I get a lot of questions about pepper spray, but the most frequently asked are these two “Is carrying pepper spray really that effortless and if I decide to have a unit close to me, where is the best place to carry it?” For the answers to these questions check out the October 2026 post titled “Is Carrying Pepper Spray Really Effortless?” in The WON for Part 1 in a 2-part series. Another question I get is “Does practice really matter when it comes to pepper spray? It’s not a gun, so how important is it?”
These questions may be easy for me to answer because I’m a believer in pepper spray carry, but it may be difficult for some people to get into the groove of carrying it every day.
My goal with Part 1 was to encourage you to carry pepper spray (or have it at your fingertips).
My goal with Part 2 is to encourage you to practice with an inert/practice unit. I would like for you to practice enough that you figure out which position works best for you, you find a simple command that resonates with your personality and then work that system.
I am a very lucky person to have a diverse group of friends in the firearms world. I reached out to a handful of incredible pepper spray trainers, mindset advocators, firearms instructors and alumni of our company, The Complete Combatant, with two questions:
Here’s what they had to say:
“If I’m using pepper spray outside the police context, I want it to be a surprise. I’ll do the standard MUC style verbal commands upon the suspect’s encroach, but I won’t say anything before I spray him. I don’t want him taking any countermeasures before he gets hit with the spice,” said Greg Ellifritz, Active Response Training.
Jan Martin, First 3 Personal Protection, said, “I practice a command that comes natural to me and that is ‘Back the F up!’ And then I give them a shower of love. My why: I’ve already given my first command of STOP, don’t come any closer. He/She ignored my command. Then it’s time for business.”
“My ‘go-to words’ are ‘Get back!’ I am unsure if it has an effect on the assailant, but l suspect it will on any witnesses in near proximity. This may support my claim that my use of force was defensive,” said Steve Moses, Palisade Training Group.
Meanwhile, Alex Bleam, of Castle Keepers, stated, “I say something like, ‘This stuff is about to melt your face off,’ out loud but if you’re referring to what I say in my head, it’s to give them the hot sauce blessing, which means move the spray left to right above the eyebrows and forehead to chin.”
“Stop! Don’t come any closer! Alto! No me acerca mas! The object is to set a boundary so I establish a verbal boundary that can’t be misunderstood; no closer. Reiterate commands in Spanish because of demographics,” said Claude Werner, The Tactical Professor.
Brian Hill, of The Complete Combatant, advises, “Don’t move! Setting a distance boundary that would be my go signal to spray them if they continue their actions which also reminds me to get moving.”
“Say ‘stop’ and/or ‘get back.’” Loud, clear, short and likely understood should the person not speak English,” said, Angela Humphries, OnPoint Personal Defense.
“It’s going to be situationally dependent. I try to keep the spray hidden until actually dispensed, and don’t want to warn someone verbally about OC spray. The words are typically something like “Get back, leave me alone, let me leave.” I want the attacker and anyone else within earshot to know I am not the aggressor and I want to disengage,” said Dave Reed, Everyday Defensive Solutions.
When I asked Vicki Farnam, author of FlexCCarry Solutions: A Positive Guide to Off-Body Carry, she had this to say, “All depends on circumstances. You could use words with spray concealed or visible in your hand, but maybe you have already said those words to no avail. Only recourse left is to spray. As you are so adept at saying in your online class, paying attention to what is happening in real time and the proximity of the threat will determine if there is time for more words.”
“I do practice presenting pepper spray with verbal commands, but maybe not as much as I should. I practice 10 to 1 with 10 being dry practice with my firearm. And yes, as a peace officer, I believe that words do matter,” Chris Griese, The Practical Guardian.
Kathlynn Joel-Reich, of Fundamental Enlightenment, said, “In my outside commanding voice, from my diaphragm, ‘STOP. COME NO CLOSER. STOP,’ as I’m backing up … I learned to use my commanding voice, not necessarily the words I choose, from an incredible class in Georgia, taught by the amazing Shelley Hill.”
“I do not have specific words for ‘only’ deployment. I start with a warning word or short phrase. Depending on the scenario/situation, “That is close enough,’ ‘Stop’ and ‘Get back’ are my go to and will repeat in a much more commanding voice before deploying – depending on the situation. I also practice using a hand gesture that is universal meaning to stop (left palm out for me as a true lefty, this leaves my right hand open to grab OC or gun if needed). I chose something very universal and easy for anyone around me to understand the words/phrase command. I also use the hand gesture for the same reason, and I believe we are always on camera, but that video may not necessarily have audio. I will say, that just because a person has programmed a few words/phrases that they think they will use, until you are in the scenario, it is really hard to go auto pilot and say them. Mainly, because in a real life situation, it is likely a scenario that you have not trained for,” said “Jamie Meyer, Oklahoma Gun Training.
Shannon Pable, of Shannon’s Garden and Gun Gallery, said, “I practice a pepper spray unit draw from pocket every time I place in my pocket in the morning to be sure it’s placed properly. Sometimes I say words in my head and sometimes out loud.”
“I don’t have a set verbal loop I use. Sometimes it’s unannounced and sometimes it’s the “make part” of the Ask/Tell/Make verbal escalation tactic I prefer,” said Mark Luell, Growing Up Guns.
I think a good place to start would be to “know thyself.” What is your learning style? Do you need a ton of reps to cement techniques into your brain? Do you work better with a partner or alone? Are you a “wordy” person? Do you have a temper and you need to regulate your actions and mindset? Once you answer some of these questions about yourself, then you are probably ready to think about how much practice you needs and what words.
Train with The Complete Combatant.
Shelley Hill wears a "bunch of hats." Her husband, Brian, named her the “Indispensable Organization Wizard” about 25 years ago and that has become her official title. Shelley is the CEO and instructor at The Complete Combatant. She is an HK Brand Ambassador, publishes regular articles in Women’s Outdoor News and Shooting Illustrated, teaches online classes, is an Active Self Protection Certified Instructor, an Instructor Graduate of Modern Samurai Project's Red Dot Instructor program, NRA Certified Instructor, Certified NRA Chief Range Safety Officer, Refuse to be a Victim Instructor and is a Certified OC (Pepper Spray) Instructor through Chuck Haggard's Agile Training & Consulting. She is the designer and mastermind behind Image Based Decisional Drills, Smart Choices , LockedIn Grip, The Complete Combatant's annual The Mingle for professional ladies in the "firearms/self defense" industry and The Quest for red dot shooters. She is also the President of a non-profit organization called Blue Line Ponies. This 501c3 focuses on providing a retirement range for our career service horses. Shelley is also a presenter at several national conferences is a public speaker and she actually loves people. View all posts by Shelley Hill
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