3 pillars of a successful warrior

3 pillars of a successful warrior

When we speak of being a successful warrior, many people first question what defines a warrior. We will save the detailed explanation for a later post, but in short any time you are engaged in conflict you have the opportunity to be a warrior or be a victim. We train warriors, and we train you to be a successful warrior. In order to be successful you need to have three pillars of success. Think of these pillars as a leg on stool. Without any of the three, the stool will fall.

The first pillar is Tools.

Obviously in a firearms course one thinks of the tool being the firearm. If you are afraid of getting your weapon dirty, or scratched, or it only works with TLC, it is a collector’s item and not a tool. There is nothing wrong with having guns you keep in your safe, or with which you have a special attachment. Many of us have a gun given to us by a family member, or something we are keeping for investment purposes. Those guns can be used in dire circumstances, but they are not what we would carry on a daily basis. When you understand your primary weapon is a tool, you will start thinking about it in a different way. Having the latest doogle gadget isn’t important if it doesn’t improve the utility of the tool. Having nice shiny chrome pieces, or catchy engraved phrases, or the latest pearl handles don’t pass the utility test. I haven’t seen too many pearl grip hammers or pliers….think of your gun in the same manner. Other tools we have can include knives, belts, batons, sticks, etc. However, don’t neglect your two God given tools... your body and your brain. If you keep your tools in top shape, the next two pillars are easier.

The second pillar is Technique.

Having the greatest weapon ever created means nothing if you cannot properly operate that weapon. If you have superior technique, you can often overcome shortcomings with certain tools. A perfect example is one of our instructors, a 110 pound 5 foot tall female. While her “tool” is smaller than a 6 foot tall 200 pound man, her technique allows her to often win a conflict. Technique comes from training, and training properly. The old saying practice makes perfect is not correct….PERFECT practice makes perfect. You are instilling muscle memory which will become vital in a high stress encounter. While we are talking about stress, an often overlooked technique is mindset. Having a brain is one thing, most people can see the bad guy standing in the alley if we point him out. But are you situationally aware such that you will see him well in advance? If something does happen, do you have the mindset to survive and never surrender?

The third pillar is Fuel.

A firearm will only go bang so long as you have ammunition to feed it. Many times we see people carry a small .380 with 5 rounds and think they are fully protected. What happens when there are multiple assailants, or when you miss due to the high stress? Have you ever considered having additional fuel for that weapon? What about your personal fuel? In the military we carry water and food with us, because we can often be caught in situations where we are away from resupplies for extended periods of time. Are there times when you could be caught without resupplies? In most civilian domestic conflicts the fuel you will run out of the quickest is energy. No matter what tool you have, if you are totally out of breath and dizzy you won’t be as effective. Can you last long enough to escape and survive?

While the items in each of those pillars can be expanded to include many other tools, techniques, or fuels, think about each for yourself personally. When you leave your house today, are you prepared if something bad happens? Do you have the proper tool available? Do you have the proper technique to run that tool? Do you have enough fuel to keep everything operating, including yourself?

If you would like to learn more, let us know. Tell us where you are at currently and where you would like to be ideally. We can recommend a course or additional education. If we can offer it to you, great, if not, we will gladly point you in the right direction.