Practicing with Your Pistol Is Just the Beginning: Self-Defense and Multi-Tasking
Any attack involves multiple elements, such as verbal communication, body language, threat avoidance, and the potential for physical altercations.
There is a very small possibility that all you’ll have to do is draw your firearm, aim, and shoot.
In most cases, you might have to run, jump, or throw a chair in their way as part of your avoidance and tactical relocation strategy.
As always, practice is key. Practice with other people by putting yourself in potential self-defense positions. Try being both on the offensive and defensive to gain a broader understanding of what goes on in such situations.
Keep in mind that we aren’t all Olympic athletes in tip top physical shape. Even if you are in decent shape, there will be times when you are feeling ill and can’t operate at your full capacity.
Practicing is important as it will allow you to identify your limits and weaknesses. You know your strengths and they aren’t the issue. Knowing your weaknesses gives you the opportunity to focus on them and improve areas where you’re lacking.
Many people have disabilities, injuries, and other issues that might be seen as obstacles. However, with a little creative thinking, these can be turned into defenses.
Author Gabe Suarez illustrates this with a disabled student he had in a class in his article “On Fitness for the Gunfighter” on USConcealedcarry.com:
“Yet, he didn’t fall back on the “target shooter” mentality. He realized that he needed to improvise with what he still had left. He devised and refined a way to use his cane as a distraction. He would launch the cane at the target, and a blink of an eye later, the same target would be peppered with bullets. (Read more about pistol practice and general fitness here)”
Disabled people of all types maneuver differently, too. This can be used as an advantage due to the surprise factor. Use the tools and skills you have to construct your own personal defense strategy and above all, remember to do the unexpected. Doing so buys precious seconds.