Top 5 Skills you NEED besides shooting.

Guns are great equalizers BUT…

So you think you can shoot. Nice. Maybe you KNOW you can shoot and post up your targets on the Gram daily. Guess what? So does everyone else. Why is it sounding like I don’t care about your shooting? Because according to a study conducted by Harvard University, your odds of getting into a self-defense shooting are less than 1% (.09%). Everyone always seems to focus on shooting when it comes to "being tactical". In reality, "tactics" are most often not firearm-related. A common example of this is with police SWAT (an acronym for Special Weapons and Tactics). Everyone tends to focus on the weapons and gear, (the Special Weapons part) and not the Tactics part. The latter skills, which arguably gets used more, includes negotiation, movement, communication, and much more. Many terrible situations have been circumvented by using skills that were not shooting related. For the professionals out there, we fully understand the weight and potential ramifications of using our weapons, even when its justified. No matter what, you will end up in a court room whether it be facing criminal charges or civil suit from the shooting victim or their surviving family. So what other tactics do we have at our disposal to give us an extra edge? Here’s our top 5.

1. SITUATIONAL AWARENESS

Being your most important skill, Situational Awareness (SA) can help you identify situations prior to them even happening or recognize when things begin to go sideways. In more experienced form, SA can aid you in already have escape routes planned, identifying threats, spotting advantageous items of opportunity, and much more.

Reflecting on situational awareness often reminds me of a horrible situation I was in when I was 15. I had just gotten dumped by an ex-girlfriend and was walking back from her house (3 miles from mine). In between our houses, I was surrounded by a crowd of 7 males and robbed. I literally walked right into their zero-planned ambush of the century where they made off with my $20 knockoff MP3 player and an empty worn out wallet (well played, fellas, you can now retire early). Then again, I was an easy target. I had my volume set to max blasting Linkin Park in my ears, angry at the world. I wasn’t paying attention to the sketchy horde of dudes watching me from the sidewalk. To this day, I can still recall the gun that was used to be a nickel-plated .38 snub nose and the guy that punched me had all the strength of a girl with polio. But if I had any amount of training at that age, I most likely could have avoided the situation completely.
If I had paying attention to my surroundings instead of rocking out to teenage drama, I would have easily observed the the group and circumvented the entire experience.

We can talk about anecdotes all day but what about on a broader scale? On a micro level, we assess what is immediately in front of us while on the macro side of things, long-term solutions can drawn up. Thoughts such as, "these guys are stealing my car and I can probably get another one. I don’t need to escalate and risk my safety" or "this guy said something I didn’t like but the confrontation isn’t worth my well being". Self-awareness is just as important as our environmental awareness. Short term, long term - consider both prior to taking action. You can practice SA literally every day, while you wait in line at the store, while you sit in traffic, or while you wait for your food at a restaurant. Think of situational awareness as passive skill. It should always active but without you having to decide its on.

2. COMMUNICATION

Your second most important skill set should be communication. No, I’m not talking about couples therapy. Solid communication skills involves the ability to transfer vital information prior, during, and after a situation. Let’s think about it. You may be in a situation where you have to call an emergency service; at which point you must relay pertinent information in a clear and understandable manner. For example, if I call 911 because I need police assistance, I first want to identify myself with clarity: "My name is first/last name". Next, I want to give a very accurate location: "I'm at the intersection of ____ and ____". Lastly, I need to give a short narrative of the incident: "someone tried to car jack me, pointed a gun at me, and I drove away, I can give a description of the robber”. Communication also means being able to have a “command presence” during an incident to remain in control and accomplish important tasks. Command presence is important for instructing people to do SIMPLE things. Direct delegations such as "call 911", "get out of here", "pass me the medical bag" are just a few examples. In stressful situations, people’s ability to comprehend complex information drops dramatically. Using your voice to give simplified and direct commands can save lives. Remember, LOGIC IS FEAR'S FIRST VICTIM.

It’s a great idea to practice communication skills with people close to you. Often times, professional teams use code words to exchange information without sharing that information with other persons. If you do make code words remember to not make too many of them and KISS (Keep It Simple Stupid). Communication with your significant other/family is vital. You want to be able to communicate with your significant other very quickly during a situation. In addition, it must be established ahead of time that your communication skills will not be the same as any other day of the week. You may convey information in a more aggressive manner which may appear targeted at your spouse but in reality, it’s just a high-stress situation (thank me later). You just won’t have time for explaining why you yelled at her/him and they need to understand that it isn’t personal. Distractions and breakdowns of communication kill. Discuss and practice with your loved ones to find what works for everyone.

A well stocked med kit can mean the difference between life and death. You can build them or buy ones like these from JOA Gear

3. MEDICAL

The often overlooked skill of medical knowledge is going to rank third on our list. The chances of you using medical skills over shooting skills is exponentially higher. Personally, I've provided medical assistance hundreds of times, both on duty and off duty. To this day, I've never shot a single person. The chances of you getting into a vehicular accident or being in close proximity to one are way higher than being near an assault with a deadly weapon. That being said, you should still train and carry supplies for both. The silver lining here is care for either is pretty much the same. The basic IFAK (Individual First Aid Kit) consists of compressed gauze, a tourniquet, chest seals, and a nasopharyngeal airway tube (NPA). Some choose to also carry a decompression needle for collapsed lungs, however we recommend not using a decomp needle if you are not trained. You are more likely to misdiagnose a collapsed lung and create one yourself by stabbing the wrong place.

In my professional background, I've treated a large variety of medical emergencies including gunshot wounds, stab wounds, seizures, diabetic episodes, and even used CPR. In the civilian world, I've treated people in vehicular accidents, with broken bones, and random trauma for a large variety of causes. Most causes were non-violent but some were quite traumatic. The best solution I found to always have a med kit with you off-duty is an ankle medical kit, specifically the one by Rescue Essentials. I've used mine for more than 4 years and it's still going strong. If you don’t have enough cash to stock a full blow out kit, I recommend a tourniquet and compressed gauze as a minimum. You can never have enough compressed gauze when dealing with trauma.

Don’t just buy these supplies and expect to know how or when to use them. Medical training is an absolute must so before you order more tacticool cosplay to LARP in your mom's living room while she's out on her date with that weird guy Doug, invest in medical training first. The Red Cross CPR/AED/FIRST AID programs are a good place to start while in more advanced forms, it's a great idea to seek out a TACMED course of some kind. Good examples are Combat Life Saver, Tactical Combat Casualty Care (TCCC), and Stop the Bleed classes.

Tactical Decals are a sure way to broadcast you’re packing heat. It can make you a target for break-ins.

4. INTEGRATION

To Gray Man or not to Gray Man? It’s a popular buzz word in the firearms community. But to answer that question, you have to know what “gray man” means. Basically, the concept revolves around how to be non-tactical looking. That's right! Leave that cliche Punisher Skull memorabilia where it belongs: in the movies. Wearing moral patches in public doesn't make you look tough. You just look like a target or you want people to think you're a Navy Seal. So how do you dress nondescript or not-tactical? Basically, don't wear anything tactical. No hats with patches or tactical jackets. Just dress in clothes from your favorite department store. Cowboy boots tend to stick out but are effective if you can Road House kick your attacker or if you live in Texas.

This concept also applies to your mode of transportation as well. Do a check: Do you have 2A, Don't Tread On Me, or Glock stickers on your vehicle? If so, your vehicle is basically advertising, " BREAK INTO ME, THIS GUY LEFT AN EXPENSIVE TRUCK GUN FOR YOU TO STEAL". How about your license plate? Here in Virginia we have bright yellow Gadsen Flag (Don't Tread On Me) license plates. They not only stick out like crazy but they pretty much do the same thing as the stickers do. A decal-free vehicle with nondescript license plates are great for blending into an environment and not advertising to would-be thieves. In the professional sense, decals, dents in your vehicle, or anything other than a factory appearance are referred to as "identifiers". Identifiers serve to make a vehicle easily identifiable due to specific details that make it unique from others. Fix the dents, take off the custom "NOFATCHX" license plates for nondescript plain ones.

Blending into the crowd also means to not be so stiff. Smile, wave to people, don't walk around like a robot and embrace the culture of your environment. If you look like you belong there, you will attract far less attention and people are far less likely to remember you having been there at all.

Boxing, Jujutsu, wrestling, and Muay Thai are all good choices for learning empty-hand self defense.

5. EMPTY HAND SKILLS

Like we mentioned earlier, few people care that you can shoot. Especially if you don't have your gun on you or a threat is too close for you to even draw your weapon. Currently, Secret Service protection details are trained to NOT draw their weapon first when dealing with a physical conflict. The idea is that in close quarters, it takes too long to draw your sidearm and often times it's better to go hands-on from the get-go. An example of this is when can't draw your sidearm on an already drawn firearm (they can pull the trigger faster than you can draw your gun, aim, and shoot). For me, there are quite a few times where I am not able to have my sidearm/CCW on my person: In court, on a plane, in an amusement park where they do not permit carry. So without weapons or tools, how will you defend yourself or your family?

Empty hand skills are so important for survival. Pick what you learn carefully! Disciplines such as BJJ (Brazilian Ju Jitsu) and MMA (Mixed Martial Arts) are popular choices for self defense for a reason. You won’t be able to do much with your yellow belt in karate you got when you were 14. If you had to choose one, BJJ would be our choice. Chances are if you are fighting, you will probably end up grappling. BJJ has a lot to offer students and is one of the few martial arts systems in the world where size does not determine the winner. Mixed martial arts is also a fantastic choice because it combines striking and grappling. It also focuses heavily on combat fitness. Many of the fighting techniques carry over between the two and it is a skill set you can carry with you wherever you go.

If you are lucky enough to find a school or gym that has a reputable Combatives program, enroll immediately. Combatives (CQC, Defensive Tactics, ect..) is a broad term used by the military and law enforcement for “stripped down” versions of martial arts. Often utilizing the most street effective techniques from multiple martial arts systems, it is usually designed around the brutality of street fighting. And most importantly, good combatives program will have a lot of pressure-testing evolutions folded in. Whatever you can find, join a local gym and train on a regular basis.

None of these "skills" will become actual skill sets without regular training. There's always someone bigger, faster, stronger, and smarter than you. Training is a lot like chess: if you want to get better, you have to go up against people that are better than you. Skills diminish quickly so long periods in between training sessions aren’t going to help, regardless of what the discipline is.

Happy training, stay safe, and keep the rubber side down.