Timing—Key to Effective Use of Pepper Spray

One of the keys to effective use of defense pepper spray is timing. Exactly when to bring pepper spray out on an attacker can be critical to the result of the situation. First you must make sure the pepper spray is readily available, and, second, through repetitive practice can you bring it out for use against an assailant quickly and accurately. It is only a matter of when you do it once the first two situations are met.

The timing of the use of pepper spray is a function of three things:

• prior cognizance
  


• distance involved when the assault actually transpires
  


• whether or not your motions or physical abilities are restricted by the assailant.

Your prior cognizance of a potential assault is the first timing factor. You must have foreknowledge that an attack can happen at any time. Your foreknowledge will be very short, and you will have only a split second to react. Under these conditions, timing is critical!

When you unclip the pepper spray and raise the self defense tool to your assailant’s direction refers to timing in this case. If you see a potential assault about to happen, do NOT pull the spray out right away to threaten the perpetrator. If you do so, you are telegraphing your intent to your attacker. This will give him the choice to prepare for and react to it. Even worse, he may have his own weapon that he carries in his waistband, “just in case.” Many bad boys carry weapons for their “self protection.” If you pull out your pepper spray out and threaten him with it, he just might pull out a gun or a knife and threaten you! For that reason, do NOT pull out pepper spray unless you are ready to use it!

You give the assailant the element of surprise when you pull your pepper spray out when he is least expecting it. Your actions are determined by the threat. Your survival and safety come as a result of your unexpected reaction to it. This is where timing comes in. The more quick and unexpected your self defense reaction, the more successful your defense will be.

Fabiola Castillo is an online marketer for the website NinjaCOPS.com. This virtual store specializes in selling stun guns, kubatons, pepper spray, nunchaku, air Tasers, pen knives, hidden cameras, GPS devices, and many other self defense products.