Lots of people are a good shot with a defensive weapon when it comes to a stationary target. But how would that "goodness" serve in a REAL situation where one has to defend?
I'm guessing, not well enough. In a real life defensive situation (say, a home invasion), the intruder/assailant has extreme advantage, the obvious being the element of surprise + the weapon already in his hands.
Even if one is a "good shot" on the range, the real life situation will likely result in a big choke -high probability that the wrong person is going to croak.
There is just no way to simulate a life-or-death situation for the average plinker. No way to simulate the chaos, fear, adrenalin factors. Those things alone could send everything one has read or "role played" out the window.
My thought is that just because one knows how to shoot, doesn't mean one knows how to win the fight.
A question for you all; How does one train to respond properly, to have at least a chance against the highly advantaged assailant instead of DYING?
personal defence training classes simulate this sudden "what do I do" fight or flight feeling. I participated in one several years ago and it was quite interesting. Without going into to much detail, basically the "attacker" even told me before hand that they were going to come up and attack me physically from behind. As part of the simulation I was talking to another person when suddenly I was placed in a rear choke hold. The trainers were absolutley right that when the fight or flight process kicks in, you get tunnel vision, and forget even common sense. For me the first reaction was to get on top of the attacker and start wailing on him haha, but unfortunatley the perpose of the drill was to call for help (workplace safety... what can I say). The attacker could have been stabbing me with a knife the entire time and I would not have even noticed until the lights went out. But the second i was under attack everything went out the window. It is something that would be very difficult to combat during other high stress situation, and also is as you said, very difficult to emulate. You do not know how you will react, even with training. I understand this is a major problem in the military, where they even do extensive training to combat this "freeze" that some people experience. Even still, it happens regularily, even to seasoned veterans.
For about 10 minutes after the "attack" I was still experiencing tunnel vision, adrenaline ripping through my body, shortened breaths, and my thought process was ridiculous. I couldnt perform simple tasks, have simple conversations, couldnt really do anything. I couldnt ocus on anything unless I stared directley at it. The experiment wasnt designed to teach you to deal with the fight or flight mechanism, merely to make you aware of it and what you will experience. It could be a helpful start to someone who wants to see what its like in a controlled enviroment.
See you all after.
Training, yes.
A gun is merely a tool.
Best you can do to simulate a fight is to do force-on-force training. This will at least show you what works, what doesn't...and how fast things can be.
Here's how one should go about it...
1. Start with quality instruction, gun handling, trigger control, marksmanship. Get the fundamentals down. Get comfortable with the weapon system.
2. Get quality tactical and defensive training. This should absolutely focus around the "get off the X" theory. In other words, move and shoot. Strong emphasis on close range gun fighting.
3. Incorporate all of the above into force-on-force training. Going up against others in simulated attacks or scenarios.
Don't get stuck at #1. In other words, don't wait til you're a great shot. Not necessary. Better to move into #2 asap. What you want to get out of #1 phase, is reasonable accuracy - and decent handling skills. That is, being safe and not a danger to yourself. The marksmanship and effectiveness will come as you train the skills of shooting and moving.
Training, yes.
A gun is merely a tool.
Best you can do to simulate a fight is to do force-on-force training. This will at least show you what works, what doesn't...and how fast things can be.
Here's how one should go about it...
1. Start with quality instruction, gun handling, trigger control, marksmanship. Get the fundamentals down. Get comfortable with the weapon system.
2. Get quality tactical and defensive training. This should absolutely focus around the "get off the X" theory. In other words, move and shoot. Strong emphasis on close range gun fighting.
3. Incorporate all of the above into force-on-force training. Going up against others in simulated attacks or scenarios.
Don't get stuck at #1. In other words, don't wait til you're a great shot. Not necessary. Better to move into #2 asap. What you want to get out of #1 phase, is reasonable accuracy - and decent handling skills. That is, being safe and not a danger to yourself. The marksmanship and effectiveness will come as you train the skills of shooting and moving.
100% agree.
I am always amazed that some fighters are really good on pads, but put them in the ring, and application of their technique is awful. Why? They spend so much time learning technical skills they forgot to train to make their skills functional. The same is true in any task one needs to perform at a high level. Having a vast knowledge and technical skill is usually not as important as ones ability to do it under pressure with chaos.
Any effective training plan with weapons must apply these same principles.
Rob
2. Get quality tactical and defensive training. This should absolutely focus around the "get off the X" theory. In other words, move and shoot. Strong emphasis on close range gun fighting.
3. Incorporate all of the above into force-on-force training. Going up against others in simulated attacks or scenarios.
Crier what would you suggest for tactical and defensive training? is this sort of training available to the public? do you know of any sources for this in the Calgary area? Also how would you run a force on force attack without live ammunition?
See you all after.
Crier what would you suggest for tactical and defensive training? is this sort of training available to the public? do you know of any sources for this in the Calgary area? Also how would you run a force on force attack without live ammunition.
There are a couple outfits in the Calgary area for tactical and defensive training. Not sure how good they are as my training was not from around here.
Here is one with a fancy website: http://www.blackhawktac.com/
Marker ammo or paint balls for you second question.
While I have never been there I have heard good things of these guys in Calgary:
http://www.shadowforce.ca/
These Are The 13 Rules Of Gunfighting Everyone Should Know
Have a gun.
Some words to the wise. Shooting Advice from various Concealed Carry Instructors. If you own a gun, you will appreciate this. If not, you should get one and learn how to use it.
A) Guns have only two enemies: rust and politicians.
B) It’s always better to be judged by 12 than carried by 6.
C) Cops carry guns to protect themselves, not you.
D) Never let someone or something that threatens you get inside arms length.
E) Never say “I’ve got a gun.” If you need to use deadly force, the first sound they hear should be the safety clicking off.
F) The average response time of a 911 call is 23 minutes, the response time of a .357 is 1400 feet per second.
G) The most important rule in a gunfight is: Always win – cheat if necessary.
H) Make your attacker advance through a wall of bullets…You may get killed with your own gun, but he’ll have to beat you to death with it, cause it’ll be empty.
I) If you’re in a gun fight:
If you’re not shooting, you should be loading.
If you’re not loading, you should be moving.
If you’re not shooting, moving or loading, you’re probably dead.
J) In a life and death situation, do something…It may be wrong, but do something!
K) If you carry a gun, people call you paranoid. Nonsense! If you have a gun, what do you have to be paranoid about?
L) You can say ‘stop’ or ‘alto’ or any other word, but a large bore muzzle pointed at someone’s head is pretty much a universal language.
M) You cannot save the planet, but you may be able to save yourself and your family.
“Peace is that brief glorious moment in history when everybody stands around reloading,” — Thomas Jefferson
Good post Crier!
That is great Crier!
The only sure way to not lose a gunfight, is to NOT be in one.
Avoid gunfights. No matter how skilled or how prepared...there's always that random or luck factor. Craziest things happen when bullets fly.
Also, there is a difference between a gun fight and a shooting.....
he who lives by the sword, dies by the gun.
he who lives by the gun, dies by the stray bullet.
He who lives by the stray bullet, is better off buying a sword
See you all after.