CQC pistol

[J-Luck]

I am of the opinion that in a “real” scrap you tend to do things somewhat differently than what you do shooting on a square range at paper targets that don’t shoot back. First of all, all that nice form tends to go away…fast. I tend to train the way I fight. That is in a boxer’s stance, weight distributed evenly and my arms locked out pushing the muzzle into the threat.

Obviously, the number one skill to have is the drawstroke, period. In the up close in your face events the retention drawstroke is of vital importance. But there is a big difference between what happens on the range and what happens in a gunfight.

Only if you're scared or nervous. I think the more you train with contact the less you will fear. Or, like me, if you've been in quite a few "real" situations, the fear just goes away after time. But, I think training takes that fear away. A boxer doesn't fear getting hit cause, he's been hit alot. I think a bjj guy doesn't fear someone hopping on top of him becuase that's what he's trained for. I could be wrong, but that's the way it should be.

[knifethrower]

like me, if you've been in quite a few "real" situations, the fear just goes away after time.

How do you define “real” and what is your definition of fear?

[BoarSpear]

Only if you're scared or nervous. I think the more you train with contact the less you will fear. Or, like me, if you've been in quite a few "real" situations, the fear just goes away after time. But, I think training takes that fear away. A boxer doesn't fear getting hit cause, he's been hit alot. I think a bjj guy doesn't fear someone hopping on top of him becuase that's what he's trained for. I could be wrong, but that's the way it should be.

BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHA

[knifethrower]

BWAHAHAHAHAHAHAHHAHAHA

yeah, what he said----------------------------

[darrianation]

To be honest, train the bejeezus out of your marksmanship fundamentals, and when you're a really good shot, then work on shooting from awkward positions. Work your weak hand, including reloads. Work shooting from half-prone, around corners, under barriers, and anything that can help you learn to hit what you're shooting at when you're uncomfortable. After all, when the chips are down, uncomfortable is a virtual guarantee!

Good advice!

Also, work one movment and shooting on the move. The longer you stay on the X the greater the chances of being shot (they are proportional increases). Yes, shooting on the move will give up some accurcy, but most folks unless they have trained for that eventuality, have a hard time hitting moving targets especially ones shooting back. I am talking about the lateral movment patterns.

[darrianation]

Only if you're scared or nervous. I think the more you train with contact the less you will fear. Or, like me, if you've been in quite a few "real" situations, the fear just goes away after time. But, I think training takes that fear away. A boxer doesn't fear getting hit cause, he's been hit alot. I think a bjj guy doesn't fear someone hopping on top of him becuase that's what he's trained for. I could be wrong, but that's the way it should be.

Have you ever had a video taken of yourself in a dynamic firefight, even if it was just with sims? You might see your posture (etc) is more different than you think.

I think in a firefight the focus is on the threat not necessarily on you body position. I know this makes the gun gurus with their customized range rigs strut off mumbling about us infidels but it really doesn’t matter as long as you can make the shot.

I don’t care what stance you take how you hold your arms, posture etc. If you can make those shots under pressure…please don’t change a thing.

[Tom Yum]

Thanks for the advice, guys.

[darrianation]

Tom,

I want to back track a bit here if I may.

I like the boxer’s stance it is actually the modern isosceles. Are you familiar with the fence? Basically it is a ready or fighting stance. This is my home base. The fence, draw stoke, shooting, punching, etc, are basically all from the same stance. I keep everything within this scheme so I can fight and transition easily (smoothly) from weapon to weapon and range to range.

Yah, I might change that a little (better form/posture) if I am shooting for scores on paper targets, but remember shooting for your life is not the same thing…they are two very different animals.

I think I crouch a little more though in a gun fight…at least watching films of myself doing force on force with sims I see that I do. I don’t fight it, it’s what comes natural to me. And I think that is what is important. Is it natural to you, is it logical within your movement schemes, and can you make the shot? **** anyone who tries to tell you you’re doing it wrong.

And as far as what J-luck says about fear…I think there is always going to be some level of fear, which isn’t a bad thing, hopefully it will keep you from doing something stupid rather in training or in the real thing.

[Tom Yum]

You must be calling the same fear by a different name, then. I have been training all my life and I have all the confidence in the world that I can handle most eventualities, armed or unarmed. I've been in more real altercations than it would be practical to try to count - been shot at and hit, been cut, been stabbed, been hit with everything from a beer mug to a pinball machine (yes, a friggin' pinball machine), and I get the tight stomach and shaky knees every damned time I think it's going to get serious. I still flinch when the flash bang catches me by surprise, and I still lose my breath when I feel the compression of the wind on my face when a bullet gets too close. And you know, I'm not too big a man to admit that all of those emotions are pure, gut level fear. Training has helped me work with that fear, but God help me if it ever takes it away.

I think the sum of my experiences in those areas are a way smaller fraction of yours, so I'll just talk about the fear that I encounter from just regular sparring or MMA type training.

I still have a small amount of fear when I spar, but the difference is that it doesn't control me as much as the very first time I put in a mouth guard and head gear. Its just enough fear to keep my eyes open, keep my hands up, head moving and to work through a barrage.

Looking at some of the more experienced guys, they use the fear as motivation but I think it's still there.

[darrianation]

I’ve been working on a hypothesis of using one state to trigger another. For intense, confusion or concern (something out of place…a pattern or intuition) triggers increased awareness. Fear triggers anger, pain or assault triggers rage. Rage…this is controlled rage that takes it right up to the line between “near” reckless abandoned but we are still capable of looking at the options as the encounter unfolds (fluidity).

In effect what happens is that we use our natural body alarm and fear to create positive outcomes. Fear and anger prepare us mentally for the fight (ramps us up) and rage allows us to go all out. We reduce any negative aspects of fear, we reduce pain (from being hit, shot, stabbed, etc) and we maximize our adrenaline (ride the wave), and we can even continue to fight if we have been seriously injured.

I don’t know if that makes any sense but it’s called internal states management it can be used to ramp you up or to calm you down. The key is, and I can tell form personal experience, that we need an emotional connection to what we are doing (in combat/self-defense).