Episode 047: Building the Hard-to-Kill Human; Stage 4- Psychological Warfare
This is the final episode in our “hard to kill” series. We called this one “psychological warfare” because the skills we focus on in this part of the discussion fall more into the categories of mental preparation, observation, and knowledge base. As promised, here is a summary of our top-10 skills countdown, along with a challenge or “call to action” to work on your own personal development with each of these skills.
10) Weapons- As discussed, this one almost didn’t even make our top-10 list, but no discussion of personal safety and being “hard to kill” would be complete without at least some discussion of the use of weapons. This is much more than firearms, and as we discussed on the episode, any use of weapons should be the last and smallest piece of the puzzle when it comes to your personal safety. Going out and buying a gun is a fear reaction! This is exactly what we are trying to avoid. Without the proper training and practice, owning a firearm poses a higher level of risk to you and your family. Weapons training may also include pepper spray or other nonlethal tools. This could definitely include certain martial arts including jiu jitsu or wrestling.
CHALLENGE! Begin training in a practical martial art.
9) Navigation- Simply put, people die when they’re lost. Avoiding being lost is a great way to stay alive, which is what this discussion is all about. We discuss all sorts of different navigation methods and how different methods are suited to different environments.
CHALLENGE! Completely abandon your GPS for one month.
8) Running- You need to be able to get from one place (in danger) to another place (out of danger) quickly. This is where running comes into our list of skills that will make you hard to kill. Specifically, we discuss the 100-yard all-out sprint, carrying the weight of a human 100 yards (even at walking speed), and improving your 1-mile run time.
CHALLENGE! Track and improve your 1-mile run time over the next year. When you’re feeling more comfortable with long-distance running, enter and run a 5K race.
7) Strength- It should be pretty self explanatory why your ability to lift, carry, or throw a heavy object could save your life. Additionally, good core strength makes you less prone to accidental injury from a whole variety of motions or impacts.
CHALLENGE! If you’re not doing so already, start a core exercise routine (either in your home gym or CrossFit).
6) Agility, balance, and natural movement- Can you easily jump over something that is in your way, pull yourself up and over a taller obstacle, or avoid falling off of a precipice? This is why agility, balance, and natural movement are so important.
CHALLENGE! Incorporate pullups, box-jumps (plyo box), and some level of obstacle course into your regular exercise routine.
5) Swimming and breath-hold- When we took a list at the leading causes of death globally, drowning was a significant cause of death. The best way to avoid drowning is to learn to swim. Your ability to swim could save not only your own life, but the lives of others as well. Although it’s really its own skill, we also cover your breath-hold in this part of the discussion. Can you hold your breath for 20 seconds or two minutes? That small amount of time could mean the difference in your ability to exit a smoky building or extract yourself from a sinking car.
CHALLENGE! If you’re not already a proficient swimmer, enroll in swimming lessons, and learn to swim. If you are a proficient swimmer, work on improving your breath-hold. Work on increasing your breath-hold to longer than two minutes.
4) Vehicle operation- Just like running, your ability to get from one place (in danger) to another place (out of danger), and do it quickly, will drastically improve your odds of seeing tomorrow. A vehicle may allow you to go faster, go further, cross water, transport people, or move supplies. Listen to the episode to get some suggestions on a whole lot of types of vehicles that you could/should learn to operate.
CHALLENGE! Learn to operate a new vehicle that you have never operated before. Alternatively (or additionally) get comfortable driving in both right-hand and left-hand drive countries.
3) Camouflage- This is probably not what most of you are thinking. I’m not talking about bushcraft camouflage. In fact, in most outdoor survival situations, your ability to be seen is going to do more for your survival than your ability to remain hidden. What we’re talking about here is your ability to recognize and eliminate the differences between yourself and your surroundings. The less you stand out from the crowd, the less likely it is that you’re making yourself a target.
CHALLENGE! Identify something that is making you stand out and consciously change it to make yourself blend in. Next level- become proficient in a new language.
2) Recognize danger- Sounds obvious, right? Turns out most people go into denial when they’re face to face with very real danger. That may be gunshots, a car accident, a building on fire, a flooded road, or an avalanche.
CHALLENGE! Build your own roadside trauma kit, and make a habit of taking it everywhere you go. For more details on exactly how to do this, go back and listen to Episode 015.
1) Exit/engagement plan- In a way, we’re talking fight or flight here, but I don’t want you going into primal “lizard brain” mode when you encounter danger. Ideally, you would have your plan in place before you actually encounter danger. Sometimes that’s possible, especially at home or at work. Oftentimes, it’s just not going to be possible, and you’ll have to think on the fly. In the episode, we give you some really good tips on how to actually do this.
CHALLENGE! Identify one area where you’re lacking an emergency plan, then formulate and implement a plan.