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Thread: Draw from concealment, one type of draw or multiple types of situational draws?

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    Draw from concealment, one type of draw or multiple types of situational draws?

    Hi all,

    Perusing the 'tube, I've seen videos where people draw from concealment with an assumption that they'll make a 2-handed grip by the end of the draw and presentation. These grips usually have the thumb of the drawing hand set out of the way so the support hand can get more meat on the pistol.

    It struck me, however, that this wouldn't work for situations where the support hand is otherwise occupied. So do folks train for two different draws? Am I over-thinking this?

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    Member Sal Picante's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Bio View Post
    It struck me, however, that this wouldn't work for situations where the support hand is otherwise occupied. So do folks train for two different draws? Am I over-thinking this?
    Training for different draws is not a big deal, as long as you're doing that training...
    This is not as important for gun games but vitally important for defensive use.

    Paul Sharp, ShivWorks, Redbeard Combatives all teach this.

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    Quote Originally Posted by Les Pepperoni View Post
    Training for different draws is not a big deal, as long as you're doing that training...
    This is not as important for gun games but vitally important for defensive use.

    Paul Sharp, ShivWorks, Redbeard Combatives all teach this.
    Thanks, is there a generally excepted set of situations that reulquire different draws? Off the top of my head, aside from a "normal" draw, I could see a one-handed draw if carrying something or if threatened at close range. Are there a lot of variants of this that are situation dependent or, is it pretty much just two?

  4. #4
    Quote Originally Posted by Bio View Post
    Thanks, is there a generally excepted set of situations that reulquire different draws? Off the top of my head, aside from a "normal" draw, I could see a one-handed draw if carrying something or if threatened at close range. Are there a lot of variants of this that are situation dependent or, is it pretty much just two?
    There's a bunch, depending on if you're on your back, in a clinch, support hand is wounded, strong hand is wounded, so on. Someone that knows more than me will probably be along shortly to elaborate but until then here's a vid that explains the thumb-pectoral index and why it's important. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=j8f3PJ7FOhk

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    Drawing with either hand alone or with the other is just common sense. Learning to draw, manipulate/remediate the gun from different body positions is also important.
    "Knowledge is good." Emil Faber, date unknown.

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    I need to practice clearing my garment and drawing with one hand only.

    The draw part isn't an issue, but I don't practice same handed sweep and clear much.

  7. #7
    Site Supporter CCT125US's Avatar
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    Weather or not I end up with a one or two handed grip, the thumb position remains the same. Having a flagged thumb (high thumb) works best for me.

    The need to control the dog while a critter is put down, has happened several times.

    The possibility of needing a one handed draw is certainly there in other situations, but controlling a pissed off dog was educational.

    Things like don't flag yourself, or the dog, balance, awareness of the wounded animal, shooting from a bladed stance, while yanking the dog behind you, having the wife yelling "don't shoot my dog".

    So yes, a useful skill indeed. One that could be used with children, or anything that may need a hand that would otherwise be on the pistol.
    Taking a break from social media.

  8. #8
    And once the gun is in your hand hitting a target is one more skill to develop. Saturday at an IDPA match we had a stage w/ three target arrays at three different distances. Your choice of which array to shoot w/ each hand and then w/ a normal two handed grip. I hit them but this one handed stuff sure is slow for me.

  9. #9
    Site Supporter Rex G's Avatar
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    Quote Originally Posted by Bio View Post
    Hi all,

    Perusing the 'tube, I've seen videos where people draw from concealment with an assumption that they'll make a 2-handed grip by the end of the draw and presentation. These grips usually have the thumb of the drawing hand set out of the way so the support hand can get more meat on the pistol.

    It struck me, however, that this wouldn't work for situations where the support hand is otherwise occupied. So do folks train for two different draws? Am I over-thinking this?
    I draw with the presumption that I will not have a picture-perfect two-hand hold, when I present the weapon. Why? Because I have drawn, countless times, for real, and the support hand usually did have something more urgent, to do, than “get more meat on the pistol.” Usually, the support hand has been busy manipulating a handheld light, because I was working night-shift police patrol, during most of these real-life draws. Even when using a pistol equipped with a WML on the rail, the hand-held light is used to search.

    Sometimes, my other hand has been busy holding a steering wheel,, and or gear selector, or unfastening a seat belt, or opening the car door.

    Sometimes, the support hand has been busy holding a radio mike, a PA mike, or a portable radio.

    Perhaps, if I were to transform myself into a Hindu god, I could grow more arms and hands? I could use more arms and hands.

    Realistically, except for the times that I drew a 1911 pistol, in which case the thumb has remained in contact with the safety lever, I have normally locked my weapon hand’s thumb downward, during the draw. (I used 1911 duty pistols for about eight cumulative years, total, and, during personal time, off and on, for considerably longer.) Then, depending upon the specific weapon, I have either kept the thumb locked-down, or, if given the luxury of my weapon hand being free, I have, on occasion, opened my weapon hand’s grip, to enable putting support-hand meat on the pistol.

    If the weapon in-hand has been a revolver, I have kept the weapon-hand thumb locked down. The support hand “meat,” if available, is mostly touching my weapon hand and fingers, with pad of the support thumb locking down over the weapon hand thumb. My usual duty/carry guns, on and off the clock, 1984 to 1990, were revolvers. I then entered a three-year auto phase, and after being discouraged by two pistol systems, then resumed using mostly revolvers, on and off the clock, 1993 to 1997. That is a lot of thumb-locked-down time, during the years I was building shooting skills.

    From 1997, until my retirement in early 2018, I used autoloaders on duty. First, the 1911, from 1997 to 2002. Thumb on safety lever, so, room for that meat, if the support hand was available. Then, a reluctant transition to the Glock system, a hellish, unhappy two years, with the ill-fit, for my hands, of the Gen3, which is difficult to recall clearly, but I think I trained to keep my thumbs forward, during the draw, if the support hand was available. In 2004, I switched to the SIG P229, a happier time, when I do remember training to use thumbs-forward, if the support hand was available, but, diligently trained plenty of street-relevant reps to come up shooting one-handed, with thumb locked-down.

    In 2015, when my chief OK’ed 9mm, as an alternative duty cartridge, I switched, for sake of my arthritic hand, to an lower-bore-axis, “orthopedic” Gen4 G17, which did fit my hand so very much better than Gen3, and, of course, no more .40 S&W. Again, plenty of thumbs-forward two-hand training reps, but, also, plenty of training draws into one-hand shooting. One change, from the SIG, was that I trained to keep the weapon-hand thumb forward, rather than locking it down, during one-hand shooting.

    Since retiring, I have largely defaulted back to revolvers. Weapon-hand thumb locked-down, unless shooting a 1911. I have lost faith in my gimpy right hand to be a reliably stable platform for auto-pistol cycling. I have shifted to being mostly-lefty with autos, which is not a big problem, as I have long been functionally ambidextrous with handguns. Well, except that my gimp right hand hurts when being used in the thumb-forward support-hand role. Really hurts. So, no more more-meat-on-pistol, when shooting lefty. Just as well, as I am now likely to have a dog leash in one hand, or may well be moving a toddler or pre-schooler grandson away from danger. Or, because so much of life happens in darkness, or dim light, holding a light. Training to draw into a one-handed shooting position remains important.

    So, overall, yes, train for that ideal, more-meat-on-pistol, thumbs-forward grip, but, I would say, train for one-hand presentations, as well. Unless one is a Hindu god, of course.

    I do not claim to be any kind of expert.
    Retar’d LE. Kinesthetic dufus.

    Don’t tread on volcanos!

  10. #10
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    One-handed draw with either hand is good to practice. I've been in training classes where this was taught and it convinced me that it's a good skill to train.

    I have to confess, I practice one-handed draw with my strong hand a lot more often than with my support hand.

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