---

Developing a Use of Force Education

Part II of III

By:  Skip Gochenour

 

 

TRAINING STRATEGIES

 

Indoctrination of mechanical skills is the primary life saving commodity provided by a training school that is worth attending. Regular practice of weapons deployment, tactical movement and engagement decisions provided by a doctrine driven school will condition an event triggered response to immediate danger of death or serious bodily injury. Dwell time at drills will be of more value when a pistol is pressed to your forehead - than all of the analysis of how to respond to an incident.

 

Now you need to know about alternative force and edged weapons.

 

ALTERNATIVE FORCE

 

Frequently, lethal encounters occur where many people are about. Their role in the incident is not always immediately discernible. They may run directly towards you. They may appear to take up a defensive position. You may have to forcibly move people out of your way. They may not obey your verbal commands. It is important to know how to deal with such situations even with a weapon deployed. A good founding in alternative force techniques will provide solution strategies. Weapon retention, human biomechanics, immediate danger distance, attack and defense skills, shooting decisions at immediate danger distances, operating safely at immediate danger distances with a deployed weapon will be taught at a good school. Again, dwell time that correctly indoctrinates skills is important. The goal is not to make you Bruce Lee. The goal of the school is to give you a small number of techniques that can be learned quickly. Require minimal, though regular practice for maintenance, and allow you to operate effectively in an environment populated by uncooperative people whose intent is not readily known to you.

 

EDGED WEAPONS

 

A well-rounded survival education requires knowledge of edged weapons. While effective defensive use of cutting implements is important to your studies, understanding their lethal nature will help you make well founded use of force decisions. A good course will graphically school you on what to expect and how to survive an attacker with edged weapons. The school should give you reasonable skills in defensive use of an edged weapon. Assault by multiple individuals in a confined space, such as an elevator, may be better repelled through effective use of a good knife than deployment of a gun. A good edged weapons class is also valuable in explaining to authorities your armed response to an assailant.  If you choose carefully, these two schools can be another 40 hours time investment. Again, dwell time at the school is important to learn the drills. Regular practice is necessary to imprint them in your repertoire of skills.

 

ADDITIONAL SKILLS TRAINING

 

Virtually every training facility offers additional skills programs. Learning additional skills is always good. Choose among them, as is your interest.

 

USE OF FORCE LAWS

 

All good training schools will deal with legal principles of the use of force. In the United States those principles derive from a general concept. While there are variations from state to state, an extensive study of them will be a function of interest more than value. Simply put if you have the time to think about whether you are justified in using force, you are probably not in imminent danger of death or serious bodily injury. If you have time to think about legal justification, you will be better served using that time and energy implementing a plan to vacate the area. In general, you will want a school that emphasizes legal and tactical strategies of escape, if practical and safe to do so. The use of force and weapons should only be tools that allow you to affect your escape from a lethal encounter.

 

TEST YOUR SKILLS

 

As a regular part of your training test your skills! If you are a serious student, test them with the same equipment that you use, each day. Wear the same clothes that you normally do. Do not confuse competing with testing. Participating in organized competition, like IPSC and new International Defensive Pistol Association is useful for keeping shooting skills sharp. They do however focus attention on scores rather than survival techniques.

 

Test yourself; your skills and your daily wear equipment. Come to N.T.I.!