Tactics over Skills

How skilled are you with your EDC? Are you skilled enough? Do those skills matter?

You’ve seen all the pocket dumps. I’m sure you have argued and heard the arguments of what gun is better to carry and why. Whether it’s for the zombie attack or to carry every day. We argue about gear all the time. Then, sometimes, we talk about skills with that gear.

I’m here to tell you that tactics are more important than the gear and the skill you have with the gear. Your understanding of what is going on and your move toward what you want to happen is your tactics.

A definition of gear is obvious, it’s the stuff you have. The definition of skill is how you can use that gear. Your tactics are the overall mindset and how to employ your skills towards a goal. It’s just bigger thinking.

The first part of being better at tactics is defining a mission. Think strategically now, because when someone is trying to kill you it’s hard to think about anything else besides surviving and panic.

Decide what you will and will not do to further that mission. Some hard questions to ask yourself are will you pass an injured kid to stop a killer or evacuate your family? What about a kid you know that is calling your name for help? To even the toughest warrior, that is a hard question. Answer them now so later you don’t have to stop in the heat of the moment and make a decision.

Part of defining your mission is knowing your priorities of work. Those priorities becomes your SOP (Standard Operating Procedure). Mine are, in this order, on purpose, my wife, my kid, myself, other people in my charge, extended family members, kids, and other people when I can.

If you look at my priorities of work; mall shooting with my family at my side, you are on your own. A school shooting with my kid in a class room, everyone else is on their own. I’ll help if I can, but my kid comes first.

Part of my priorities of work is also my mission parameters; 1 – I have to be able to look myself in the mirror every day no matter what I do or don’t do. 2 – My family has to survive, then me. 3 – Is the United States’ “Justice System.” I’ll deal with life in that order.

So if it is a school shooting and my kid is in there, law enforcement better have a good plan and be executing it when get there or I will. I couldn’t live with myself if I didn’t do something when no one else was and my kid didn’t survive.

When you start thinking at the upper level everything just starts falling into place. In any situation, I will figure out my mission very quickly by going t hrough my mission parameters and priorities of work.

If you do the “what-if” game when you see things in the news and go through your priorities of work and mission parameters you will figure out what your mission is and how to execute it.

If you need a quick reference the Marine Corps provides the acronym DrawD or what the enemy can do in the defense; Defend, Retreat, Attack, Withdraw, and Delay. If something happens in the “real world” you are in the defense and you can choose one of the five.

Whatever you chose, do it, and do it well. Your life depends on it. These quick thoughts are the beginning of tactics.

Stay Safe,

Ben

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