Well-Rounded Training

 . . . by Cori Tyler

Why do you train?  I'm sure you've likely put some thought into that question.  Right?  Right?  Sure you have!

If you're like me, you train to defend the people, places, and things dearest to your heart.  In fact, most of the worst case scenarios I can imagine involve a threat to my family or friends.  I work to be effective in defensive skills, whether with a firearm or unarmed combatives, or any number of other possible weapons I might find in between.  Hopefully, if the moment comes that I have to use the skills I learned, I'm good enough to win.  I intend to be.

Of course, when we talk about defensive skills, combatives, weapons, or attackers, we're talking about an outcome where someone ends up hurt.  There's even a real chance someone might end up dead.  That's why this is such a serious topic.  We train to hurt or kill people if it becomes necessary.  The alternative is we let them hurt or kill us, or even worse, someone else we'd protect.

For non-self-defense-types, this is where they lost interest.  How could anyone in their right mind want to prepare to injure or kill someone?  What kind of person would even open themselves up to that possibility?  Didn't our mommies, the Bible, or any number of other potential sources of morality instruction impart that little tidbit on us?

I know I learned "Thou shalt not kill" from an early age.  Of course, being curious and hungry to keep learning, I looked beyond that initial learning to find there were a lot of exceptions.  Soldiers in battle, peace officers in the righteous course of duty, and those defending what they love all appear to be allowed to kill, when necessary.  So, it seems the more complete iteration might be "Thou shalt not MURDER."

We don't look to kill, or even injure someone else.  We acknowledge that another's actions might not leave us with a choice.  In preparing, we've likely drawn that line where acceptability ends for us.  It's a good bet we can all envision scenarios that really come close to that line, or blur it quite a bit.

How about injuring someone?

Are you prepared to break an assailant's arm, leg, fingers, elbow, etc?

How else can you prepare?

My first foray as a training instructor was through the American Red Cross - great organization, by the way.  Their training and assistance programs do countless good things every single day.  As a First Aid/CPR/AED instructor, I taught correctional staff how to assist someone having a medical emergency.  I had students who used their skills at work, and even more who used them outside of work, on family members.

When I first became a Defensive Tactics instructor in the same place, I jokingly described my instruction as the total skills package.  I could teach you how to break 'em and how to put 'em back together.  Part of that characterization also came from the fact that, at that time, those two skills categories were pretty much all we got for in-service training.  So, I taught the total annual offering.

Time marched on, my career grew, changed, progressed – in step with the rest of my life.  I continued acquiring and polishing skills wherever I could.  Something I’ve added along the way, originally out of necessity but maintained out of personal desire to keep those skills, was certification as an EMT.

The joking from years ago comes back to me more often now, except there’s some truth that rings through a lot more.  To an extent, I really do know, and teach others, how to break ‘em and how to put ‘em back together.

No, I’m not a doctor.  Nor am I a hardened killer.

I guess I’m trying to speak more to things that I think are important to consider for a well-rounded set of skills.  I think if I’m doing all this training, studying, contemplating, learning, and improving my abilities in self-defense, I have to balance it.  I have to be able to render aid of a type other than use-of-force.

Realistically, most people are likely to use medical skills more often than self-defense skills.  People get hurt in accidents, get sick, and have other medical needs all the time.  Knowing how to deal with those things is important.

Even the most skilled fighters get hit.  If you have to defend yourself, your chances of being injured are better than average.  If you’re shot, you might have to stop bleeding, while continuing the fight.  You may have won the fight, but found yourself cut deeply, or suffering any other significant injury.  You need to be able to provide care for your injuries to truly survive.

Now, it gets surreal . . .

Fact is, if you have to defend yourself physically, you may face the ironic perspective of being the one to provide medical aid to your attacker.  If you knock someone out, you may have to protect their spine and head from injury.  If you break one of their bones, you may have to splint it.  If you shoot them, you may have to try to control the bleeding.

I’m not talking about being soft on the bad guy.  I’m talking about being the good guy in every aspect.  Not only is it important for your humanity to assist where you can, but imagine the difference when you have to explain your actions in court.  It sounds terrible, but it’s much better for you in that analysis if the bad guy died in spite of your best lifesaving efforts than if they died abandoned in the street, where you shot them.

Does this mean I think everyone should be an EMT?  Nope.  I think if you are going to be a serious student of self-defense, you should also prepare to address the consequences of defending yourself.  You should be prepared to help everyone survive the fight that can, after the conflict is resolved.