What Would You Do Right Now If…

Need a Quick Activity to Build Your Response Capability?

As you sit with or without your family or loved ones in your current location, take a moment to discuss what you would do in different situations that either raise an alarm or require an immediate response.

• If you’re at home and someone is trying to kick in your front door, what do you do? Can you and your family snap out of your Netflix show and get to safety in time? What are everyone's roles? Do they know what to do, and will they act on their own or sit and stare at the soon-to-be opened door?
• If you’re at a gas station and witness a carjacking, what do you do? Visualize your response and act (but avoid rehearsing it physically at the pumps). Can you keep yourself and others safe while being a good witness? Do you even know how to be a good witness? is intervention really the smart thing?
• If you’re shopping and suddenly hear gunfire at the entrance, what do you do? You can calmly walk through the steps—get to cover, assess the situation, determine the best exit or barricade area, and decide where your family should regroup afterward.

It should come as no surprise that most people lack a basic defense plan—don’t be like them. When I ask individuals about their family defense plans, I often hear, "Well, we have a gun," yet there is no actual strategy, and something as serious as a firearm can create significant liability without some basic risk assessment. Women often make up the largest portion of my home defense class; these women take their self-defense seriously and lack the ego that frequently leads men to believe their bravado—combined with typically poor handgun skills and no training in realistic tactics and decision-making regarding its use—will rise to the occasion like some Hollywood hero. Sorry, guys, it's mostly true, and you're mostly wrong.

But don’t let paranoia take over, either. Create a straightforward plan where everyone in your family or group understands their roles and can carry it out with minimal communication. They should know what a “red alert” or “safe room” means and be aware of their basic responsibilities. Perfection isn’t necessary. Focus on getting the big things right; eliminate the most critical mistakes. Don't fixate on the small details. Mental rehearsal is helpful, but you should also practice physically in small, frequent sessions. There are also some good middle-ground options.

Simple walk-and-talk-throughs bridge the gap between mental rehearsal and specific physical practice. When I trained Iraqi Commandos in Mosul, I used talk-and-walk-through drills to prepare for missions. With chalk, spray paint, or whatever materials I had, I would lay out routes and objectives on a miniature scale. The entire force would divide into teams and simulate their roles, even standing shoulder to shoulder as if they were in a vehicle. We would walk the driving route, get out, and position ourselves as we would during the mission, covering 10 kilometers of movement in just 10 yards of space. If you can practice in the actual environment, it’s even more effective. It’s all about having a mental script ready to run.

You probably visit the same places 80% of the time. After a few mental rehearsals, you won’t need much more than an occasional refresh. You’ll discover that 60-80% of your planning in one location applies similarly in another. I usually wait until I notice something unusual—like a suspicious person, a disturbance, or anything out of the ordinary—then I play a quick “what if” game and talk, walk, or work through potential actions.

You don’t have to be perfect. You don’t need to spend a ton of time or energy. You just need to commit about?1% of your life to staying safe. The other 99% of the time, you will be 10 times safer?than the average person—a walking victim hoping nothing happens to them or that someone else will save them. No one can be 100% threat-proof. I have seen the bravest and best-trained people fall, but you can definitely improve the odds in your favor.

1%—is that really too much to ask ask?

Here's a free checklist to get you started that applies to a lot of different crises: https://88tactical.thinkific.com/products/digital_downloads/tactical-twos-checklist