Just 2 Seconds by Gavin de Becker, Thomas A. Taylor, Jeff Marquart Read Free Book Online

away from the protectee. So, 25 feet emerges in three critical tenets:
     
Always strive for 25 feet of distance between protectee and public;
Always strive for much less than 25 feet between you and protectee;
Always strive for much less than 25 feet between protectors and public.
    We have a favorite solution to the on-stage challenge when stages are elevated to a height that allows our people to walk underneath. In our preferred situation, the front of the stage directly facing the front-row audience members is made of plywood painted flat black; however, we remove four sections of plywood and hang black curtains. Protectors are posted behind those curtains, and able to see the audience perfectly through fabric screens sewn into one-foot sections of the curtains at head-height. Since the area under the stage is completely dark, audience members are never aware that protectors, just a few feet in front of them, can observe any approaches to the stage. In the event of an alarming approach, protectors can simply walk through the curtain and intervene from a location that no attacker is likely to be aware is manned. This arrangement provides a situation in which security is literally invisible to audience members -- and thus has no impact upon the show or performance. In venues that can physically accommodate this option, it really ought to be the standard approach. Alas, what ought to be done for protected persons and what is done are rarely the same.

Protector Lessons
    Those playing the role of protector in TAD exercises offer us some important strategies for improving performance:
     
Be present. Thinking about being ready impedes action. This is not the time for preparing to be ready -- it is the time to Be Ready, to Be Pre-sent.
Don't dive. Diving through the air rarely gets you there any faster, and diving lessens the likelihood of connecting with any precision (i.e., you might miss altogether).
One foot ahead of the other. Pre-attack stance is important; have sure footing with one foot ahead of the other.
    Photos by Gavin de Becker & Associates
First things First. Disruption of aim is the primary goal.
Gaining control of the gun is a secondary goal, for which there is lots of time, relatively speaking, whereas disruption of aim must be accomplished right now.
Grabbing the gun (or grabbing anything) is not a necessary component of success.
Mid-arm! Connecting with the mid-arm offers your best chance at success. If you seek to disrupt aim by aiming for the gun itself, you are choosing a small target that is easy to miss.
Start close. Get close. Where you begin decides who'll win. If you and the attacker start the race from the same place (you standing right near the attacker), you need spend no travel time to meet him -- and you'll win the contest. It takes hardly any energy to disrupt aim once you reach the attacker.
Keep your protectee moving. Attackers lose accuracy when required to track. Hence, moving the protectee somewhere (rather than just down) will improve chances of successful protection.
     
"Hold-Hold, still my hand. Steady my eye, chill my heart, and let my gun sing for the people."

Sara Jane Moore, attempted assassin of President Gerald Ford

Attacker Lessons
    While TAD is not intended to improve the performance of assassins, those trainees who play the role of attacker do learn strategies that help us better understand the overall dynamic.
     
TAD attackers found that beginning a countdown or other mental routine before they drew their weapon made their internal commitment less obvious to others, thus reducing the likelihood of telegraphing intent.
TAD attackers found that it was better to begin their attacks as early as possible, giving protectors less time to observe them and less time to get the "lay of the land" prior to the attack.
TAD attackers found they were more successful when they weren't in the front row of people in a rope line. This way, protectors could not fully see and observe them prior