Defensive Situations – What you Should Know
Let’s start with some proven facts that you may have known about:
- The action in most cases is faster than the reaction.
- Decision and reaction times are slower than most people think.
- The fear and stress that arise in real-life defensive situations are easy to underestimate.
- Personal attacks requiring a defensive response tend to occur fairly quickly.
- There are claims that the “close quarter” is within 6 feet of the aggressor. However, based on research results, it can be argued that a person of average height can cover a distance of up to 22 feet in about 3 seconds.
Now let’s talk about the importance of practice when shooting at short distances. The ideal solution is to practice regularly to develop good muscle memory. If you want to be on the right track, you need to be able to draw effectively and fluidly, lift, aim, and shoot as often as possible. However, if you pursue more specific goals, such as learning protection, some practice problems may arise.
Most weapon ranges are great for teaching traditional (or hybrid) stances and shooting accuracy. However, if you are looking for a truly specialized tool, you will have to consider several weapons available to the average owner. The practice of using these weapons will help you master hold-down shooting, rapid-fire, and defense against multiple attackers.
If you have the opportunity to practice any form of range shooting available, don’t miss your chance. It is important to remember that most people, regardless of their skill level, will not need to shoot in self-defense. Therefore, you should not deceive yourself, but, if you want, for your own peace of mind, it will not hurt to prepare for it.
When it comes to personal protection, your safety and that of your family are the most important factors. This situation can happen with both novice shooters and trained professionals. However, even if you have a weapon, it is important to avoid a firefight as a last resort. A good course of action would be to plan ahead even if you have a gun, such as retreating to safety in the event of a burglary and calling emergency services immediately.
Nobody knows what might happen in the next minute, and most of the people who faced criminals a minute before did not even think about it. Unfortunately, if you are not fully trained (unless you are law enforcement or military), you can get out of any such situation with serious injuries or worse, not get out at all.
Table of Contents
Always be aware
The first and foremost rule of defense preparation is your attentiveness and awareness of what is happening around you, regardless of your location. The sooner you notice a real danger or potential threat, the more valuable time you will gain. Afterward, you can use this time to quickly assess the situation and the terrain so that you know where to hide and how to leave if necessary.
Don’t panic
Most of these situations develop too quickly, so you must provide yourself with a sufficient physical buffer to respond effectively or quickly get out of the danger zone. Many of you may say that in words everything is easier than in reality. However, these are just tips that may help you. Even if you find yourself in a defensive situation, it will definitely take time for you to assess, make a decision, and then potentially pull up, raise, aim, and fire.
Use of firearms as a last resort
There are cases, such as the need to engage in extreme hand-to-hand combat, when you will not have time to assess the situation, take up your gun, and even more shoot the criminal. Self-defense does not always imply “firearms” protection. Many traditional legendary firearms techniques are ineffective up to 3 yards away, which is why you should rely on more than just your weapon.
Correct holding position
You must never lose your weapon in defensive situations, that is it is also important to be able to fire from a holding position. There are many different ways to hold a weapon, but usually, you need to hold the weapon much closer to your body so that it cannot be thrown back or easily grabbed.
You can also use your free hand, with which you can reflect the attack. However, keep in mind that discipline is a vital point in one-handed shooting; you should keep both hands close to your body and out of the range of the fire.
What you need to know
In a collision, it is important to remember that the aggressor’s actions will almost always be slightly faster than your reaction. Therefore, it is important to have at least basic knowledge or the best prior training with security controls. This will give you the ability to draw and aim the gun quickly and efficiently when needed. Don’t try your luck and do not make any assumptions.
Do not forget that you may have one single chance to successfully draw and use your weapon. Thus, it is important to learn how to aim and shoot without looking through the scope or weapon. There may be times where you cannot raise the gun to eye level, so make it a rule to be guided by your body. I think in such a situation you will not want to look away from your opponent even for a second.
Become familiar with the basics of using a gun as a strike weapon in advance. This may seem obvious, but whether you are using the barrel or the bottom of the magazine, you must keep the weapon pointed away from you. Also, be prepared to shoot from the ground so that it doesn’t come as a complete surprise to you.
To Speed Rock or not to Speed Rock. This is an old technique where you deviate from your opponent to make room for drawing and shooting. The problem is that it can put you on your heels and you can lose your balance, which is not so ideal in a combat situation. However, it is possible that, depending on the circumstances, this may be the only solution.
The subtleties of close combat situations
Fights or physical attacks by their very nature can be fast, chaotic, and violent. There are no rules in these fights, and just as importantly, very often you may face someone who does not care about your life. Even if you have never experienced this kind of thing in person, you can still imagine what might happen based on different movies.
Can you whip out your weapon in cold blood and deliver a perfectly aimed double blow that knocks your opponent off his feet? Chances are, even if you answered yes, you will not be able to do this in real life. If you get too close, the chances are high that an attacker will grab you, and then this situation will completely change.
You should not treat weapons and ammunition as “stopping power” because you can only hurt the criminal, which will not stop him at all. The bottom line is that you should never underestimate the possibility of chaos in these situations.
The chances of safely getting through such situations are greatly enhanced by preparedness and understanding of the dynamics of encounters with lethal forces. Even if you decide to buy a self-defense gun, this does not guarantee your safety. Effective self-defense does not magically occur by itself. Make a plan. Practice. Be ready.