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Most
people that have been involved in a shooting will tell
you that their training was to the reality of a shooting
what driving to work is to driving NASCAR. The mechanics
are pretty much the same but that is where similarities
end.
The vast majority of shooting competitions and informal
shooting sessions use and audible cue to signal the shooter
to draw and fire. This is very different from the street
where shootings usually prompted by physical movement.
Why do we still train this way? Sound may be a target
identifier but alone should never cause you to fire.
The first thing you need to be able to articulate for
your defense is an immanent physical threat. There are
many ways to simulate this on indoor and outdoor ranges.
If the targets are not mechanical then attach a line to
them and have a buddy yank on it moving the target. Teach
yourself to respond to the preparatory
and execution movements of someone drawing a weapon on
you.
How many people that carry in the line of duty or have
a CCW spend a day on the range shooting without holstering
their pistol? The logical progression of carrying any
tool for self defence is Selection-Carry-Deployment-Use.
Too many folks get caught up in the selection phase trying
to find the perfect pistol that will make them better.
Some folks spend time learning to run the gun. Two hand
shooting, one handed shooting, reloads etc. Very few take
a legitimate inventory of their carry options and even
less practice deployment under less than perfect circumstances.
Their is a need for open hand skills that allow you to
create time and distance where none exist. Time and time
again we see students that shoot well melt down as soon
as they have to draw from concealment even without added
stressors. Hands down the most popular carry position
is behind the strong side hip. When was the last time,
if ever, you practiced drawing you gun from this position
while seated in a vehicle with your concealment garment
and seat belt buckled over it? You may want to before
you need to.
There are a couple of invaluable things you can purchase
beside ammo to increase your combat effectiveness with
your pistol. The first in getting a Rings
Manufacturing blue gun trainer of the gun you carry.
It will allow you to practice drawing, weapon handling,
room clearing, and weapons retention etc while enjoying
total safety that is visibly verifiable by anyone.
The second is to get an air soft copy of your gun if available.
Even if it is one of the models that needs to be cocked
it can offer great training value. Care must be taken
to insure that the live gun is not in proximity to the
training environment.
With the help of a few like minded friends and some common
sense scenarios you will soon see that under stress the
fundamentals or marksmanship exit stage right as soon
as the you know what hits the fan.
Eye protection is the bare minimum when using air soft.
The little plastic BBs can travel in excess of 300 feet
per second, enough for a valuable pain penalty that discourages
mistakes.
Your gun is not a talisman that can keep you safe. It
is worthless without your dedication, awareness, determination
and skill, and lots of luck.
If you like target shooting as I do, by all means keep
doing it. Just set aside time to hone your other defensive
skill sets that compliment your overall protection plan. |
