Calm Under Pressure

Few situations are as terrifying and high-stakes as a gunfight. In moments like these, panic can be your worst enemy, while staying calm can mean the difference between life and death. Whether you’re a civilian caught in a dangerous situation, a law enforcement officer, or someone who just wants to be prepared, mastering composure under fire is crucial.

It’s all fine-&-good to make assumptions about what you would be capable of in a defensive situation where guns are involved. You can certainly train technique and build some decent muscle memory through repetition, but would you be really ready to handle the stress in a real-life situation. Even for trained military and law enforcement personnel this can be a challenge, but for regular folks, the natural fear and anxiety of someone meaning to do you deadly harm can be overwhelming. All Hollywood depictions aside, active or prolonged defense against a firearms attack requires some serious training and preparation if you hope to perform under pressure.

Getting Your Head Around It

Aside from the strategies and tactics required for effective performance, your mindset will be key to your safety and success. This would include:

 Accept the reality of the situation and acknowledge that the self-defence situation is actually happening. Don’t waste time by questioning why – just mentally commit to taking the necessary action.

Understand the law and know your rights and responsibilities in a self-defence situation. This can help to reduce hesitation and uncertainty.

 Visualize success by mentally rehearsing different scenarios, including taking cover, returning fire and neutralizing threats. This helps condition your mind to respond with control rather than panic.

Accept that fear is natural, but channel it into purposeful action rather than panic.

Break the freeze response by forcing yourself to take one small action if you feel stuck (step back, adjust your grip, take a breath etc.) to regain control.

Trust Your training – the more familiar you are with your firearm and defensive techniques, the more confidence you will have in handling the situation.

 Tips & Techniques

With this type of content, we do have to make a distinction between civilians and professionals when it comes down to your intentions regarding the outcome of active gunplay. Whereas an untrained individual who may be trying to get through a home invasion unharmed, may opt for a more defensive approach, while someone within law enforcement or the military may have a more offensive mandate. At a baseline, survival is the primary objective.

 Preparation

Understand that tactical, dynamic movement and use of a firearm requires very specific training. You may feel that your accuracy is pretty good at the range, but there is a lot more to consider. Ideally, seek out professional training from a qualified instructor.

Situational Awareness

It’s critical to be able to think clearly, analytically and tactically in life-threatening situations (sometimes easier said than done). Assess the threat and don’t just react blindly – analyze the nature and severity of the threat so that you can respond accordingly. This would include whether you have family or other loved ones at risk, the number of assailants and types of weapons involved, the amount of time you have etc.

Head on a Swivel

Be sure to scan your surroundings to identify cover and concealment options, exit routes and places to hole-up to wait for help to arrive. Depending on the scenario, you may also have to keep an eye on your flanks and your six.

Focused Training

Tactical proficiency and having steady nerves when under fire doesn’t just happen on its own. These elements need to be trained for specifically, and usually with people who really know what they’re doing. Aside from actual technique, be sure that your practice is actively working to help reduce the fear response.

• Train under stress with high-intensity drills
• Train in environments that mimic real-life self-defence situations, such as home invasion drills or shooting while moving
• If possible, engage Force-on-Force training with non-lethal weapons, simulators or other controlled training tools to experience the intensity of a defensive encounter in a safe way
• Develop muscle memory with repetitive drills that ensure that actions like drawing, aiming, and shooting become automatic under stress

Body Control

Be aware of your heart rate and breathing in order to help maintain focus. Controlling your physiological responses to stress and surging adrenaline is important in these situations. Employ the combat breathing (AKA box or tactical breathing) technique by breathing in deeply, holding it for a count of 4 and then slowly exhaling for another count of 4.

Mobility

No one wants to be a ‘sitting duck’. Knowing that a moving target is harder to hit, use controlled movement during practice while drawing and aiming

Maintain Discipline

Trigger control and shooting discipline are keys to effective shooting under stress. Follow the fundamentals with your grip, stance, sight alignment and trigger control. Also aim with purpose and control your shots rather than blindly spraying bullets in a panic.

Aftermath Control

Once the smoke literally clears, ensure that the scene is secure and that there are no additional threats. Don’t make any assumptions, stay calm, and retreat to safety where you can call for assistance if necessary.

 Fear and panic are natural responses to being shot at (it would be odd if you didn’t feel something), but with proper training and mental preparation, your chances of staying composed can greatly improve.