What makes you think you are ready to handle anything that comes your way? Is it that gun on your hip or in your purse? Think again. Preparedness is about training. Training is about repetition. Being ready is about believing it can happen to you and taking the steps needed to act properly when things go off the rails.
I heard a story recently that generated a big laugh for everyone but me. A friend was telling me about his relative who was jogging along a country road. The woman came over a small rise and there in the roadway were some sheep. One of the animals decided to charge our fitness-conscious heroine and before the woman knew it the full force of a 200-pound animal slammed into her hip, throwing her off balance and to the ground. The woman yelled at the ram, kicked and flailed her arms, but the ram hit her again before stepping away. According to the storyteller, the woman waited for the ram to turn its back, then jumped to her feet and sprinted a couple hundred yards until she thought she was safe. She then admitted, “I had pepper spray the entire time and never thought to use it.”
That’s because under stress we revert to our default setting. For her it was screaming, kicking and hitting, all of which did nothing to hold a determined attacker at bay. Why didn’t she grab for her pepper spray? Because she had never trained to reach for her pepper spray. She bought it, hung it on her jogging shorts and went running, very likely thinking to herself, “If I ever need this, I’ll just pull it out and spray it.”
Wrong! Wrong! Wrong!
Under stress you will only do what you have practiced doing.
How often do you practice drawing your pistol from concealment? My guess is most people hang a gun on the belt and go about their daily business.
How many of you run scenarios through your head at least sometime during the day? In my work as a police officer, I have thankfully never been involved in a deadly force incident. Yet, I regularly run “what if” scenarios through my head. What if the driver during the next traffic stop decides to come out shooting? I roll each step through my head, from exiting my vehicle for better cover to the radio transmissions I would make in such circumstances. I even remind myself to switch on my portable radio as I get out of the car.
Run some scenarios through your head. What would you do if you were walking across the parking lot to your car and two men approached you? Where would you look for cover or an escape route? What would you say to them? Where is your cell phone? At what point would you draw your gun? Play all these elements through BEFORE the time comes and you will give yourself a massive advantage. Think about it.
Stay safe.
Train hard.
I heard a story recently that generated a big laugh for everyone but me. A friend was telling me about his relative who was jogging along a country road. The woman came over a small rise and there in the roadway were some sheep. One of the animals decided to charge our fitness-conscious heroine and before the woman knew it the full force of a 200-pound animal slammed into her hip, throwing her off balance and to the ground. The woman yelled at the ram, kicked and flailed her arms, but the ram hit her again before stepping away. According to the storyteller, the woman waited for the ram to turn its back, then jumped to her feet and sprinted a couple hundred yards until she thought she was safe. She then admitted, “I had pepper spray the entire time and never thought to use it.”
That’s because under stress we revert to our default setting. For her it was screaming, kicking and hitting, all of which did nothing to hold a determined attacker at bay. Why didn’t she grab for her pepper spray? Because she had never trained to reach for her pepper spray. She bought it, hung it on her jogging shorts and went running, very likely thinking to herself, “If I ever need this, I’ll just pull it out and spray it.”
Wrong! Wrong! Wrong!
Under stress you will only do what you have practiced doing.
How often do you practice drawing your pistol from concealment? My guess is most people hang a gun on the belt and go about their daily business.
How many of you run scenarios through your head at least sometime during the day? In my work as a police officer, I have thankfully never been involved in a deadly force incident. Yet, I regularly run “what if” scenarios through my head. What if the driver during the next traffic stop decides to come out shooting? I roll each step through my head, from exiting my vehicle for better cover to the radio transmissions I would make in such circumstances. I even remind myself to switch on my portable radio as I get out of the car.
Run some scenarios through your head. What would you do if you were walking across the parking lot to your car and two men approached you? Where would you look for cover or an escape route? What would you say to them? Where is your cell phone? At what point would you draw your gun? Play all these elements through BEFORE the time comes and you will give yourself a massive advantage. Think about it.
Stay safe.
Train hard.
