Martial Arts World News Magazine - Volume 22 | Issue 1

TACTICAL SELF-DEFENSE
One Shot to Survive
by Grandmaster Tom Patire
One of the key EP defenses to learn is the ability to disarm an assailant who has a
firearm locked and loaded on your client.
Many systems preach different tactics for disarming a person
with a gun, but most of those disarms were not made to disarm a
gun that’s being held at a third party. When a weapon is pointed
at or on another person and you have to intervene to disarm that
weapon, many different factors come into play, such as getting to
the weapon with precise movement, redirecting it out of the way,
or getting your client out of the direct line of fire as you disarm the
assailant, which can mean the difference between life and death.
Should you get close enough to the weapon itself, the key to
survival is to stop, or at least limit, the discharge of the firearm.
So my philosophy is simple when it comes to in-close
weapon disarms: you get one shot to survive, so
make it count!
It’s not impossible to redirect the weapon or
stop the weapon from discharging. Most shooters
that go after clients in the private sector
target them because of work-related situations
or obsessions, thus wanting to get up close and
personal before firing their first shot. In certain
situations, they want to vent and say what’s on
their mind before blazing away. These
types of shooters often miss
their target completely from
the first shots, and if they hit
them, it’s usually in a nonvital
area. With this being
the framework for an assassination
attempt, let’s
look at the word GUN
and break it down into a
positive term so that the
chances of your survival,
as well as that of your client
and team, increase.
G is for GET
GET the client
or loved one
out of harm’s
way. GET your vitals
out of the shooter’s direct
line of fire. GET to the weapon as
quickly as you can. GET your hands
on the mass of the weapon and redirect
it towards the ground or the gunman, but away from you
and your client. GET control of the weapon as fast as you can. GET
the shooter distracted and off balance. GET to the shooter and apply
your disarm as quickly and precisely as you can so he doesn’t
GET you or your client! GET the gun at all costs!
U is for UNDERSTAND
As the situation unfolds, you need to UNDERSTAND all the
variables. UNDERSTAND that your mind will be racing and your
body will be filling with adrenaline. UNDERSTAND that you ‘ve
trained for this moment and are ready. UNDERSTAND your client
is scared, surprised, and confused. UNDERSTAND that what you
do will decide who may live or die. UNDERSTAND that you need
to maintain focus and act out your skills. UNDERSTAND that the
entire situation will feel like it’s in slow motion but will be over in
a few seconds. UNDERSTAND you have what it takes, so do the
deed and live on!
N is for NOW!
When a gunman appears, the time is NOW. Know the situation
and act on it NOW. Make sure the client is out of the line of fire
when you make your move to disarm or redirect NOW. NOW is the
time your training has to take over. NOW is when speed counts
and cooler heads prevail. NOW is the time to execute your ONE
SHOT TO SURVIVE!
GRANDMASTER TOM PATIRE, is known as “America’s Leading Personal Safety Expert” and has appeared
on Good Morning America, The CBS Morning Show, The Colbert Report, Montel, plus in mainstream publications such as
Family Circle, Redbook, Fortune Magazine, and The Wall Street Journal. He has written several books and has personal
safety programs that can be incorporated into your martial arts school, available at TomPatire.com.
78 MARTIAL ARTS WORLD NEWS VOLUME 22 | ISSUE 1
Photograph by CHAIWATPHOTOS