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

to the attack.
The attacker's first two shots usually matter most, but...
TAD attackers keep shooting as long as they are able.
Once they commit, they don't hesitate even for an instant. If they hesitate, they fail.
TAD attackers had to ignore all that was going on around them. They had to stay on mission and not be intimidated by the rapid approach of protectors. After a lot of practice, attackers came to learn that even a lightning-fast protector response doesn't mean a thing until he actually touches them. In effect, the lesson was: Don't flinch -- it uses up too much time.
    The last two lessons apply equally to protectors and attackers.
    Toward the goal of better understanding attacks, here is a summary of the ideal instruction for an assassin:
The moment you have all the ingredients in place for your attack, Act. Don't wait. If your target is in clear view, and no protector is close enough to be effective, and the weapon is in hand, Act.
    Assuming some proficiency with the weapon, the ingredients for successful attack are relatively few:
    Access + Commitment + Target + Time
    When attackers have these ingredients and yet do not act, they start thinking too much, allowing thoughts and distractions to get in their way. Is that person a guard or an aide? I wonder if he'll turn around and face me soon? Am I close enough? Is my target wearing a bullet-resistant vest? These examples of thinking show us something of equal relevance to our mission (and important enough that it merits the entire next chapter): The act of thinking is not an act at all. Thinking invites all kinds of information to get in your way.
    Playing either role (protector or attacker) teaches this essential lesson again and again: If an attentive protector is close, all of the attacker's advantages quickly evaporate once he presents a gun. From then on, time starts passing very quickly. It brings to mind the old saying "Time flies when you're having fun" -- only now, it's "Time flies when you're waving a gun."
    In Thomas Perry's book Sleeping Dogs, a mafia hit man gives an instructive account:
Once you're in, you're like an egg in a frying pan. You get two seconds to get in, see him and pop him. You stand still more than a second at any step, you heat up and fry.

Protective and Projective Roles
    Speaking broadly, there are two categories for protectors:
     
Projective: Those who are closest to an audience, crowd, bystanders, onlookers, or site perimeter. They assume responsibility for offensive actions, such as blocking, disruption of aim, charging, overpowering and neutralizing attackers, taking custody, etc. We call this category "Projective" because their mission is to project energy and force outward, away from the protectee.
Protective: Those closest to the protectee and expected to take defensive actions, such as shielding, covering, moving, and evacuating. Their mission is to defend the protectee.
    Everything you've read thus far about reaching the attacker in time applies equally to reaching the protectee in time to shield, cover, move, or evacuate.
    Which of the two actions -- protective or projective -- is most likely to defeat an attacker? Like a parent reluctant to name a favorite child, we might want to say that both of these important roles are equal, but that's not quite true. Assuming equal proximity (protector-to-attacker and protector-to-protectee), the actions of bodyguards in the Projective role are the actions most likely to be decisive during an attack. When seen through the rapid shutter of an attack, a protector who acts projectively (against an assailant) is more effective in the time available than one who acts to move or shield the protectee. Though many people view the bodyguard's role as primarily defensive, the fact remains that actions against the attacker will usually be the most important. Just as in sports, the game cannot be won through defense only.
    During a handgun attack, for example, protectors acting projectively have