Self-Defense: Maintaining Your Reactionary Gap

Many, if not most people don’t protect and defend their “reactionary gap.” Even some police officers fail to maintain and protect that crucial “up close and personal” distance. It’s true…regular citizens and sometimes cops allow sketchy, potential bad actors to get close enough to them that the bad guys can pounce before the good guy can even react, much less defend against an attack. Hence, the reactionary gap and the reason we should all protect ours in our daily lives.

Keep potential threats outside of your reactionary gap or that distance that allows you time to react to an attack and defend yourself. Hint: distance gives you time in a critical incident and time gives you options. Options mean a greater likelihood of survival.

The classic example is the elevator, especially for lone women. Ladies, if you find yourself on an elevator and it stops and someone gets on who gives you the creeps, that’s a very good time to exit. Why? Because in that enclosed metal box, there’s virtually no time to react to an attack should your intuition prove right that person who set off your spidey senses presents a personal threat to your well-being.

That’s good advice to share with your teenage kids as well.

The same goes for someone who’s acting hinky outside of an elevator. Don’t let them get inside your reactionary gap. For most people that means within eight to 10 feet. If you can’t manage to create that much distance, use obstacles between them and you. Obstacles also buy you time and are almost as effectively as distance. After all, those obstacles have to be navigated by the bad guy.  That takes time, giving you options should your ill feelings prove well-grounded.

If the environment you’re in precludes creating distance and you find yourself at or near arm’s length from a potential attacker, watch their hands carefully. If they go for a gun, a knife or other weapon, you have a fighting chance to go hands-on and tie-up the weapon presentation. At least that way you won’t be caught as off guard as if you’re watching their face and eyes.

Are you part of the “I’ll just draw my gun on them” clan? Have you ever put a timer on your draw from concealment?  Mine’s about 1.3 to 1.8 seconds on a very good day. Even if you can beat my time by a half-second, a lot can happen in eight-tenths of a second. Assuming the bad guy doesn’t tie up your hand and you’re able to draw and point in the appropriate direction, that won’t do much good if the bad guy has already poked you in the chest a couple of times with a nice, long blade. Even if you fatally shoot your attacker, that’s still not a win for the home team.

Use your situational awareness with the reactionary gap

The next time you’re at a mall (remember those?) , or Super Walmart store, play a little game. Find a discrete spot to stand and watch the passersby. Imagine you’re a criminal and ask yourself who’d you pick to victimize. It won’t take long to identify some ideal targets. When you see a candidate, ask yourself what attributes that individual displays that makes them such an attractive victim.

Then objectively look at your own behaviors and habits when you’re in public. Do you share any of those attributes you found that made a person an ideal candidate for victimhood? Do you have issues with task fixation (texting or face otherwise buried in your phone) while out in public? When you’re out and about, do you maintain submissive body language or act like you’re worried or lost?  When you’re at gas stations, do you give the pump’s instruction video screen your undivided attention or do you look around after each query?

Don’t be this guy.

Or Chris Rock.

The best way to win a confrontation – or a criminal attack – is to not be there. Carry yourself with a “command presence” in public. That means heads up, fully engaged, looking around and appearing confident in your actions. “Failing” a violent criminal’s victim selection process because you don’t exhibit victim-style body language. That’s a win for you every time and you probably didn’t even realize it.

Now take a look at your friends and loved ones. Do they exhibit that submissive body language that makes them appear like a soft, easy victim? If so, it’s time for an intervention.

The Tueller Drill tells us that an attacker can close 21 feet in 1.5 seconds or less to hurt a good guy with a blunt force instrument or edged weapon. Most folks can’t draw from concealment and make a good A-zone hit in those 1.5 seconds. So unless you can delay your attacker, going to your gun may not be your most survival-friendly option.

Again, if you encounter a potential bad actor in public, the first order of business is to put distance and/or obstacles between you and the potential perp. Or leaving the area altogether. Putting cover between you and them is even better.

Again, distance (and obstacles) gives you time. Time gives you options. Options mean safety.

The alternative is seeing a bad guy swinging a blade your way in an effort to stab you or slit your throat at an Arby’s.

Here’s the video of the suspect walking up to the officer and then using his body to shield his hand while accessing his blade to attack the cop.

Yeah, it’s age restricted, but it’s a good watch.

In any event, in this instance, the officer’s very justifiable use of deadly force almost came too late. His throat was cut but he lived. His attacker, career criminal 31-year-old Tyler Jacobs, took the room temperature challenge and won. Keep that in mind and be careful out there.