Gabe White Standards

[jetfire]

So I tried this fuckin' drill again, and I still hate Gabe.

Bill Drill: 2.48 (crap)
2x Head: 1.91 (not bad)
FTS: 2.15 (crap)
4B2H: 3.25 (crap)

I would have Light Pinned everything this time around, and turbo pinned the 2x heads. Still crap, must go faster.

So pretty much crap all across the board again. Gun was a Rock Island 1911 Tactical, ammo was CapArms Superior Range ammo, which is good shit. https://caparms.com/product/45acp-superior-range-ammo/

[GJM]

Looks like your quest for GM is paying off. Maybe run it again without the pilot sunglasses.

[Mr_White]

Gabe, any particular drills you like for shooting on the move? I'd like to mix a couple of those in as well. (I don't have any bowling pins)

Ok, my ideas about shooting on the move...you asked for it. Actually, not really - you asked about drills but instead I wrote about the underlying elements and provided video examples. I hope it still helps you.

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I personally think it's worthwhile to train in the full spectrum of shooting combined with movement, from shooting while standing still to shooting while running, and all degrees in between. I think that, because I think different degrees of movement on the part of the shooter will be indicated or required by different circumstances, in order to offer 'best practice' answers to several situational factors: rule 4 and mitigating danger to bystanders, taking advantage of available barriers, and taking advantage of available space.

Those factors might or might not end up in conflict with each other, and my view is that conscious observance of rule 4 should generally be the most controlling one. In other words, it would be great if getting behind cover also improved the shot trajectory and mitigated danger to bystanders, but sometimes the right answer might be to forego using a barrier in order to better mitigate danger to bystanders. Another big reason to be moving or be behind a barrier is to be harder to reach/harder to shoot.

The very fastest way to land hits is to stand still, present the gun, and shoot. Sometimes one recognizes that under the circumstances at hand, there isn't even enough time for that, let alone for the threat to stop. That's a time when moving while presenting, then either stopping and shooting, or continuing to move while shooting, can become the 'best answer.'

There are a lot of ways those factors of bystanders, movement, and cover can be organized. Ideally, we'll have a full spectrum of skills so that we can carry out the 'best answer' we recognize under the circumstances.

There are several different manners of shooting on the move that I personally like to practice.

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Break and Run and Draw and Shoot

There needs to be enough space to do this. It isn't going to happen in confined or cluttered spaces. This method prioritizes the movement and drags the shooting along with it. To do this, simultaneously duck by trying to pick up the feet and bending the knees, which will make you both get lower and 'in base' simultaneously, and as you do so, turn the body in the direction you want to move, and start drawing as you start to run. Do all that at the same time. If you fumble the draw a little, don't stop the movement waiting on the draw. Get moving right away. Moving to the strong side generally allows two-handed shooting pretty well. Moving to the support side generally requires going SHO (I do not prefer switching the gun to the support hand in order to use both hands going in this direction, though it is an alternative to SHO.) You must have faith in the wobble zone, which will be significantly aggravated by the pronounced movement. Live with it. Make an overriding conscious effort to find the sights instead of settling for a coarser and less precise visual reference. Do not succumb to the urge to shoot faster, which will be invited by your faster foot movement. Aim more, shoot less, maintain the best shot accountability you can. I'd rather fire one or two shots and have one or two hits. If I shoot six shots, I'll probably still have one or two good hits, and the rest will be marginal and sometimes true misses. This is not an 'all-the-time' technique. The needed space may not be available, and conscious observance of rule 4 may demand more certainty than a given shooter can obtain with this method. But in situations that allow it, it's hard for me to think of a stronger defensive response than to break into a run and shoot the assailant in the head, looking for an instant stoppage that may be required under the circumstances.

Here it is while practicing on the range:



Here it is put to work in a match - something that is rare for me in USPSA since there usually are more targets than I can shoot within the available space if I am running. Start video at 1:05, see the SHO shooting on the 10-ish yard mini-poppers at the start of the stage while running left. I hit two out of three shots.



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TLG Method

I was first introduced to this in AFHF by TLG. When he explained it, I must have been making some kind of face, because he thought I was dead set against it. I wasn't; it was just totally foreign to me and different from all the variations of shooting on the move I had previously been taught. I have come to absolutely love TLG's take on it, as ONE of the important methods, because unlike the shooting on the run described above, it comports very well with confined spaces, and prioritizes the shooting. Basically, get pretty deeply crouched with knees heavily bent, keep shoulders and hips as square to the target as possible, which maintains the most practiced upper body shooting structure between the torso and arms - this is what prioritizes the shooting, allowing a much higher rate of accurate fire than when shooting on the run - and move your feet to get where you want to go without conscious thought or adherence to any specific scheme of foot movement. With this method, you can rapidly change direction of movement, even continuously, which is what makes it suitable for confined and cluttered spaces since you can maneuver around obstacles well. Mitigate tripping and falling concerns through the deep crouch and body weight forward (stay in base like a football player or wrestler or something.)

You still need to be using the sights to aim. Don't fall for the trap of settling for a worse visual reference than is needed for the shot.

Here's TLG's Figure-8 Drill. This shows the movement well, though there is less shooting than there could be due to the nature of the drill (only allowed to fire one shot when between or adjacent to the barrels.)



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The shooting on the run, and the TLG method, can flow back and forth with each other as a person transitions between open and confined spaces, and negotiates obstacles and rapid changes in direction.

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I think you could say that the TLG method is the same method typically used in USPSA. Because a pretty significant amount of shooting is usually required within a relatively short span of distance in USPSA, that requires prioritizing the shooting over the movement, and trying to keep shoulders/hips square, and moving the feet in whatever manner to facilitate the shooting. Same match video as above, same stage, just a bit later - start at 1:18, see the freestyle, two-handed shooting on the full size poppers at 25 yards as I move to the right. I hit three out of four shots. Not running though.



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Lastly, don't forget shooting into and out of position - that is, shooting while starting to move, and shooting while stopping. Ben Stoeger has some excellent drills for these, and he is who taught me about this. At this point, I consider it a bit of a missing link in the tactical lexicon of shooting on the move, as I've only seen it practiced in the competitive world. But it's a part of the full spectrum, IMHO. You have to get the gun mounted and be aiming with the sights much earlier than you think when shooting into position. Use your knees to absorb a lot of shock and force yourself into a smooth stop. You'll see how smoothly you are or aren't stopping by watching the sight picture. When shooting out of position, just start leaning more and more as you are firing the shots, so that when you are about done firing the shots, you are already done shifting body weight and have the movement thoroughly begun.

These three videos show elements of shooting into/out of position, though I didn't find any where I've isolated that specifically.







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So, specific drills? Not exactly. I usually use somewhat free-form practice, just setting things up to allow lots of movement when I want to prioritize that, or clamp down on the movement and emphasize the shooting when I want to emphasize that. I hope there is enough shown on the videos and written above that you can get some ideas for practice though.

One last video, which shows a few more free-form practice variations:

[Mr_White]

I still hate Gabe

Me too. He picked some pretty tough performance thresholds for some of those. They are pretty hard for me, extra-tough in a demo, and I kind of want to nut-punch him.

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Thanks for putting up the video! I think your results are very good, not crap. But, I understand, I always want to do better too.

[jetfire]

Me too. He picked some pretty tough performance thresholds for some of those. They are pretty hard for me, extra-tough in a demo, and I kind of want to nut-punch him.

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Thanks for putting up the video! I think your results are very good, not crap. But, I understand, I always want to do better too.

I like it because it's easy to set up, easy to shoot in my space-limited range, and gives me consistent performance benchmarks. Handy to have when you have access to a climate controlled 7 yard range.

[GAP]

Gabe, thanks for taking the time to put that together!

I'll have to review the techniques a few more times then try a few of them the next time I go out to shoot.

[Mike C]

Gabe, thanks for taking the time to put that together!

I'll have to review the techniques a few more times then try a few of them the next time I go out to shoot.

Exactly what he said. Thank you Mr_White. Tons of good info in there.

[MGW]

I just stepped into the world of LEM. First range session with the P2000 last night and thought I would shoot these standards as un-timed drills. I was inside so running a timer would have been impossible anyway.

I shot it clean once out of four runs. I love the trigger control required to shoot this well and the limited ammo required. I think they are going to be a really good indicator of my progress with the LEM.

[Mr_White]

Gabe, thanks for taking the time to put that together!

I'll have to review the techniques a few more times then try a few of them the next time I go out to shoot.

Exactly what he said. Thank you Mr_White. Tons of good info in there.

You guys are very welcome! Glad you like it.

Bottom line to all this, no matter the scheme or character of movement, is that it's still all about sights and trigger (just with a very aggravated wobble zone.)

[Mr_White]

Since you guys are shooting the little selection of drills I use in Pistol Shooting Solutions, I wanted to take another crack at them too. This is all in the comfortable practice environment, so take it for what it's worth.

First I shot the regular version of the drills (static shooter)

Bill Drill, 1.97, 6A, -.25 = 1.72 adjusted (Turbo)
Bill Drill, 2.01, 6A, -.25 = 1.76 adjusted (Turbo)
Failure to Stop, 1.69, 2A1C, +.25 -.25 = 1.69 adjusted (Turbo)
Failure to Stop, 1.69, 3A, -.25 = 1.44 adjusted (Turbo)
2 Head, 1.50, 2A, -.25 = 1.25 adjusted (Turbo)
2 Head, 1.52, 1A1B, +.25 -.25 = 1.52 adjusted (Turbo)
4 Body 2 Head, 2.51, 6A, -.25 = 2.26 adjusted (Turbo)
4 Body 2 Head, 2.56, 5A1B, +.25 -.25 = 2.56 adjusted (Turbo)

Definitely not the fastest times I've had on these drills, but 8/8 Turbo with only three B/C shots is pretty strong for me, even in practice.



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Then I shot them on the move

Since GAP asked about shooting on the move and the thread has taken a turn in that direction, I thought I'd add this.

GAP, one other way I practice shooting on the move sometimes, is to simply take an existing drill that's not intended to be done on the move, like the FAST, or in this case, the drills I use in Pistol Shooting Solutions, and just do them on the move and see how it shakes out. I usually either set it up so that I can shoot while moving laterally, or while maneuvering around a barrel or something - so either of the two schemes of movement outlined in my big post above. The (probably unrealistic) ideal would be to get as close as possible to my static performance while also maintaining the greatest degree of movement I feel like the shooting will allow.

I'd like to see faster movement on this, but the movement speed is basically just a product of the quantity and quality of shooting I was prioritizing. Will have to keep working on it. I have tried these drills on the move before a few times, but this is definitely the fastest and most accurately I have shot them on the move, even despite the miss.

Bill Drill, 2.22, 6A, -.25 = 1.97 adjusted (Turbo)
Bill Drill, 2.21, 6A, -.25 = 1.96 adjusted (Turbo)
Failure to Stop, 1.91, 3A, -.25 = 1.66 adjusted (Turbo)
Failure to Stop, 1.99, 3A, -.25 = 1.74 adjusted (Light)
2 Head, 1.62, 2B, +.50 -.25 = 1.87 adjusted (Turbo)
2 Head, 1.68, 1A1M, + 2.00 -.25 = 3.43 adjusted (zero)
4 Body 2 Head, 2.72, 6A, -.25 = 2.47 adjusted (Turbo)
4 Body 2 Head, 2.74, 4A1B1C, +.50 -.25 = 2.99 (Light)

5 Turbo/2 Light/1 zero is the first time, even in practice, that I have hit the overall Turbo threshold with the additional factor of doing it on the move, so yay! I was really unhappy with the miss, but at least I was really happy with all the other shots - overall, this was very accurate for me.