Proximity Negates Skill
I received a few questions yesterday from people about the concept that I referred to as “Proximity Negates Skill” in the Threats Inside the Wire – The Approach article. Let me explain the concept in a little more detail:
From the perspective of an attacker, a closer proximity will:
Increase the accuracy for the attacker. For example with if I was going to shoot at you with a pistol, I am a sniper from the 7-yard line and you will go down. But when I move back to the 25-yard line you should be okay as long as you stand completely still – it will only be a grazing wound. For me to be more accurate, I have to get within closer proximity. It negates the need for me to be skilled and accurate from a distance.
Increase the number of options that an attacker has available. From 1,000 yards away, you are limited to a sniper rifle to engage a target. At 500 yards, you could use a sniper rifle or an M4/M16. At 25 yards, you could use a rifle, a grenade, a pistol. At 5 feet, you could shoot, stab, bite, kick or punch. By getting closer, an attacker doesn’t need to have the skill to use a sniper rifle, he can find an option that requires less skill.
From the perspective of the defender, an attacker at a closer proximity:
Reduces the number of options. If you were to throw rocks at me from about 20 yards away, as a defender, I could run away to a spot outside of your range, I could run towards you to attack, I could take cover behind a car to protect myself. If you got to a closer range, the number of options I would have to defend myself would begin to diminish until the only thing I could do is attack or cover-up. I might be very skilled with a rifle, but if the attacker gets too close, that skill becomes negated as that option gets pulled off the table.
Reduces reaction time. Same example, you are throwing rocks at me from 20 yards away. If you throw a rock, I have a couple seconds to go through the OODA loop, realize that a rock is coming towards me and make a decision for how to react. I should be able to defend myself at that range. If you were to move within arms distance of me and began throwing quick jabs in my direction, the time that I have to go through that same process disappears. Even if you have a great deal of martial arts ability, that training and skill becomes meaningless if you don’t have the time to process the information.
Next week, I will post the final three articles to the Threat Inside The Wire - Green On Blue Series, but if there are unanswered questions about any of the concepts, let me know.