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\f0\fs24 \cf0 We're going to talk about shooting and moving. When we talk about skill
\f1 \uc0\u8232 \f0 development and good defensive firearm
skills and being efficient in terms \f1 \uc0\u8232
\f0 of being able to stop someone from hurting us or someone that we want to
\f1 \uc0\u8232 \f0 protect in the middle of a dynamic critical
incident, of course we need to \f1 \uc0\u8232
\f0 remember that the shooting skill and our ability to actually stop the
\f1 \uc0\u8232 \f0 threat is going to come from efficient
use of the firearm.\ A lot of people want to combine shooting and
moving under the idea that if \f1 \uc0\u8232
\f0 we're moving, we must be safer than if we're standing still. Well, my
\f1 \uc0\u8232 \f0 opinion is if our movement will make the
event last longer than it needs \f1 \uc0\u8232
\f0 to, then our movement isn't really making us safer. If the movement is
\f1 \uc0\u8232 \f0 going to shorten the event, in other words
if we're going to be able to \f1 \uc0\u8232
\f0 move behind cover and not be in danger anymore or move out of a room and
\f1 \uc0\u8232 \f0 close the door behind us, well then, of
course, that movement is making us \f1 \uc0\u8232
\f0 safer and that movement is probably going to be very rapid and very
\f1 \uc0\u8232 \f0 dramatic.\
Then, of course, we have the principle of lateral movement. When we
\f1 \uc0\u8232 \f0 recognize a threat, we move laterally
while we're presenting the firearm to \f1 \uc0\u8232
\f0 get off that line that the person was attacking us on.\
But too often I see people training in a way that choreographs their foot
\f1 \uc0\u8232 \f0 motions, that they're sidestepping or
maybe they've turned their body away \f1 \uc0\u8232
\f0 from the threat and they're shuffling as they walk, and they're moving in a
\f1 \uc0\u8232 \f0 very slow choreographed, controlled way,
a way that works great on a big \f1 \uc0\u8232
\f0 open flat square range area, but maybe wouldn't work so well under the
\f1 \uc0\u8232 \f0 chaos and unpredictability of a dynamic
critical incident in a real world \f1 \uc0\u8232
\f0 environment.\ Understanding that makes me question the validity
of a training practice \f1 \uc0\u8232
\f0 that involves turning my body, drawing a pistol, and being in a very
\f1 \uc0\u8232 \f0 upright position and shooting as I walk.
Well, while those three shots were \f1 \uc0\u8232
\f0 combat accurate and were relatively efficient while I was moving, that
\f1 \uc0\u8232 \f0 speed and pace of motion really isn't
going to make me that much safer. I \f1 \uc0\u8232
\f0 think I'm much better off to move while I present and fire more
\f1 \uc0\u8232 \f0 efficiently. In other words, more rapidly,
getting combat accurate hits \f1 \uc0\u8232
\f0 from a planned and stationary position takes less deviation control than
\f1 \uc0\u8232 \f0 shooting while moving. And of course,
that's going to be true for everyone.\ Now while we might hear someone anecdotally
say, "Oh, I shoot better when \f1 \uc0\u8232
\f0 I'm moving," what I've noticed is that people who are in difficult shooting
\f1 \uc0\u8232 \f0 situations, like moving, or an extreme
distance, or an extremely small \f1 \uc0\u8232
\f0 target, or some other issue that causes the balance of speed and precision
\f1 \uc0\u8232 \f0 to get skewed, try harder and apply the
fundamentals in a more specific \f1 \uc0\u8232
\f0 way.\ So rather than deal with the behavioral issues
and the choreography issues \f1 \uc0\u8232
\f0 of slow movement while shooting, I want to look at when movement really
\f1 \uc0\u8232 \f0 will help us. Now, of course, the Combat
Focus Shooting Program is designed \f1 \uc0\u8232
\f0 for critical incidents that happen beyond two arms' reach. When we're
\f1 \uc0\u8232 \f0 within two arms' reach, we have a different
set of protocols from our \f1 \uc0\u8232
\f0 extreme close quarters tactics concepts that tells us it's probably better
\f1 \uc0\u8232 \f0 to try to stop the person from using their
weapon against us than it is for \f1 \uc0\u8232
\f0 us to try to use a firearm to defend ourselves in that close quarters
\f1 \uc0\u8232 \f0 engagement.\
Now, if I'm just beyond that two arms' reach, there may be a time and place
\f1 \uc0\u8232 \f0 where rapid dynamic movement as I fire
my first two, three, four, or five \f1 \uc0\u8232
\f0 shots, as I try to stop the threat as efficiently as I can, will make me
\f1 \uc0\u8232 \f0 safer, especially in the case of someone
with a knife or with some type of \f1 \uc0\u8232
\f0 blunt object that is meaning to do us lethal harm and they're very close to
\f1 \uc0\u8232 \f0 that two arms' reach area as we prepare
to deploy a firearm to defend \f1 \uc0\u8232
\f0 ourselves. We're too far away to move in, but we may not be far enough away
\f1 \uc0\u8232 \f0 for them not to reach us with that lethal
slash of a knife or with a heavy \f1 \uc0\u8232
\f0 blunt object to try to hurt us in a way that will keep us from being able
\f1 \uc0\u8232 \f0 to defend ourselves.\
Of course, one of our principles is the more frequently and realistically
\f1 \uc0\u8232 \f0 that we train, the better prepared we
will be to actually recognize what it \f1 \uc0\u8232
\f0 is we need to do in the midst of a dynamic critical incident. So when I
\f1 \uc0\u8232 \f0 practice this rapid motion off line and
this single handed dynamic shooting \f1 \uc0\u8232
\f0 to start my response with a firearm during this close critical situation
\f1 \uc0\u8232 \f0 that is not within two arms' reach, I
want to be in that six, seven, eight, \f1 \uc0\u8232
\f0 nine foot range. Once I get back to where I'm 10 feet, 11 feet, 12 feet
\f1 \uc0\u8232 \f0 away, I'm going to be better off just
planting and shooting to stop the \f1 \uc0\u8232
\f0 threat before they can get closer to me or before they can have more time
\f1 \uc0\u8232 \f0 to use their firearm. But again, in this
zone, where I'm very close to two \f1 \uc0\u8232
\f0 arms' reach, I'm going to move rapidly.\ Now, of course, I can do this with a training
partner, but as I'm out here \f1 \uc0\u8232
\f0 on my own today, I'm going to use my random start shot timer to not only
\f1 \uc0\u8232 \f0 help me determine when to begin this drill
and when to start my movement \f1 \uc0\u8232
\f0 and my response, but also to really take a look and make sure that I am
\f1 \uc0\u8232 \f0 moving fast, that I'm moving in a way
that would actually protect me while \f1 \uc0\u8232
\f0 doing combat efficient shooting, which is getting combat accurate shots.\
Let's take a look and see how this will work.\ I've made some marks here on the ground, and
of course, if I didn't have a \f1 \uc0\u8232
\f0 dirt or clay training area, I might be able to put some spray paint down or
\f1 \uc0\u8232 \f0 put some tape down, if I'm in an indoor
range. But I want to have some \f1 \uc0\u8232
\f0 markers to let me know that my movement is actually meaningful. Of course,
\f1 \uc0\u8232 \f0 I want to know where my two arms' reach
situation was. If I was this close \f1 \uc0\u8232
\f0 to the target, I'd be doing something different other than responding with
\f1 \uc0\u8232 \f0 my firearm, regardless of what the situation
was. So beyond two arms' \f1 \uc0\u8232
\f0 reach, this is that gray zone where if this person had a knife and they
\f1 \uc0\u8232 \f0 could take two or three steps towards
me while they were slashing, maybe \f1 \uc0\u8232
\f0 even while I was doing good combat accurate shooting, that person may still
\f1 \uc0\u8232 \f0 get that slash in and I want to get away
from them.\ So I need to make sure I'm doing two things.
First and foremost, of course, \f1 \uc0\u8232
\f0 I need to make sure that I'm remaining safe, and this is one of those
\f1 \uc0\u8232 \f0 situations where movement in this direction
or in this direction, off line \f1 \uc0\u8232
\f0 from that attack, will actually make me safer than standing here and simply
\f1 \uc0\u8232 \f0 returning fire. But I also want to stop
the threat. I can run all day. If \f1 \uc0\u8232
\f0 this person is faster than I am, it's not going to protect me from the
\f1 \uc0\u8232 \f0 threat simply to move. That's why I have
my firearm, that's why I've been \f1 \uc0\u8232
\f0 practicing my defensive firearm skills, to be able to stop that person from
\f1 \uc0\u8232 \f0 being able to hurt me.\
So I've got my random start timer, and what I'm going to do is when the
\f1 \uc0\u8232 \f0 timer goes off, I'm not only going to
start my lateral movement like I \f1 \uc0\u8232
\f0 normally would, but as I extend and shoot, I am going to continue to move
\f1 \uc0\u8232 \f0 to get to a point to where I've made a
significant amount of movement, a \f1 \uc0\u8232
\f0 significant change of position to stop that person if they had a knife and
\f1 \uc0\u8232 \f0 they were coming towards me while I was
shooting them. So two to three to \f1 \uc0\u8232
\f0 four shots as I'm moving across this line, what's a reasonable time? Well,
\f1 \uc0\u8232 \f0 of course, everyone's distance that they
can move in a short period of time \f1 \uc0\u8232
\f0 is going to be different. Everybody's dexterity is going to be different.
\f1 \uc0\u8232 \f0 Everybody's idea of how fast they can
move and shoot in this situation is \f1 \uc0\u8232
\f0 going to be different. Of course, every critical incident is going to be
\f1 \uc0\u8232 \f0 different. We don't know how many shots
it's going to take to stop the \f1 \uc0\u8232
\f0 threat.\ I definitely want to do my two, three, four,
or even five shots. I \f1 \uc0\u8232
\f0 definitely want to move at least three to four feet. I want to move a
\f1 \uc0\u8232 \f0 significant distance, more than I would
move under lateral movement \f1 \uc0\u8232
\f0 conditions, and of course I'm going to be moving while I'm shooting. Well,
\f1 \uc0\u8232 \f0 one thing that we can see very easily
watching people move is if they're \f1 \uc0\u8232
\f0 going to be moving rapidly, it's going to be very hard to do that and
\f1 \uc0\u8232 \f0 remain balanced with two hands on the
gun. If we're an experienced shooter \f1 \uc0\u8232
\f0 and we've been doing a lot of good shooting drills and good efficient
\f1 \uc0\u8232 \f0 shooting, and hopefully some good one-handed
shooting drills, we should be \f1 \uc0\u8232
\f0 comfortable with our ability, at a certain distance and at a certain pace,
\f1 \uc0\u8232 \f0 to take combat accurate shots with only
one hand. That's what we will be \f1 \uc0\u8232
\f0 doing, because if we're going to move rapidly, we're going to want this
\f1 \uc0\u8232 \f0 hand out for balance and not locked into
the gun, because, ultimately, \f1 \uc0\u8232
\f0 we're not going to be able to move in a way that is rapid enough to really
\f1 \uc0\u8232 \f0 be protecting us, really making us safer,
if we're also trying to shoot two- \f1 \uc0\u8232
\f0 handed. If the balance of speed and precision requires two-handed shooting,
\f1 \uc0\u8232 \f0 we need to plant and shoot.\
So as I move across these lines, under time while shooting, I'm going to be
\f1 \uc0\u8232 \f0 able to look at my timer and say, "Okay,
was what I did really making me \f1 \uc0\u8232
\f0 safer than simply just doing lateral movement and stopping and shooting?"
\f1 \uc0\u8232 \f0 Of course, that's going to be different
under a lot of different \f1 \uc0\u8232
\f0 circumstances. But it's certainly reasonable to say that if you can move
\f1 \uc0\u8232 \f0 three, four, or five feet while taking
three, four, or five shots and do it \f1 \uc0\u8232
\f0 all in less than three seconds, you're probably making a difference that
\f1 \uc0\u8232 \f0 could save you in the event of a dynamic
critical incident that happens \f1 \uc0\u8232
\f0 inside of this box. If it's taking you five or six or seven seconds to move
\f1 \uc0\u8232 \f0 three, or four, or five, or ten feet,
you're probably not moving fast \f1 \uc0\u8232
\f0 enough to really make a difference.\ Of course, we always want to make sure that
the risk of what we're about to \f1 \uc0\u8232
\f0 do is equal to or better yet is exceeded significantly by the benefit of
\f1 \uc0\u8232 \f0 that drill. So this drill is very dynamic,
and of course everybody's \f1 \uc0\u8232
\f0 physicality is different, everyone's coordination and balance is different.
\f1 \uc0\u8232 \f0 Start slow, understand the process, but
remember, if you're going to shoot \f1 \uc0\u8232
\f0 while moving, it should be when you're relatively close to the threat and
\f1 \uc0\u8232 \f0 moving relatively quickly, as quickly
as you can, safely on a range, \f1 \uc0\u8232
\f0 without endangering yourself or others, keeping in mind the big picture
\f1 \uc0\u8232 \f0 rule: This is a live firearm, and it can
hurt or kill me or someone else if \f1 \uc0\u8232
\f0 I use it negligently or maliciously. It would be very negligent to move in
\f1 \uc0\u8232 \f0 an uncontrolled way on a range with a
live firearm while shooting.\ Let's take a look at how this will work.\
I'll stand by in a normal, standard, non-threatening position. I'll hit my
\f1 \uc0\u8232 \f0 random start timer. When the timer goes
off, I'll go through a recognition \f1 \uc0\u8232
\f0 phase and then move rapidly past one of these two lines as I take my first
\f1 \uc0\u8232 \f0 few shots to try to stop the threat from
hurting me.\ [timer beeps] [gunshots]\
Of course, I want to do my lateral movement, do my reloads just like I
\f1 \uc0\u8232 \f0 normally would in a dynamic critical incident
training environment.\ So, we had 1.4 seconds for two good combat
accurate shots, and the second \f1 \uc0\u8232
\f0 shot was fired as I crossed this line. That's the kind of performance that
\f1 \uc0\u8232 \f0 we're looking for, is actually moving
in a significant way to get off line \f1 \uc0\u8232
\f0 from an attack while taking the first two, three, or four shots to respond
\f1 \uc0\u8232 \f0 to the threat appropriately.\
[timer beeps] [gunshots]\ Three shots, 1.67 seconds, all of them are
combat accurate. This is the \f1 \uc0\u8232
\f0 kind of movement that could save me.\ [timer beeps] [gun shots]\
And again, well less than a second and a half for two combat accurate shots
\f1 \uc0\u8232 \f0 while moving a significant difference.
This is dramatically different than \f1 \uc0\u8232
\f0 the kind of shooting and moving that you would see at an extended distance
\f1 \uc0\u8232 \f0 where the movement may or may not be helping
me. This kind of movement \f1 \uc0\u8232
\f0 would keep someone from slashing at me with a knife until I had
\f1 \uc0\u8232 \f0 significantly affected them to the point
where they couldn't try to hurt me \f1 \uc0\u8232
\f0 with a knife.\ Shooting and moving is an advanced personal
defense skill. Understand the \f1 \uc0\u8232
\f0 context of it, start to train it safely, go through the motions first, work
\f1 \uc0\u8232 \f0 with your training partners to set up
parameters that are both efficient \f1 \uc0\u8232
\f0 and effective, but also safe and actually prepare you to deal with a
\f1 \uc0\u8232 \f0 realistic situation where shooting and
moving would help.\ Check out more videos just like this one at
the Personal Defense Network.}