Establishing a Position of Advanatage
April/04/2017 21:32
Position of Advantage: Quick and Dynamic Movement is Required - by Jay Izienicki - Chief Instructor
One of my all-time favorite movies is Die Hard (insert any quote from the movie here) because it was the ultimate root for the underdog movie with lots of action, humor and gunfire. Recently while waiting at the airport for my 2hrs-delayed flight I had the opportunity to do some people-watching. In doing so, I noticed the amount of guys and gals wearing flip-flops. I would estimate 60% or better chose them for their footwear. So, what does this have to do with Die Hard and, more importantly, Latent Force? Before I answer that allow me to indulge myself.
There is a lot of Monday morning quarterbacking when it comes to news stories about criminal attacks on unarmed innocent victims. "I would have done this" or "why didn't they do that" are all things discussed amongst those that are responsible gun owners. With all the talk about what people would do if the time ever came that they had to use a gun to protect themselves or their family, I often times find myself wondering why they overlooked the single most important thing about an encounter with a criminal threat - don't get shot. Getting shot dramatically reduces your effectiveness as a gun fighter and as a good witness.
If you have already attempted to AVOID places and situations that potentially contain criminal threats and you tried to REMOVE yourself and your family from a criminal circumstances but find yourself with no other option but to DEFEND yourself, then a Position of Advantage (PoA) is critical to not getting shot and winning.
Most people think of PoA as higher ground or cover - they are correct. The important thing to remember here is that most times it is better and faster to move to good cover than it is to use your gun. A major part of our Prepared Defensive Action courses is to teach you to maximize your distance to the threat and minimize your size as a target. These two things help you achieve a Position of Advantage. However, doing so requires you to move quickly and dynamically.
So, back to Die Hard and flip-flops thing. I remember being frustrated watching Die Hard and seeing John McClane running around without shoes after shooting out all the glass and saying to myself, "get some friggin' shoes John!" How about the scene where he is in the bathroom pulling all of the glass out of his feet? Even McClane knew he needed good footwear but couldn't find the right size. How much running and moving could a person really expect to do in glass, rocks, stickers or wet surfaces when in bare feet or flip-flops?
When that high stress and rapidly evolving moment comes and you have to make split second decisions, are you putting yourself in the best Position of Advantage when you are wearing inferior footwear like flip-flops? Let's not forget that carrying concealed is a change in lifestyle, so this is a valid PoA question.
My day at the airport observing people and their feet took me back a couple days earlier at the home improvement store when I was standing in line behind a couple guys carrying concealed (didn't do a real good job since I noticed) and wearing what I could only guess to be tactical combat flip-flops. They looked real relaxed and comfortable (condition white) but I wondered if that was really what they wanted on their feet when carrying concealed. At the time I saw these guys I had some sore feet from my day at the range with lots of moving and positional shooting, and at that point it hit me - what good do these guys really expect to be when things go down? If they had to move quickly and dynamically to a PoA would they be serving themselves and their loved ones well by choosing flip-flops for the concealed carry ensemble? Could they have performed any of the drills I had done earlier with the shoes they had on?
I am not the fashion police or the shoe monitor, but I am the voice of reality and reason. If you are going to choose to carry concealed you MUST think differently than the average person - where you stand, what side of the street you walk on, what clothes you wear, how involved you get in things, and what stores you go into. If you are going to the pool, the beach or the shower, flip-flops are perfect. Find a compromise between comfort and mobility and something that wont come off your feet when the moment comes and you have to move quickly.
Ultimately, I am glad the guys at the home improvement store decided to exercise their 2A rights, flip-flops and all, because if something did happen I know the odds would have been in our favor. But, the major point here is that carrying concealed is a massive change in lifestyle. What worked for you and maybe didn't matter much before you decide to carry concealed now comes under scrutiny. Are bare feet or tactical combat flip-flops really the best choice or would shoes of another kind be better? Perhaps putting as much time into the shoe choice as the holster choice can increase your Position of Advantage and likelihood to survive, and most importantly, win a criminal attack.
Stay safe, train in reality and do it often. See you on the range.