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We who are firearms enthusiasts tend to be overconfident about our ability to handle most common self-defense scenarios. The usual reasoning is “I carry a gun, so I’m fine.” I was guilty of this myself and had grown complacent in my self-defense plan. It was time to get on track. I attended a Street Combatives Seminar by Tiga Tactics.
Self-Defense Training With Tisas Tactical
The company is run by martial artists who have been practicing for many years. The company focuses on self-defense techniques that are easy to learn and address the most common conflicts in real life situations.
The course reinforced my commitment to work on what I consider to be the ten steps for being better prepared if I ever find myself fighting to save my life.
1. Physical Conditioning
Many situations are the result of a close-quarters attack or an argument which degenerates into pushing or shoving or punching or grappling. If you are losing the fight and your attacker decides to use lethal force against you, you may not have time to deploy your own weapons.
Patrick Vuong said, “A lot of people don’t realize that a fight can be physical.” “Fighting involves a complete head-to-toe encounter. You can’t prepare for it by watching YouTube videos or reading about it. It is important to keep physically fit.
“If you lack the endurance, the cardio, muscular development, reflexes and timing, you will be behind the curve.” In a physical fight you are usually already behind because the other person will take you by surprise.
Photo by Patrick Vuong
2. Empty-hand Techniques
Vuong said, “I think that a lot people have watched too much TV and movies and assume that they can see an attack coming 21 yards away and will be able use self-defense tools at the right time.”
“They don’t know that criminals are waiting until the last moment to attack you, when you least expect them. They are called ‘urban ambushes’, but they don’t have to take place in a city. They will sneak up on you, or trick you to lower your guard. Then they will sucker punch you, or stab you with a knife, or pull out a firearm and shoot you in the face.
“Most attacks occur within six feet.” Even if you have a flashlight, pepper spray, or a pocketknife, a guy will be able to reach you within six feet in less than a moment, even if you are carrying concealed. How can you draw your self-defense weapon in time to avoid being shot, stabbed or punched? It’s important to be able address threats even when you don’t have anything in your hands.
Basic skills were the focus of the Street Combatives Seminar. This included palm and knee kicks, elbow strikes, and grappling defences to avoid being taken to the floor. We also practiced what to do in the event that we ended up on the floor.
3. Smart gear choices
Vuong said that some people are more interested in what he calls “toys” – fancy, trendy accessories and the aesthetics. “They should focus more on what will make them the most prepared, not what looks cool.”
Your success depends on how and where you carry. If you can’t fire it, a small pistol that’s convenient to carry won’t do much good. A holster which does not properly secure your weapon can be a liability in the event that it slides across the pavement when you are fighting.
Equally important are a sturdy belt and clothing that hides your weapon while still allowing you to access it.
Vuong said, “You should consider the whole dynamic before you leave your house.”
4. Not just guns
Other self-defense tools such as pepper spray, impact weapons and stun guns, knives and flashlights should also be considered. This will allow you to decide how they fit into your overall plan of self-defense without having to rely on them too much.
“I believe that stacking the cards is a good idea. Vuong said that it is important to be as prepared and ready as possible, without focusing solely on the toolset. “The focus should be on your skills and mindset, not just your toolset,” said Vuong.
It is important to know what to expect and how to use these tools. Vuong gave the example of a lady who buys a stungun and keeps it in her purse.
“She has just added two steps to her self defense response. She now has to unzip her purse and then reach into it to draw the stungun. She’ll be slower when the bad guy attacks.
Find out which tools you need and how to use them in your daily life. I like flashlights, because they are easy to carry and make great impact weapons.
5. Awareness
You can anticipate bad situations by keeping your phone away from your face and maintaining situational awareness.
Vuong said, “If you are able to avoid, evade or escape danger then you will not have to fight at all.” “A smart lifestyle is very important.” Don’t break The Law of Stupid. Don’t do stupid stuff with stupid people at stupid times and stupid places.
Gary Quesenberry’s book “Spotting danger before it spots you: Building situational awareness to stay safe” is a great resource for learning good awareness habits.
6. Teamwork
You may not be alone if bad things happen. You need to know who has the right skills and abilities and at least be able communicate well. This includes using keywords to discreetly communicate that there is trouble and what action you need to take.
“Unfortunately, the majority of people don’t share this with their family members,” said Vuong. Violence doesn’t occur in a vacuum. It can happen in public.
He said that the dynamic changes if you don’t train with the person you are with. You’re not a team, but more of a bodyguard. In a bad situation, it’s not just about how you defend yourself, but also how to get a loved one out safely.
Photo by Patrick Vuong
7. “Homework”
How safe is your home? Check locks, cameras and lighting. Also, check early warning devices like alarms or barking dog.
“A home emergency plan is essential, and if you share a house with others, it’s important that everyone gets on the same page. There needs to be a delicate balance. You should be ready for a home invasion. But not so much that it becomes obsessional and you can’t relax in your home.
Vuong emphasized that teamwork in the home is important, and everyone should understand their roles. Children should be taught to hide in designated areas. One person could be assigned to get the flashlight and firearm, while another calls 911. Plan to meet at the same place so that there are no accidents due to friendly fire.
8. Backup plan
What happens if the plan doesn’t work out?
Vuong said that it is important to not over-rely on tools. “Plan A is always: How can I avoid a physical confrontation? Plan B might be: I could use my empty-hand techniques to subdue the opponent.
“This could be a quick palm on the nose or a groin kick, using grappling to throw them to ground, or pin them to ground and hold them there until someone calls 911.
“The next step would be when you realized: This is very serious. It’s now a matter of death or life. How can I use my empty-hand techniques to make space so that I can quickly draw my self-defense weapons and end this situation?
Photo by Patrick Vuong
9. Training and education
Spend some time training. You don’t want to reinforce bad habits with your practice sessions.
Vuong said that it is important to find qualified instructors in specific subjects to improve self-defense. “That face to face time, time on a mat, at the range, in the boxing rings, that is irreplaceable.”
“You have only so much time and so many years. Why not spend these years training in something that will prepare you for violent situations and also make you extremely fit? It will be fun, so you’ll keep doing it.”
10. Consistency
Carry your defensive tools wherever possible and train regularly using them and your physical defensive abilities.
“Keeping things simple in a violent environment is the key to a successful outcome,” said Vuong. “When violence occurs, the adrenalin rush kicks in. You get tunnel vision, lose some hearing, can’t communicate well, hyperventilate, and all the other physiological side effects can occur. If you’ve been trained to do very complex things with fine motor skills, that’s all gone.
“You’ll need simple gross motor skills if you want to avoid the adrenaline rush. And if you do not want to freeze up, you will have to use simple movements.” Consistency in training is key.
Photo by Patrick Vuong
Tiga Tactics Offers a Wide Range Of Courses
Tiga Tactics, a California-based Martial Arts Academy founded in 2018 by Dr. Conrad Bui with his cousin Patrick Vuong.
The company offers self-defense seminars in both coasts. I attended the Street Combatives Seminar in Maryland. Online courses are also available.
These include Pistol Defense (unarmed defense against a gunman), EDC Knife, Knife Defense, EDC Flashlight, EDC Karambit, Anti-Grappling/Takedown Defense, Impact Weapon Defense, Machete Fighting, and others.
Dr. Bui holds a 5th degree black belt in Tae Kwon Do and Freestyle Karate. He is an instructor of Kuntao Silat and De Thouars. He also teaches Ying Lung Hsing Silat Serak and Nubreed. He also coaches Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, Muay Thai and competes.
Vuong is a black belt in Kenpo Karate, Kung Fu and Kung Fu. He is also a student in Silat Serak and Brazilian Jiu Jitsu. He is also an instructor of the bladed art Pekiti-Tirsia Kali. Both Vuong as well as Dr. Bui have been certified pistol instructors.
Visit TigaTactics.com for more information.
Photo by Patrick Vuong
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