Defensive training and Tactical Gear
What role does top quality tactical gear play in self defense or even law enforcement?
This is a question that I asked myself recently having spent a fair amount of time observing various practitioners (both students and instructors) in training.
Many owned and operated some of the best tactical equipment on offer, but will this make the difference?
I believe the answer to lie somewhere between “no” and “maybe” but my perception of folk in general is that their answer is “yes”!
I believe they are deluding themselves to their detriment, and that this belief might very well cost them limb or life (in the most extreme cases).
If I asked a group of people (enough to have statistical significance) whether they would:
a) Walk down a dark alley, alone and at night, unarmed. or
b) walk down a dark alley, alone and at night, but armed to the teeth
the majority, in my experience, would opt for b – only if armed to the teeth. So what’s the difference?
Well it appears that people place an inordinate amount of faith in tactical gear, and little or no faith in themselves, which for me is the problem.
I would honestly prefer someone who has trained, is proficient and self sufficient and able to think under pressure to watch my back then some untrained buffoon with an armory!
When faced with an insecurity it’s so much easier to pop down to the local security shop and buy some or other gadget than to take the time to train and educate oneself.
Don’t get me wrong, great tactical gear is important and can make an enourmous difference, so I’m by no means discounting it, what I am saying is you should train and become self reliant first, then add the best gear for the job, rather than buying the gear believing that the gear alone will make the difference to your survival or well being.
Lastly, when we become overly concerned about the gear we lose focus, direction and creative thinking and tend to think in terms of more gear = more solutions – to the point that you look like a combination between an army surplus store and a camping shop lugging around 40 Kg of equipment just to pop into the local mall!
As in sculpting, less is generally more. By removing the excess is the true essence revealed.
Why not check out our programs – ProAct, the definitive crime awareness and avoidance strategy seminar, our self-defense and rape avoidance workshops and improve your chances today!
Stay safe!
