 2 is already thiry dollars! and the PS3 price is about to go down, because they’ve already made a PS4. are any adults getting what im saying?
That being on the bleeding edge is needlessly expensive?
yeah… i guess video games dont help you out in the apocaylpse, and i could just be buying better food with my new job, i accedently ate my survival kit, because it was full of Mtn. Dew, chips, and Twix, ill remember to get some canned tuna from the store next time i go.
That doesn’t sound like very good survival food. You might want some protein.
and a car with like 40 mi a gallon! so maybe a plug-in prius isnt the best choice. i’d probibly like to have a big car too, like a bus, ooh, and maybe a machete from Big-5! oh and i also might want some canned corn
That’s a hell of a diverse wish list.
Looks like we need an article on food for your three-day bag.
This is a pet peeve of mine, especially since FEMA and the Red Cross promote it. If one is foolish enough to pack a bag full of ramen noodles and Jolly Ranchers, you about deserve what you get. Same for folks that talk about rationing food well in advance. If you can look your kids square in the eye and say “There isn’t enough, I’m sorry”, you’re a no good sonofabitch. And when your kids do give you that look and say “Daddy, I’m hungry” don’t try to steal it from me, because I, too, would rather shoot some sorry vagrant hobo than see my kids go hungry. My only advice then is to get your food storage in order now.
well what would you take? id surley bring someone to watch my back and keep me company, and then i’d camofluge my orange tent with mud, sticks and twigs. maybe even in the bushes by my old church, its in the town center, so after i run out of food, i head over to the hill air force base, simple as that.
It depends on where I was, how long I thought I was going to be there, and who I had with me. Likely my family, which includes a 3 year old and an almost 5 month old. Diapers and formula would be in there.
well that state farm Mark guy isnt going to survive the apocolipse. “I’ll just take 2 peices of bread, 3 water bottles, and an egg.” heh skrew him.
Have everything you think you’ll need now. There will be no scrounging, no bartering, and no trading. There will be stealing and looting; but civilized folks tend to hang looters, and to shoot the ones that aren’t agreeable to hanging. Get your gear in order while you can. Make hay while the sun shines.
“[…]civilized folks tend to hang looters, and to shoot the ones that aren’t agreeable to hanging.”
That’s a hell of a line.
And I completely agree on the sentiment. If you’re planning on getting by through stealing and looting, then you’re either going to starve or get killed.
Hmmm, I read this comic as Murphy has been stewing over how to make the camera man leave his camera and stop being so much of a liability… so he has made the desicion to crush the tape, with the thought that cameraman might just leave it behind and stop just “being in the way”… be interesting to see how the group reacts to this action no matter what the reasoning behind it 🙂
In terms of combat in Zombie world… Cardio is number one… “Those that run away live to fight another day” First option generally is to get away from the threat. If they do get hold… then I’m not trying to do damage… I’m trying to get them off me, physics is a beautiful thing… been training for years with my two younger brothers on the evasive “get the hell off me” styles 🙂
And those that want to use bows/crossbows…. get training…. it is pretty hard to hit a bullseye on a stationary target, let alone a human head sized target shambling towards you, bobbling all over the place and trying to EAT YOU!
That was what I was going for, Mad.
Crossbows with rifle or holo-sights (battery-free, like a Trijicon Reflex with tritium and a fiber optic element) would be ideal, to shorten the training time. They’re not very popular around these parts, though. I don’t think I have ever seen one for sale.
poor camera
The camera should be fine. The tape? Not so much.
No evidence for the people in safe zones to see (if there is any)
This is true.
Love it! I sate and read ep1 all the way to the end….waiting for the next one!
Thanks!
Here’s my zeepoc training video:
http://m.youtube.com/watch?v=zFKy6Ld9gU8
I approve.
Question:
What techniques to use on a zombie if you’re unarmed? I think throwing them to the floor using any technique you might use on humans, followed by a boot to the occipital bone. That’s probably the quickest and easiest way, I think.