Using your environment is fundamental to self-defense that works. This concept is incorporated into my training on day one and throughout all further training. Makeshift weapon use (using a random object) and environmental leveraging (slamming a head into a doorframe or slamming a limb in a car door, for instance) are largely absent from martial arts and combat sports; we cover them extensively in my training.

Bladed, impact, electric, and chemical weapons all have their place in personal safety. At the least, my students learn how to deal with being on the wrong end of these. Those who choose to carry these as defensive tools learn how to deploy them, retain them, and recover them when comprised.

My students learn how to protect from firearms in close-quarters and at long range. Those who carry firearms themselves learn no-room-to-shoot, no-time-to-shoot, and retention skills as well as how to deploy and use their chosen tool at extreme close range.