Ssssoooooooooo many people are Sssooooooo ill prepared.
Unconscious competence across that range of skills in an integrated way is a big ask for most people. We are talking about significant training time to hit all those skills that the average person simply wont put in.
I liked the video though.
Unconscious competence across that range of skills in an integrated way is a big ask for most people. We are talking about significant training time to hit all those skills that the average person simply wont put in.
I liked the video though.
I don't think the suggestion is that one must be highly skilled across multiple facets or disciplines of self-defense, but that one needs to be aware that carrying a gun isn't the only tactic to focus on or be proficient with.
A firearm is a tool of last resort. The average person is much more likely to face a threat in their day-to-day life that doesn't require deadly force. Shooting skills are great, but for me personally, classes that focus on understanding pre-attack cues, how to manage unknown contacts and FOF scenarios have been much more beneficial than any firearms course I've ever taken.
As self-defenders we're always entering a fight from a tactical deficit, because we're not looking for fights, nor are we the ones that start them. The attacker always picks the time and place, and we must be quick to not just catch up, but to overtake and respond with overwhelming force. So much of that is mindset and having the emotional fitness to stay in the fight once it's thrust upon us.
How many of us have been in a real knock down drag out fight? How many people who carry guns would be out of the fight the minute they took a real shot to the head. Not because they were knocked out, but because they wouldn't have the emotional fitness or desire to fight through it and fight back? My guess would be a majority.
The topic of disparity of force came up in the thread you started about weapon retention. Some in that thread suggested that size, age, gender and other factors render the need to have grappling or ground fighting skills irrelevant because a bigger stronger attacker can simply overpower a weaker opponent, even one with a high skill set in martial arts. I agree with that to some small degree, but the importance of that type of training is the emotional fitness it builds. I know you understand this well or you wouldn't have gotten into BJJ training. So please don't think I'm targeting this post to you directly.
Barring some random mass shooting, almost all attacks start within contact distance, which the video does a nice job of pointing out. That's why it's critical to get on the mat and spend some time engaged with an opponent that isn't passive. Take some blows in a controlled environment and learn some basic grappling skills. Staying in the fight buys you time, time buys you options. Sadly this is an area of training that I have personally neglected and ignored for too long, but as I go further in my training journey I realize how important it is, and it is something I am looking to remedy.
As my skill set has evolved, so have my training priorities. At this stage my priorities are:
- Learning how to recognize what leads up to attacks so I can avoid them.
- Learning how to buy myself time and space if and when an attack starts so I can try to escape.
- Learning the skills to stay in the fight and overcome an attack if escape isn't an option.
- Learning how to get my self-defense tools into the fight without getting hurt or having them used against me.
- Learning how to effectively use the tool to put a hurt on the attacker and stop the fight.
I've got a pretty good handle on the first two. My hands-on skills need some work.
Frontal kick with with left foot while drawing with R hand, opposite foot for left handers. Would like to see this done.