Personal regimen

[moyler]

I don't care HOW close a person is, I'm of the opinion that a flying chunk of lead > all. If you can stab a person, you can pull a trigger.

At any rate, if you're taking classes I assume you've heard of the Tueller drill?

Nope. (No, I'm not abashed at admitting my utter ignorance.)

My friend, in the Dry Fire Fundamentals class, we touched on tactics including the Tueller drill. Do you recall drawing and shooting against the timer from 3 seconds down to 1.5 seconds? I know you remember now. Unfortunately we missed you at the Spring Next Step and the subsequent ADP class.

You ask so many questions we answer in every class. They are answered not by telling, but by doing. Please consider resuming your training!

[Volsung]

I don't care HOW close a person is, I'm of the opinion that a flying chunk of lead > all. If you can stab a person, you can pull a trigger.

If you are within arms reach of an attacker, drawing your gun may be detrimental to your welfare. As you draw, they may go hands-on with you, impeding your ability to draw or even defend yourself. Before you go to gun in extreme close quarters, it may be better for you to go hands-on to create distance. Then, you may have a better chance of drawing / firing without hinderance. This is especially true if you deep-conceal.

Every situation is different so each person should consider all possibilities. This is why I emphasize the importance of learning empty-hand fighting and knife-fighting if you are comfortable with it. You should have sufficient training to effectively use any tool you incorporate into your self-preservation strategy, or you should not carry it. Valuable as it may be, a firearm is not an end-all tool for self-defense.

[D-FIN]

I don't care HOW close a person is, I'm of the opinion that a flying chunk of lead > all. If you can stab a person, you can pull a trigger.

If you are within arms reach of an attacker, drawing your gun may be detrimental to your welfare. As you draw, they may go hands-on with you, impeding your ability to draw or even defend yourself. Before you go to gun in extreme close quarters, it may be better for you to go hands-on to create distance. Then, you may have a better chance of drawing / firing without hinderance. This is especially true if you deep-conceal.

Every situation is different so each person should consider all possibilities. This is why I emphasize the importance of learning empty-hand fighting and knife-fighting if you are comfortable with it. You should have sufficient training to effectively use any tool you incorporate into your self-preservation strategy, or you should not carry it. Valuable as it may be, a firearm is not an end-all tool for self-defense.

Not all of us would fair well at even minimal hand to hand. Best to study and practice techniques for drawing and firing at close quarters. You can fire into their torso from position 2 of your draw. You probably cannot extend into a full firing stance in that situation anyway. Keep your gun tucked in close to your body and hit what you can. If being rushed at close range you might be firing multiple shots as you bring your gun to position.

If you just go to hands on and become to injured to deploy your firearm then what? Now if you are trained and able to mange hand to hand that is one thing but that is not an good option for many of us.

[Volsung]

Not all of us would fair well at even minimal hand to hand. Best to study and practice techniques for drawing and firing at close quarters. You can fire into their torso from position 2 of your draw. You probably cannot extend into a full firing stance in that situation anyway. Keep your gun tucked in close to your body and hit what you can. If being rushed at close range you might be firing multiple shots as you bring your gun to position.

If you just go to hands on and become to injured to deploy your firearm then what? Now if you are trained and able to mange hand to hand that is one thing but that is not an good option for many of us.

You are correct. If you have not had proper empty-hand training, you may not fare well. This is why I emphasize the importance of training to implement any tool or technique into your self-preservation strategy. The point I was trying to make is that, in some situations, you may experience problems if you go straight to your gun, especially if the attacker is also reaching for your gun. A quick, explosive attack like an elbow or palm heel strike may create enough distance to present your gun. I'm not suggesting you engage in an MMA fight with the attacker. Every situation is different. The point is: plan for the worst, hope for the best.

You should have sufficient training to effectively use any tool you incorporate into your self-preservation strategy, or you should not carry it.

[metalgimp]

Just wanted to log my progress.

I've found that the sights get in the way of fire, so I've been ignoring them altogether. I'm actually doing much better with good groupings at 10 yards. I simply look where I want to shoot and pull the trigger. The first round is consistently off, but the rest tighten right up. When I discovered this, I was shocked and worried that there was something wrong with eye/sights coordination. I told the range officer (Doug's, Murray), and he assured me that's all good. Strange.

Draw/fire still needs a bit of work. The problem I face is that I need to remember to pause for 1/2 second to stabilize alignment. Consistently, I have to go in slow motion, then speed it up by degrees. Of course, that means I run more rounds. That has been a might issue: at 0.23/pop it adds up.

Today with a little help, I started practising (I have no idea what is it called) with multiple targets. I shoot one round per target, sweeping back and forth and even hopping other targets. Just doing that once has improved my alignment. Fortunately, the range was empty, so I could use three lanes.

Focusing on the endpoint, sightless shooting, draw/fire, and ignoring all else has subdued recoil anticipation. Or, it simply is because I buying more on rounds. In any case, I feel increasingly more confident in my approaches.

Regimen so far:
1) Accuracy. Nothing fancy. Simply shoot moving the target forward and backward to improve grouping.
2) Familiarization. Doing periodic dry fire to reduce bad habits.
3) Action. Start with several positions: in-hand, holstered, on table, cover holstered. Draw and fire. Move the target forward and back to track stray shots and tighten groups.
4) Alignment. Ignore everything except for the target. You see it; you shoot it. Use several targets or raise and lower firearm to force realignment. [Try not to sever target shuttle's wire.]
5) Technique. Double/triple taps, rapid fire, triangle vs. [whatever], ...

I'm still working. As I mentioned before, I feel compelled to be ready to defend my family. That is my drive.