In times of high stress nobody “rises to the occasion”. Instead, we all sink to our training and competency.
Everyone has heard this statement in one form or another, but it is worth repeating. Competency of a skill requires repetition. I have spent significant range time with individuals in law enforcement. I do not remember a single encounter when I have, not only been more competent, but also been complemented on my level of skill. I do not say this to brag but to help other individuals with a preparedness mindset because I believe everyone can achieve a high competency with a modern carry pistol. The way this is accomplished is through “brief yet frequent” practice sessions. I define this concept more definitively as, “A brief practice session between 30 and 45 minutes, typically alone, in which one expends approximately 100 rounds of ammunition”.
Why such a brief time? Simply put – if you don’t use it you lose it. The goal is to conduct this session at least twice a month. Studies have proven that we all lose interest after a certain amount of time and then diminishing returns set in. Also, the use of ammunition will be more cost effective if you focus on certain drills which we will explore later. To summarize, handgunning is a quickly perishable skill. I guarantee that without regular practice the individual who pays for a top shelf intensive training will have highly degraded skill after just a few short months if they are not regularly getting trigger time.
Why alone? This is your time. Inevitably your focused practice session will become a social hour (or two) when company is along. You start competing, tell stories, whatever. This range time is for you to do one thing – personally get better. Yes, the range sessions where you clear out the safe and give everyone a run is extremely fun and exhilarating. But generally, it isn’t building the long-term skill that can make a difference in time of need. Instead you should look at this as time for yourself. Focus.
Don’t take more than two pistols with you but don’t take less than two. Having many with you will screw up the muscle memory. Why not one? Well while you’re shooting you should also have another loaded (more on safety at the range later). The goal of these practice sessions is to familiarize yourself with the tool to the point that it is second nature. Nearly an extension of your body. Pride yourself in knowing your skill is improving and that you don’t have to show it every time. That’s what concealed carry is all about anyway right? Make sure your training complements the hidden nature of your weapon.
Budget yourself. This “regular yet frequent” concept requires at minimum 2,000 rounds per year of your chosen caliber. For better results it’ll probably turn out to be near 2,500 or 3,000. This is approximately $350 (at least in 9mm for current prices at the moment). Start thinking about your budget. What can you cut out easily? We all are guilty of being frivolous with our hard-earned cash at some point throughout the year. Cut out the coffee, impulse buys, etc. and you easily have enough for your yearly skill maintenance as well as additional to put away for the rainy days ahead.
Last comment about money – the price is still right for most ammunition right now – stack your practice ammo deep. Also, budget the time in your schedule. Be efficient with errands, chores, work, and family time and you can make it to the range more often. I also am a proponent of carrying “fresh” carry ammo. Not so much for the fact that modern ammo “goes bad” (it doesn’t) but this allows you to fire a couple magazines of high-octane defense ammo two or three times a year. Furthermore, running your defensive round will ensure that it cycles well in your gun. As for the training ammo you will want to at least go for the same bullet weight so that recoil is at least relatively the same (yes, I’m aware there are many other factors that go into that formula).
There has been plenty of talk of who “should have” had a gun in that church in Texas (everyone undoubtedly has seen the video). But the facts remain – the incident ended more quickly than if police alone were depended upon. First things first, you need to carry all the time. Determine what you will carry and when – this isn’t a debate on hardware or tools. I know that some people stress the need to “carry one pistol, all the time, end of story”. I don’t think that is realistic because we often find ourselves in different situations that may require different attire, physical exertion, etc. What I do recommend is having a strong skillset with whatever you choose to leave the home with. Each scenario may require a different tool. The main point here is – pick your pistol for each scenario and stick with them! Don’t forget a solid holster…especially pocket holsters. What this does require is a dedication to regular training and some planning. For example, if you know you will be forced in a non-permissible environment and need to have a tucked in shirt then practice with the pocket .380 ACP more regularly.
My only main comment about specific gear in this article is this: Don’t shy away from the small frame guns. So long as you have it on you then you are ahead of the game. Three reasons I recommend this. First, a .380 at the ready in a pocket is infinitely more useful than a full size 10mm in the glove box 10 feet or even 3 feet away! Defensive scenarios happen very quickly so what you have on you is what you need. Back to the Texas church shooting – I believe all the action was over within 5 or 6 seconds. So if you are going to carry the small pistol more often then by all means don’t even listen to the haters – skip over the “caliber war” articles and comments online.
Carrying is better than not. Second, the small gun is a good to have on the range because they are simply more difficult to shoot. This inherent challenging attribute will make you a better shooter. Short sight radius and snappy recoil builds up skill. Once you go to a larger gun you’ll be amazed how much better you shoot. So you carry a full size all the time? Good for you! Start taking that pocket rocket to the range. You know the snappy-recoil-unpleasant-to-shoot-pocket-rocket? When you go back to the full size, then I promise you’ll shoot even better. Third and finally, limited round count makes you make them count while on the range. Instead of continual blasting you will find yourself slowing down and more deliberate with your shots. Next, I will explain a few simple drills I do that help stretch rounds (and your wallet ultimately).
Before getting to the range you should have a basic outline in your head on what you’re doing. My recommendation is to focus on two main areas: drawing and transition. Your draw is critical. Get good purchase on the gun and make some hits. First typically wins. Smooth is fast and fast is smooth. You don’t have to be Doc Holiday (or John Wick for a more contemporary comparison). This is where steel targets can be useful to have audible feedback. Draw and fire no more than three rounds at your 8-inch disc steel target (suspended from chains to limit ricochet) from no more than seven yards. If you hit on first round then do you 360-degree scan and go back to holster slowly and carefully. Yes, I believe the 360-degree scan is important even though they can look silly. It is important to force yourself to eliminate tunnel vision. If you miss the first shot then fire again. If you miss a third then move yourself laterally left or right. If it is an indoor range you go to (I do not) then at least move yourself as much as possible or contort yourself so you are firing slightly off balance.
The point here is if you don’t make quick hits then odds are you (and the bad guy) will be on the move. Practice for this. As for transition drills – the odds of you having multiple targets are slim. The benefit again here is for movement. If you can quickly hit multiple targets stationary then your same motor skills are improving in other areas. I recommend “El Presidente”. Just do a quick web search for: “El Presidente shooting drill” and you can use literally any of these for a general idea of this and other transition drills. Before leaving the range expend at least one magazine each left hand and right hand only. In defensive situations you might be unable to use the support hand or even your dominant hand. Doing this regularly keeps muscle memory on the recoil. Leave the range prepared. This requires you to make sure you have a loaded firearm. It amazes me how many people I’ve seen practice defending themselves and then walk away without a viable way to actually defend themselves. Good habits will keep you in a mindset of defense…for example if you have some empty magazines don’t put them even close to your loaded ones which could be grabbed inadvertently during the fog of a real defensive scenario.
Returning home from the range you need two things. Clean them immediately! This is just good habit. No reason to put a perfectly good tool away dirty. This is an investment – take care of it. Secondly, don’t neglect dry fire practice. This again reinforces your muscle memory. Visioning can be a powerful thing. Remember back to the “fliers” you had on your targets. You know, the one or two that were “wayyy off” from center. Dry fire immediately after cleaning ensures you properly cleared the gun. Again, you can look up some videos on how to dry fire practice. (Reid Henrichs has a good one). Draw stroke is important here too.
I will end with two final thoughts. First, you should have a small individual first aid kit IFAK (aka trauma kit) with you every time you go to the range. Not only have the equipment but also some basic knowledge how to use it all. Secondly, I highly recommend getting “professional” shooting training. No, I don’t own a shooting school. I’ve been to several however. No matter how you slice it you’ll gain valuable insight during a full weekend of shooting (most over 1,000 rounds). Typically, training courses are around $500 for a weekend and are well worth it. Don’t overthink it – just go.
Good luck, stay safe, and keep practicing frequently!
Great article. I wish I got to the range more, I guess I’m just going to have to force myself. Such a chore /s. Just a word on practice. My martial arts instructor always said practice doesn’t make perfect. It’s perfect practice that makes perfect. Every technique you are working on make sure it’s as close to perfect as you can every time you do it. Make sure your fundamentals are strong, everything else is built off of them. Lastly I totally agree on the caliber debate. There isn’t enough real world data to definitively say what round has the best “stopping power”. The best caliber is the one that works for you, and that you carry, and that you can put on target effectively.
Just my 2 pence
Good article I like the point he makes about not dropping your defense while practicing your defense !
Koolerbythelake.blogspot.com
Very good article. I have been a handgun trainer for over 40 years. Now retired. I have personally been intimately involved in shootings where life was at stake. We do what we are trained to do. If we do not train that is exactly what we do. Nothing! Good training gives us good habits. In a very high stress situation, which a shooting undoubtedly is, we do not think well. Practice helps us greatly at these times. First think, get behind cover if there is any. Second, get your gun into action. Third, get your mind back into action. The shooter might have friends. Get training!
Excellent article.
1. “Brief yet frequent practice sessions”
2. “Carry all the time”.
Those are key points for anyone serious about self-defense.
Keystone Scout makes excellent points, thanks KS.
There are two kinds of drills: Bio-Mechanical Drills (BMD) and Perception Drills (PD).
A lot of “Drilling Tools” for BMD are available: El Presidente, Dot Torture, Todd Green’s great F.A.S.T. Drill, the Bill Drill and many, many others. Use them. When you start improving well with one, shift to another and work on it, come back to the first one in 3-5 practice sessions; the goal is not to be the best on your block at Dot Torture, but to constantly improve on all of the drills.
Get professional assistance to make sure you’re practicing the right things; doing the wrong thing better and faster is not an advantage. Drill using the buddy system, observe and critique each other. Stop drilling when you START getting tired; “just one more box of ammo” leads to fatigue-induced sloppiness and you’ll start building incorrect “muscle memory.”
A proper draw requires: reach, grasp, establish draw grip, extract, rotate, elevate, assemble firing grip (two-handed), extend up and out to eye level (often called “push out”), sight alignment, trigger press. Your support hand should be against your abdomen or chest during the draw stroke, and “rotate” should coincide with the gun being in a retention position and the two-handed firing grip assembled there. The sights should be at eye level at the start of push-out so the gun is already on target. Start with a plastic training pistol – a “blue gun” – before moving to your UNLOADED gun. Including ammunition in the “Draw Drill” is the very last step and comes only after a LOT of training and practice. Initial goal is “reach-to-press” in under 1.5 seconds, then work on getting to 1.4, then 1.3, etc. Consider a S.I.R.T. Pistol from Next Level Training; expensive, certainly, but a terrific training tool.
A good draw requires a good holster, one that is ALWAYS in exactly the same place on your body and holds the gun EXACTLY the same way all the time. A good holster will cost real money; so do nice caskets and the holes they fit into. Spend now, save later.
Bio-Mechanical Drills always involve firing a shot at the end of the draw; we do the same thing in IPSC, IDPA, ICORE, 3-Gun, Cowboy, after the timer beep. Bio-Mechanical Drills are great aids in learning how to “run the gun;” Perception Drills (PD) begin earlier, but fully take over at that point – do you need to fire the shot? Do you need to even draw the gun?
Perception Drills begin with Situational Awareness (SA) – if you see potential trouble coming far enough away you can be somewhere else when it arrives. Perception Drills will help keep you out of jail and court. Avoidance is key. If avoidance is not possible, SA allows positioning yourself in the best possible position to deal with it. Is there an exit? Where is cover? Is hiding an option? Will hiding jeopardize you and yours? Can you hide in such a way that it improves your tactical position and negatively impacts the bad guys’ tactical options? If avoidance is impossible, can the situation be de-escalated? Have you received training in de-escalation and practiced it? It’s usually part of training on “Dealing With Unknown Contacts;” it won’t make you into an FBI hostage negotiator by any means, but it’s a very useful skill, one that fits quite well between “Avoidance Through Awareness” and “Problem Resolution Through Gunfire.”
Options are wonderful things, seek to maintain as many of them as possible, 24X7X365, minute by minute. Carry cash so you can pay and leave immediately, even if your food has not arrived yet; there are other restaurants, and they all serve food; meals are cheap, lawyers are expensive. Cash also pays for a taxicab ride to Somewhere Else. Very bright, white light doesn’t just allow identification of a threat, it’s also a terrific weapon. So is the high-dollar tactical flashlight that projects that bright white light. Sit near an exit, but not right at it, sometimes the bad guys come in the back way. John Boyd invented the OODA Loop – Observe, Orient, Decide, Act, learn it and practice it. It’s called a Loop because you don’t run it once, you run it constantly; once you learn it, and practice it, Cooper’s Condition Yellow works well and easily all day long. So do things like pepper spray and collapsible batons; hosing someone down with Sabre Red to provide time to escape is quieter, and less likely to require expensive legal counsel afterward, than using your gun. Same for a whack on a nerve point (outside the elbow, outside the knees, etc.) with a baton. Pro Tip: Check your local laws first – concealed weapon laws are often illogical, some CWP statutes allow carrying a gun but prohibit pepper spray and/or batons.
If you carry a gun, carry it all the time; per Cooper, the First Rule of Gunfighting is “bring a gun.” If you’re awake and not naked, you’re armed, round chambered, magazine full, gun holstered, spare magazine on board. You’re carrying a gun not so you can go places you would not go unarmed, or to prove you can out shoot the bad guy, you’re carrying it because some day all your best efforts at avoiding trouble may fail. Train, drill and practice problem avoidance, but also train, drill and practice Effective Problem Resolution, both with negotiation and what’s termed “kinetic methods.”
+1 to the above. Well reasoned thoughts stated and explained.
Hiding is NEVER an option.
Some important don’t forgets and you should do’s
Do move and rearrange your target or targets if your working on your point shooting skills.
Do wear your p.p.e. (all of it) if your plan like mine is to wear a full face respirator you should have it on when you practice from time to time.
Do let some one know where you are going and when you will be back if your shooting rural and that you will in fact be shooting firearms. This way they can notify emergency services of the whole picture if something happens.
Don’t practice you draw at speed with live round in chamber when you are alone. Even if you do carry a live round in your real carry situations (you can time this yourself) there is no harm or time difference in attempting to load a round in a semi auto if you practice draw shoot manual slide shoot (for that matter there is no appreciable difference in empty chamber daily carrying draw slide shoot) the same for shot guns draw rack aim shoot (In fact it’s even more accurate as you will be shoulder seating at the same time as aiming by virtue of you foregrip hand going to the area of the threat.)
Do practice your draw while on the move roll jump lunge back up run. (You are not Sharon Stone they are not Gene Hackman they will be no intense stares while some one is whistling “that song”) if your first muscle memory action is to clear their line of fire as you set up yours survival is increased.
Don’t run with a round chambered.
And don’t be dumb … Please do be safe
Why do you practice with a full face respirator?
Well it was an example given Partick Henry.
Right now the virus is a big issue. Running through drills with out one on could prove to be a detriment with one on.
My self personally;
I’ve never cared much for hand guns (I know I should I know I’m limiting myself) my fire arm has always been a shot gun. Not only that but I hold it “short stock” with the stock on top of my shoulder sideways (it pissed my law enforcement father off to no end until he saw me load faster than him and out perform him on a course)
But if you were to do all of your training with cheek on stock or close to on stock and plan (as I do) to use a full face respirator you would find your site picture or mask fit would be compromised.
Also if you train (as I do) with the notion that rolling jumping running etc away from you opponent foreign line is a good idea then it behooves you in advance to train with protective gear on and learn how it moves with or against you. How it affects your breathing sight etc as you are doing your drills with it on.
If you have a shoulder holster and wear a bullet proof or even regular jacket layers it will affect your draw.
The types of shoes you wear will affect you too so train and drill in them.
That’s all I was saying.
I think you need to completely revamp your idea of training.
The photo of the two young men shooting a revolver and a Ruger 10/22 should be brought into question . Taking on pop cans in your shorts in the snow is not range time it’s plinking for fun . In the next unpleasantness a revolver is called a nuisance because the ability to hit anything beyond 50 meters is nil . Most all law enforcement train at 50 meters or less . All that training is useless for the rifle zeroed at 300 meters .
Take one glance to the Syrian civil war and how many perished by the ultimate small arms fire of revolvers and pistols . The numbers are negligible. Jack Wilson aside the real danger in the next conflict will come from 300 to 2000 meters away . With the astounding advent of modern day optics one mile shots occurs every day by shooters with minimal training and a off the shelf rifle .
So for me I will do very little training at 15 meters and a little more deer hunting at 300 meters . Having to expend thousands of rounds per year to be Tombstones fastest draw seems more like a hobby than training The money I save I will increase my food stores and I will leave the demise of soda cans to others.
would never be photograghed
Right, because when the methhead jumps you in the parking lot you’ll run out to 300 yards yank out your rifle and take him out. Man there is so much stupid out here!
Mac ham.
I respectfully disagree with you.the war of the snipers is good for movies and for selling things of course . … And exceptional good for bragging.
But I’m not sure that your aware of what proper “tactical” (I hate tactical moniker) training involves.
I also make no claim to be an expert in all training methodology out there.
My training \ drill regiment was developed by training with bor-s.t.a.r (border patrol special tactics “swat” ) personnel and military veterans (marine l.r.r.p. members and Army Rangers) etc.
They taught. Me the first course of action was to “get as far away from where you were” first.
Get armed and ready as fast as possible.
Identify the threat.
Eliminate the threat.
A real life scenario of this working and failing for me was when I was forced to carry a pistol on my job. And some one started shooting at me.
I’m having a smoke (tobacco) and all the sudden there was flashes and noise (obviously since I noticed those I wasn’t hit) my response was immediate. I defaulted to my training. I scrambled rolled jumped away from where I was as I was identifying what had happened (semi auto gun fire) as I was also drawing my weapon. I brought the weapon to bear at the vehicle from where the flashes came in time to see \ hear them empty their next clip. At which point my actions failed me. I unloaded my whole clip at the vehicle. Which sped off upon receiving counter fire.
Did I hit any one… No civilians. Maybe no bad guys… I don’t know I did hit some ones house window and their car parked in driveway.
Maybe I hit the SUV I was being shot at from.
So what went wrong? I was carrying my gun on my left side… I’m a right handed shooter who fights south paw.
All of my training I had recently done was to qualify for my fire arms license and the drills were .
Take gun out of holster slowly,,, aim fire and empty the clip.
I did not think that as a lowly security guard I’d have to use a fire arm … So I didn’t drill. I past what was needed for qualifications.
So my initial and long term training did an excellent job of letting me see myself through the first course of my actions. I got out of harm’s way assessed situation was almost instantly prepared with appropriate response to the threat against me. My lack of drill training and preparations would have and could have gotten me killed.
If I had been carrying a shot gun or Long rifle. I would have killed them most likely… At least I’d have put more lead on target in a more controlled way.
The critical difference is I trained with the shotgun for that situation but I trained barely any to use the pistol other that draw squeeze empty.
although its been said that a pistol is only there to get you back to you rifle. criminals rarely attempt a robbery from 300 meters/yards away its always close quarters combat 21 feet or less is when they jump you. a pistol has its place in society.
Keystone Scout,
Nice article, this is exactly the way I train, with a few exceptions (sometimes I’m bad about cleaning my guns after each use). I always go to the range alone, spend about 45 min., then leave. I do this about 4 times a month. I always bring 2 different guns. I shoot almost as good with my off hand as my dominant and always practice one handed shooting. I have many times gotten looks from men at the range when they see a lone middle age woman walk up, I can almost here them say ah oh, watch out, some have even told me this was a first thought. I always 9/10 times shoot better than any man there, i’m Not saying this to brag, I just want to encourage women to have confidence and learn self defense. I’ve been shooting over 30 years and have had lots of training by both men & women….it’s worth every penny. I have a variety of guns and practice with them all, my main edc is a Glock 19, and most of my guns are chambered in 9mm. I practice with regular Full metal jacket 115 gr., usually Winchester or Remington, this is what I can afford and this is usually what I carry in all my 9mm because it’s what I’m used to shooting. I feel confident that as well as i shoot I don’t need a more tactical round (and can not afford to stockpile them) dead is dead! I do make a few exceptions when carrying a subcompact handgun, with only 7 round capacity, I will use more tactical rounds. When I’m alone I carry concealed on my person. For the women who maybe reading this I carry differently when I have any of my grandkids with me. I have 4 Grandkids all 4 years and under in age. I have struggled with this a lot, but I cannot justify carrying on my person, kids that age are all over you. So, I carry my Glock 19 in my purse in an open section by itself with grip facing up and a GLK-A1 ID trigger protector, this requires my fingerprint to release the trigger guard. Now I know what many are already thinking….you cannot access gun quick enough or other things. But I practice with this all the time and this is just about as fast as my draw from a holster. I have made peace with this, due to the fact if my grandkids ever found my gun it would be useless in their hands. The oldest is almost 5 and I have already begin talking gun safety to him, with many lessons to follow.
All you women out there get out and learn to shoot, know how to protect yourself, and most importantly learn and practice situational awareness. Get your faces out of your phone!
And everybody always practice the 4 basic rules of firearms:
1. Treat all guns as if they are loaded. I don’t care if someone clears their gun in front of me, if they hand me their firearm I will check it again.
2. Never let the muzzle cover anything you are not willing to destroy.
3. Keep your finger off the trigger and out of the trigger guard until your sights are on target and you have made the decision to shoot. ( I see this mistake made more often than any at the range, and never have a problem telling them).
4. Be sure of your target and what is behind it.
Good notes, TxNurse.
One of the proudest days in my life was on the Fort Lewis combat pistol ranges, with my unit located next to my daughter’s unit, for qualification with our crappy Army Beretta 9mm’s.
I shot 37/40. My daughter shot 40/40.
I was greatly comforted by this fact as she then deployed to a FOB on an Iraqi Army base, the sole US female on the FOB. She came back home alive with her Combat Action Badge.
I always urge ladies to get armed and get trained.
Wheatley Fisher,
Glad to hear your daughter came back safe and sound. Thank you both for your service!
Almost all my male relatives have served in the military, and I’m proud of them all. My son-in-law is currently an Army Captain, very proud of him!
I’m not surprised your daughter out shot you, I’ve seen many women shoot naturally better than a lot of men. I think it may have something to do with when we are first learning if we have a good teacher we listen and take directions to heart more. No offense, but sometimes a man’s macho attitude may get in the way! But women need to have the confidence that they can do this, and not be afraid of the gun, good training makes all the difference.
Some advice on any “fingerprint activated” lock. I had a safe that worked in that style; press your fingertip on a scanner and the lock automatically released once it recognized your print.
EXCEPT when certain conditions occurred.
– I’d been working with my hands and the tips were rough and worn.
– My fingers were lightly coated with dust or debris.
– My fingers were wet coming out of a shower (but just as easily could be blood on your hands if you’re attacked).
In none of those cases did the scanner recognize my fingerprint. The safe would not open. Important lesson learned, and I no longer rely on that mechanism.
I always use targets with “Blow-ups” of democratic/socialist Marxists. I have Diane Feinstein on one target, all the Federal Judges that used their “liberal” privlege to block Trump’s immigration law abiding on still other targets, and now Mr. Adam Schiff and Nasty Peloci on other targets. Then FBI agents Comey, Struick, and Lisa Page. It just let’s vet my frustration at my home range on the range.
I would never approach these people in real life and avoid them like the plague if I’ve seen them in public [not likely] so don’t worry about my mental capacity. Just having some fun!!!
All the best….
I’ve always been taught that 10 yards is the minimum for steel targets, so for safety’s sake you may want to reconsider your 7 yard recommendation. Even at 10 yards, I’ve seen competitors take flesh wounds on their arms, legs and occasionally even their face from lead or copper jackets pieces that bounced back from steel targets. This was mostly small stuff, but one flattened copper jacket was lodged deep enough in the forearm muscle to require an ER trip. A good reminder to wear long pants and eye pro!
I don’t know if it has a formal name, but the drill we did at weekly practice sessions was to draw and hit a 4″ steel target in 1.5 seconds. It always felt great when you heard the clang.
Good points on pistol training. In my younger years I competed at IPSC matches and was pretty decent with a modified Colt .45/Series 70. I would train 100 rounds per week. Not a lot but as KS pointed out enough. Now in my later years I find I shoot less but recently have stepped it up to at least 2 range sessions per month. I am a reloader so when I make my practice ammo it matches factory premium specs.
I urge all of you to watch Ken Hackathorn Wizard drill on YouTube and see how you do with your carry handgun and carry ammo. Very enlightening. Also training with a timer as he does is very beneficial as it introduces a time/pressure element that is clearly a factor in a live shooting situation.
Everyone has some excellent comments to a great article.
The only things I have to add:
1. Make sure you also practice your short-range rifle and shotgun drills;
2. Draw and shoot from different positions – standing; seated in a chair from all
angles; kneeling; and from various positions on the ground (assuming your
range approves); and
3. If you feel comfortable enough, teach new shooters, as for me it really made me
focus on the basics which helped me as well