This came up in another thread, where someone said gun X was comparable to gun Y, when shooting an an accountable speed. This is sometimes used interchangeably with “assessment” speed.
Darryl and I were just discussing this, and thought it might make an interesting software thread for the forum. What does shooting at accountable/assessment speed mean to you and how situational is this speed?
Likes pretty much everything in every caliber.
Good thread idea. It means shooting at the fastest speed you can handle while not missing the intended target.
For me it means not going faster than I can make the intended hits unless I am intentionally pushing myself beyond my limits as part of the learning process.
In practice I will run it off the rails intentionally. Try to assess what is going wrong and pull it back in.
Does it also need to encompass assessing results of the shots on an individual target, if its still a threat, and potential follow-up shots on subsequent targets and if they still, or no longer present a threat, or is it the topic only on practice/competition targets and the clock?
Last edited by Malamute; 01-07-2018 at 02:25 PM.
Originally Posted by Malamute
I think that's a good question. Sometimes on this subject people are talking about different things and end up talking past each other. Not that I've ever done that...... LOL.
So how does one define assessment?
What you do right before you know you're going to be in a use of force incident, often determines the outcome of that use of force.
I assumed, maybe incorrectly, that is exactly what he was referring to. Maybe I just assumed this because he said he had been talking to Darryl.
Last edited by MVS; 01-07-2018 at 02:38 PM.
I think thats part of the question of the thread, and I think it can be situational, to respond to one part asked in the OP. How to get a reasonably useful assessment in practice for something thats very fluid in real life is one difficult aspect of practice.
In thinking about this topic in the past, and again when brought up today, it would be interesting to make some targets in practice, or IDPA or whatever, surrender part way through a stage, such as bad guy number 2 or 3 throws their gun down and hands up after the shooter starts (or even number one after the "go" is signalled). The part about shooters not being able to know what the stage is about before they shoot it was brought up in the past. It was pointed out that its probably not practical in matches, but may be a useful training tool so people dont game the stage or run. It comes to the question is "practice" practice for matches or practice for some real life situation? The problem solving is different in each situation. Negative outcomes are different in matches or practice. These questions are probably more important than split times or reload times or run times.
Last edited by Malamute; 01-07-2018 at 03:17 PM.
Covered this in December, you are either training properly based on real world requirements or you are not. Awareness is the only way you survive, shooting ability is secondary.
http://www.vdmsr.com/2017/12/sunday-...-thoughts.html
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Also do not shoot faster than you can think. Having a sub second shot from the holster may not be applicable for you or others so holding yourself and others to that requirement may not be accurate.
There is an old adage in the gun world, "the gun is waiting on you" meaning you are not using the gun to it's full ability because you are too slow or not doing something which is required to run a gun as fast as it can be run. The same principle can be applied to your shooting ability, no matter how fast you can shoot your gun you are always waiting on your thought process, and you should strive to not outshoot your ability to think. We do this often when we run predetermined drills or courses of fire, we already made our minds up as to the shooting and now we wait on the gun.
The most applicable training to the everyday life of a conceal carrying responsible armed citizens or LEO has to do with thinking and not shooting. The caveat is that your shooting ability needs to be at a certain level so that you can think about what actions are required and take them instantly without hesitation due to lack of confidence in your shooting ability. Never outshoot your thinking and never outthink your skillsets.
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I presume that accountable speed against three attackers on a deserted hiking trail with a berm of a mountain behind them would be different from accountable speed on a single person in a middle of a food court crowd. I also presume that other factors, like a sub second draw, may have different implications in different circumstances.
I approach it thusly.
Since Spring I use a 4x6 card for my A Zone. I cannot get sloppy on the sights to get those hits. Generally I am now shooting D1, D3, F2S using it, in the times I shot to an IDPA or USPSA A zone last winter preparing for Gabe's class.
It might seem like that is about accuracy and not assessment. But there is assessment of the sights and press I need to get these hits.
Beyond that, IMO actual assessment speed depends entirely on what I'm assessing, situationally right?
PS - interesting topic. Looking forward to see where it goes.
“Remember, being healthy is basically just dying as slowly as possible,” Ricky Gervais
Recently a young and talented shooting buddy has been bringing out those targets with multiple shapes, colors, letters or numbers.
Having him call out out one of those variables or two and then assessing the full field of targets to pick out and hit the designated targets makes for damn slow shooting compared to repping standard drills.
Furthermore, since these targets are so wide they exceed the width of my club's wooden frames.
We prefer not to shoot up our frames.
So, we consider the concealed wood frame a no shoot. Designated targets that cover part of the wood must be neutalized without hitting wood. Tight shots.
Seems pretty assessment.
“Remember, being healthy is basically just dying as slowly as possible,” Ricky Gervais
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