{"id":2470,"date":"2024-08-18T21:48:53","date_gmt":"2024-08-18T21:48:53","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/gunowner-news.com\/?p=2470"},"modified":"2024-08-18T21:48:53","modified_gmt":"2024-08-18T21:48:53","slug":"principles-of-personal-defense-the-armory-life","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/gunowner-news.com\/?p=2470","title":{"rendered":"Principles of Personal Defense &#8211; The Armory Life"},"content":{"rendered":"<p> <br \/>\n<\/p>\n<div>\n<div class=\"player-inline-wrapper no-margin-top\">\n<div class=\"video-wrapper\">\n\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t\t<iframe class=\"player-inline\" src=\"https:\/\/player.vimeo.com\/video\/399984485?h=25606189d3&amp;api=1\" frameborder=\"0\" allow=\"autoplay; fullscreen\" allowfullscreen=\"\"><\/iframe><\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p class=\"byline\">By <a class=\"byline-author ajax-home\" href=\"https:\/\/www.thearmorylife.com\/author\/travis-pike\/\">Travis Pike<\/a><\/p>\n<p><span class=\"dropcap\">J<\/span>eff Cooper is justifiably a legend in the firearms training community. His contributions are the basis of what most reputable firearm instructors are currently teaching. He popularized the modern technique, which taught a two-handed grip on a handgun, and also preached realistic firearms training for police and civilians. His contributions to defensive shooting skills are too extensive to list in just one article. <\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large no-blowout\"><figcaption>Jeff Cooper\u2019s <em>Principles of Personal Defense<\/em> book teaches skills just as applicable today as when Cooper first wrote\u00a0them.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Diving In<\/h2>\n<p>For those looking to learn more about Cooper and his philosophy on gunfighting and self-defense, his <em>Principles of Personal Defense<\/em> book is a great place to start. In fact, I applied one of Cooper\u2019s most well-known drills in the video at the top of this page. Be sure to check it out.<\/p>\n<p>While it\u2019s admittedly quite short, the information inside is dense and meaningful. <em>The Principles of Personal Defense<\/em> has been around for decades, and the information is so invaluable that it has spread into most of today\u2019s defensive firearms training. In fact, the principles Cooper lists were taught to me in some form or another in my military training.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large no-blowout flush\"><img decoding=\"async\" style=\"min-width: 0;\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thearmorylife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/article-principles-personal-defense-2.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-8797\"\/><figcaption>The book focuses on mindset and the fundamentals of how to handle (and survive) a deadly\u00a0encounter.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<p>Colonel Cooper\u2019s essay includes the following seven principles:<\/p>\n<ul class=\"wp-block-list\">\n<li>Alertness<\/li>\n<li>Decisiveness<\/li>\n<li>Aggressiveness<\/li>\n<li>Speed<\/li>\n<li>Coolness<\/li>\n<li>Ruthlessness<\/li>\n<li>Surprise<\/li>\n<\/ul>\n<p>Reading the work, I found myself appreciating the clarity of his writing style. Cooper\u2019s writing is extremely no-nonsense and without much room for readers to misunderstand what he was stating. It\u2019s quick and clean, and he explains each principle in-depth.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large no-blowout\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1400\" height=\"725\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thearmorylife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/article-principles-personal-defense-3.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-8798\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.thearmorylife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/article-principles-personal-defense-3.jpg 1400w, https:\/\/www.thearmorylife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/article-principles-personal-defense-3-800x414.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.thearmorylife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/article-principles-personal-defense-3-400x207.jpg 400w, https:\/\/www.thearmorylife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/article-principles-personal-defense-3-768x398.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1400px) 100vw, 1400px\"\/><figcaption>Travis tried out one of Cooper\u2019s most famous drills in the video above with both the Springfield Hellcat pistol and SAINT Victor\u00a0rifle.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Proper Mindset<\/h2>\n<p>The <em>Principles of Personal Defense<\/em> is about mindset and your reaction in a gunfight. This isn\u2019t a book that teaches tactics or weapon selection, it\u2019s a book that lays down the fundamentals of how you should be thinking and acting before and during a violent event.<\/p>\n<div class=\"newsletter inline\">\n<div class=\"newsletter-inner\">\n\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" style=\"display: none;\" class=\"logo-tal-icon\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thearmorylife.com\/wp-content\/themes\/thearmorylife\/img\/logo-tal-tm-icon.svg\" alt=\"\"\/><\/p>\n<p><strong>Live The Armory Life.<\/strong> The latest content straight to your inbox plus an automatic entry to each of our <a class=\"ajax-giveaways\" href=\"https:\/\/www.thearmorylife.com\/giveaways\/\"><strong>monthly gun\u00a0giveaways!<\/strong><\/a><\/p>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p>From my own experience in personal defense and personal defense training, these principles are all sound and should be meditated on and incorporated into your training. Obtaining an aggressive mindset in practice has helped me move faster and gave me more confidence in my defensive shooting skills. <\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large no-blowout flush\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"286\" height=\"300\" style=\"min-width: 0;\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thearmorylife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/article-principles-personal-defense-4.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-8799\"\/><figcaption>Jeff Cooper has had an inestimable amount of influence on modern self-defense\u00a0training.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Real-World Applications<\/h2>\n<p>In one incident, my squad was crossing an open field, and we got ambushed. In a split second, I was decisive and ran to cover so I could set my machine gun up and start covering the rest of the squad.<\/p>\n<p>I could go on and on. Every one of Jeff Cooper\u2019s principles is invaluable and should be integrated into any defensive firearms training program. You can take these principles and incorporate them into nearly every aspect of training. From aggressively driving your gun from target to target to being cool enough to use your sights and make solid hits, all these skills are absolutely necessary.<\/p>\n<figure class=\"wp-block-image size-large no-blowout\"><img loading=\"lazy\" decoding=\"async\" width=\"1400\" height=\"788\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thearmorylife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/article-principles-personal-defense-5.jpg\" alt=\"\" class=\"wp-image-8800\" srcset=\"https:\/\/www.thearmorylife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/article-principles-personal-defense-5.jpg 1400w, https:\/\/www.thearmorylife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/article-principles-personal-defense-5-800x450.jpg 800w, https:\/\/www.thearmorylife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/article-principles-personal-defense-5-400x225.jpg 400w, https:\/\/www.thearmorylife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/article-principles-personal-defense-5-768x432.jpg 768w\" sizes=\"auto, (max-width: 1400px) 100vw, 1400px\"\/><figcaption>Travis applied the \u201cFailure to Stop\u201d drill by Cooper with his SAINT Victor 5.56 rifle in the video at the top of the\u00a0page.<\/figcaption><\/figure>\n<h2 class=\"wp-block-heading\">Worth the Investment<\/h2>\n<p>The book itself is very short and a quick read. It\u2019s well worth the small investment of time in reading and rereading the book if you are serious about firearms training and personal defense. Take the time not only to read the principles but also to understand them. Envision what they mean to you in training or during a fight for your life.<\/p>\n<p>As far as personal defense goes, I would suggest anyone with interest in personal defense give this old classic a read. There are no fancy photos or high-speed techniques, but there is valuable information that we could all use in our self-defense training.<\/p>\n<p><em>Editor\u2019s Note: Please be sure to check out The Armory Life Forum, where you can comment about our daily articles, as well as just talk guns and gear. Click the \u201cGo To Forum Thread\u201d link below to jump in!<\/em><\/p>\n<h5 class=\"heading heading-forum-thread hide-share\"><span>Join the Discussion<\/span><\/h5>\n<p class=\"forum-thread-button-wrapper hide-share\"><a class=\"button\" href=\"https:\/\/www.thearmorylife.com\/forum\/threads\/1585\/\">Go to forum thread<\/a><\/p>\n<h5 class=\"heading heading-featured hide-share\"><span>Featured in this video<\/span><\/h5>\n<section class=\"featured hide-share grid-three\">&#13;<br \/>\n\t\t\t\t<a class=\"product series-other \" href=\"https:\/\/www.gunsitestore.com\/product\/library\/books\/principles-of-personal-defense\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" aria-label=\" (opens in a new tab)\">&#13;<br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"caliber\"><span class=\"cal-\"\/><\/span>&#13;<br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" style=\"max-width: 97.75%; margin-bottom: 0;\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thearmorylife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2020\/03\/product-principlesofdefense.jpg\" alt=\"Principles of Personal Defense \"\/>&#13;<\/p>\n<h3>Principles of Personal Defense <\/h3>\n<p>&#13;<br \/>\n\t\t\t\t<\/a>&#13;<br \/>\n\t\t\t\t<a class=\"product series-hellcat \" href=\"https:\/\/www.springfield-armory.com\/hellcat-series-handguns\/hellcat-3-micro-compact-handguns\/hellcat-3-micro-compact-9mm-handgun\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" aria-label=\" (opens in a new tab)\">&#13;<br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"caliber\"><span class=\"cal-9mm\">9<sup>mm<\/sup><\/span><\/span>&#13;<br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" style=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thearmorylife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/10\/HC9319B.png\" alt=\"Hellcat\u00ae 3&quot;\"\/>&#13;<\/p>\n<h3>Hellcat\u00ae <span>3&#8243;<\/span><\/h3>\n<p>&#13;<br \/>\n\t\t\t\t<\/a>&#13;<br \/>\n\t\t\t\t<a class=\"product series-saint \" href=\"https:\/\/www.springfield-armory.com\/ar-series\/saint-victor-ar-15-rifles\/saint-victor-556-ar-15-rifle\/\" target=\"_blank\" rel=\"noopener\" aria-label=\" (opens in a new tab)\">&#13;<br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t<span class=\"caliber\"><span class=\"cal-556nato\">556<sup>NATO<\/sup><\/span><\/span>&#13;<br \/>\n\t\t\t\t\t<img decoding=\"async\" loading=\"lazy\" style=\"\" src=\"https:\/\/www.thearmorylife.com\/wp-content\/uploads\/2019\/07\/STV916556B.png\" alt=\"SAINT\u00ae Victor\"\/>&#13;<\/p>\n<h3>SAINT\u00ae <span>Victor<\/span><\/h3>\n<p>&#13;<br \/>\n\t\t\t\t<\/a><\/section>\n<\/p><\/div>\n<p><br \/>\n<br \/><a href=\"https:\/\/www.thearmorylife.com\/principles-of-personal-defense\/\">Source link <\/a><\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"<p>By Travis Pike Jeff Cooper is justifiably a legend in the firearms training community. His contributions are the basis of what most reputable firearm instructors are currently teaching. He popularized the modern technique, which taught a two-handed grip on a handgun, and also preached realistic firearms training for police and civilians. His contributions to defensive [&hellip;]<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":2471,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-2470","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","has-post-thumbnail","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/gunowner-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2470","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/gunowner-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/gunowner-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gunowner-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gunowner-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=2470"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/gunowner-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/2470\/revisions"}],"wp:featuredmedia":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gunowner-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/media\/2471"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/gunowner-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=2470"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gunowner-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=2470"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/gunowner-news.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=2470"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}