Combat Mindset “Fight the enemy where they aren’t’’ - Sun Tzu

In the real world of gunslinging, building defensive firearm skills is like building a pyramid that we will never complete, because the mastery of these skills is a neverending process. The first brick, the foundation, is a combat mindset. If we do not lay this brick first, the rest of the training will be a waste of time. A mindset is traditionally defined as an established way of thinking.

- Training Mindset -1: Action is always quicker than reaction: Newton’s third law of motion says, ‘ for every action there is always an equal reaction ‘ but in the real life of a gunslinger , reaction is always slower than action. The average time for a person’s neurological system to respond to a known stimuli or indicator is a quarter of a second. We will typically react at least a second behind the assailant. A threat that is already acting against you has already gone through the neurological process and you have not, therefore you are already at a disadvantage. If you are not prepared for a threat, your neurological response time will be longer. It is easy for the brain to become distracted. However, it is not always easy for your perception to be clear.

During your daily life, constantly give your brain short tasks, for example: how many exits are there in a place that you just entered, or if you wanted to draw a sketch of this place, how would you draw it. Which hand of the waiter who served you food was dominant? Who is not dressed appropriately for the environment that you are in? I hope to point out how to develop your life’s mindset into a combat mindset.

- Training MindSet-2: Environmental and situational awareness are crucial, if you want to train the mind to expect the unexpected. When you find yourself assaulted by an aggressor, keep in mind that the conditions, such as time and place of the attack, are already chosen by the assailant. If you have a combat mindset that includes survival and killer instinct, ability to analyze and learn from previous experiences, resilient attitude, specific training and confidence, then you will gain advantage during a lifethreatening encounter. We must remember that physical weapons are just tools; it is our mind that is the most reliable weapon of all.

SURVIVAL AWARENESS Our ancestors survived in nature with their situational awareness for millions of years. Not getting into any situation that put them in danger was their first defense. Similarly, in these modern times, we too have to survive in a world that is wild, unpredictable, and in many ways even more dangerous than times before.

Since I have been deployed to war zones around the world, For many years I had to be in dangerous areas that were not my own choice. I did mental training all the time to raise my awareness. I kept myself sharp and fit by constantly preparing scenarios in my brain for situations that not only for myself, but also for the people around me. In some sources this is referred to as “Survivor’s awareness.” I see no reason to turn this off when I look back into the past and evaluate today’s conditions because, as we all know, we have threats roaming throughout country and these threats only seem to multiply year after year. I am not a control freak or paranoid, just aware of my own surroundings and confident of training and ability to react to emerging threats. Maybe you are the fastest reacting person in the world, but if you don’t see the attack coming, all of your ultimate skills will be worthless, so do not be afraid, just stay alert.