Despite the emphasis on firearms skills to defend oneself, most deadly encounters don’t start out deadly. Most of the time, they kick off as a shove, a grab, or a punch. It’s raw, chaotic, and up-close. If your first instinct in a fight is to go for your gun, you’re already behind. Why? Because you’re in the thick of it; your hands are occupied, you’re defending yourself, and the threat is right on top of you.

That’s where most people fail. They train to shoot, shoot, shoot, but they never address the gap between a physical altercation and a gunfight. And that gap? It’s what could cost you your life.

The Missing Piece in Training

Most people have been in some kind of physical altercation in their life; maybe a schoolyard scuffle, a bar brawl, or just a situation where things got heated and fists flew. But when it comes to actual self-defense training, empty-hand skills are often overlooked. Everyone loves to practice drawing from concealment and punching paper targets, but what happens when the fight is in your face, and you don’t have the luxury of space or time?

At Intuitive Self Protection, we get it. That’s why Protective Pistol Level 2 isn’t just about making you a better shooter; we focus on you being a complete fighter. We teach you how to control a threat with your hands, survive the close-range chaos, and transition to your firearm when the moment demands it.

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What We Teach in Level 2

This course is no cake walk. It picks up where Level 1 ends and ramps everything up. We don’t hand out certificates and pat you on the back for showing up. People come to us to meet a standard, and that standard could save your life.

Here’s what we cover:

• Shooting from retention: Because sometimes, the fight is so close, your gun never leaves your body.

• Verbal commands: Learn how to control a situation with your words while staying ready to act.

• Empty-hand basics: Defend yourself when your hands are your only weapons.

• Multiple target engagement: Because threats don’t always come one at a time.

• Low-light drills: Bad things happen when the lights are out. Be ready.

• One-handed operations: Whether you’re protecting a loved one or injured, you need to fight with one hand.

And that’s just scratching the surface. We push you, challenge you, and force you to confront weaknesses in your skillset.

Why Train

Let’s be clear: a certificate won’t save you in a fight. A fancy gun won’t either. The thing that will keep you alive is your ability to perform under pressure. That means putting in the work, doing the reps, and mastering the fundamentals.

Protective Pistol Level 2 is about bridging the gap between empty-hand skills and gunfighting. We train for the moments when a fight starts with a strike and ends with a life-or-death decision. It’s not about ego or looking cool on the range. Survival and getting home safely is our goal.

Are You Ready?

The question isn’t whether you want to take this course; it’s whether you’re ready to take it. We don’t push people through our programs just to make a buck. If you can’t demonstrate the Level 1 fundamentals safely and effectively, you won’t be allowed to move up. That’s not because we’re hardasses (well, okay, maybe a little). It’s because we refuse to let our students fail because when it really counts,  the cost of failure isn’t a bad range score; it’s your life.   

So, are you ready to step up? Ready to bridge that critical gap and train like your life depends on it? Join us for Protective Pistol Level 2 Course. Don’t wait. Because the fight won’t.

About The Author

Hank Hayes is a Combat Arts Hall of Famer and inventor of the No Lie Blade. He is the founder and CEO of both Intuitive Self Protection and NLB Tactical and creator of the ISP/NLB viscous fighting system. Since 1998, he has trained well over 30,000 Military and Law Enforcement personnel via Government contract mainly at the elite special teams level and continues to train both civilians and MIL/LE how to come home safe.