If you follow my column, you know I talk a lot about firearms. Firearms are a great self-defense tool, but they should only be used as a last resort when you are in that life threatening situation. Many other self-defense tools should be in your tool bag. Some of these items are physical things and others are mental. When you resort to the physical items this means you are already in a scenario of self-defense and preventing the scenario from playing out is no longer an option. These mental tools, when deployed properly can prevent the scenario from ever taking place.
My number one self-defense tool is Conflict Avoidance. I can not avoid a self-defense scenario if I am not aware of my surroundings. Your number one objective when in public should be knowing what is happening not only in your immediate area but in the area some distance from your current location.
This awareness also needs to be spanned out in a 360-degree space from where you are, not just in the direction you are moving. Decision making occurs every second of every day of your life. Make Conflict Avoidance part of your decision making. Conflict Avoidance can begin even before you leave the safety of your home. By deciding not to go to that gathering or social event where you feel that there is a higher risk of a conflict occurring or something bad happening.
Your firearm is considered a lethal tool. There are many good non-lethal tools that are great for self-defense. Pepper spray, stun gun, Byrna launcher, expandable baton, high power flashlight, personal alarms, tactical pens, and folding pocketknives to name a few. Yes, the knife can be lethal. I do not push firearms on anyone, nor do I think a firearm is right for everyone.
There are many non-lethal tools available if you are not a gun person, or if you are but want other options. I always recommend having other options for your self-defense. You might be presented with a scenario of self-defense, but you are not at that fear for your life threat level. Therefore, you might need other tools to stop the threat. With these other tools you can have a plan A, B, C and so on. You should never just have a plan A.
Remember that your first step to preventing someone from picking you as their victim, is your command presence. My command presence is my second step to self-defense. How do you carry yourself daily? Where is your attention when you are in a public setting? Are you looking around, 360-degrees, or staring at your phone? Whether you are a female or male, bad guys do not want a hard target.
Making yourself look like a hard target is not difficult, and it has little to do with your physical characteristics. It has more to do with how you portray yourself to people around you. Do you look like you are paying attention to your surroundings or are oblivious to what is happening? Do you look like you are confident and able to manage yourself both physically and mentally?
You need to be confident in your decision-making process. The only way you can do this is by being prepared in the environment that you are currently in.
I do this by running short scenarios in my head. Creating fake incidents and then asking myself how I would react if that fictional incident occurred. I am warming up my brain for what might occur.
This practice will prevent you from getting caught off guard. Even if the actual incident is quite different than your made up one, your brain has already been kicked into the decision-making process and it will respond quicker. This process will also have you thinking about where your self-defense tools are currently located. Are they in strategic locations when and if you need them, can you get to them quickly and effortlessly.
Remember, no matter what self-defense tool you carry, you need to train with it. You need to create habits and muscle memory with everything you have.
In the heat of the moment is not the time to think about what pocket my pepper spray is in or how to deploy it. In the heat of the moment is not the time to question whether a round is chambered in my firearm. (I recommend it is always chambered).
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NEVER STOP TRAINING!
Oz Johnson/Lead Instructor, NRA Certified
Karin Johnson/Operations Manager
JohnsonGroupTAC.com
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602-410-7355
