You saved up for years so you could go to that famous training facility. They drilled you with your 1911 until you left with a permanent bend to your trigger finger. You practiced shooting standing up, kneeling down, and even flat on your back using your weak hand. You practiced clearing jams so many times that the patent number on the gun’s slide became imprinted on the palm of your hand. But are you really ready to defend yourself?
Being able to pull the trigger on a human being that wants to kill you requires more than physical preparation. It requires mental conditioning as well. Recognize that no matter how well trained you are by not being the aggressor you are always the victim. Being the victim means you are in a reactive position and the disregard for law and life that an armed attacker brings to a fight means you are always at a disadvantage. We can compensate for the natural hesitation that comes with being the victim of aggression, but we can never eliminate it. The extension of that hesitation by just a few milliseconds can cost you your life. That means you have no time to waste when reacting to an attacker.
I do not intend to launch into a discussion of rapid handgun deployment or the speed necessary to find cover. I want to talk about what you need to do mentally to be ready to defend your life. Practicing effective self-defense techniques involves more than sending rounds down range. One needs to create a habit of running self-defense scenarios through their mind so that if a dangerous situation arises our reactions come swiftly and naturally. This is not paranoia, it is preparation. Just as we develop muscle memory by practicing our shooting skills we should develop mental skills to recognize danger as a familiar situation. Only then can our reactions be automatic in nature and fluid in execution. When you read about street violence in the media call upon what you have heard and learned and run that scenario through your head. How would you handle such a situation? What if you were with your family? Would that change how you would behave? The best way to find an answer is to ask questions. The best way to learn self defense is to ask yourself constantly- “What should I do when attacked?” Long before you find yourself in danger you should have contemplated and selected the best course of action to take and have prepared an alternate plan, just in case. Consistently contemplate “attack scenarios” and feed your mind a steady diet of “what if” questions. This will help you mentally prepare for what you hope never happens and it will save your life if it does happen. By practicing attack responses mentally as well as physically you train your mind to work with your body so that you can respond to danger faster. Working your mind with your body helps you to develop the ability to “act while thinking” rather than “first thinking and then acting.”
When I suggest that you try to imagine every dangerous scenario you might find yourself in, I really mean every scenario. It is easy to imagine using force to defend yourself against a crazed crack head bent on attaining his next fix over your dead body. It is not as easy to imagine placing two hollow points in the center mass of a 14 year old boy or a 110 pound female. Yet you may very well have to defend yourself from someone you normally do not consider a threat. Last year’s jump in the nation’s crime rate was attributed to the increasing number of juveniles involved in robberies, assaults and other violent incidents. Violence is not reserved for males, 17% percent of the people arrested for violent crime are females and 28% of those female felons were juveniles. While it is likely in your nature to hesitate before defending yourself against a young boy it needs to be overcome. If someone is pointing a pistol sideways at your head you will end up just as dead if he is 14 as you would were he 40. Being stabbed by a crazy street person does not make you less dead because it is a woman holding that rusty kitchen knife. Regardless of the attacker’s gender or age when faced with the threat of an unavoidable violent attack, the problem to be solved remains “kill or be killed.” You can only be safe by recognizing that anyone can be dangerous.
One must be aware of danger before one can defend against danger. When you are outside the security of your home you must be in a constant state of awareness. Conditioning yourself to recognize danger remains the primary defense against being attacked. The color code system of readiness is perhaps Jeff Cooper’s greatest gift to us and we must live it, not just learn it. Cooper described it as more than a system of formulating tactical solutions; he called it “a psychological means of overcoming your innate reluctance to shoot someone down.” Research the color code system and then live it. Spend your time on the street alert and aware. By walking around in “condition yellow” you should be able to tell quickly if that teenager is a danger to you. Stay alert and recognize that anyone can be an attacker. Learn to recognize before they act if that child or little lady is a danger. Then should danger present itself act decisively.
There is no shame in running from a dangerous kid and there is no crime in stopping her from killing you.
Finally, the best way to protect against violence is caution, not bravery. Do not enter areas you know are dangerous. If you are someplace that makes you suspicious or fearful for your safety and the safety of your loved ones – leave immediately.
Published Combat Handguns February 2008
