Practice How You Play

I thought that was the quote from my sports days in high school… but evidently it is actually:

“You Play the Way You Practice” 

Ultimately, it says the same thing .. what you put into your practice, comes out in your “play”, your game.  My coaches used to remind us (the team) that practice wasn’t to take lightly, it wasn’t a place to slack up, it was still the place to put in your 100%. It was, however, a place to try new things, to see what works better and that sort of thing and then when game time comes, you have practiced all of the things.

So, in my shooting journey I have also been told, this is a great time to practice faster than you thought you could, because it’s okay to mess up there.  So even if you aren’t in competition, our life is like the Play / the Game and dry fire preparing is our practice.  I say to my students, in my classes, make situational awareness a habit. Make planning your escape route a habit. Discuss scenarios at the dinner table with your family a game. Always practicing and planning.

Practicing for Real Life

This isn’t just for those of us who compete, or even just those of us who carry out in the real world, but in everything we do to be safer.

• When was the last time you opened your safe? Do you remember the combo? Do you have to hit # after? Is the key close enough to get quickly? Do your biometrics work?
• Where will you stage yourself? If you shoot from that position, will there be any shoot throughs to your family?
• Who’s calling 911? Do they know what to say?
• Where do the kids go? Do they know NOT to come downstairs or walk down the hall to see what’s going on? Do they have a phone? Do they know when to come out?
• Do the kids know what they can do at school to best protect themselves? What about when they are at the mall, the movies or a restaurant with friends or others?
• Do you practice shooting your self defense gun(s) regularly? All of them?
• Do you practice how you store your firearm – meaning if you store/carry one in chamber, do you practice racking the slide to chamber that round before shooting? If you store your gun unloaded, do you practice going to get it, loading it and then shooting it?  Etc?
• If you purse carry, do you practice retrieving it and sweeping the least about of people/things?
• If you carry IWB/OWB (inside or outside of the waist band), do you practice live and dry firing from those locations?
• If you carry when you drive, how will that look?
• If you have kids when you carry, how have things changed for you, what do you need to do different?
• If you carry and you have to use the restroom, and not at home, how will you do that now? Practice that!!!
• Do you have some sort of vision correction? Be sure have practiced in all ways – with glasses, with contacts, without either and just safety glasses.
• Have you cleared your home? Do you know trouble spots or areas you should be extra careful around?

This is just a quick list… I’m sure we can all come up with another 10 – 100. The point, is simple… Are You Practicing for When Real Life Happens, or Could?

Preparation is Key

Obviously, we all hope we will never have to use our firearms, but being prepared for “what if” surely will give us that leg up.

Would you rather:

• Be prepared but never have to use it or
• Not prepared but need it

I know, I would rather be prepared too!

Consider all Areas:

• So consider your day to day activities and think how those basic things can be better, so you are more situationally aware.
• Consider your home defense plan, and how to improve that.
• Consider how you carry your firearm IRL – in real life – how can you practice those actions to make sure if shit truly hits the fan that you are better prepared?
• Consider everywhere you go, whether you carry or not, where is the exit, what happens if bad guy comes in door A, what will you do, door B, etc.

The more we think and prepare, the better and safer we will be… and that, my friends, is the ultimate goal.

Let me know if you are looking at training or classes into getting more comfortable with your home defense plan, your firearm, buying one, or the like. Check out my reviews because I can help you where you are at. Contact me today!