Home Defense Tactics: Fundamentals of Home Defense
Rob PincusDescription
Rob Pincus discusses the Five Fundamentals of Home Defense tactics: Evade, Barricade, Arm, Communicate, Respond. Thinking ahead of time about these five steps will empower you to respond more efficiently if you ever do have a threat inside your home, or trying to get into your home. Rob goes over each concept and gives examples of how you can employ them during an imminent home invasion scenario.
Here comes another important tip from the Personal Defense Network. I wanna talk about the 5 fundamentals of home defense. When you start thinking about what you would do in the case of an imminent home invasion, if you know that someone's pounding on your door or someone just kicked the door in at the other side of your house, you heard a crash, somebody yelling, you know that there is a threat just entering your home and you're not in their presence or there's a threat about to enter your home. Here's what you need to do. First evade, try to get away. If someone kicks in your front door and you're the only one at home and you're down the hall and you can see the door getting kicked in and you know you can run right out the back door and get to the neighbor's house, get to your car, get to the garage get on the phone and get away. Just simply get away. Evade is the first step of the fundamentals of home defense. If you can get out of the way of danger, if you can avoid the conflict, you're not gonna worry about what they're gonna do to your house, what they're gonna do to your belongings, what they're gonna say about you later because you ran away. Just get away, avoid the conflict. The second fundamental is barricade. If you can't get away or if you can only get away temporarily, let's say that you see the person pounding on your door, you see a weapon in their hand, you can't run out the back door because you've got kids upstairs, you can run upstairs and then barricade with the rest of your family. Of course, if you're alone in the house and there isn't a way that you can safely exit, you can also barricade. So, barricade doesn't necessarily mean that you have to, you know, throw three dead bolts and move a couch in front of the door and put the battering ram block down in front and make sure that you're safe forever. It simply means put something between you and the bad guy. Sometimes that something can just be space or darkness. But of course, if you can, you wanna go ahead and lock and secure your doors. You wanna think ahead of time about where in your home you are most likely to barricade. You might wanna barricade in with your kids. If there's a kid's room up on the same floor or the same part of the house that you are in, you might want to think that instead of getting the kids and bringing them to you, or relying on them getting to your room, that your barricade spot for your family is actually gonna be inside of the kid's room. So think about where you're gonna barricade, and then, you might want to think about reinforcing the door, putting in a deadbolt, or doing some other things you're gonna make it harder for the bad guy that's already in your home, to get to the area that you've decided to wait and call the police. The next thing you're gonna do is arm yourself. Now, if everything works out perfectly, you're gonna to see the bad guy coming, hear the bad guy pounding on the door, or have the ability to get away from them and not immediately be in their presence when they do break into the home in that home invasion. At this point, you try to get away and you go to your hiding place In your hiding place, that's where you wanna make sure that you've staged a defensive firearm. If you have a firearm in your home that's ready for defense, it shouldn't be somewhere other than where you're gonna barricade. Now, if you have multiple firearms, of course, you might have armed yourself prior to reaching your barricade area. And if you carry a firearm inside of your home, then you've already taken care of this step because you're always armed. After evading or finding out that you can't evade, when you barricade and you get to that spot, you want to make sure that you can arm yourself with whatever is handy. If you don't have a firearm staged in a quick access safe in that place, maybe it's gonna be a chair, maybe it's gonna be a heavy book, maybe it's gonna be a kitchen knife, maybe it's gonna be a broomstick. Get something, some kind of tool in that vicinity, in that area for you to arm yourself. The next step, the fourth step is communication or contact. So we've tried to evade. We barricaded ourselves. We armed ourselves. Now we're gonna make contact. The first thing we need to think about when we talk about making contact is making contact with the authorities. Calling 911, making that emergency phone call. One thing I suggest to people who do have an actual barricade area, if they're staging that quick access safe, if they're staging those other tools, maybe some medical equipment in that area, one thing you can do to stage there is an old cell phone. If you take any old cell phone, that still has a charger. Whether it has a contract or not, you can still make emergency calls on it. Go ahead and plug it in and leave it in your barricade area. So you've got that phone there. You can make contact with the police; let them know what's going on. The other aspect of contacting communications has to do with the bad guy that's in your home. And here's what I say about making contact with him. If the bad guy knows where you are, if you absolutely believe that the bad guy knows you're in that room, you're behind that door because he's pounding on it, breaking in, whatever it is that's happening, and you've got that firearm in your hand, you might wanna go ahead and give him one last chance to make the better decision and leave. Don't put him in a position where he has to be shot. Let him know you've got a firearm. You're prepared to defend yourself. You're prepared to defend your family. That's the kind of communication you wanna make to that person. If on the other hand, that person doesn't know where you are. If they're running around the house screaming incoherently and they haven't found you yet, or maybe it's someone who thought the home was empty and they're downstairs trying to steal your stereo, and you're upstairs waiting for the police behind a barricade with a firearm in your hand, don't call out. There's no need to let that person know where you are and increase the likelihood of them panicking. If they are the burglar and deciding now they have to attack you or finding you if they're the person that's intent on hurting you anyway. The last step, the fifth step of fundamental home defense is to respond as appropriate. Of course, if that bad guy does find you, if the bad guy comes around the corner, if the bad guy comes through the door and you have the firearm, or you have the chair, you have the broomstick, you're gonna need to actively defend yourself. This is the actual conflict and the fight. This is what we usually train for. But before you just think about training for shooting a target or shooting a bad guy across your bedroom, you need to have a complete plan. The five fundamentals of home defense will help you with that plan. First step, evade. Then barricade, arm yourself, make contact with the police, and the bad guy as appropriate. And then of course respond as appropriate in the worst case scenario. These fundamentals will help you when you think about preparing for your home defense situation. Be sure to check out the Personal Defense Network for more important tips, just like that one.
Nonsense! If that "bad guy" kicks in my door or comes into my house uninvited and against my will, I will order him to leave, if he does not...I shoot! I won't mess around with risking my families lives!
Mostly a great and sensible plan. However I have a big problem telling folks that it is a good idea to use the children's room as the barricade space and then telling people that is where they should keep a gun. Even locked in a gun safe, I personally have an issue with keeping said safe in a kids room where curious kids can do whatever to gain access. I don't think the children should be aware of where you keep your gun locked and kept. And an old cell phone left plugged in inside a children is also an invitation for them to have something to play with.
I am a disabled vet and retired police officer. I question the advise on home protection where you say to evade a break-in by running out to the neighbors. in all of my teachings on self defense I never advise to leave your own home. I teach to defend and overcome a break-in never to retreat as you are in your last stand by being in the one and only place you do not retreat or run from.
have your defensive weapon in your barricade room? You talk about it being in your kids room. Maybe you could have addressed this better. Not a good idea to have your loaded gun in your kids room. Sounded kind of dumb. Also, if you tell an intruder who is inside your house pounding on the door to your bedroom you have a gun, he is likely to start shooting through the door at you if he has one as well. Once the perp is in your home he has made the choice and talking him out of it is unlikely and dangeroud IMO. This guy has some good ideas, but I think he isn't as smart as he thinks he is, like most 'trainers'. I did however, think the idea of having an old cell phone in the room was an excellent idea.
Actually I do care what they want to take from my home, so I will not be running out the back. I will not be shouting out a warning either. If they come inside, I will shoot them.
Wherever your safe place you and your family retreat to is should have a way out the back, in case you can't stop the bad guy, or in case he sets your house on fire. Getting out is the best option, unless the bad guy might shoot you and your family while you're running away. Given the right circumstances the best defense might be a good offense, which means taking the initiative. Don't walk into an ambush though; let the bad guy walk into an ambush you set.
Graystone hit the nail on the head, and no matter how much a bada*s you think you are sooner or later taking a life, even justified, will affect you. But you do it if you have to. this is great common sense training in reality. thank you, Mr. Pincus. You are one of the best.
Thanks for a well thought out and systematic plan to home defense. You can always count on Rob for an efficient, effective and common sense approach regarding personal defense issues. Thank you Mr. Pincus.
New member here and im very happy with the site and knowledge given. Our home was a target not long ago and even though there was no entry by the suspect and my family was safe, i was told by the 6 brave, professional Officers on scene that i did everything right it is still reassuring that one of your videos talked about defending the home and i did follow those steps. At the time i praised my CPL Instructor and i believe because of the training i went through i was sure of myself and focused which afterwards when the entire event was over i really reflected upon and was a little surprised. I remember having a good cover area, one where i could see both entry points. I recall yelling out my commands while holding my firearm and i wasnt shaking or mumbling again i praise my instructor. In all honesty next to the fine Ingham and Eaton County Police Officers who got to my house amazingly fast i have to say that our 160lb Mastiff did a phenomenal job protecting us. Ol Bella was door to door almost following the unwanted guest. It seemed as though she knew where this person was at all times, where she would go a motion light outside would turn on, just an amazing job by our fury family member! With your site here im impressed with the quality of videos posted and the knowledge, steps and advice you give. I wish i would have discovered you sooner! In todays world you just never know what may happen but with your help i feel that ill be much wiser and efficient when it comes to protecting my family, Thank you very much!! Take care of yourself, love your families and be safe everyone!!
GREAT advice. Avoid, the time in court - the money to defend yourself. Castle doctrine or not you will appear as a defendant. You may walk out justified, but you will still bear the expense of time and money - BUT most importantly the burden of having taken a life.