At least with gunfights we have a chance to train. Grossman wrote the book so we could learn from the history and science we've accumulated, know what to expect, and how to prepare for it. A few of the topics that struck me most were sleep and the cumulative effects of deprivation, adrenaline response, controlling fight/flight/freeze through "fear inoculation" in a shoot house, just how common it was to piss or crap in pants when heart rate skyrockets. Thousands of soldiers were ashamed of it but never knew it's just a physiologic response and extremely common. So with that knowledge one might take a "battle crap" just before their teams rolls out.
My biggest takeaway was training scars. He recalled some cops didn't want to bend over and pick up brass, so they thought nothing about dropping casings into their hand and pocketing them during range time. Later some cops would be in a real gunfight and be surprised to find brass in pockets, wondering how it got there. They hadn't realized they were adding it to the mental routine during training and couldn't forget it in a real fight. Some cops were found shot to death with brass in their hands. So they changed their training dramatically.
Another wild case was the cop who constantly practiced disarming. He was always handing a pistol to his wife or partner, having them point it at him, disarming them, and then handing it back to go again. Then one day he was in a convenience store when a robbery started. The robber pointed a gun at him and WHOOSH, it was in his own hands, like lightning, just like he practiced. Then he handed it right back to the robber, just like he practiced. They stared at each other, both confused since this wasn't what either expected, before his partner rounded the corner and shot the guy.
"On Combat" is also good reading for any family members wanting to understand what that mil/LE member in their life is being subjected to.
That makes sense. What traits made some better prepared for jail life? How did you see some adapt or fail?