Guns

2012-09-12 dry fire practice

/ hsoi

Following TLG’s sample dry fire routine.

Week 1, Day 3, reloads

  1. 10 reps of wall drill from press-out 2H
  2. 20 reps reload from slidelock, slow, 2H
  3. 20 reps reload from slidelock, 3/4 speed, 2H
  4. 10 reps reload from slidelock, slow, 2H
  5. 10 reps of wall drill form press-out, 2H

I’ve been falling a little behind in my practice, but dedication and accountability are motivators.

Keeping the gun up in your line of sight is useful. That is, you’re reloading almost in front of your face… not in front of your chest, nor your stomach. But yes, way up there. Not only keeps whatever was downrange in your field of vision, but it means there’s less for you to have to hunt and find when you shift your vision back to the target. Plus it means less movement for your hands and gun since they are ready to “ride the rail” of the eye-target-line back out, instead of having to get brought back up there. Every tenth of a second matters.

 

2012-09-12 dry fire practice

/ hsoi

Following TLG’s sample dry fire routine.

Week 1, Day 2, draws.

  1. 10 reps of wall drill from press-out 2H
  2. 20 reps of wall drill from holster 2H
  3. 5 reps of wall drill from holster, SHO
  4. 5 reps of wall drill from holster, WHO
  5. 10 reps draw & fire at 3/4 speed, 2H
  6. 10 reps draw & fire slow 2H

The day job has been taking a lot of my time, so blogging has been light.

I did get this done, just couldn’t post until today.

I can’t wait to verify my dry skills with some live work.

2012-09-10 Dry Fire Practice

/ hsoi

Following the TLG 4-week sample dry fire routine.

This marks the start of month 3.

Week 1, Day 1

Basic routine

  1. 20 reps of Wall Drill, from extension 2H
  2. 5 reps of Wall Drill from extension, SHO
  3. 5 reps of Wall Drill from extension, WHO
  4. 20 reps of Wall Drill from press-out, 2H
  5. 5 reps of Wall Drill from press-out, SHO
  6. 5 reps of Wall Drill from press-out, WHO

Again, it’s so simple, yet so useful. It’s about as fundamental as you can get.

My focus? Don’t forget everything else I’ve been doing, like riding the rail of the eye-target line, gripping like hell, etc..  But let’s try to not waste any time. Get the gun out there, allow a “good enough” sight picture, and press off that shot. Minimize the time… don’t rush, just minimize and don’t waste.

2012-09-09 dry fire practice

/ hsoi

Following TLG’s sample dry fire routine.

Week 4, Day 3 (makeup), low-light

  1. 10 reps wall drill, SHO with flashlight
  2. 10 reps ID, move right, engage
  3. 10 reps ID, move left, engage
  4. 5 reps ID, draw on the move, engage
  5. 5 reps reload in the dark
  6. 10 reps wall drill, SHO with flashlight

I missed doing this day in the course of the normal rotation, thus I had to make up the missed session. Just took care of that.

I’m looking forward to October 20 @ KR Training. Going to have Defensive Pistol Skills 2, AT-2 Scenarios, and AT-1A Low Light Shooting. We can only do these days 2x a year because of the realities of light. It’s a LONG day, but always well-worth it.

If you’re in the area and haven’t taken any of these classes, you should consider it. The only class I’d put a hard prerequisite on would be DPS2 — you should be a graduate of DPS1. But AT-2 and AT-1A? Sign up. AT-1A, because of the flashlight requirement, will be a lot of one-handed shooting. And while AT-2 is “force on force” it’s not hard-core. Don’t let either of these two notions scare you off. In fact, if you feel a little unsure or challenged by it, I’d say that’s a good sign you should take it. Get your feet wet, break the ice, and take your skills to a higher level.

Based on characteristics, not gender

/ hsoi / 1 Comment

The feature article in the Sep. 5, 2012 edition of The Shooting Wire is titled “Between the Berms: The Weaker Sex?”

It’s about the introduction of women to shooting sports, and how often it’s done in a manner that treats women as weaker. That they are given .22’s to start out with because there’s less recoil. But that many times men are started out with 9’s or .45’s because they can handle it.

Actually what further struck me about the article was the author, Paul Erhardt’s, use of the Women’s Flat Track Derby Association as examples of tough women. It makes me smile because I know a member of the Texas Rollergirls has been out to KR Training a few times. I’ve seen her on the track, I’ve seen her shoot, and she’s certainly tough.

I think Paul’s right tho. There’s a lot of “little lady” sexism in shooting for whatever reason. It may be ignorance. It may be machismo. It may be chivilary. It may be misunderstanding. But whatever it is, it’s there.

Over my years of teaching, especially teaching beginners, I see that factors should generally not be gender-based but characteristic based.

The ability to properly grip a large gun isn’t based on gender, but on hand size. I’ve seen women with large hands and men with small hands.

Starting off a new shooter (never held a gun before, never shot a gun before, maybe never seen or heard a gun except via Hollywood), it is wise to start with a .22. This is especially true if they’re nervous or scared or intimidated by the notion. If someone is scared, starting off with a .44 Magnum is going to be loud and painful and not sow productive seeds. As a n00b they don’t know how hard to grip the gun, any loud noise is going to make them jump. Starting with a .22 is great as a “lowest barrier of entry” to ease them into things. But it certainly shouldn’t stop there. Move them on to a 9, to a .45, to a .40. If you’ve got more, let them try more… but only as much as they wish to. I’ve had some students shoot a 9 and want to stop. I’ve had some clamor to shoot the biggest, baddest gun available… again and again. I’ve seen this from men and from women.

If we talk recoil and “being weak”, I’ve seen some weak men that couldn’t adequately handle a mid-range caliber handgun. I’ve seen men with grip problems, arthritis, and other things that essentially make them “weak”. I’ve seen women hammer the hell of of every gun they shot.

On the other hand, there are certainly issues that are gender-based. Women are built differently from men, with different curves both concave and convex. This creates realities about things like carry methods and holster selection. IWB doesn’t work for many women. OWB can work with drop-and-offset holsters. Men generally can’t wear a Flashbang Holster.

In competition shooting sports, all other things being equal, men are generally going to produce faster times than women when the sports involve more physical aspects like running. Usain Bolt holds the world record in the 100m sprint with 9.58 seconds. Florence Griffith-Joyner holds the record at 10.49.

 

So there are certainly some realities that gender brings to the table. We cannot and should not deny those, if we’re to be honest and forthright.

But on the whole, most issues, most problems, most limits when it comes to shooting… they have nothing to do with gender and we need to look beyond gender at the issue’s fundamental nature. That way we do best service to the shooter, no matter who they are or what their gender is.

2012-09-07 dry fire practice

/ hsoi

Following TLG’s sample dry fire routine.

Week 4, Day 5, shooter’s choice.

Given last week’s WHO work, I opted to do the basic routine but emphasizing WHO again.

  1. 20 reps of wall drill from extension WHO
  2. 5 reps of wall drill from extension SHO
  3. 5 reps of wall drill from extension 2H
  4. 20 reps of wall drill from press-out WHO
  5. 5 reps of wall drill from press-out SHO
  6. 5 reps of wall drill from press-out 2H

I just wanted more WHO work.

But I’m also working on slowing down and not going overall faster than I can do everything smooth and together. For example, trying to reduce the time between extension and the trigger break. Get things going faster and with a “good enough” sight picture.

2012-09-06 dry fire practice

/ hsoi

Following TLG’s sample dry fire routine.

Week 4, Day 4, basic routine

  1. 20 reps of wall drill from extension 2H
  2. 5 reps of wall drill from extension SHO
  3. 5 reps of wall drill from extension WHO
  4. 20 reps of wall drill from press-out 2H
  5. 5 reps of wall drill from press-out SHO
  6. 5 reps of wall drill from press-out WHO

First… I missed yesterday’s practice. 😦  First missed practice in almost 2 months. Dang it. The day just got away from me. Since it’s a flashlight routine and the days are getting shorter, I wanted to do it before bed but… bed beat me. 😦  I’ll make up the session this weekend.

As for today’s practice, I’m working on pressing out faster and ensuring I get the trigger break just as I get to extension. WHO needs more work in that area. 🙂

2012-09-04 dry fire practice

/ hsoi

Following TLG’s sample dry fire routine.

Week 4, Day 2, WHO (all drills WHO)

  1. 20 reps of wall drill from press-out
  2. 10 reps draw & fire, slow
  3. 10 reps draw & fire 3/4 speed
  4. 5 reps reload from slidelock, slow
  5. 5 reps reload from slidelock 3/4 speed
  6. 5 reps TRB
  7. 5 reps LRW
  8. 10 reps wall drill from press-out

I’m happy for the additional WHO practice… probably something I can’t get enough of. Makes me think that for the next “monthly cycle” I might do something like throw in 10 (additional) WHO press-outs every session and see what it does for me.

One thing I need to work on is just pressing out faster. I go slower on my press out because otherwise things get too loose and I don’t get it lined up right. Well, I need to press myself a little faster. I do this and things work out, so I just keep to keep doing it and not slow down on the press out. If I need a bit of time at the end, fine but at least get the gun out there and overall compress the time.

Robbery caught on tape – Security Guard does well

/ hsoi / 6 Comments

While “t3h int3rw3bs” is rife with much chaff, there’s wheat to be found as well.

Check out this video of an Internet cafe security guard stopping a robbery before it can start.

OODA loop in full effect, with no hesitation. Gets up, gets off the “X”. Aimed fire. Using two hands. Moves. Shoots. Keeps his distance (doesn’t charge/close). Solid work. Kudos to you, Mr. Security Guard.

(h/t Shawn)

To elaborate on a few things.

The robbers had their OODA loop in effect. No idea if they knew there was a guard there or not, tho I’ll guess they didn’t know because who would willingly walk into an armed confrontation… but then, criminals aren’t known to be smart. By the guard FIRST getting off the “X” he did a couple of things:

  1. It’s better to NOT get shot than it is to shoot. Karl likes to say that incoming bullets have the right-of-way. Move first.
  2. Regardless if the robbers knew of the guard before they entered, they certainly knew of him once they entered. By moving off to the side, the guard changed the situation. As Tom Givens calls it, the guard gave the robbers a “WhatTheFuck?” moment. The guard was in their field of vision, but as soon as he side-stepped he left their tunnel vision. This resets their OODA loop (what the fuck? where did he go? back to Observing), and now the guard operates ahead of them.
  3. Notice there was no need to take massive steps. It’s often taught that moving by just side-stepping is a range-safety artifact, and to an extent it is. But I learned from Givens that simple step is really all you need. You don’t need to run a 40-yard dash.

Notice as well, the guard’s draw took about 2 seconds and it was almost 3 seconds before the first shot was off. I started timing from when it appeared physically evident the guard was reacting to the situation, so really it was a hair longer than that from the moment he first observed (when the OODA loop initiated). It was not a lightning fast 1.0-1.5 second draw. Karl Rehn and Claude Werner separately have been examining a lot of real gunfight data and coming to interesting conclusions in terms of training and performance. I know Karl’s working on an article so I won’t spoil things, but this video gives another data point.

The robbers were not out for a righteous fight, just a quick score. As soon as the bullets started coming their way, they took off.

There was no need for a reload, but I’m sure the guard had a reload on his belt. I couldn’t tell how many shots he fired, but I reckon a 5-shot snub would not have gotten the job done that night.

I’m curious what the distances were. Seems 7-15 yards at least. Statistically well outside the range of typical gunfights. How well can you shoot at that distance?

All in all, good job Mr. Security Guard. I hope everything works out well here.

2012-09-03 dry fire practice

/ hsoi

Following TLG’s sample dry fire routine.

Week 4, Day 1, basic routine

  1. 20 reps of wall drill from extension 2H
  2. 5 reps of wall drill from extension SHO
  3. 5 reps of wall drill from extension WHO
  4. 20 reps of wall drill from press-out 2H
  5. 5 reps of wall drill from press-out SHO
  6. 5 reps of wall drill from press-out WHO

I practiced last night just before bed… got the practice in, just had to post this the next day.

The press-out felt much more natural. Things just flowed nicely in this routine. I do feel that I need to get to the range and confirm progress with live-fire practice, but time has been tight and I’ll be out to KR Training eventually anyways so I can just wait until then. But it does feel that a month of dry fire followed up with a day at the range to confirm and figure out what to work on (next) would be an ideal cycle.