When I teach my women’s self-defense classes, I always stress this: a firearm is a powerful defensive tool, but it’s not your only tool. Real life isn’t clean or predictable. You may not always be able to draw when you want to. That’s why I encourage my students to think in terms of options. What can you do if Plan A doesn’t work?
Why “options” matter
Most people picture self-defense as a perfect, textbook draw. You recognize the threat, draw smoothly, and get on target. That’s great to train for, and we do. But violence doesn’t usually play out that way. It’s messy, quick, and often doesn’t leave you the time or space you think you’ll have.
What if your dominant hand is tied up? What if your gun is in a bag you can’t reach quickly? What if someone is right on top of you before you even recognize what’s happening? That’s when having trained with other defensive tools becomes valuable. Pepper spray, a knife, or even something as simple as a strong flashlight can be the difference between being stuck and creating the space you need to get to safety.
Train like you mean it
Here’s something I tell my classes: if you carry it, you’d need train with it. Too many people toss a tool in their purse or pocket but never actually practice with it. The truth is, under stress, you won’t rise to the occasion, you’ll fall back on your training.
That’s why I put non-firearm tools into the same category as dry-fire. Just like we repeat draw from your holster and trigger presses until they’re second nature, you should also practice pulling out and “deploying” your other self defense tools. It doesn’t have to be complicated, just rehearsing the motion at home can build the kind of familiarity that matters in a real world self defense scenario.
A scenario I run in class
One scenario I like to discuss with my students is this: imagine someone grabs your dominant hand. I can’t physically draw my firearm. Now what?
This is where options come in. Personally, I’ve trained myself to be able to deploy a knife with my support hand. The goal isn’t to win some fight with a knife. The goal is simple: create enough of a response that the attacker releases my dominant hand and I can create as much distance as possible. Now I can transition back to my primary tool, my firearm, if needed.
That’s the kind of layered thinking I want students to practice. It’s not about being aggressive, it’s about being prepared for the messy realities of self-defense.
The bigger picture
Defensive training isn’t about paranoia. It’s about confidence. It’s knowing that if life throws you something unexpected, you won’t freeze. You’ve put in the reps, you’ve thought through the scenarios, and you’ve built skills that give you choices.
That’s what I want every student to leave my classes with: not just the mechanics of shooting, but the awareness and options that make them harder to victimize. Whether it’s a gun, a knife, pepper spray, or simply using your voice and presence, having tools and training matters.
If you want to build that kind of confidence, join me for a Women’s Pistol & Safety class in Lynchburg, VA. We’ll cover firearm fundamentals and go deeper into real-world self defense scenarios and backup tools for self defense. You’ll walk away with more than just shooting skills, you’ll leave with confidence, awareness, and practical options for protecting yourself.
