Don't be that guy

We all know him, the mister know it all. The one who never trains reads or improves any useful skill, yet he seems to think he can take on anyone from a heavy-weight boxer to a master shooter. The little Jack-Russel of security. Sound like you? or anyone you know?

Maybe you are, you just don't know it yet?

I'm not trying to make you feel like an idiot, but sometimes each of us just needs a little reality check. A little slap in the face to wake up and see the threat. What threat is that? The threat of complacency of course! Ask yourself this, do you train for survival or self-defense? Are you actively taking steps in improving your security? Or do you just accept the fact that crime is a thing and if it happens, it happens? All too often I see this, and perhaps its something most not dares to tread on, but, to me its a BIG threat. Have you ever just sat down in a restaurant and watched a few people pass by, and come to think that you could easily defeat them in a hand-to-hand brawl or a shootout in the mall? If you haven't, then you have an even bigger problem than you think. If you did, then you probably at some point in time realized that perhaps 50% of those relatively "easy" targets are trained in some form of martial arts or weapons handling themselves.

What's the problem with that?

The problem with that is simple. And the legendary Mr. Bruce Lee summed it up quite beautifully - "I fear not the man who has practiced 10,000 kicks once, but I fear the man who has practiced one kick 10,000 times.". You could try and say the time you spend in the gym improves your overall skill set, but you won't fool me. Practice does not make perfect, only perfect practice makes perfect. Just because you drive your car every day does not mean you are a better driver than someone who only drives once a week. The same driver who only spends time once a week behind the wheel might be spending all his effort around a race track or advanced driving course for that day, and by doing such, he is actively developing his skillset, he can identify possible weaknesses and at his next driving session target those weaknesses specifically and develop them into strengths. But you, you just keep repeating the same routine over and over, thus it's safe to say, you are not improving. Experience is not always key.

Complacency - a slow creeping, yet an imminent threat.

You might be thinking that this post is a complete waste of time and why would I ever even consider spending time on this. Because it could kill you, it kills every day. Just ask around, you would be surprised at how many people lose their lives due to the fact they think they are on top of their game, they neglect simple security principles and create gaps in their defenses. I'm not the only one who thinks complacency is an issue, this is a good example of how it creeps in on any security detail or your own life for that matter. Just like hitting the shower once a day, you need to hit the training department once a day and make sure you are fresh and ready to kick-ass!

Uh - ok, what now?

Consistency equals accuracy! You simply have to consistently identify weaknesses, accurately implement strategies or training to minimize the risks, and then rinse and repeat if you want to accurately improve your security. That means hitting the gym with a plan on improving, not repeating what you know, it means studying material like this to learn more and it also means testing all of your equipment and defenses to be certain that you have it all covered! Cause if you truly know the human race, you would know that we are evil and fierce! And they will find a way, as long as the reward adds up to the effort!

Don't be that guy

So I call on all of you to get out there and improve your skills! And when the next BBQ calls on your presence, don't be that guy, accept the fact that you do not know it all and that you can and probably will be knocked the heck out! We all have something to learn from each other and something to teach each other.