Movement while shooting is an essential part of any effective defense. The ability to move will help defenders put distance between themselves and an attacker. A moving target is also more difficult for assailants to hit.
A self-defense situation is never static. An attacker will likely be moving, so as defenders, it’s important to be able to respond quickly and move as well. It is important for gun owners and concealed carriers to work shooting while moving into their concealed carry training to increase chances of survival during a high-stress situation.
How to Get Away From an Attacker
If an assailant has some sort of weapon or is threatening to kill you, you have the legal right to use deadly force. Your first thought should be to get off the X. The attacker is coming toward or aiming for you. You need to move to get away from the bad guy. Be sure to also be shouting commands so that onlookers know you are the victim.
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While reaching for your firearm, it is important to protect yourself. So after lifting your cover garment up high with your other strong hand and establishing a master grip with your dominant hand, move the non-shooting hand to cover your head.
Now you will take your first step away and bring the gun up on target. It is not necessary to use your sights but be aware of what is around you. Then you will fire as you move away and use your off-hand to guide as you move away.
Training Drill in Review
Some people may be nervous about putting the gun out in front of yourself. If you have the gun straight out in front of you, it could be possible for the bad guy to grab your gun, depending on his distance. However, he wouldn’t be able to do so without taking multiple hits first.
The key here is distance. Distance is your friend. The process is simple. Move your cover garment. Protect your head. And create distance while shooting. Find a range that will allow you to practice moving drills and work on this training exercise.
Transcript
Get back!
Okay you just saw me shoot, move and create distance to get away from a bad guy. We’ll break down that movement — all of those steps — in just a minute.
All right, let’s break down this movement about how to get away from a bad guy. When the bad guy has some sort of weapon or is threatening to kill you, and you have the legal right to use deadly force, you want to get off the X first. The attack is coming right to where you are, and you want to move and get away from this person.
So the first thing you need to do is make sure that you protect yourself while you’re getting your gun underneath the cover garment. You’ve got to move that cover garment with your other strong hand. With your off hand, get the cover garment up high and establish that master grip. And as soon as you do, let go of that cover garment and bring your hand up to protect your head.
Now you’re taking that first step away, and you’re bringing the gun up on target to bear. At this point, you’re not even using your sights. I want you to just push the gun out and fire. And now we’re shooting, here, as we’re moving away, using this hand to guide us. Then we’re getting away from this guy.
So this hand protects us as we’re out front. We’re using this off-hand as a guide first to protect us in here from the inside position and then to guide us as we’re moving away. And we’re putting those rounds on this target.
Now one of the things people are going to complain about is, “Hey, you’ve shoved that gun straight out in front of you; that bad guy’s going to grab it and take it away.” I challenge anybody watching this video to come and do this with the UTM rounds and see how many times I shoot you before you grab my gun. It’s not going to happen.
You’re putting bullets on a bad guy while you’re extending your firearm. And you’re moving away. So it’s a very simple process: hand pulls the shirt up, clears your cover garment, then protects your head, and you bring the gun out on target as you pivot and move away.
You’ve got to create distance. Distance is your friend.
