TRAINED OR UNTRAINED, WILLING OR NOT?
by John Riddle
The title of this blog is something we need to ask ourselves when it comes to our self-protection and self-preservation.
Do we actually train for self-defense situations (you pick the situation), or do we fool ourselves and do the limited version and think we can get by? You need to see, feel, touch and smell this question and answer it truthfully as you look yourself in the mirror. Don’t fool yourself, your life will depend on your answer. If you just had an epiphany on what I said, it’s not too late!
Training, in either physical self-defense, (punching, kicking, grappling, etc) or firearms is both physical and mental, probably a little more mental. Our biggest weapon is our brain, but we need to train the brain to react correctly under fear and adversity. How do we do this? We do this through proper training and constant repetition.
Take a look at firearms training. When a person signs up to get their Concealed Firearms License their training is limited. Some classes go heavy into the state law and shoot minimal rounds at a target. Most of these classes send people away confused as much as they were when they walked in. This is dangerous. Most people never take another class. This is more dangerous as shooting is a perishable skill. Concealed firearms classes are the grade school level of firearms training. Your training should not stop there.
There is the same concern for those in the physical self-defense area. I am a firm believer that your physical skills should be continuous training as well as they are perishable also.
He are some questions that you should be asking yourself that only you will be able to answer! The first question is:
Are you ready? Are you ready to defend yourself or your family at a moment’s notice?
Once you are involved do you have the will to fight? Do you have the will to do whatever it takes to win the fight and survive the outcome?
Are you willing to stay in the fight until it is over or can get away to a safe area?
During my firearms classes I always ask my students; ” If you have to use your handgun in self-defense, how many times do you shoot the attacker?” I get various answers to this question.
My answer to that same question is; ” I will shoot the attacker as many times as I need to stop the attack to me or my family.”
I hate to tell you, but after you have stopped the threat it’s not over! You need to be able to assess the situation and surrounding area that you are in for more threats.
You need to breathe, really! You need to do this to bring down your heart rate and respirations. While you are breathing you need to seek cover and continue to breathe, be aware of your surroundings and do a self-assessment for wounds.
If you have been injured or shot do you know how to do medical self-care? Self-care can run the gamut of an ice pack to the bump on your head or applying a tourniquet or chest seal to a gunshot wound.
If you carry a firearm for your self-protection you better know how to plug holes and turn down the flow of blood until the professionals get there. It could be a matter of life or death.
Check out the video below from Defensive Solutions of Texas.
