Kaye’s fighting stance is for real

She’s not called Action Lady for nothing. Try making a wrong move and Kaye Dacer can snatch her gun from under the pillow and shoot you right on target – bull’s-eye.

Not that she wants to join the (action) movies. It’s just that this feisty broadcaster wants to protect herself against the (physical) hazards of her highly-volatile trade.

Death threats are nothing new to people like Kaye, who call her listeners’ attention to such ills as graft and corruption in government and neglectful public officials. Thus, she and her family thought it best to have some kind of self-defense, just in case.

The still-unsolved murder of her uncle, public relations man Bubby Dacer remains strongly etched in her mind. And while she knows she cannot bring her Uncle Bubby back to life, Kaye knows she can do something about preserving hers now.

After going on board in Aksyon Ngayon for DZMM (1:30 to 2:30 p.m. Monday to Friday), Kaye hies off to the Jethro Firing Range at West Avenue.

Guided by the expert hands of instructor Joselito Abu, Kaye spends two to three hours, thrice a week learning how to shoot on target – moving or otherwise, using varied positions – including lying down or crouched on one’s knees.

It’s tough, requiring as it does 100 percent concentration, but Kaye is not complaining. In fact, she’s having the time of her life. The firing range, owned by top shooter and long-time friend Jethro Dionisio, has become a second home to her. In it, she has found a refuge from the cares of the outside world, including her pressure cooker job.

Here, with only herself and her target in front of her, Kaye is slowly mastering the art of outdoing only herself and no one but. She is learning to push back all the mental and emotional baggage for the day at the back of her mind and think only of one thing: shooting that object in front of her.

"It’s great discipline," grins Kaye, who was then wearing a bandage around her wrist after a minor injury from her practical shooting sessions.

Alone with only her target in front of her, Kaye must will herself to be oblivious to everything – time, space, even pain. She must pace herself, calculate her moves, focus on the target, then pull the trigger for all she’s worth.

Kaye has become so enamored with practical shooting she has decided to put her love life on hold (sorry guys, Kaye figures a boyfriend will only ruin her concentration). In exchange, she gets the thrill of joining one competition after another, and winning, too.

Kaye recently romped off with the top prize, Lady Celebrity Category, in a Baguio competition. She also led a similar contest, this time in Cabuyao, Laguna, where she emerged champion in the Lady Celebrity category.

Making it to the top was no walk in the park. Kaye had to cut down partying time and bid her host goodbye at 11 p.m. or midnight at the latest. She cannot show up for a competition feeling sleepy. Otherwise, she’ll fare so poorly her instructor will bawl at her.

Even her diet must be controlled. Kaye takes in a lot of fruits and vegetables to make her lithe and flexible for all those stretching, jumping (you must always land on your feet), running and crouching in the firing range. Speed is the call of the hour. And you can’t achieve that if you’re fat and slow-moving.

Greater pain tolerance is another offshoot of all that grueling training.

"The show must go on," Kaye says. "You must think of nothing else when you’re there. You’re on your own, and you must plot your moves."

So while she has learned to ignore the pain of an injured wrist while competing, Kaye has also willed herself to damn the torpedoes and go full-steam ahead with what she’s doing.

The discipline, therefore, is not just limited to ignoring physical pain when you’re out there on the range. It also lies in pushing emotional problems aside to do what must be done, and fast.

The bonus, in other words, comes not only in the form of a stronger, fitter body and an alert mind. It also shows in a more resilient personality, better able to cope with pressure.

"It has taught me a lot about decision-making. Your head must rule over your heart. Otherwise, you’ll miss your target," says Kaye. "You must also have fast reflexes to make it."

For Kaye, owning a gun – which can be expensive these days – is not something you bandy about to cow people or force them into something. It is a weapon to be used prudently, responsibly.

So Kaye keeps her gun safely out of sight, but ready for any emergency in her bedroom, where she calls it a day after going home from her high-risk job.

The powerful weapon may keep most of the men at bay. Which is fine with Kaye. But it will make the truly discerning ones appreciate, and gravitate towards her all the more.