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Tactics & Training
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Tactics & Training
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How Was Your Range Time Today?
Don Larson
How was your range time today? Did you have any results in mind when you loaded up and launched a few, or were you just sending 'em downrange? In my years of instructing and shooting, I've found that most shooting falls into one of three categories, whether we're at a range that's open to the public, a private club, or on our own property. First, there are the "Plinkers," the casual shooters. These folks are out for fun, with nothing specific in mind. They just want to put some holes in a target. This type of shooting is just fine, and a great way to spend your time if that's what you're out to do. . . . keep reading
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"My Range Won't Let Me!"
Kathy Jackson
At the end of a defensive handgun class, I was speaking with one of the students and suggested that if he wanted to retain what he had learned, he would absolutely need to practice the techniques and drills we'd done in class. With a downtrodden look, the student replied, "My range won't let me." This article is for him, and for people like him. Please note: the drills suggested below will not take the place of live fire on a hot range, and they are not intended to do so. Nor will you be able to teach yourself how to perform any of these advanced skills from the ground up using these adaptive techniques. However, if you have already learned these skills elsewhere, preferably under the watchful eye of a competent instructor, these adaptations to restrictive ranges may help maintain the proficiency you've already acquired. And that's all they are intended to do. . . . keep reading
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Street Tactics: An Historical Perspective
Gabe Suarez
Men have been killing each other with pistols since the discovery of the New World. Still, America has developed its own brand of gunfighting as a result of its history and society. We will will look at the historical development of "some of what we do" and by doing that, hopefully, gain a clearer picture of why some things are accepted and done. The first chapter in this saga comes in the Antebellum South when disputes were handled not by incessant arguing and highly paid lawyers, but by the finality of the Duel. Dueling academies proliferated, and taught the best ways to prevail in the rule-driven spectacle of the duel. Combatants trained to . . . keep reading
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Street Tactics: Fighting in Your House
Gabe Suarez
Fighting in houses -- or fighting in your house -- can take on many forms depending on your mission. Having clarity of mission is essential so you know how to comport yourself in each event. I want to be very clear that this is one of the most dangerous activities that a homeowner may encounter. Sadly, most training out there is limited to the police application, which I call "hunt the burglar." This has very little in common with much of what you may need to do as the occupant of a home, rather than as a police officer who is responding to . . . keep reading
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Force On Force Notebook: Carjacked!
Jack Rumbaugh
It's a rainy night in a city in the South. Your GPS unit is guiding you to your destination, but it didn't take into account the construction detours as you head into the downtown area. You are familiar with the city and you know the detour is taking you through an area that isn't the best in the city. You take a second to adjust your CCW gear for easy access. To top it all off, it starts to pour down rain, limiting visibility. You hang a right and a shadowy figure steps off the curb in the middle of the block and faces your car. He is blocking the lane you are in. You only have seconds to make a decision. What do you do? What did you decide? I simply . . . keep reading
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SigArms: How to be a Good Student
George Harris
You have come to the realization that you are not as good as you want to be, so a training class to elevate your performance level is on the horizon. After an intensive search of the many training institutions available to aid in your improvement, you have selected one that seems to meet your needs and promises to help you excel to the next level of proficiency. You enroll and wait with eager anticipation until the first day of training comes. When you arrive at the training site, you find that the class is being held at another location. By the time you get directions and travel to the correct location, the class has started without you. Once you get settled in and oriented to the class, you start to realize that . . . keep reading
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Aim for Success: How Target Selection Affects Defensive Performance
Tom Givens
An often overlooked aspect of training and practice for defensive shooters is the selection of which type of target to shoot. This is an important consideration for a number of reasons. It has long been accepted that "you will play the way you practice," that is, you will do in a fight what you repetitively do on the range, whether that action is good or bad. This means we need to conduct defensive shooting practice on targets that accurately reflect the size and anatomical configuration of the target we will face on the street. Before we get into the actual target selection process, let's first take a realistic look at human anatomy as it relates to handgun wounds. First, we need to accept that typical defensive handguns are not very powerful, especially compared to . . . keep reading
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The Force on Force Drill
Gabe Suarez
I think we have established that anyone who does not do force on force in their program is only getting a partial picture of what the gunfight will be like, and like the blind men and the elephant, they are probably getting a very inaccurate picture at that. If we are training for the gunfight, conducting marksmanship-based range drills alone will not do it. We need both to test our range work to see if it will hold up under true pressure, as well as educate ourselves to the true dynamics of a gunfight. We cannot do either of these things on a square range. Enter the force on force drill. While many students are familiar with scenarios either from limited force on force, or from a traditional shoot house, a drill is very . . . keep reading
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Rest Stop Safety
Jerrod Smelker
I have always thought that in order to know how a criminal works and acts, it's good to think like a criminal. That method of thinking is nothing new, nothing you probably haven't heard before. There have been plenty of documented cases of law abiding citizens being assaulted, robbed, and even killed at public rest stops. Many of these rest stops throughout America are dark, somewhat deserted, and frequented mainly by those looking to prey on those people who don't think bad things happen at rest stops. Many people think that because rest stops are public places, they are safe. Unfortunately for the . . . keep reading
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Force on Force Notebook:
A Visit to Suarez International's Interactive Gunfighting
Jack Rumbaugh
This month I'm going to take a look at one of the premiere reality-based firearms training classes offered anywhere in the U.S. I'm talking about Interactive Gunfighting offered by Suarez International. I attended this class for the first time several years ago, and it changed the way I thought about gunfighting. Let's drop in on Gabe Suarez at the class offered in Manassas, Virginia this past March and see what's new. Interactive Gunfighting is a two-day course conducted entirely with Airsoft pistols. There is no live fire, but there is lots of action from the first drill to the last. This class is not for . . . keep reading
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SigArms:
Selecting a School for Concealed Carry Training
George Harris
In this installment we are going to review some of the objectives to be considered when selecting a concealed carry class to improve our knowledge and capabilities beyond our present level of skill. Before exploring the vast number of training academies and instructors offering concealed carry training, an individual must complete an evaluation of their personal knowledge and ability. Some of the questions to be answered may involve whether an individual is already licensed to carry concealed. Are they presently carrying concealed on a regular basis? Are they aware of the legal . . . keep reading
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Sighted Fire or Pointshooting?
Dr. Leonard M. Breure, PhD
I've spent the past 28 years in either the military or law enforcement. I've been a weapons instructor for 23 years, eight years of which was spent as the chief instructor of the Passaic County, New Jersey Police Academy. I've taught thousands of cops, soldiers, and civilians to shoot. I've trained under most of the top guys in the country and have a PhD in Criminal Justice Education. I am a Modified Weaver shooter. I use my front sight if at all possible, carry a 1911 and dry fire almost every day. In short, I live and breathe this stuff 24/7. Most importantly, I have personally been involved in several shootings. I mention all this for one reason only: even after all of this, I still don't have the answer! I can, however, share my experiences, and give you some facts (I would be glad to provide details to anyone who asks) from my research. You can never get enough training, knowledge, and experience! . . . keep reading
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Pistol Transfer: Right to Left
Gabe Suarez
If you study any of the combat martial arts, you will find that they involve both sides of the body. They will teach you the left side as well as the right side, so you are "fully developed." We see this in any combat-oriented study from knife, sword, stick--even wrestling. Some systems even teach the less dexterous side first, in an effort to equalize the different sides of the body. Historically, we even read of warriors in ages past who . . . keep reading
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SIGARMS: Training for the Future
George Harris
Training takes on a variety of meanings for the majority of us. Is it practicing what we know or is it learning something new and repeating the action hoping to become better at it? Are we having fun . . . keep reading
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Point Shooting Versus Aimed Fire?
Gabe Suarez
Now that one should stir some controversy right? What would you say if I told you that they are not mutually exclusive, and that anyone who tells you that they are is wrong? I was once . . . keep reading
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Holster Safety
Kathy Jackson
Perhaps the most dangerous moment in any firearms class happens when new students begin using their holsters for the first time. But even experienced shooters can . . . keep reading
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