3 Thoughts on Use of Force Situations

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Before starting this I am just a guy. I am not a lawyer or a cop or anything, just a guy who likes to share his experiences and thoughts on the internet. Consider this entertainment not legal advice. Consider yourself disclaimed.

-Actions have to depend on the overall situation. We can’t think that every time X happens we will do Y. A classic X=Y, which I have heard at least one really big training name say, is “If they are in my house they are dead.” That is ignorant. Maybe a drunk neighbor got confused and walked in the wrong door. Maybe an old person is confused and in the wrong place. Maybe some kid is sneaking in to fool around with your kid.

A great example of this is in combatives. I was in Cecil Burches Immediate Action Combatives class. We were doing standing Greco wrestling stuff. Arm drag to take back to 2 on 1. What to do after that was being discussed. I said something like, “Shouldn’t I slam the guy on the ground and tap dance on his face?”

Two points came up immediately. First, that won’t work for everyone. I’m a healthy fairly strong guy with a little background in this stuff. Odds are I am going to be able to pull that off with the majority of opponents. Someone who is 5’6″, 140 pounds or deep in their golden years might not be able to do that.

Second is that response isn’t appropriate for every situation. If a drunken relative is getting handsy or aggressive at a BBQ, slamming them onto the ground, then kicking the sh-t out of them would be overkill.

-Many problems, especially for men cuz we are macho and stupid, can be avoided by some basic social skills. “Excuse me, I’m sorry….” will get you out of a lot of stupid situations.

As always, ”avoid stupid people, stupid places and stupid things.”

A person who uses those two things together is going to avoid a lot of BS.

-Instead of ‘Can I shoot them?’ think ‘Can I avoid shooting them?’. Knowing use of force rules and all that is great. They vary in subtle but significant ways. However if you approach a situation with “Can I avoid using force against this person?” you are probably going to be on the right track. This means if you can de escalate or leave or use a lower level of force like OC spray or hand to hand instead of guns.

Have the skills to be dangerous but apply common sense so you don’t have to use them.