by Tiger McKee Eric Hartmann, a WWII German fighter pilot, credited his 352 aerial victories to a four-step process - See, Decide, Attack, and Break. This sequence allowed him to locate the enemy, decide on a plan of action, initiate his attack, and then break away to re-assess. Colonel John Boyd, a U.S. pilot who served during the Korean War, developed the OODA Loop - Observe, Orient, Decide and Act. I often use the acronym ACT -Assess the situation, Create a plan, and Take action. Regardless of how you state it, your job is to locate the source of trouble as soon as possible, evaluate the situation, decide how to respond, and as quickly as possible apply corrective actions. The biggest problem most people experience under stressful situations is the decision making part of the process. You can train yourself to maintain awareness of your environment, observing what is going on around you; the sooner you identify possible trouble the quicker you can begin making decisions. For example, you spot a potential problem and aggressively apply avoidance and escape. You win by denying the threat a chance to even begin their attack. Training and practice help with the various responses that may be required, such as creating distance, verbal commands, the use of cover and if necessary shooting accurately. But, before you can apply any of these skills you have to decide how to respond. Arriving at a solution to your problem in a timely fashion is critical. Usually you won't have a lot of time to sort through your options, but with training and practice providing the framework to base your response on you don't need a lot of time. According to Gladwell, in his book "Blink," the "adaptive unconscious" - a supercomputer that quickly processes a lot of the information we need to function in daily life - can be developed and controlled, allowing us to make split second decisions, even under stress, that "can be every bit as good as decisions made cautiously and deliberately." This is the same mental process Bill Jordan discusses in "No Second Place Winner." "Almost invariably a man, provided he does not have too long to think," Jordan states, "will automatically do what he has been trained to do." Just keep in mind there are always exceptions. As Jordan also mentions, sometimes "the right action is sensed against all logic and the wise man follows his hunch and lives." Your task is to put the threat into a reactive mode, where they are having to evaluate and make decisions. Stomp their foot or shove them off balance and then move to create distance. Don't underestimate the element of surprise, and take care not to telegraph your intentions. With the threat in a reactive mode you can create more distance, which normally equates to more time. You're assessing again. Do you have the time to present your weapon or is it better to haul ass and quickly get to cover? The ability, mentally and physically, to perform all these actions at the same time is even better. Decide and act quickly in order to maintain your advantage. Moving, creating distance, presenting your weapon and issuing verbal commands may change the threat's mind about what they though they were going to do. If they seem to comply, continue pressing your advantage, creating more distance, moving to better cover, and scanning for other possible threats. If they don't comply or break off their attack it may be necessary to shoot. While shooting you're constantly evaluating and making decisions. You're placing hits in the chest, but that's not working, so you fire for their pelvic region. Initially you may be in a reactive mode because you didn't start the fight. Victory relies on shifting from reaction to action, forcing the threat into a reactive mode. The key is the ability to make decisions quickly. In a confrontation time is a precious commodity. Don't waste it. Tiger McKee is director of Shootrite Firearms Academy, located in northern Alabama. He is the author of "The Book of Two Guns," writes for several firearms/tactical publications, and is featured on GunTalk's DVD, "Fighting With The 1911 - http://shootrite.org/dvd/dvd.html Website: www.shootrite.org http://www.facebook.com/pages/Shootrite-Firearms-Academy/156608611038230?ref=ts