Can you really know what skills you’ll need? Not exactly, but you can do better than guess.

One of the more interesting comments I get in the defensive training world is that “you don’t know what the attack will look like, so you have to be prepared for anything.” It’s not entirely true and thus is dangerously distracting in its conclusion. I’ve talked about the fallacy of being prepared for everything before, so […]

Posted by Grant Cunningham
On March 6, 2015

Is the prone position useful in defensive shooting? I don’t think so, and here’s why.

It happened again just the other day: someone asked me about my Perimeter Defense Rifle class and was surprised when I told him that I didn’t teach the prone position. He seemed both offended and perplexed (which is an interesting combination of emotional states, I’ll admit.) He simply couldn’t fathom that someone teaching a […]

Posted by Grant Cunningham
On March 2, 2015

Sometimes training is about learning NOT to shoot. That frustrates some people.

I taught a Threat-Centered Revolver course in Phoenix last weekend. It was a pleasant trip, especially going from cold and rainy Oregon to sunny and warm Arizona! I had a great group of students who came to learn how to shoot a double-action revolver in self defense. We certainly did a lot of that, and […]

Posted by Grant Cunningham
On February 27, 2015

Getting it right the first time is easier than fixing it later!

The world of firearms training used to be pretty simple: everyone taught pretty much the same thing, from the same sources, and whether it had any relation at all to reality was pretty much irrelevant — that was the way it was done. It was sort of like the military: whether it was right or […]

Posted by Grant Cunningham
On February 12, 2015

Sometimes, defensive shooting is all about NOT shooting!

One of the realities of life is that not every problem is a shooting problem. Those of us who teach this stuff often forget to emphasize that to our students, or more precisely we downplay it a bit because it’s hard to sell a shooting class where you learn not to shoot! (I’m not kidding […]

Posted by Grant Cunningham
On January 12, 2015

Do you know how to prepare for self-defense in cold weather? Here’s your chance to learn from an expert!

This week saw record-cold temperatures in parts of the U.S., and we still have a couple of months of winter to go (at least!) Ever thought about how this changes your training? It’s cold out there! Well, to be honest it’s pretty normal here in Oregon, but the east coast has already seen some seriously […]

Posted by Grant Cunningham
On January 9, 2015

Are you defensively fit? This New Year, resolve to be.

I know, I’m not big on the whole New Year’s Resolution thing either, but I’ve found that it’s easier to make lifestyle changes stick when there is more than one benefit to the resolution! Lots of folks start off the New Year with a resolution to get into better shape. For most folks it’s about […]

Posted by Grant Cunningham
On January 6, 2015

How do you avoid a “friendly fire” shooting in your home?

Sadly, it happens with some frequency: a family member is shot after being mistaken for an intruder. Can it happen to you or someone you love? When I was young our family never locked the house doors; in fact, I’m not sure my parents even had a key! We lived outside of a very small […]

Posted by Grant Cunningham
On December 2, 2014

How much training do you really need?

Claire Wolfe, the well known libertarian writer, recently penned a piece for SWAT Magazine where she questioned the need for extensive self defense training. She has a point: how much training is enough? I could be excused, I suppose, were I to tell you that you definitely need self defense training — and the more […]

Posted by Grant Cunningham
On November 18, 2014

What if your shooting instructor asks you to do something unsafe?

What exactly is safety on the shooting range — and how can you evaluate it? There is a story heating up social media this week concerning a certain shooting school in Tulsa, OK that has its students participate in an odd drill: according to the first-hand account, the students unload their guns then point them […]

Posted by Grant Cunningham
On October 14, 2014

What is the big deal with mindset?

Many trainers in the defensive shooting world talk about teaching “mindset” to their students. What is that? Can it even be taught? Some instructors post lists of what you’ll learn in their courses, and one of the items you’ll often see listed is “mindset”: the mental state of being willing to defend yourself using lethal […]

Posted by Grant Cunningham
On September 25, 2014

Can you draw your gun one-handed? Should you be able to?

One of the overlooked aspects of getting the gun into play involves things we do that impede the draw process. Here’s why I think you need to pay closer attention to how you draw your handgun. In my Threat-Centered™ courses I teach a block on one-handed (strong hand) shooting and the plausible reasons it might […]

Posted by Grant Cunningham
On September 18, 2014

Should you carry a back-up gun?

Many people believe that if you carry a gun, you should also carry a backup. How sound is the reasoning? “Two is one, and one is none.” You may have heard that saying, or something similar, in regard to carrying two guns. The rationale for doing so is usually some variant of “stuff happens.” Let’s […]

Posted by Grant Cunningham
On August 28, 2014

Is defensive education sexist?

A recent article on another site suggests that female gun carriers are being “told” what they should or shouldn’t do. How valid is that criticism? A few weeks back I wrote about the problems with off-body carry (as in a purse, satchel, or briefcase.) While I was careful to make the article as gender-neutral as […]

Posted by Grant Cunningham
On August 21, 2014

Illustrating the issue with off-body carry.

Off-body carry, such as in a purse or handbag, brings with it a peculiar risk. Sometimes all we need to do is look at the news to understand it! As I’ve mentioned previously, Off-body carry (OBC) is a convenient way to tote a defensive firearm. It doesn’t require any changes to one’s wardrobe, and […]

Posted by Grant Cunningham
On August 7, 2014

Assault Analysis: The Ramos Family Home Invasion.

A household is missing a husband and father at the hands of rampaging criminals. Did it need to end this way? First, please read the news account of how Richard Ramos lost his life. Then come back for the rest of the discussion! Now that you’ve read the story, let’s look at this a […]

Posted by Grant Cunningham
On August 4, 2014

Making good training decisions is important to your well-being. Here’s why.

Is there really any harm to preparing for things that don’t really happen? Last week I broached the subject of preparing for the likely and plausible defensive scenarios. At the end, I asked a rhetorical question: Is there anything wrong with going beyond the plausible? Yes, I think there is. At the heart of the […]

Posted by Grant Cunningham
On July 17, 2014

You can’t do (or carry) everything. The sooner you accept that, the better decisions you’ll make.

Comments on Monday’s discussion revealed that there is some confusion about the word “plausible” and its application to armed self defense. Let’s take a look at what that word means and why it’s important! In the article on how much spare ammunition to carry, I used the word “plausible”. Believe it or not, that one […]

Posted by Grant Cunningham
On July 10, 2014

An informed opinion isn’t Armchair Quarterbacking

One method of learning about self defense is to examine the actions of others in specific situations. Is that wrong to do? Don’t be fooled: there is virtually no one in the training community with any real firsthand experience in private sector defensive shooting. There may be a handful who may have used their guns […]

Posted by Grant Cunningham
On July 1, 2014

Just because the environment is non-permissive doesn’t mean you’re defenseless!

Given the choice, when face-to-face with an armed attacker I’d rather have my gun in my hand. Should I give up because I can’t? One of the common memes in the gun control movement is that we must ban guns because the average person is completely defenseless against them. Oddly enough, there are a lot […]

Posted by Grant Cunningham
On June 26, 2014

The full squat: the most overlooked rifle shooting position?

Instructor Georges Rahbani teaches the squatting position If you’re a rifle shooter you’ve probably practiced standing, kneeling, sitting, and prone; but have you practiced shooting from the full squat? Maybe you should! —— When I got my first formal rifle training we focused on the traditional shooting positions, the ones that the NRA had been […]

Posted by Grant Cunningham
On April 23, 2014

Marketing versus curriculum: can you tell the difference?

When you’re shopping for self defense training and information, you’re likely to be faced with clever marketing more than program quality. What’s the difference, and why should you care? An interesting thing happened in social media this week: a particular shooting instructor, well known for playing up his law enforcement background and experience to sell […]

Posted by Grant Cunningham
On April 22, 2014

Do you know how to respond to a mass murder attempt?

The recent attacks at Fort Hood and on the Jewish community in Kansas remind us that irrational attacks happen. How can you respond if you find yourself in one of these situations? Attacks on large targets, meaning areas where many people congregate, are meant (or hoped) to result in mass casualties. The attacker(s) most […]

Posted by Grant Cunningham
On April 15, 2014

Can you really be sure of what you’ve been told? Should you try?

In case you’ve not noticed, there is a lot of simply awful information about personal defense (particularly regarding defensive shooting) rolling around in this world. How can you identify (and avoid) getting duped? Melody, who pens the Limatunes Range Diary, recently wrote about an early experience she had with bad information in the shooting world. […]

Posted by Grant Cunningham
On April 11, 2014

Be honest: are you in any condition to run away?

One of the most ignored aspects of personal security is your physical condition. Why is it important to be in the best shape you can be? Over on Greg Ellifritz’s blog, he talks about running away from an attacker. It’s an excellent article and you should take the time to read it. One thing he […]

Posted by Grant Cunningham
On March 27, 2014

How can you really use situational awareness to be safer?

Most people who talk about situational awareness don’t really understand what it’s about or how to use it to their advantage. Here are some reasons why that’s the case, and a resource for learning the proper role of situational awareness in your total self defense plan. A few years back I wrote a very controversial […]

Posted by Grant Cunningham
On March 25, 2014

The most under-used word in the field of defensive shooting: ‘context’.

If you’re not training in context, then you don’t really know what you’re training for. How is that a wise use of your time, effort, and money? One of the subjects I cover in my defensive shooting classes is the idea of training in context — that is, training in relation to your expected use. […]

Posted by Grant Cunningham
On March 13, 2014

What is the first, most important thing you need to have for self-defense?

Whether we’re talking self defense or the larger concept of self preservation, there is one thing that stands above all others in its importance. You can’t buy it, though there are people who will try to sell it to you! I came to the self defense arena through the firearms world. That wasn’t intentional, […]

Posted by Grant Cunningham
On March 4, 2014

The two questions your defensive shooting instructor should be willing and able to answer.

There are a lot of questions you can ask your defensive shooting instructor, but I believe there are two which will tell you more about his teaching ability and dedication than any others. In the defensive shooting world, critical thought or introspection are not often celebrated. There is, in fact, a certain (and vocal) segment […]

Posted by Grant Cunningham
On February 28, 2014

Preparing for violence means learning about how it happens and how we look at it.

What is your schema, your way of looking at violence? Your point of view determines how you prepare, so working on your point of view may be as important as anything in your defensive preparations. William Aprill is a mental health professional who has made it his business to study how and why […]

Posted by Grant Cunningham
On February 18, 2014

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