These days you don’t have to go looking for trouble. Trouble has your address and knows where you are at any given time. Are you ready for it? Just a short while back my wife and I took a short trip just a few hours away to see some old friends. It was on this little trip that an incident occurred that drove home to me how random and quickly changing a person’s daily activities can be.
This incident happened in a well known retail department store. My friend and his son were looking at some Hawaiian shirts to take to church camp and I was leaning on a clothing rack behind them. I noticed a couple of guys moving down the cross isle and having a somewhat elevated discussion. I didn’t pay much attention to them until one man turned around and raised his voice to the other man. Now they had my attention. They both continued to exchange threats and insults at each other for a few moments. Both my friend and myself took umbrage at the vile language used around my his son. I certainly did not want a verbal confrontation to escalate into a physical altercation directly in front of us, either. It was at this point that I firmly and politely asked for them to move on in separate directions.
The man who had already passed us took my request as a good cue to vacate the area. However the second fellow it seemed was looking for a fight from whomever he could find one. Fate was not on his side that day. Or maybe it was. I am a somewhat big fellow. I’m 6’ 2” and weigh around 270 lbs, and I look about as cuddly as a pile of rocks. My friend is no slouch either in the ruddy and ready department. Not to mention he’s a veteran so he’s seen some stuff, and dealt with some stuff over his career. As the wheels of the mouthy fellow’s mind slowly worked through (much slower than his mouth, for sure) the possible outcomes of the situation, he finally came to the conclusion that exiting stage left was the correct move.
Working Through the Scenarios
I could not help but wonder what would have happened had some of the variables been different. Was this guy just looking for a fight? Did he have a genuine beef with the other fellow? Did he have force multipliers on him? I’ll never know, but the randomness of the situation made me think. Yes, this could have been one of those times where leaving home without my CCW would have been easy. I was in a relatively safe midwestern town full of friendly people. It was just a short trip to pick up a few things and then go home. But, as was illustrated, weird things can happen in weird ways and in not so weird places at any time of the day.
Have you worked through situations like this in real time? Chances are that you have not. For obvious reasons you don’t want to use a firearm to do this sort of training. Even if “unloaded” all firearms are always loaded. Not to mention that the second rule of gun safety states that a firearm is to never be pointed at something or someone you don’t want to destroy.
This is where the T4E training platform shines. We make our markers in several popular brands and models. Select a couple of markers, attain some safety equipment, and then create a training space either inside or outside. That’s the beauty of the T4E system– with just basic equipment and a little bit of time you can create a valuable teaching and learning space for personal defense.
What do you really need?
- T4E Marker
- CO2 and Ammo
- Face Shield (ANSI rated)
- Gloves
- Props like chairs, barriers, clothing racks, etc.
When it comes to props, use your imagination. Gaining some thick cardboard like the kind that comes on kitchen appliances or other big items can be easily obtained from a contractor, or even a home appliance store. The cardboard can be attached to some wooden supports to create a moveable wall section.
The safety equipment is essential. You will want gloves and a full face shield at a minimum. We would also recommend wearing a thicker long sleeve shirt, full length pants, and boots or sneakers to keep the rest of your body protected from direct skin-to-paintball contact.
With these things in place you and a few like minded people can work through various scenarios with live fire reinforcement. The reason you want to use a device like the T4E markers is the reinforcement of your weaknesses and your strengths under stress. We all have an idea in our minds about how certain situations will play out. As Mark Twain said, the difference between the right word and the wrong word is as big as the difference between “lightning and a lightning bug”. Likewise, the difference between a plan and the results of a plan are just as vast.
Working through some scenarios will do two major things: First, it will show you weak areas, the areas you need to work on. Secondly, you will gain familiarity with your equipment and familiarity, in this case, breeds speed and accuracy. These are two things you certainly need to help make sure you get home alive.
Example Training Scenarios
- Fast Food Restaurant Freak Out
- Sidewalk Encounter
- Parking Lot Attack
- Transitional Spaces
- Domestic Disturbance Spillover
- Flash Mob/Street Protest
- Theater/Church/Meeting Attacker
- Workplace Incident
There are as many scenarios as you can imagine, but this list should start you thinking about it. Some of these scenarios might be situations where you cannot be armed, but an attacker very well could be. This is a vital part of training, too. How many violent attacks have taken place in places where little resistance was found? Unfortunately, some of the most newsworthy of them.
I know some people will say that they would rather be lucky than good any day, but being good means to create your own luck. Being good at something is far superior to executing a plan that has only been exercised in your imagination. Head over to our T4E store and check out all the gear we have in stock for getting started in force on force training!