I’ve heard stories of an Army instructor who likes to read the riot act to his soldiers. “Any soldier engaging in close quarters combat (CQC) deserves to die.” His thinking: if the soldier and his cohorts had allowed the enemy to get close enough to go hands-on, the good guys had all failed at their jobs. Miserably. I’m not exactly sure why I told you that; civilians are highly likely to “engage” a bad guy at bad breath distance. I mean, what perp worth his salt wouldn’t attempt to surprise his victim? So what do you do? Well, you could learn the techniques above. Nothing wrong with that—other than the fact that there isn’t a range I know where you can actually practice shooting from your nipple. Meanwhile . . .
Keep a simple idea in mind: the more violent person is likely to win a fight. If you can’t get away from the perp(s) and you can’t get to your gun efficiently, attack! Go all-in. Go nuts. Lean in and inflict as much damage as you can. Krav Maga the bad guy’s ass. No half measures.
Fear isn’t the mind killer. It’s the body killer. It wants you to freeze. The best way to overcome fear is by sheer force of will. And nothing (in my experience) triggers that will more quickly than physical commitment. In other words, make a move. Does it matter which move you make? Not as much as the fact that you made one.
Just as culture eats strategy for lunch, an aggressive mindset eats technique for breakfast. At least initially. After that, who knows?