Post 2 – Speed of Engagement
Post 2 – Speed of Engagement
Last updated: 4/8/14
Considerations regarding speed of engagement:
1.) Body mechanics and skill development.
We need the physical skill to quickly engage a threat, which means having smooth, efficient body mechanics that are natural under stress. And we need to develop the personal attributes to execute those movements quickly and correctly with confidence.
2.) Gear.
Our gear and how we carry it has to allow quick deployment.
3.) Mindset.
We cannot hesitate to hurt people when necessary, or lack the necessary courage to face danger.
4.) Awareness / decision making.
First, there is no response without recognition. Second, we have to be able to quickly asses and make fast decisions.
5.) Tactics.
None of the above matter if we get caught off guard by a threat acting faster than we can react. We need to position ourselves in our environment so that we are less likely to get caught off guard and we have more time to react. Also, we need tactics that help us take back the initiative because most violent altercations are initiated by the criminal.
How?
1.) Body mechanics and skill development.
The first step is proper education so we know and understand the best skills to use. The bulk of skill development can be done by ourselves. Dry fire training, particularly using a mirror, and Airsoft training are the best tools for developing gun skills on this level. Heavy bags and practicing in the air are good for unarmed combat skills. Using a wooden dowel on a tree is great for impact and sharp weapons. Again, using a mirror is great for all combat skills, both for developing proper movement and for developing speed.
2.) Gear.
Personal training to develop fundamental skills, interactive training working with partners in reactionary drills, and working with a timer are all ways to find out if our gear will facilitate the speed that we need.
3.) Mindset.
Step number one is organizing our thinking in a logically consistent personal philosophy that allows us to hurt people when necessary. We also need to teach our minds what to focus on and how to solve problems. As examples, when force is needed: (a) We need to have the moral conviction to defend innocent life, which gives us “permission” to hurt assailants. (b) We have to shift our focus from what is going to happen to us to what we are going to do to them. (c) We have to make the mental and emotional connection that the path to getting hurt less is to hurt them more and first.
4.) Awareness / decision making.
Awareness is a simple habit that takes a lot of effort to develop and implement. We also need the experience to know what to look for.
Decision-making making requires an intellectual understanding of the choices we’re making. It’s also critical to have a game plan BEFORE we need it. We never want to wait until we’re in the problem to solve the problem. We want to use our imagination to think of realistic responses to probable events, and then practice those responses. We have to put ourselves in rapid dynamic scenarios that force us to recognize things quick and make fast decisions under realistic conditions.
5.) Tactics.
Again, the first step is proper education. But then we have to role-play those tactics to see what works and what doesn’t work.
An important note about role-playing, scenarios can tell us what doesn’t work but they can’t definitively tell us what does. To maintain a realistic perspective we always have to go directly to the source. We always have to check the results of training simulations against what happens in real violence. Simulations are an excellent filter for falsehoods, but they never fully duplicate real violence.
