Mindset for Tactical Survival

Editor’s Note:This is a guest post from Milton H. Rivera. Milton’s bio is at the end of this article.

Over and over, I hear officers talking about the best caliber for the job. “I carry a big 45 caliber, since it will knock a man down with one shot”. The general mentality of the fortunate enough officers who have never been involved in a shooting is the one shot one kill fallacy. This mental conditioning leads officers to also believe that if they are shot they will go down, and the fight is over.

The programs we watch on the big screen confirm this misconception when we see some one shot, holding on to their wound, and falling off the roof dead to the ground. This constant visual bombardment of the one shot one kill story, and officers erroneous mental conditioning cause them to believe that this actually happens.

The reality is that when bad guys are shot, they do not go down, they continue with their aggressive mental determination to kill you no matter what happens. Officers become surprised when the suspect continues to charge at them. If an officer with the wrong mindset is shot he drops to the ground, and thinks the fight is over. How you condition you tactical mind is important to your survival.

A few years back a fellow officer was shot in a non-fatal area of his body; however, he immediately went to the ground holding his wound yelling “I’m going to die, I’m going to die”, and did not listen to anyone, that he was not going to die, and sadly died that evening. It was later determined that his wound was not lethal enough for him to die, but his lack of will to survive, the lack of mind commitment caused his body to give up.

The mind is a powerful tool; what you believe will happen. All of you have experienced a stressful situation where your body goes into auto mode, letting subconsciously the training take over. That subconscious mental/body conditioning surfaces and gets you through the situation. The mind is so powerful it can help you heal, as well make you sick depending on your beliefs.

As a warrior, and law enforcement officer you must commit your mind for survival. The truth Is, you may be incapacitated if shot, you may fall due to the surprise; however, you mind needs subconsciously, to get back into the battle. You adversary is looking to finish you off, if your tactical mindset does not take over. Your subconscious mind, and muscle memory need to activate into action. Your subconscious mind should be yelling: shot, move, cover, and neutralize the threat. You must, make a powerful decision in your mind that you will survive, no matter what. While walking out of your home to work and passing that threshold you must coach your mind and create that inner drive that you are returning home, and that no one is taking that away from you.

To train the mind you must visualize, and run scenarios in your mind how you are going to react in a particular situation. This mental preparedness means staying calm, focusing on your opponent, seeking cover, and getting the killer before he gets you. Communicate, and apply first aid to yourself. If your body is injured, that is not the end; it’s the beginning of a new stage in life that your positive mental attitude will get you through. Your will power to survive will cause you to win the battle versus lying on the ground waiting to be slaughtered. Believe in yourself, train your mind to win, have confidence in your equipment by training and creating muscle memory and mental preparedness.

Editor’s Note: Another good article for further reading on this topic is Handgun Wounding Factors and Effectiveness by the FBI Academy Firearms Training Unit.

About the Author: Milton H. Rivera

Harris County Precinct 3 Constable, BA Psychology, Mental Health Peace Officer, TCLEOSE Instructor, and Firearms Instructor contact him at Milton_Rivera42@yahoo.com.

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