Riclin Firearms Training, LLC

Practice with the pistol that you carry. And I don’t mean just stand there and shoot. I mean practice the way you spend your day. For example, most of us spend a lot of time sitting down every day. Therefore you should practice drawing while sitting down. This can be done at home as part of your dry fire routine (and remember the safety rules apply to dry firing as well). Practice while sitting at a table, in an easy chair, in an office chair…anywhere you are liable to sit. Then on your next trip to the range do some shooting while you are seated…you will be surprised how well you do and will see your confidence increase. And remember, like your spare tire, you never know when you may need it!

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Read Principles of Personal Defense by Jeff Cooper.

It is an excellent guide to the mental conditioning aspects of self defense and will give you a lot to think about.

My mom and I were recently in Las Cruces at the Mesilla Valley Mall just last week. Not long ago a friend of mine had her car broken into in broad daylight near the Sears entrance of the same mall. I have always been very alert of my surroundings there anyway and most certainly at the mall because of what happened to my friend.  I did have the feeling of a potential problem situation. It was dark, we were carrying several shopping bags, and two women alone may look vulnerable to a would-be troublemaker.  Like I said, I am of the attitude that I simply REFUSE to be a victim, not without a fight anyway.  So before I even left the mall I had my .380 accessible and just upon leaving the building, I discreetly pulled it out and had it in my hand, just in case.  That is when I noticed a group of thugs, looking up to no good.  Like I said, there never was problem, but had there been, I would have been a little more prepared for having thought ahead and making myself ready. I like to think that our confidence showed itself in our body language. We made it to our vehicle with no problem, and only then did we each realize that the other had her gun in her hand, ready for anything that might occur.  This had not been something that we had discussed…we just both naturally made the choice to do it.

Many women are not aware of their surroundings enough, myself included. I see myself and my mom as well as pretty confident women. We have practiced and are comfortable with our guns and would not hesitate to use them if the situation called for it. I think that women need to make themselves comfortable and confident, otherwise it will all be for naught.

Practice shooting in awkward conditions…sitting in a chair or lying on the floor or lying on your side are a few examples. While going to the range and standing there and shooting at stationary targets is fun, it really doesn’t prepare you for what you will probably encounter on a defensive situation. You will probably be surprised (the bad guy isn’t liable to attack if he knows you are ready for him) and off balance. And winter is coming…get out here and shoot in the cold, wearing your warm heavy clothing. You’ll be surprised how awkward it is trying to draw your handgun while wearing gloves and while you are covered with several layers of clothing. And while you are at it, practice shooting with cold hands as well. Get out and practice in the ‘less than ideal conditions.’

One of our lady students demonstrated an excellent mind set recently. We were doing some pretty advanced drills and she slipped and fell. Rather than complain about getting hurt/dirty/being embarrassed about falling, she came up shooting. Afterwards, she told me that she knew she had to shoot the target and never thought about anything else. The lesson is this…whenever you are shooting/training, and things don’t go as planned, use the situation as an opportunity to enhance your skills and keep on going. The more you do things ‘out of the box’ the more prepared you will be in the event that you are faced with a dangerous situation.

If you end up a confrontation that gets physical, do you have the fitness to deal with that? Most of us need to be more physically fit. Take some time every day to do some form of exercise. As you get older, exercise becomes even more important because it helps slow down some of the aches and pains we get as we age. Even if you have some disabilities there is some form of exercise you can do. Experiment, and see what you can do. You might be surprised.

You are probably tired of me saying you need to practice all the time, but an incident occurred this week end that reinforced to me the need to keep practicing. During a segment of the concealed carry class, I was demonstrating the importance of movement and distance. While trying to draw as I was moving off the line of attack, my hand grabbed a fistful of shirt instead of my pistol. While I felt a bit foolish in front of the class (after all, I’m supposed to know what I’m doing…), it graphically illustrated the need to continually practice accessing your handgun in a variety of positions, especially the awkward ones and also while you are moving.

Include in your practice drills drawing your handgun from concealment and shooting while you are moving in the clothes you normally wear. If you generally wear a business suit, you should practice in that. If you wear a heavy jacket in winter, practice in that. And if all you wear in summer is shorts and a t-shirt, you need to practice in that. Anyone can go to the range, take your time to assume a perfect stance and fire away, but a self defense confrontation will seldom offer that opportunity. It is easy to execute the perfect draw from a range holster, but you need to practice with the holster you use to conceal your handgun, in the clothing you are generally wearing, while you are moving, while you are seated, and in every awkward position you can think of.

With summer approaching, we are all spending more time going out and about. ALWAYS be aware of what is in your environment no matter where you are. The first thing you should do when you are visiting anyplace is to consciously make yourself aware of your surroundings and mentally notice any and all exits so that you know how to get out. Recognize that there may be people who are possible threats. Be aware of people who look or act differently than the rest or who want to get to close to you. ‘People watching’ is not only just a past time but also a tool that can be used as a survival skill, keeping your situational awareness where it needs to be. Be safe.