Self-Defense - Surviving Your Worst Self Defense Nightmare

Whether you're a gun-control advocate, a member ofshoes, sneakers, or boots, if they had two strings or
the NRA, or you don't have any particular like or dislikelaces, you were set.
for firearms, the fact remains that, as long as criminals 
have access to them, you may find yourself in aUnfortunately, attack scenarios come in many shapes
self-defense situation where you will have to deal withand sizes. Variables include not only the type of attack
them.but:
  
I have lots of friends who take martial arts or study 
self-defense. As I should, since this is what I do - it's- Environmental conditions
the world in which I live.- Number of assailants, and...
 - Weapons
Not surprising. 
 In the case of attacks involving firearms, your personal
But what is surprising is the number of them who don'tnightmare could involve one of three possible
want to train with, think about, or deal with guns. Now, Iscenarios.
can understand not liking guns, In the wrong hands, 
they are very dangerous things. I can also understand 
not liking baseball bats, knives, and nunchuks for the- Your attacker could be armed and you're not
same reason.- You could be armed and your attacker is not, and...
 - You and your attacker could be armed (with the
What I can't understand is how many martial arts andsame or different weapons)
self-defense students (and teachers) simply want to 
avoid something like firearms - a common weapon inAnd each of these scenarios requires different skills to
the criminal community - altogether. You don't have toeffectively neutralize the threat and survive. Some of
like them. You don't have to carry one. But, in Today'sthese skills include:
world, living in denial and then finding yourself staring 
down the barrel of a gun, or feeling the hard, bluntness 
of that weapon pressing into your back, gut, or head,- Disarming techniques for taking a weapon from an
could be living your worst nightmare.attacker
 - Retention skills for preventing him from taking your
And, if you're going to survive this nightmare, you needweapon
to acknowledge and prepare for it BEFORE it ever- Shooting skills that are effective under pressure
happens. Like the saying goes, "forewarned is- Choosing appropriate cover or positioning to avoid
forearmed."incoming fire
 - Efficient reloading skills
But, how do you prepare for something that you've- Drawing, aiming, and using the weapon while walking,
never dealt with before?running, rolling, etc.
  
Good question.It's true that defending against a gun-toting assailant
 can be one of your worst nightmares. And, while no
And the answer is, by doing what you've always doneone wants to have to live this nightmare, there are
when you didn't know something. You find someonesolid principles and lessons that you can learn to be a
who does and get them to teach you. Just like learningsurvivor instead of tomorrow's headlines.
to tie your shoes or drive a car, you learn from 
someone who can already do that thing.But, before you can survive, you must learn to face
 the fact that this type of training must be a part of
The difference between defending against ayour overall self-defense study. Because no amount
gun-wielding assailant and, say, tying your shoes is that,of denial, wishing, or wanting guns to go away, will
there's more than one type of situation you may havechange the fact that no law has ever prevented
to deal with. When you learned to tie your shoes, youanyone from having weapons except law-abiding
only needed to learn one skill, one way, and you werecitizens.
set for life. Regardless of whether you were wearing