What makes you proficient at your particular skill set for personal defense? How did you get to your level of knowledge or skill? How do you plan to improve upon your personal defense plan (PDP)? At some point your search most likely included: 1) Obtaining useful knowledge of said weapon (firearm, knife, hands, feet, knees, elbows), 2) Discovering what works best for you or what combinations of items work best for you, 3) Getting the proper training, and 4) Practicing.We practice not only to develop a particular skill set, but also to increase coordination, speed, reflexes, and reaction time. This can be said for both armed and unarmed PDPs. Would having better hand/eye coordination help you in either PDP scenario? What about increased speed or better reflexes or timing? I believe it would.
Efficiency. This crowd loves efficiency, and so do I. Why not find a couple of self defense drills that would benefit both armed and unarmed defensive action plans? Here are two that I find very useful.
BEAN BAG/TENNIS BALL TOSS SELF DEFENSE DRILLS
A Bean Bag/Tennis Ball toss sounds like a kids’ game, right? Well, it’s not. This drill will help increase your peripheral vision, hand/eye coordination, and reaction time.
Start with a bean bag (like one you would find in a popular backyard game). You can even make your own with dry beans and a sock if you don’t have any pre-made ones. Choose a point on the wall in front of you and stare directly at it. Place the bean bag in your left hand, toss it at about eye level over to your right hand, and catch it palm up, allowing it to land in your hand. Do it without looking at either your hand or the bag. Continue to stare at the point on the wall, using your peripheral vision to see the bag. Then toss it back to your left hand, using the same instructions stated above. Continue with this until you feel comfortable using your peripheral vision to catch the bag.
by Julie Loeffler
