Welcome to the PSI Blog!
Here you’ll find news about the Personal Security Institute, as well as self defense articles and links to other self defense sources. Over the coming weeks I’ll be uploading self defense articles I’ve...
View ArticleIs the .380ACP pistol ever a good choice for self defense?
If you’re a new visitor you might not know that I write articles for a number of publications, not the least of which is the Personal Defense Network (in fact, I was one of their original contributors...
View ArticleShould you train to make headshots in self defense?
A staple of gun magazines (and some training classes) is the “non-standard response” - also known as the head shot. It’s not a technique I teach, and I recently wrote an article over at my personal...
View ArticleWhat makes our defensive shooting classes different?
Wondering what makes our classes different from others? Last summer I taught a Combat Focus Shooting class in which I had a special student: an editor from Gun Digest, who flew across the country just...
View ArticleFocus on the need to shoot, not whether you can.
A lot of people in the defensive shooting field are overly concerned with when they are allowed to shoot in self defense. I don’t think that’s the right approach; I believe instead that we focus on...
View ArticleCan you afford a good defensive shooting course? Yes!
I know quality training seems expensive, but it’s something you need to do to develop and maintain your critical defensive skills. ...I wrote a short piece about affordable training options some time...
View ArticleTraining for defensive shooting has changed over the years, but not everyone...
Today we know far more about how attacks happen, and about how the mind and body react in those attacks, than we did at the beginning of this century. ...Again like everything else in life, there are...
View ArticleThe tactical pen is an idea whose time has come, and now is going. What can...
I’ll have more to say about the flashlight in a later article, but for now it’s sufficient to note that because of its multiple uses I believe it to be the most important safety device you can carry....
View ArticleStaying safe in the depths of winter
One of the things I often touch upon in classes is the need to look at your personal security in a holistic manner: that is, that everything is interrelated and you can’t ignore one part of your safety...
View ArticleAnswer this question: why do you carry a concealed handgun?
But it does something else that can make you safer, at least if you’re a conscientious gun carrier: it opens your eyes to the very idea that there are threats all around you, even if those threats...
View ArticleThe update schedule here at the Personal Security Institute
With the launch of the Personal Security Institute blog and our emphasis on self defense and defensive shooting topics, you might be wondering what’s going to be updated when. ...That schedule will...
View ArticleWho should call the police when a gun is drawn?
You’ve trained for this kind of ambush attack (at least, we hope you have) and your instinctive reactions give way to the learned, intuitive response you’ve practiced: you move laterally as you draw...
View ArticleHow to deal with an unwanted contact: the "fishing expedition"
I found his “3E” approach to be very similar to what I’ve done when faced with the “interview” (I call them “fishing expeditions”, because the bad guy is always fishing for someone who will take his...
View ArticlePreparing for violence means learning about how it happens and how we look at...
William Aprill is a mental health professional who has made it his business to study how and why violence happens and how we react to violence. ...He recently sat down with John and Andy on the...
View ArticleDo you shoot a SIG, Beretta, CZ, or other DA/SA pistol? You need to read this.
They’re inefficient in the sense that they require more time, effort and attention in both training and use: you need to master the transition between double and single action, you need to get used to...
View ArticleSome thoughts about “Stand Your Ground” laws.
What’s important to know is that SYG laws do not affect the circumstances under which you may use lethal force, nor do they excuse its use where it’s not warranted! ...Regardless of what the uninformed...
View ArticleNo blogging today.
Sorry - lots of stuff going on today which leave no time for blogging! Please check in tomorrow, and with any luck I’ll have something for you! -=[ Grant ]=-
View ArticleThe two questions your defensive shooting instructor should be willing and...
I believe that you should demand a higher level of intellectual engagement than that, and your instructor should be willing and able to answer two questions which can show you if he or she is up to the...
View ArticleWhat is the first, most important thing you need to have for self-defense?
Much to the chagrin of some in the defensive shooting business, the legally carried firearm is just a tool; it’s an implement we use because it’s efficient and effective at the task of convincing...
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