Physical Fitness

When it comes to self-defense, I think people mistakenly see carrying a gun as an immediate shortcut. This kind of thinking permeates through all different groups of people, including armed professionals. I am constantly trying to persuade other police officers I work with to participate in some type of serious martial arts training like Brazilian Jiu Jitsu, Muay Thai, or Boxing. 

*Photo is of my Muay Thai coach and good friend, Randy Vera of South Austin Gym in Austin, TX.  He's the one on the left, administering the beat down.  If you're in the Austin area, go check out http://southaustingym.com/wiki/SAG/HomePage

If nothing else, join a gym and stick to a workout regimen. Check out a Crossfit gym. Do something. After all, cops are one of the few groups of people that run towards gun fire and fighting, not away from it. This means that the likelihood of a police officer getting into a deadly confrontation is much higher than that of the average person. We hear stories daily about other cops that have been shot, stabbed, or beaten and yet many officers don't feel compelled to exercise or train. The gun on the hip gives a false sense of security.

Now I won't argue that harming someone with a gun is probably easier and faster than using one's fists, or a sock with a pool ball inside of it. It doesn't mean that just having a gun in our pocket is going to keep us alive though. Sure some of us also go to the gun range every few weeks and shoot a pretty decent group. Ten ringing the target at 50 yards with a pistol? Not bad. Hell, I know a competitive target shooter who can probably shoot the left testicle off a fly at 50 yards. That same guy will tell you though, that he is not ready to use his gun in a fight. If you ask him about it, he'll look down bashfully and tell you two very hard-hitting facts.

1. "I can't shoot under stress."

And...

2. "I wish I could see my penis without two mirrors."

Despite being such an awesome shot, my acquaintance admits he is overweight and realizes that physical fitness is incredibly important when it comes to defending yourself. I've met guys who never leave the house with less than two guns, five knives, and ninety-seven pounds of spare ammunition. I can't knock someone for being overly prepared... but some of these guys can't walk up the stairs without tossing enough cookies to feed a small continent of baby pigeons. What good are all those guns and knives if you are going to have a heart-attack ten seconds into the fight?

I'm not saying we need be UFC fighters or wear one strap singlets and grow handlebar mustaches. But we need to stay healthy. A fight, whether it be a gun fight, knife fight, or just a good old-fashioned beat down, is going to be stressful and physically straining. If you're heart is weak, your arteries are clogged, you have chronic diarrhea, or all three, it's going to adversely affect your chances of coming out of the fight alive. Can you imagine? Some deranged lunatic jumps on you and begins wailing away with a knife or club. Your heart is going to kick into overdrive. If your body isn't used to the adrenaline dump and the increased blood flow, your heart is going to stop... and you'll probably die before the bad guy even kills you. Plus, you have irritable bowl syndrome. So more than likely, you pooped your pants too. What good is that gun if you aren't in shape enough to handle the fight? What if you shoot and stop the bad guy, but you have a stroke or shart during the excitement? The gun did you little good.

Keeping our bodies maintained is every bit as important as having weapons when it comes to protecting ourselves and our families. We don't need to run marathons. God knows I could use a little extra exercise myself. But we do need to get regular exercise. So go put your sweatbands on and play those HIP HOP ABS and P90X Dvds. Your $3000 Wilson Combat .45 can protect you from a mugger, but it won't do anything against diabetes. Stay safe everyone. It's time for my own workout. Now where's my shake weight?