In many defensive training classes, you are taught a on-the-street routine.
After shooting, go to a ready position.
Check your target to make sure he is out of the fight.
Check your perimeter for other threats, while still keeping you weapon in a safe ready position.
Recheck your target.
Check the condition of your weapon, reloading, etc., if necessary.
Slowly holster your weapon.
With liberty and justice for all...must be 18, void where prohibited, some restrictions may apply, not available in all states.
I appreciate all the responses. I finally have some time to read through them all.
Said it perfectly.
It limits speed and movement if you're having to run a good distance i.e. to the end of a commercial building hallway or one end of a grocery aisle to the other.
I thought we've been speaking in the context of ready on threats. I wasn't advocating sul as the end all 'it cures cancer, covid and the clap' solution.
For a full out sprint I'm either going 'full Katrina' or with wrist flexed outward, finger off the trigger on the slide, arms a pumping. With a long gun either port arms or full Katrina.
If I'm having to work a door, I think a high ready or low ready works better because the gun is closer to being oriented to the threat.
Again, I wasn't advocating sul as the end all 'it cures cancer, covid and the clap' solution. There is no 'one' technique/position that is going to be ideal in every situation.
SUL is also a poor position to defend against a gun grab if you pop a corner and a dude is right there
I guess, actually, I know, a lot of our biases come from training.
For example, I'm not a ninja, so I can do a disarm better/easier if the weapon is extended versus held closer to the body. Likewise, in grappling over a pistol, essentially sul allows you to quickly move into the retention by merely rotating your support hand up and around the slide. I don't know of a way to retain a pistol out of the holster better than that. YMMV.
Additionally, even during foot pursuits you ought to swing wide and rapidly slice corners, so you aren't close enough so a bad guy lying in wait can grab your pistol or long gun. During searches you should be off the wall and slice corners, essentially accomplishing the same thing.
To paraphrase something I learned long ago 'sul is A way, not THE way.
Adding nothing to the conversation since 2015....
During training, in order to keep this from becoming range ballet and actually have officers look with the intention of seeing, we would sometimes designate that officers find and call out the person wearing the reflective vest or hat or how many fingers a designated person was holding up.
Since the thread has drifted somewhat in a discussion of 'sul' I would add that the sul position allows you to search a 360 w/o lasering anyone within the area. If you are teaching folks to work in populated environments you are pretty remiss if you aren't teaching sul or some variation of it such as the NRA Safety Circle, even on the square range.
Adding nothing to the conversation since 2015....
I think a lot has been covered so far. The mindset built on basics of gun handling in a safe manner. Coupled with being aware to what is going on in the moment. Not every threat is the same. But consciously building yourself to where you gun handling is safe. From the draw to ready. Continue to work the problem and build. If that makes sense.