By Sgt Striker

I have a wife, three daughters and two granddaughters. I'm pushing 50 and my body reminds me daily of every macho-stupid thing I've done and every punch, kick or fall I've taken. I was nearly 30 before I figured out that I didn't have time anymore to train for two hours a day to perfect a jump, spinning crescent kick that I'll never use in real life. (Hey, I never claimed to be the sharpest knife in the drawer.)

So I took Bruce's words to heart and began my own journey. I read, researched and studied in an effort to find some simple strategies that I could use to defend myself and the ones I love. I also wanted to find simple techniques and tactics I could teach to my loved ones in case I wasn't around. The following article is the first in a series on personal self-defense that will be posted here on carryconcealed.net. The first three articles are on what I call the 3 P's of personal defense. They are Prepare, Prevent and Perform.

You may not find these words being used in your local community center's class on women's self-defense. But you should see the principles they address anywhere self-defense it being taught. If these principles are not there, then you're wasting your time and money. The word for this week is;

Prepare

Prepare: This is the foundation of your defensive strategy! This means doing your homework. It specifically means knowing and doing the following things to get ready before something bad happens.

1. Prepare by getting fit and healthy—The bad guys are predators, pure and simple. They are going to look for the easiest target. They want someone who will give or do what they want with the least amount of resistance and potential danger to themselves.

By being and staying fit you present a visual presence that says you're not an easy victim. By walking with an easy athletic, confident stride you send the message that you are someone who could fight back. That alone may be enough to deter a potential attack before it ever happens.

By being fit, you will be able to put more power into any technique you may have to apply in a real defense situation. We're not talking about “Karate tricks” some guy showed you at a party. We're talking about truthfully defending your life against a real bad guy. Trust me when the stuff hits the fan, you'll want to be able to apply as much power to your technique as you possibly can.

By being fit, your ability to respond to the attack will be better and your ability to withstand an initial assault and counter will also be improved. You can and do think better when you're in better shape. It's a proven fact.

2. Prepare by getting serious about personal defense— Take a class. Hell, take multiple classes. If you're reading this site, you are in the CCW world. Great Job!!!. You're packing and you can hit a piece of paper from 10 feet. What if that piece of paper is a 6'2” bad guy who is charging at you with a knife? Could you still draw, aim and fire with accuracy under that kind of stress? If you don't know, that means you haven't trained for the situation that scares you the most. The thought of that situation is probably the reason you got the CCW permit in the first place. That tells me that you're not prepared. You're not serious about personal defense.

Get on the internet and research the crime statistics in your area. What parts of town have the most crime and at what time of day. Read about the basic psychology of violent criminals. Learn about the things they look for in a potential victim. The information is out there.

Take the time to walk around your house and give it a thorough security check. Make sure your outside door is solid, either hardwood, composite or steel re-enforced. The door should have a deadbolt lock and a peep hole and security chain. Open the door as far as the chain will go. Then see if you can reach a hand in with a small knife or screwdriver and loosen the retaining screws. If you can the chain is to long.

Check the windows and the garage doors. Make sure they all lock and cannot be jiggled loose. Install an alarm system with a reputable company. Make it a habit not to leave the garage door open when your home and working around the house. As sad as it sounds, get a privacy fence and have your wife and kids play in the backyard away from prying eyes. Consider getting a dog as a biological alarm and deterrent to those looking for a crime of opportunity.

Secure your guns so you can get to them but your children and/or the bad guys can't. What kind of holster do you use? Do you use a deep concealed set-up? Think about your life habits. What type of travel do you do? What is the threat level in the areas where you work, shop, play and live? If the threat level is significantly different in these areas consider having several holsters and a couple of different weapons. Then you can choose the right combination based on what you're doing and the potential threat environment.

“US Air Force's pilot's checklist:

-- flashlight-- a metal cylinder used to house dead batteries”

Check and prepare your vehicle. Put a roadside survival kit with flashlight (extra batteries) in your trunk. Always have a cell phone when traveling. Invest in AAA or insurance with roadside assistance. When in unfamiliar areas, never let your gas gage fall below ½ a tank. Keep windows rolled up and doors locked in unfamiliar surroundings.

Sign up for classes on personal defense with and without your weapon.

f the program and the instructor are competent, the class will seam like a simple review of common sense type things. Unarmed self-defense instruction should focus on simple techniques that use;

a. Sound bio-mechanical principles—in other words, when performing a technique, the body is moving with balance just as in any other athletic activity.

b. Techniques should stress natural reactions and focus on gross motor skills. This means doing simple things that come naturally in a simple flowing manner. For example;

If someone reaches to grab your throat, it is a natural response to step back and raise your arms.”

Does the technique you are being taught flow with that natural response

or attempt to totally reprogram your natural response tendencies?

A quality program of armed or unarmed self-defense should be built upon techniques and strategies that exploit and enhance basic human response patterns. They should also be flexible enough to allow technique modification for those with unusual instinctive responses, within the bounds of safety.

3. Prepare through Practice!

“Practice does not make performance perfect. Perfect Practice makes Perfect Performance”

I spent 23 years in the military, training personnel in combat skills. I've also been a martial artist, athlete and coach most of my life. The one pure and simple reality that runs through every human physical endeavor is this;

“You react the way you train! You win or loose any competition in the Gym not in the ring or on the playing field.”

An old Special Operations Sergeant once told me

“How you train today determines who live or dies tomorrow”.

Prepare by taking quality Self-defense instruction;

I'm not going to tell you that one martial arts system is better than another. I'm also not going to sign you up for some “unique Combat system of self-defense with the companion video tapes and guaranteed black belt in 30 days for only 10 easy payments of $19.95” (that a was sarcasim for those who didn't pick it up.) The market place is overflowing with the “I've got a secret crowd.”

The purpose of this article is to help you realize that you have to prepare for the worst. You need to use common sense, basic body mechanics and fitness to make yourself a harder target for the bad guys. You have to program the neuro-muscular links and pathways that connect your mind and body so you can react. That only happens if you train and train correctly.

Any marital arts system can help you stay fit and develop basic self-defense skills. But every one of them can also be an absolute waste of time. The common denominator is you! It doesn't matter how great the system is or how knowledgeable your instructor is, if you don't put your total mind and body into the training, it is all for nothing. You have to take it seriously.

Prepare by going to the Range!

Practice your fundamentals. Practice drawing and firing using your different CCW holsters and weapons configurations. Practice the basic principles of stance, grip, sight picture and trigger control the CCW instructor taught you. Then spend some time working on instinctive aim techniques. If you don't know what these are, either stay tuned for future articles or take a personal handgun defense class at your local range.

Consider joining one of the competitive shooting teams at your range. There are several different types of competition so you can find one that fits your personality. Regardless of the type of competition, you'll have to perform basic firearms/shooting fundamentals under a level of stress that you don't normally face. That small amount of pressure will give you an increased level of readiness should you need to defend yourself in a real situation.

Next week we'll talk about the second “P” Prevention.

If you have any quesitons please contact Sgt. Striker at sgtdstriker@carryconcealed.net