Tactical Thinking. Making it a Mindset

The other day I took my wife out to a restaurant for her birthday. As we were shown to the booth, I noticed my wife making a point of sitting with her back to the restaurant entrance. After being married to me as long as she has been, she now understands that I want to be facing the entrance of almost every room I spend a lot of time in. Because of my tactical mindset, she has a tactical mindset. I used to have to fight my family for the “gunfighter seat.” They eventually understood that it might be a good idea for the person that is armed to face the entrance. What is a tactical mindset? You do not have to have a job where you carry a gun to have a tactical mindset. But you do need to have some tactical training so that you can implement it in your life. Tactics in law enforcement are spotty, sometimes barely existent. Military is usually better but depending on your MOS (military occupational specialty), can also be spotty. I was affiliated with military police, and special operations, so I was privileged to receive a lot of tactical training. As a civilian there are schools and courses you can take that will give you something tactical to draw from. I would recommend Gunsite’s Tactical Concealed Carry Pistol course. There are others but that one is pretty good. Having a tactical mindset is putting training to use each and every day and thinking about all possible outcomes. There are more than a few different ways to make entry into a corner-fed room. However, that same room is always going to have that one deep corner. If the room is a right corner-fed room, meaning the door is along the right wall, the left corner would be the deep corner. Checking that deep corner immediately upon crossing the threshold, that’s having a tactical mindset. I check the deep corner of every room I go into. Cutting the pie is another simple tactical concept. Most of that room, depending on how the room is fed, can be seen from the doorway. I don’t cut the pie at a restaurant. Tactics are a perishable skill. You should practice as much as possible. Play the “what if game.” This simply means to be constantly thinking “what if.” For example, what if we pulled up at the gas station and there was an armed robbery in progress? Could you tell? What would be the signs? Continue driving and call the police would be the correct response. That is an extreme example, but asking yourself all of those questions will help prepare for when you do come across a robbery. These are decisions that you have already made. You are exercising your mind just like you are hopefully exercising the rest of your body. When evaluating your decisions, in life or even the “what if game,” there are two important questions that must be asked — “What do I gain?” and “What do I lose?” By simply asking those two questions, it is easy to see what decision is tactically sound. Start looking at every decision this way for about a week and see what happens. You will realize that where you park in the grocery store parking lot, where you stand when picking up your lunch, where you sit in a restaurant, even where you sit at the kitchen table at home all have tactical advantages and disadvantages. Trying to pause to see tactical advantages and disadvantages and checking deep corners may seem like a lot to do, especially not in a dangerous situation. There are law enforcement, and military who are going to talk about being tired, busy, having kids and all the other excuses. Those are all valid. It is a big change, and it does take a little work. But after about a week of simply thinking tactically and forming good tactical habits, it will become second nature to you. You will even start to incorporate more of your training into everyday life. You are going to start walking down hallways different, getting into your personal car different and wondering why you never did before. For those of you reading this and thinking it is entirely too much, I have one question for you. You do these things at work, for the people you have sworn to serve and protect, what makes those people so much more important than the loved ones you are with when you are off duty? I care very deeply for the people I have taken an oath to serve and protect, but I also care very deeply for those I call my family. So ask yourself a “what if.” What if you tried this and it actually worked? It could potentially save your life or the life of another. What if you tried it and it simply didn’t work for you? It is a simple decision; you have everything to gain and nothing to lose. If you’ve been trained in combat. If you’ve been trained to shoot. If you’ve been trained in defense of any kind, you are the last line of defense for the people you’re with. The military or law enforcement are not the last line, but you are. Wouldn’t you feel awful guilty if something happened and you had the training and tools to combat the threat but didn’t because you’re tired? Semper Paratus Check 6 Burn