Airsoft Action 05 - Jan 2012 | Page 43

TRAINING PRO-TACT PERSONAL DEFENCE Intrigued by what he saw at the Airsoft Arms Fair, Nige Streeter spent a day with the guys from Pro-Tact to find out more ‘P rofessional Solutions for Personal Defence’ – that’s what it says on Pro-Tact’s website. Having witnessed a young girl being taught to disarm a gunwielding attacker by Pro-Tact instructors at the last Airsoft Arms Fair, I was keen to see more of what they do. One of the co-founders, Andy Nightingale, invited me to a day-long ‘Snapshot Course’ for a small group of guys. The object of the day was to give the attendees a short introduction to some of the disciplines that Pro-Tact teaches (many of the subjects covered would normally be a day-long course in their own right). The day involved a mixture of subjects, some of which would be more relevant to airsoft than others, but each was designed to improve an individual’s skill-set and confidence in dealing with certain situations. It kicked off with something many of us tend to forget on a regular basis: a weapons safety check. Following Andy’s lead, each man in turn was required to clear their pistol and, with breech open, show it to the man next to them who declared that the gun was clear and safe. Even though weapons wer R