Jon Low has a new newsletter available, chock full of firearm and self-defense related links as well as commentary. A few things to whet your interest:
- First, Jon includes a link to "On Human Nature(s): Dr. Marc Green’s Framework for Understanding Force Encounters" by Von Kliem, JD, LL.M which provides an overview of Dr. Green's framework as well as links to Dr. Green's own articles.
- Second, Jon quotes from an email from Tim Kelly of Apache Solutions with some important truths about composure under fire:
I recently came across a reel of a pilot in distress—his aircraft was in a spin, rapidly losing altitude. https://www.facebook.com/reel/1907266583379033
You could hear the panic in his voice as he repeatedly called out “Mayday,” seemingly moments away from disaster. In that moment, he wasn’t a pilot anymore—he was a man screaming for help, overwhelmed by fear and the chaos unfolding around him. But then something changed. A calm voice came over the radio and walked him through two basic control inputs. Just two. The moment he heard clear, simple instructions, he began to regain his composure, and soon after, control of the aircraft.
That reel reminded me—painfully—of the tragic dashcam footage of Officer Kyle Dinkheller. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=_x_LNTFXNT8
For those unfamiliar, Dinkheller was a young deputy who lost his life during a traffic stop in 1998. The footage is horrifying. Kyle is heard screaming, panicking as the suspect retrieves a rifle and begins firing. In his final moments, Dinkheller is shouting in terror, unable to regain control of a situation that had spiraled far beyond what he was trained for. No calm voice came through the radio. No one talked him through it. And unlike the pilot, Kyle didn’t survive.
I want to tread lightly here, out of deep respect for Officer Dinkheller and his family. This is not about criticism—it’s about recognition. Recognition that under extreme stress, our training can vanish unless it’s ingrained at a level that allows us to function through panic. Both the pilot and the officer were trained professionals. Both faced life-or-death situations. And both lost composure in moments where composure was their most valuable asset.
The difference? The pilot had someone to guide him back to the basics when he needed it most. Dinkheller was alone.
This comparison isn’t meant to reduce either situation to a training lesson or social media content—it’s meant to spark thought. We don’t rise to the occasion—we fall to the level of our training. And when our training is shallow, sporadic, or outdated, panic can take the wheel. Secondly, it is important for us to realize that no one is coming to save us. It is up to me to save my own life just like it was up to that pilot and Officer Kyle Dinkheller to save their own lives.
This is why consistent, pressure-tested training is so vital—whether you’re behind the wheel of a patrol car, the stick of an aircraft, walking into a grocery store or walking into a classroom to teach others how to protect themselves and others.
We must not only train the techniques—we must train our minds to access those techniques under pressure.
Composure isn’t a switch you flip. It’s a skill you build. And sometimes, it’s as simple as hearing a calm voice remind you of what you already know. But you have to be ready to hear it, and that voice has to be your own.
- I've linked at different times to articles from Tactical Anatomy Systems describing the importance of knowing anatomy and targeting those organs that will produce quick stops. In this vein, Jon links to a video by Tim Larkin on "The Most Underrated Self Defense Target. The video is about unarmed technique of striking the side of the neck, but Jon adds:
When shooting to the side of the head, I had been taught to target the external auditory meatus (the hole of the ear) on the theory that it is the only opening in the skull, so that gives the highest probability of getting your bullet into the brain. But, targeting the side of the neck below the ear will damage the carotid artery, jugular vein, vagus nerve, and phrenic nerve. So that may be a better target.
A lot more there, so be sure to read the whole thing.
Much commentary, complaints, really, about how repetitive much training, especially military training, is. Point is, it's creating what's erroneously termed "muscle memory" in the form of response A to stimulus A. Which works great when you're actually faced with stimulus A; stimulus D6.3, not so much. Thinking exercises under high stress conditions - the more realistic and higher the stress the better - on the other hand, lead to saves like the pilot. Which is why military aircraft and commercial airline pilots often emerge from simulator cockpits shaking and drenched in sweat.
ReplyDeleteLow recounts something about this as well, with a story of a police officer that followed the "tap-rack-bang" as he had been taught and shot an old woman that had the misfortune to be in his way when he reached the "bang" part. The officer was excused because he had followed his training; an armed citizen would have been charged with homicide.
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