Proactive versus Reactive gunfights

Proactive - Being proactive in an assault situation means you have the ability to anticipate the assault and to take actions before the assault has taken place.  This allows you to be  able to anticipate what the criminal who is assaulting you is going to do before he or she does it..  If this is the case you may be able to preempt their actions or at least cause them to have to react to your actions.  The person in a gunfight who is able to be proactive has greatly increased their chances of winning that fight.  Being aware of your surroundings is taught as one of the best ways to be proactive. Often you can trust your instincts that may warn you if something does not seem to be "right."  Learn not to ignore these warnings.

Reactive - Being reactive in an assault means you are in the position of having to react to what is happening in the assault.  In most cases you will be at a disadvantage. Always being in a reactive mode greatly reduces your chances of surviving a gunfight. 

A lot of self defense instructors seem to assume that you will be able to be proactive when you are being assaulted.  If you are carrying a concealed firearm this is not likely to be the case as you are not allowed to brandish your firearm simply because you think an assault might happen.  Legally, you must be in fear of death or great bodily harm before you can use deadly force.  Drawing your gun in a situation where the conditions of ABILITY, OPPORTUNITY, AND JEOPARDY are not present can result in criminal charges being placed against you.  

JB Training LLC and other companies we have trained with teach if you can be proactive then that is the best possible situation.  However, the number of times a concealed carry person can be proactive is actually quiet limited.  We cover those situations in our classes.

To handle the most likely types of assaults we teach techniques that are designed to work in reactive situations.  These techniques are designed to turn the tables on your attackers and let you regain the initiative.  You become proactive and your assailant must become reactive.

For example, if the person assaulting you has a gun pointed at you this is a reactive situation.  In reality criminals look for situations where you will be placed into a reactive situation.  Trying to draw your gun when someone has a gun pointed at you  is a pretty poor strategy as you are not likely to be able to get your gun out before your assailant has shot you multiple times.

A way to convert this situation from  reactive to proactive is to perform a dynamic movement while drawing your pistol or performing some other action that causes your assailant to have to react to what you are doing.  Your movement will cause your assailant to have to react to your movement thereby gaining a tactical advantage for you.  His reaction lag time can be used to buy you the time needed to take a proactive action such as getting your gun into action and delivering combat accurate shots on him. When the assailant is very close other close combat actions may be more appropriate.  The gun should not be your only option. 

If your instructor does not understand the vital differences between being proactive and reactive you are not likely to be learning the skills and techniques needed to prevail in a deadly assault situation.  Knowing how to turn a reactive situation into a proactive one can be the difference between life and death.