Critical post-fight procedures
Beau Doboszenski, Owner/Lead Instructor
Originally published August 17th, 2018
Last week I took you through the 360 Degree Check, the Follow Through portion of DMT’s Shooting Fundamentals. I mentioned that the 360 Degree Check was part of a larger picture in defensive shooting. Today I’m going to take you through the full Post-Fight Actions.
It’s possible to divvy up a defensive encounter into three stages: Pre-Fight, Fight, and Post-Fight. Each stage has sub-elements and skills that must be learned and practiced to have a complete system of self-defense.
Most defenders spend all of their training time in the Fight stage. There’s a good reason for this: the skills involved in the Fight stage must be accomplished unconsciously, as your ability to reason will be severely limited by the Physiological Response to Stress. And it’s fun to practice shooting and kicking butt.
However, many defenders rarely (or never) practice their Pre-Fight and Post-Fight routines. This is actually a very big problem, as the Pre-Fight, if done well, may help you avoid any conflict at all, and Post-Fight routines can save your life and help you keep your freedom once the conflict has ended.
The Pre-Fight routine is part of DMT’s situational awareness training, and is a full topic unto itself. For more info, check out Avoid-Deter-Defend, the DMT video series specifically devoted to this topic.
Below is DMT’s Post-Fight Procedure, so you have something to practice:
1. Once you’ve defended yourself, reset the trigger, lower the firearm slightly to assess the threat, pull your firearm back to retention and do your 360 degree check, looking for more threats, avenues of escape, or help.
Resetting the trigger ensures you’re prepared for another shot string and the firearm doesn’t have any lingering stoppages, like an Emergency Reload or Hard Malfunction. Assessing the threat enables you to be certain that it is in fact, no longer a threat. If you’re wrong and need to fire again, a slightly lowered firearm allows you to quickly re-align sights and continue to place effective fire on the threat until it stops. The 360 Degree Check was covered in detail last week’s newsletter.
2. Move to a SAFE Environment or a position of tactical superiority.
Safe Environments are where you control the access and only non-threats are present. This is where no one gets in or out of your environment unless you want them to. Examples could be a locked room, your car, or a position behind cover with a choke point in front of you. Non-threats are people with no capability and/or intent to cause you harm. Tactical superiority is a position or condition where if your threat decides to resume their assault, they would be at a severe disadvantage. This reasonably assures your victory over the the threat in a reassumption of violence. This could be behind a position of cover, the threat’s blind side, etc. Moving to either position is risky, as your firearm is still exposed, meaning that you may be mistaken as a threat by incoming law enforcement or another citizen defender. Moving in a Dynamic Weapon Position (DWP) demonstrates that you’re attempting to keep proper muzzle awareness - something that bad guys do not care about, so you look less suspicious. It’s also possible to use a DWP that helps to conceal the firearm a bit, like the 1 Hand Low position. In general, I recommend moving in the position of 2 Hand High, 1 or 2 Hand Low, or Sul. You can learn more about these positions in the Concealed Carry Masters Course.
3. Conduct a Tactical Reload, if appropriate. Keep 360 degree scanning the whole time.
In a defensive encounter, you’ve likely fired your handgun an indeterminate number of times, as you’re probably not been focused on counting. Engaging in a Tactical Reload allows you to “top off” your defensive weapon in case there are more threats that emerge during the next part of the Post-Fight stage. And remember, keep scanning your environment!
4. When safe to do so, holster and conceal your firearm.
Having your firearm holstered is the safest position for approaching law enforcement. And thanks to your well-developed and fast defensive draw, if you need your firearm again, you can quickly deploy it.
If that isn’t an option, or it seems unwise to reholster, be ready to drop your handgun as quickly as possible when law enforcement arrives on the scene. It is in that arrival chaos that defenders can be mistakenly deemed as a threat and shot with their defensive firearms in their hands.
5. Begin deep, slow breathing and a wound check.
In addition to pumping you full of energy, the Physiological Response to Stress makes portions of your Prefrontal Cortex stop functioning correctly. Deep breathing will begin to dilute the cocktail of epinephrine and help you regain your ability to think clearly.
It is entirely possible that you have been wounded. Do a wound check by sliding your hands across your face/neck, then torso, then legs, then rub your back on something and look at where you rubbed in case of bleeding. Conduct self-care as necessary. A tourniquet is a life-saving tool for you or potentially others involved in the defensive encounter, which is why I recommend you carry one at all times. You may need to stem heavy bleeding, and quickly. If you haven’t practiced your TacMed skills lately, you probably should.
6. Carefully call 911. Keep scanning, since looking around will keep your Prefrontal Cortex engaged.
Have your 911 call prepared and MEMORIZED. Remember what your Miranda Rights say: “anything you say WILL BE USED AGAINST YOU.” You need to say what’s necessary without running your mouth, and you will want to run your mouth after what just happened. Don’t. For DMT’s recommended script for calling 911 after a defensive encounter, that call is outlined in the first session of Avoid-Deter-Defend.
7. When police arrive, assume the least threatening position possible.
Calm. Polite. Respectful. This must be your mantra when law enforcement arrive. Make no threatening movements or gestures of any kind, and do not reach for anything in your pockets or at your belt line. Remember, as you might be coming out of your Physiological Response to Stress, they will be in the midst of it, meaning it’s possible that law enforcement is not thinking clearly as they approach the scene. Accept that reality and plan accordingly. Your life may be at stake. Keep breathing deeply.
8. Follow all of the law enforcement instructions exactly and, if possible, repeat them back to the officer as you are complying, SLOWLY.
Following instructions exactly and parroting LEO commands will demonstrate that you’re compliant. At this moment, law enforcement has no idea who you are, and they’re acting for their own safety, not yours. Complying is the safest thing you can do to prove you’re not a threat.
Practicing these Post-Fight procedures can save your life, from both additional threats and from arriving law enforcement. It can also help you engage the first part of your legal defense by demonstrating that you were the victim and cooperating with law enforcement, as well as mitigating what information you give on the 911 call that can be used as evidence.
Don’t neglect all three stages of defense. If you haven’t learned proper Pre-Fight procedures, you can learn DMT’s method in our Avoid-Deter-Defend video series, and you can brush up on the Post-Fight details with the Concealed Carry Master’s Course DVD. These stages of defense may be more critical than what you do in the fight itself.