One of my favorite scenes in Bruce Lee’s film, Enter the Dragon:

While there’s no question it’s fun to talk about the hardware of martial arts (gun calibers, gun makes/models, swords, canes, staff, form/style, modern vs. traditional, etc.) in the end the key to any bit of self-defense is the software: your brain. There are priorities of survival:

1. Awareness and preparedness
2. Tactics
3. Skill
4. Equipment

Notice that equipment is the least important; it’s still important, just that there are more important things. As you go up the ladder, there’s a “force multiplier”; #4 gives you the least multiplier, #1 gives you the most – all towards your chances of survival. In fact, #1’s multiplier is so strong that it alone can zero out all the others. Take a class like Street and Vehicle Tactics from InSights Training Center.

Best way to win a fight? Don’t get into one. If you know there’s going to be a fight (gun fight, fist fight, whatever), don’t go into it. It’s often said, your number one option for personal security is a lifelong commitment to avoidance, deterrence, and de-escalation. Bruce Lee demonstrates this perfectly in the above scene, fighting without fighting, taking care of the bully without throwing a punch or losing his temper.