My SD thinking is evolving....

[Ziggy2525]

I'm fortunate to have a reasonably large firearms training company near me. Run mostly by retired SWAT cops. Indoor and outdoor training facility. Their business seems to be split 50/50 between LEO training and CCW customers.

One service they do for the CCW customers is put on monthly force on force (ish) scenarios using Airsoft guns. They go all out to set up reasonably realistic scenarios. Multiple assailants. Trailing accomplices. Wandering bystanders. Women screaming. So for I've been through car jackings, kidnapping attempts, convenience store robberies, ATM robberies, home invasions, and business mass shootings. Sometimes you're the target, sometimes your a witness. While it's obviously not real, from my perspective it's about as close as I can get.

As I've been going through the scenarios, my priorities are evolving. You hear this from other people, but for me until I experience it, it doesn't quite hit home.

These are where my priorities sit now from the most important to the least....

#1 Pay attention. Even when you're being distracted. Having an extra 4 or 5 seconds to make decisions as things unfold is huge. I've heard the Active Self Protect guy say something like "distance buys you time and time buys you options." Seems totally true.

#2 Good decision making. Run and take cover. Run and shoot. Comply and wait your turn. Fully comply. Go right now. Making the right decisions is big.

#3 Good tactics. Am I drawing at an appropriate time. If I'm feigning compliance, is my feint realistic. Is my cover good. Am I using it correctly. Concealing your draw. Not doing something stupid like trying to have a quick draw gun fight.

#4 Marksmanship and other gun issues. Marksmanship does matter, but at least with the Airsoft guns, it only needs to be adequate. Not difficult to get good COM hits out to 10 yards.

You see lots of discussion online about 1 second draw to fire. At least in the scenarios I've been in, if you need that kind of speed, you're going to get shot any way. At least one time. The other guys aren't slow either. More important to be deliberate with reasonable speed. Once you decide to go, GO.

I thought I'd toss this out and see others opinions are about the priorities. What your experiences have been. Etc. As always YMMV.

 

[ContinentalOp]

I took a course several years ago, and there were a couple of drills that I thought were useful.

The first drill has the shooter on the line facing several targets, each one with a number. The instructor would yell out numbers and you had to engage the correct target with solid hits. If you ran out of ammo and he was still yelling out numbers, you had to reload and engage.

The second was similar, except it was a single target with numbers in different places. The instructor would yell out the numbers. At the end of the string you had to run to the bench and back, about 50ft, and repeat. This continued until you fired 50 rounds.

I liked them because it involved some decision-making/problem-solving while under stress, and maintaining a sufficient level of marksmanship at the same time.

 

[URIT]

Thanks so much! Finally some great common-sense advice for all of us. You could have given them a plug so others close by can join the fun.

 

[flagman1776]

The more and better training and tactics you can get the better. I while I was active in the local PD, I took additional training on my own dime. I never regretted any of it.

 

[MOONDAWG]

Because action beats reaction every time, situational awareness is a must.

If you get in a fist fight, you will get punched.

If you get in a knife fight, you will get cut.

If you get in a gun fight, you will get shot.

Paying attention to one's surroundings increases your chance of survival.

 

[Kanewpadle]

I was fortunate to befriend a swat team member years ago. And even more fortunate to get one on one training with him.

A trip through the shoot house really opened my eyes.

Quality training is a must.

 

[ISCS Yoda]

All good comments. I will drop this thread into another one that I plan to start.

I, too, once took a training course with numbered targets. First, the trainer described a scenario where I was fixing to be accosted by bad guys. In order to train realistically I had to tell them to go away, then I had to yell and back pedal, all the while getting my adrenaline roaring.

THEN he started calling out numbers that I had to hit. When I ran out of ammo he did permit me to toss the gun and pull another one so reloading was not a part of the drill. But it was eye opening for sure.

I followed that with various other gun fighting classes over time and that's why, if you read the red dot thread posted today, you will see me say that you must practice both-eyes-open-point-shooting. Aiming is not going to happen as a general rule.

 

[Univibe]

You want real world training? Play airsoft. All the formal training in the world is no substitute for trying to survive on a two way shooting range.