Various gun bloggers are talking about this video:
The take-home? That’s how fast someone can come at you (Tueller Drill). Now, the video is IDPA and thus a game and you’re pretty much required to stand there and shoot. But in a real world self-defense situation, you don’t want to stand there and shoot. You want to move.
What bugs me a bit is a lot of folks are recommending that you back up.
I don’t know about you, but I’m not that good at running backwards, especially if I saw someone was coming at me at a high rate of speed with a gun or knife or somehow otherwise bent on hurting me. There’s no way I can run backwards as fast as they’re running forwards. I can’t see where I’m going and thus what I’m about to trip over. And tripping over your own feet is just likely enough and now you’re flat on your back or butt and at a massive disadvantage. Furthermore I know from empty-hand sparring, that going straight backwards does not give you any sort of chance of improving your situation. Your opponent is just going to bear down on you and you only delay getting whacked by a couple seconds — but you’re still getting whacked.
Better is to move off to the side. Let’s say you’re facing the attacker, and your facing forward is 12 o’clock. Going backwards would be 6 o’clock. The simplest thing to do would be to side-step to 3 or 9 o’clock. It’s not the best, but it’s better. Some would argue instead you should go backwards and to the side, so to a 7-8 o’clock or 4-5 o’clock position. Me, I’d argue differently.
I’d say go to 10-11 o’clock, or 1-2 o’clock.
Yes, go towards them. Well, somewhat towards them.
I learned this from InSights Training Center. What you do is make a “J-Hook” sort of run pattern. Allow me to draw a really crappy picture (tgace’s Tactical Preschool series inspired me to make a picture).
There you are at the bottom, attacker at the top coming at you. I drew it running to the left, but of course you can run it to the right as well. The key is to see the J-hook running pattern.
What does this do? Well, it gets you “off the X” and out of the direct line of attack. You do keep yourself far enough away that if they had some sort of contact weapon (knife, baseball bat, crowbar, etc.) that you’re still out of range (note: you can tighten the J and close distance, or expand the J to get away, depending upon your situation). You are moving forward and thus are moving in the manner our bodies are best suited for moving. But you are turning. What’s not shown in the simple diagram is that as you are moving in this manner you are still keeping your body (well, your gun) facing the opponent. You are on the advantage. The attacker now has to change direction and try to turn hard to keep up with you. It’s quite difficult. To really appreciate this, you need to get with a friend and try it. No need for any guns or training weapons, just use your fingers. Start facing each other at some distance apart (to start try 21′ apart, but experiment with different distances: start arms length apart, then when you start the next iteration take a step back from the prior starting point). Without any prior warning or “go” signal, one person should rush the other person and the other person should initiate the J-hook maneuver. Go to either side, you can even mimic drawing your gun if you wish. Make sure you try it as both attacker and defender so you can fully appreciate it.
Is this the be-all-end-all solution? Of course not. It’s just more fuel for Internet debate. 😉 But from my own sparring experience I know that backpeddling isn’t really a productive solution. You must put some sort of “off to the side” movement in there. At least you want the movement to get you out of the line of attack. Better, it also moves you to a more advantageous position. Best, it also reduces your opponents position. The J-hook really works that angle.
Updated: The InSights Training blog echos similar sentiments (of course, since that’s where I got the J-hook from). Also, I didn’t know InSights has a blog. I shall now follow it. 🙂
Updated 2: John Fogh @ InSights now has a specific entry on the J-Hook.
Stuff From Hsoi 
Interesting topic hsoi! I must admit, my training at Thunder Ranch biases me a bit, we were taught to back up and sidestep, when possible. Don’t RUN backwards, but step backwards, and the types of steps are the same type you would take if you were retreating in fencing. From personal experience there, you can step back in a stable platform, draw a firearm, engage a target, with some distance, even with the target advancing towards you.
Your J-Hook looks interesting, but I see one, major in my opinion at least, flaw with the plan. Knowing your background behind the target. Now, I can see a background, when I’m watching a threat, but when moving in a rotational direction to engage a threat with a firearm, I am not so sure I would be able to pick an area to engage where I knew my backstop. That’s perhaps less critical than stopping the target from closing distance with you, but it does seem pretty important to me. Also, when you start rotating and angling your opponent may not turn as quickly or at all, thus leaving you with a reduced target area to engage when you do engage.
So, are we practicing these J-hooks in an urban environment so that we can see where a safe backstop is when engaging? Can you watch the threat, scan for multiple threats and watch your backstop? What about if he has more buddies that are beyond him who are threats, you certainly don’t want to run towards them, or put your back to them? Finally, are we practicing accuracy drills on half targets and quarter targets where only a limb or the head might be exposed, while moving in this J-Hook pattern?
It’s a lot to think about..
-Rob
I’ve had training that runs the gamut in terms of what to do. The bottom line really is: move. Of all the “ways to move” that I’ve dealt with, be in in firearms training or empty-hand or other weaponry training, moving off to the side is an essential part of it, and many times moving in at such angles as I discuss are a way to not just avoid their attack but to improve your position to counter-attack. The J-hook doesn’t work so well in an empty hand situation, but the basic motions are still good as it can work to get you into a better position (e.g. their back).
You do raise a good point about the “… and what’s behind your target”. I’ll have to ask on that.
I will say, you should give it a try. Any of the questions you raise could be equally asked of any other movement strategy. Any one of them could be weak in those areas. It all comes down to what actually is happening at the time.
In the end, there’s no one perfect solution. The main take-home point is to move. Standing there is very likely to be the worst option.
I agree with the points that moving is the most critical thing you can do, side stepping and back stepping are good, because we practice accuracy while moving and from a distance, right? Right.
I suppose I am a stronger advocate of moving back instead of forward for several reasons. The most practical for me at least, is that chances are, if I go back the way I came, I’ve scanned that area and know the threats. To advance, is to potentially put myself on new ground, with unknown factors (cover, concealment, and threats). I don’t want to put myself in that position, while already engaging a threat. I can more quickly back up to a safe(r) area and engage from known areas of cover/concealment/etc.
I do think this J-Hook method has some merits and I believe I will try it, both in the open and in a closed area with a training partner, to see the effects. I can see how it wouldn’t be as effective open hand, but it could be more effective up close than far away, given that the radius in which you need to rotate is smaller, thus making your point about reaching the back, and doing it faster.
-Rob
But that does assume the situation hasn’t changed. If you’re out in public, there may be other people around… people that weren’t behind you before now are. Things change. Plus since you don’t necessarily have visual going backwards, can you be sure that you’re not about to slam into some obstacle as you retreat?
Bottom line: nothing is perfect, nothing is 100%.
An interesting thing happened tho. The place I learned the J-hook was from InSights Training Center. They now have a blog, and actually blogged the same thing:
http://insightstraining.com/blog/index.php/2009/08/an-idpa-tueller-drill-video/
I asked in the comments if they could elaborate further and perhaps directly address your questions. We’ll see if anything comes of it.
Rob:
John Fogh @ InSights has blogged about the J-Hook:
http://insightstraining.com/blog/index.php/2009/09/the-j-hook/
If you have any more specific questions on the manuver, I’d say go to his blog and post the questions as comments to that posting.
Hmmm..kind of reminds me of the footwork used in Modern Arnis.
I have done “Tueller” simunition drills and the best rearward motion I can manage is a big step back and a big step left or right before hes on me. Im partial to a lateral step off the X and then, if required, more lateral steps in a pattern similar to what you describe. It forces the opponent to change direction vs.simply running you down. I agree that running backward is bad juju.
I would tend to agree with that, regarding the footwork and Arnis.
I should clarify that going backwards isn’t something to never do. Sometimes it is the right movement; it all depends upon the situation. But in the situation that we’re talking about (someone some distance in front of you, charging you), I just am not convinced backpedalling is going to be the best course of action. It’s better than standing there for sure, but there are better courses of action. As stated, moving yourself in a manner than not only improves your position but makes theirs worse (e.g. they now have to turn), that’s a better option if you can do it.
Pingback: Combined Skills Course Weekend- The Review « Stuff From Hsoi