https://www.shootingillustrated.com/...-wrong-skills/
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(thread title changed by @Tom_Jones -- everything in parenthesis was added by him when the thread was split) ADDITIONALLY EVERYTHING HERE WRITTEN IN RED WAS WRITTEN BY @Tom_Jones. This was not part of the original post. It was added by @Tom_Jones whilst doing his job (poorly) as a moderator, so sayeth @Tom_Jones. These are his words and no one else's.
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I agree, and my curriculum reflects that. Particularly the disguised draw on the line and in scenarios. Hell-for-leather draws are for counter-ambush when the shooting has already started and you are caught unaware. It gets you shot trying it vs a drawn gun. Speed reloads are for games and impressive video footage. There's no reason *not* to work on it if you've nailed down everything else and have some time left, but it's a very low return on investment skill.
Reading pre-attack indicators, a consistent and reliable disguised draw, a modicum of shooting skill while getting off the "X", and some idea of what to say to responding police/detectives is what I emphasize. I don't take brand new shooters, so familiarity with gun safety and basic fundamentals is supposed to already be in place.
Sorta around sometimes for some of your shitty mod needs.
Very good article. I only have one point of dispute:
"Another thing you see when people practice drawing is that every draw is to the sights and results in breaking a shot. Rarely do you see people practice drawing to a low-ready position or drawing to a challenge (on the sights but no shot). I’ve seen some footage where a questionable shooting resulted from the ostensible defender basically being on autopilot from the time his hand started moving toward the gun. Once that motion started, it was going to end in a bang no matter how circumstances changed in the interim, because that’s probably the only way he’d ever practiced."
When I was an LEO we often practiced the "draw to a low ready" because we often had to enter a building or wanted to be in a better position should things go south. HOWEVER since I have retired and no longer carry a firearm "professionally" I have come to the conclusion that if the situation demands that I have to draw then I have to shoot. Otherwise there is no need to display (or in the parlance I've heard lately - brandish) a firearm.
Much the same thought process went into the idea of "scan the area before re-holstering". In stressful situations shooters often get tunnel-vision and forget that threats may still exist which are not within their truncated vision. Once I understood this concept I incorporated into my practice routines because as the old coach said, "You play the way you practice".
That's a good article which makes several valuable points.
Anyway, I'm glad some of the defensive pistol classes I've attended have included practicing drawing to a low ready -- without the muzzle pointing at the potential target -- and moving while drawing.
There might be instances where with sufficient awareness one could be simultaneously drawing the firearm and instituting the radiation drill (attempting to obtain time, distance and shielding) by moving away/to cover or obstacles. That could be a situation whereby the potential victim's decisive and timely actions, and occurring with a drawn but un-indexed firearm could dissuade further actions of the aggressor. These are all mights and maybes, but I would not want to eliminate the options from a reaction repertoire.Originally Posted by J. J. Magnum
In the wayback machine we routinely called PC-417 "brandishing".
((a) (1) Every person who, except in self-defense, in the presence of any other person, draws or exhibits any deadly weapon whatsoever, other than a firearm, in a rude, angry, or threatening manner,)
The simple display of the firearm was not brandishing; it required the absence of self-defense and the presence of the attendant elements of "a rude, angry, or threatening manner".
A great article!
Agreed.
MOST of the defensive pistol classes I've attended have included both "moving off the X" while drawing, and drawing only to a low ready.
NONE of them have taught always and only drawing to a sights-on-target response.
"Therefore, since the world has still... Much good, but much less good than ill,
And while the sun and moon endure, Luck's a chance, but trouble's sure,
I'd face it as a wise man would, And train for ill and not for good." -- A.E. Housman
Considerations similar to those mentioned in Tam’s article had lately led me to occasionally practice shooting from a discreet ready position, for situations where I feel the need to have a gun in hand, but want to be as subtle about it as possible. An example of such a situation might be if a bump in the night investigation leads me to go outside with gun in hand but still in my jammies (which means no belt or holster) and I want to minimize the possibility a neighbor who might happen to see me also sees the gun and freak out.
Such a discreet ready position is essentially holding a pistol down by my leg, slightly behind the thigh to make it less visible.
I was surprised to find out that it actually did take some practice to do this consistently well. Also discovered that shooting from even the most un-ready of ready positions like this one is still much faster than trying to draw from concealment.
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Perhaps yet another (obvious) point to add to the discussion is that discreetly drawing from AIWB is far easier than having to reach behind the hip. Observing the arm moving to draw from a behind-the-hip location is not easy to miss.
Along with SA skills, practicing the art and technique of being low profile in a public setting, being able to establish a grip on the pistol (to draw or not) quickly and inconspicuously, and then having the acuity to quickly assess the best course of action (fight or flight) to ensure one's self-preservation are abilities I keep front-and-center in my self-defense programming.
Like others have already stated, I'm also of the mindset that the weapon is drawn only when the threshold for the justified use of deadly force has been met and is the only viable option. That said, drawing the weapon does NOT automatically mean a shot will be fired (situational change while weapon was being drawn), thus the need to keep drawing and firing two separate acts.
Finally, the ability to quickly, discreetly and safely re-holster is (obviously again) as important as the drawing process.
Of course none of these points are new or ground-breaking, especially to those who have spent any time on this forum.
Maybe, maybe not. Arm motion is arm motion. Peripheral vision is pretty damned good at noticing it, that's what it's for. I think how slowly you do it is more important than where/what you move.
And if you need to feint the draw under the pretext of reaching for a wallet/money/keys/whatever, reaching towards your junk will draw a lot more attention and suspicion compared to reaching towards your waist between the arm and back pocket.
Who keeps valuables near their junk? Nobody.
Last edited by Alpha Sierra; 03-08-2019 at 08:23 AM.
