We love our improvised weapons here at The Barbaric Gentleman, don’t we? From the Millwall Brick to the rock-in-a-sock, I’ve given you many tools to hurt people when the city fathers don’t allow you to carry an actual weapon. And now it’s time to learn another improvised weapon, a weapon that is infamous for being so effective it was used as a method of execution for centuries, and so cheap and simple that you have the equipment to make it right now, regardless of where you are.
That weapon is: the garrote.
The term refers to its use as an execution method in Spain; more specifically the term refers to the stick or rod used to tighten the cord around the victim’s throat, but it’s use as an execution method go back much farther than that—at least back as far as the Roman Republic, and remained in use in Spain until 1959.
But we’re not going to do the prison execution style of garroting; no, we’ll be doing the method that is still taught to commandos and special forces soldiers to this day, and occasionally gets used in good old fashioned murder.
To begin with, you’re going to need your garrote, and this is where the practicality of the weapon really shines—for if you can find a cord that will bear a good amount of weight and pressure, you have a garrote!
Piano wire, cheese cutting wire, a telephone cord, a rope, your belt—any of these can be used. Once you’ve found the right cord, you must facilitate the strangling by modifying the cord, and this can be done with handles or loops (which one you choose will probably depend on what type of cord you use—obviously if you’re using metal wire, you don’t want to be pulling that into your bare flesh).
If you’re using handles, take two wooden dowels of the same length and drill small holes completely through them, large enough to pass your wire through. Then fix he handles by tying a stopper knot. Alternatively, you can tie overhand knots in the string to create the proverbial “Gets tighter as you pull” string ensemble, put pens or some other rigid object in the loops, and pull tight.
If you are using a cloth garotte, you can still use the handles, although it is not necessary. Just tie a weight to one end of the garotte, and you’re done.
Using the garotte is also quite simple, and can easily become deadly force.
NOTE: I don’t want to condone anybody using these techniques for actually doing so.
Indeed, I would say even practicing this on a partner is a risky move, since garroting can become deadly VERY quickly. Instead, get a dummy, a mannequin, or even a roughly human sized wooden post.
From here you can practice two strangulation methods:
1)Indian Style
This type of garroting was the favorite method of the infamous Thuggee cult, which of course is where the modern term “thug” originates to roughly mean “freelance individual low tech violent criminal”.
To do this, take your garotte, and throw it across their throat with a flick of the wrist—this is where your weighted end comes into play, as the garotte should comfortably land in the palm of your other hand. Then pull back tight while you put your knee into their back.
2) USMC Style
This is a somewhat counter-intuitive style, but one that will apply a greater amount of pressure to the enemy’s throat. To do this, hold both ends of the garrote at the start. Position your left hand at the back of their right shoulder. Then using your right hand, loop it up and over their neck, and then pull your arms apart. This makes a much tighter cinch. And from here you can either pull them down, kick them in the back of the leg, or even turn your back to them and lift them onto your shoulder as shown, so that their own body weight completes the strangulation
Allegedly, this can decapitate somebody if you use a wire garrote.
So there you have it, a simple and highly effective silent weapon. Take the utmost safety precautions with practicing it’s use, as I have no desire for you morons to sue me—and remember, ONLY pull a weapon in a life or death situation.