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While hunting is popular in the US, many studies show that most Americans purchase their firearms for protection. If you’re a concealed carrier or working your way towards being one, you no doubt have the same idea.
Gun violence can be sudden and unpredictable. Drawing your firearm is situational and it’s always your last option. Are you prepared for a situation in which you’ll need to draw your gun and use force? Defensive shooting is a discipline that can be learned and practiced. It involves high speed decisions and problem solving. Learning how to practice defensive shooting is important for a concealed carrier. Lives could be at stake.
If you find yourself in a situation in which your shooting skills are put to the test you’re going to wish you had practiced defensive shooting techniques. These specific skills can make all the difference. Lethal encounters often occur at close range, between 3 and 10 feet, so knowing how to stop and neutralize a threat is very important. To achieve maximum efficiency with your shooting you’ll need to find a balance between speed and precision. There is no one “best” response to potential threats as they will all be situationally different. There’s a lot to think about.
FUNDAMENTALS OF DEFENSIVE SHOOTING
One easy way to start to practice defensive shooting is to remember the steps: MOVE, COMMUNICATE, COVER, STOP THE THREAT, and THINK. These might sound simple now but your first response to a threat will often be to freeze up as you try to process what is actually happening. Let’s cover these fundamentals so that you’ll have an easier time responding when put in a bad situation.
Move
Defensive shooting depends heavily on movement. You’ll want to create as much distance between you and the threat as possible in order to reduce your risk of injuries. You’ll want to get yourself into a position that gives you a clear angle of attack while safely allowing you to fire. This means being aware of what is in front of, behind, and around the threat so that if you miss a shot you do not injure an innocent bystander. You’ll also need to think about identifying and moving to cover. As you learn how to practice defensive shooting, you’ll start to orient yourself to the possibilities of movement for defense and counterattack. When you move, you’ll put an attacker into a reactive mode. This will give you more control of a situation.
Communicate
Communication is one of the defensive shooting techniques that is often overlooked in practice and training. You’ll be communicating with commands and threats. “Leave my home now!” “Drop the weapon!” Combining verbal communication with the possibility of force is a strategy often used to handle violent confrontations. In an armed conflict, communication is important for coordinating your tactics and actions. Talking to yourself can also help as verbalizing your actions can help you maintain your mental focus. Keep all communications simple, however. You will be under stress and you’ll need to keep your mind focused on many things.
Cover
When facing a potential threat, your aim is to get to cover as quickly as possible. Cover will provide protection against your attacker’s weapon. Your cover is relative to the kind of weapon your attacker is using. Cover can be anything that will stop or redirect incoming rounds. Keep in mind that things that might stop a handgun round may not hold up against a high velocity rifle round.
Concealment is an important element of cover. When we say concealment we mean using your environment to hide yourself from an attacker. An attacker cannot accurately target you if they cannot see you. Concealment will not give you protection against bullets but it will make you a more difficult target. When you are concealed consider whether or not you should counterattack. Counterattacking can give away your position.
Stop the Threat
Stopping the threat can be split into two parts: the psychological and the physical. Stopping a threat psychologically includes moving, issuing verbal commands, and using cover. Stopping a threat physically, on the other hand, involves shooting and inflicting physical damage on the attacker. When you practice defensive shooting, never forget to practice the fundamentals of marksmanship—aim, hold, press, and follow- through. The speed of your shooting will depend on your training. Make note of the range at which you’re firing. Know what is near an attacker and what is behind them. You do not want to injure anyone with stray bullets.
Think
To take down your attacker, you’ll need to think quickly and analyze your situation. Your aim is to take control of the situation. Make the threat react to you and not the other way around. Defensive shooting is about trying to gain the upper hand. If your initial shots miss, try to plan out what you’ll do next. Having a fallback plan is important. When defending yourself, keep in mind that your ultimate weapon is your mind. Never allow the threat to be in control of the situation.
MASTERING DEFENSIVE SHOOTING STANCES
Part of learning how to practice defensive shooting is mastering the correct stance. In defensive shooting, your shooting stance or “anchor point” is the position you want to begin and end a fight in. You want to maintain a stable, mobile, and balanced fighting stance. Under stressful conditions, it is important that your stance does not waver. If you are not able to maintain a steady stance your accuracy will suffer. A good shooting stance will help you aim your handgun properly, maintain good aim for follow-up shots, control recoil, and operate your trigger in a controlled manner.
Here are some tips on for finding the proper stance for defensive shooting:
The higher your hand is to the bore axis of your handgun, the easier it will be for you to control the gun during recoil. More control will help you deliver accurate follow-up shots. Hold your handgun with the master hand as high up on the back strap as possible. This will also help you control the gun for follow-up shots.
Use the “Crush Grip.” With this type of grip, it will be more difficult for an attacker to take your handgun away from you. It can also be helpful in managing recoil.
Be aware of sight alignment, especially at range. Practice at different ranges to make sure that this is ingrained in your mind.
Trigger control helps you maintain sight alignment and muzzle alignment both while the gun is being fired and immediately afterward. Practice your follow-through. In defensive shooting you will likely need to fire more than one shot to incapacitate a threat.
TIPS FOR IMPROVING THE EFFICIENCY OF DEFENSIVE SHOOTING
It’s going to take some time at the range to become a proficient defensive shooter. Here are helpful tips for learning how to practice defensive shooting and improve your accuracy.
Keep Your Eyes on the Target
Many shooters have the tendency to look down when reloading. Next time you’re at the range, try keeping your eyes on the target while unloading and reloading. During an encounter, your attacker will unlikely wait for you to reload your gun before continuing their attack. Be prepared for this. If your gun malfunctions, raise your gun up so that you can keep an eye on the target while inspecting your weapon.
Use Dummy Rounds
Clearing a malfunctioning gun is one of the more important defensive shooting techniques that you can practice at the range. Load up multiple magazines with random dummy rounds during training to help you improve your malfunction clearing skills. If your gun misfires during an attack don’t let that stop your defense. Practice and be ready for anything.
Shoot Fast and Accurate
An attacker might catch you by surprise. Everything could be over in a matter of seconds. Practice getting your sight on target and shooting as quickly as possible while still maintaining accuracy. Remember to maintain your shooting stance and never put your gun down. Keep it up and ready in case you need to fire follow-up shots.
Practice With Your Non-Dominant Hand
You’ll need to prepare for a scenario in which you will not be able to shoot with your dominant hand. Practice unloading and reloading with your non-dominant hand as well as shooting. Take note of how this will affect your stance. Be ready.
Change Targets and Change Positions
In the shooting range, your target might be a poster. In real life, however, the attacker might be running towards you. Practice shooting while moving defensively. Practice shooting lying down and kneeling as well.
Dry Fire Drills
During an encounter with an attacker, you may experience increased heart rate and adrenaline which will result in a loss of motor control, tunnel vision, auditory exclusion, and other side effects. This means that maintaining your accuracy and trigger control will be difficult. Practice these skills over and over. Dry fire exercises are a way to do so cheaply and frequently.
Practice With Your Holster
If you’re going to be concealed carrying that means you’re going to be holding your weapon in a holster. Find time to practice with that holster. You want to have the quickest, most accurate draw possible. There are different kinds of holsters out there. Find what works for you.
Your Gun Safe Is Your Friend
Knowing how to open your gun safe quickly is crucial during a home invasion. When your life and family are being threatened, you’ll need to be able to open your gun safe on your first try. Practice doing so while looking away or with your eyes closed. You might have to do it in the dark when the time comes.
Do Not Seek Danger
Never seek danger when carrying. That is not what concealed carrying is for and that is not a responsible way to own a gun. Guns are used as a last option, always. Be aware of state laws and make sure to practice defensive shooting so that if you ever face a threat you will be able to respond appropriately.
DRILLS FOR DEFENSIVE SHOOTING PRACTICE
When learning how to practice defensive shooting, you’ll definitely be needing to learn some drills. Here are 5 drills that can help you enhance your defensive shooting skills. Remember to regularly practice. Skills degrade over time.
Simple Draw and Fire
This drill has five components—clear cover garment, draw, present, aim, and fire. You should practice this with a target simulating an attacker’s vital areas. Simple draw and fire should be practiced slowly, smoothly, and efficiently until you become proficient. Remember to use the holster and weapon you plan on using for concealed carrying and to practice with different winter and summer outfits.
Wall Drill
The wall drill is one of the easiest drills for improving defensive shooting techniques. The aim of the wall drill is to improve trigger control. A poor trigger pull is one of the reasons that shots miss even when your sight is right on target. To perform a wall drill use an unloaded gun. Bring your gun to eye level, align your sights, and place your muzzle about an inch from the wall. Once in place, “fire” a shot while focusing on the sights. Make sure to pull the trigger straight back. That’s what this drill is all about. No frills, all skills.
Double Tap
The double tap is one of the most practiced shooting drills by both amateurs and professionals. Also known as controlled pairs, this drill is fairly simple, you fire two shots in quick succession, grouping them as closely as possible. Just like draw and fire, you start slowly and eventually, if your fundamentals are correct, you will achieve proficiency, efficiency, and speed.
Balance Drill
The balance drill is a great companion to the Wall Drill. The goal of this drill is to improve trigger control and pull. Instead of focusing on a point, you hold your firearm as flat and level as possible. Balance an object behind the front sight, such as a penny. Dry fire while focusing on a good trigger pull. If the object moves while you’re shooting that means you are jerking the trigger. Keep practicing until you get it perfect. Always make sure your gun is unloaded for this drill.
Tactical Reload
For this drill you’ll need to have a spare magazine with you (if you’re not using a revolver). The gist of the drill is to load a small number of rounds and fire them at the target. Eject your magazine and insert your spare. Load your weapon and continue firing. Remember to practice reloading with both hands. You can do similar drills with a revolver, of course.
Your best defense will always be to avoid using your gun and simply escape a dangerous situation, if possible. But if you have no choice, then use what you have learned to try to disarm your attacker. Practicing defensive shooting is crucial for effectively dealing with a threat when you find yourself with no other options.
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How to Practice Defensive Shooting Skills
The GMW Concealed Carry Gun Pack. Now available now on Amazon.com.
BUY NOW
BUY NOW
While hunting is popular in the US, many studies show that most Americans purchase their firearms for protection. If you’re a concealed carrier or working your way towards being one, you no doubt have the same idea.
Gun violence can be sudden and unpredictable. Drawing your firearm is situational and it’s always your last option. Are you prepared for a situation in which you’ll need to draw your gun and use force? Defensive shooting is a discipline that can be learned and practiced. It involves high speed decisions and problem solving. Learning how to practice defensive shooting is important for a concealed carrier. Lives could be at stake.
If you find yourself in a situation in which your shooting skills are put to the test you’re going to wish you had practiced defensive shooting techniques. These specific skills can make all the difference. Lethal encounters often occur at close range, between 3 and 10 feet, so knowing how to stop and neutralize a threat is very important. To achieve maximum efficiency with your shooting you’ll need to find a balance between speed and precision. There is no one “best” response to potential threats as they will all be situationally different. There’s a lot to think about.
FUNDAMENTALS OF DEFENSIVE SHOOTING
One easy way to start to practice defensive shooting is to remember the steps: MOVE, COMMUNICATE, COVER, STOP THE THREAT, and THINK. These might sound simple now but your first response to a threat will often be to freeze up as you try to process what is actually happening. Let’s cover these fundamentals so that you’ll have an easier time responding when put in a bad situation.
Move
Defensive shooting depends heavily on movement. You’ll want to create as much distance between you and the threat as possible in order to reduce your risk of injuries. You’ll want to get yourself into a position that gives you a clear angle of attack while safely allowing you to fire. This means being aware of what is in front of, behind, and around the threat so that if you miss a shot you do not injure an innocent bystander. You’ll also need to think about identifying and moving to cover. As you learn how to practice defensive shooting, you’ll start to orient yourself to the possibilities of movement for defense and counterattack. When you move, you’ll put an attacker into a reactive mode. This will give you more control of a situation.
Communicate
Communication is one of the defensive shooting techniques that is often overlooked in practice and training. You’ll be communicating with commands and threats. “Leave my home now!” “Drop the weapon!” Combining verbal communication with the possibility of force is a strategy often used to handle violent confrontations. In an armed conflict, communication is important for coordinating your tactics and actions. Talking to yourself can also help as verbalizing your actions can help you maintain your mental focus. Keep all communications simple, however. You will be under stress and you’ll need to keep your mind focused on many things.
Cover
When facing a potential threat, your aim is to get to cover as quickly as possible. Cover will provide protection against your attacker’s weapon. Your cover is relative to the kind of weapon your attacker is using. Cover can be anything that will stop or redirect incoming rounds. Keep in mind that things that might stop a handgun round may not hold up against a high velocity rifle round.
Concealment is an important element of cover. When we say concealment we mean using your environment to hide yourself from an attacker. An attacker cannot accurately target you if they cannot see you. Concealment will not give you protection against bullets but it will make you a more difficult target. When you are concealed consider whether or not you should counterattack. Counterattacking can give away your position.
Stop the Threat
Stopping the threat can be split into two parts: the psychological and the physical. Stopping a threat psychologically includes moving, issuing verbal commands, and using cover. Stopping a threat physically, on the other hand, involves shooting and inflicting physical damage on the attacker. When you practice defensive shooting, never forget to practice the fundamentals of marksmanship—aim, hold, press, and follow- through. The speed of your shooting will depend on your training. Make note of the range at which you’re firing. Know what is near an attacker and what is behind them. You do not want to injure anyone with stray bullets.
Think
To take down your attacker, you’ll need to think quickly and analyze your situation. Your aim is to take control of the situation. Make the threat react to you and not the other way around. Defensive shooting is about trying to gain the upper hand. If your initial shots miss, try to plan out what you’ll do next. Having a fallback plan is important. When defending yourself, keep in mind that your ultimate weapon is your mind. Never allow the threat to be in control of the situation.
MASTERING DEFENSIVE SHOOTING STANCES
Part of learning how to practice defensive shooting is mastering the correct stance. In defensive shooting, your shooting stance or “anchor point” is the position you want to begin and end a fight in. You want to maintain a stable, mobile, and balanced fighting stance. Under stressful conditions, it is important that your stance does not waver. If you are not able to maintain a steady stance your accuracy will suffer. A good shooting stance will help you aim your handgun properly, maintain good aim for follow-up shots, control recoil, and operate your trigger in a controlled manner.
Here are some tips on for finding the proper stance for defensive shooting:
TIPS FOR IMPROVING THE EFFICIENCY OF DEFENSIVE SHOOTING
It’s going to take some time at the range to become a proficient defensive shooter. Here are helpful tips for learning how to practice defensive shooting and improve your accuracy.
Keep Your Eyes on the Target
Many shooters have the tendency to look down when reloading. Next time you’re at the range, try keeping your eyes on the target while unloading and reloading. During an encounter, your attacker will unlikely wait for you to reload your gun before continuing their attack. Be prepared for this. If your gun malfunctions, raise your gun up so that you can keep an eye on the target while inspecting your weapon.
Use Dummy Rounds
Clearing a malfunctioning gun is one of the more important defensive shooting techniques that you can practice at the range. Load up multiple magazines with random dummy rounds during training to help you improve your malfunction clearing skills. If your gun misfires during an attack don’t let that stop your defense. Practice and be ready for anything.
Shoot Fast and Accurate
An attacker might catch you by surprise. Everything could be over in a matter of seconds. Practice getting your sight on target and shooting as quickly as possible while still maintaining accuracy. Remember to maintain your shooting stance and never put your gun down. Keep it up and ready in case you need to fire follow-up shots.
Practice With Your Non-Dominant Hand
You’ll need to prepare for a scenario in which you will not be able to shoot with your dominant hand. Practice unloading and reloading with your non-dominant hand as well as shooting. Take note of how this will affect your stance. Be ready.
Change Targets and Change Positions
In the shooting range, your target might be a poster. In real life, however, the attacker might be running towards you. Practice shooting while moving defensively. Practice shooting lying down and kneeling as well.
Dry Fire Drills
During an encounter with an attacker, you may experience increased heart rate and adrenaline which will result in a loss of motor control, tunnel vision, auditory exclusion, and other side effects. This means that maintaining your accuracy and trigger control will be difficult. Practice these skills over and over. Dry fire exercises are a way to do so cheaply and frequently.
Practice With Your Holster
If you’re going to be concealed carrying that means you’re going to be holding your weapon in a holster. Find time to practice with that holster. You want to have the quickest, most accurate draw possible. There are different kinds of holsters out there. Find what works for you.
Your Gun Safe Is Your Friend
Knowing how to open your gun safe quickly is crucial during a home invasion. When your life and family are being threatened, you’ll need to be able to open your gun safe on your first try. Practice doing so while looking away or with your eyes closed. You might have to do it in the dark when the time comes.
Do Not Seek Danger
Never seek danger when carrying. That is not what concealed carrying is for and that is not a responsible way to own a gun. Guns are used as a last option, always. Be aware of state laws and make sure to practice defensive shooting so that if you ever face a threat you will be able to respond appropriately.
DRILLS FOR DEFENSIVE SHOOTING PRACTICE
When learning how to practice defensive shooting, you’ll definitely be needing to learn some drills. Here are 5 drills that can help you enhance your defensive shooting skills. Remember to regularly practice. Skills degrade over time.
Simple Draw and Fire
This drill has five components—clear cover garment, draw, present, aim, and fire. You should practice this with a target simulating an attacker’s vital areas. Simple draw and fire should be practiced slowly, smoothly, and efficiently until you become proficient. Remember to use the holster and weapon you plan on using for concealed carrying and to practice with different winter and summer outfits.
Wall Drill
The wall drill is one of the easiest drills for improving defensive shooting techniques. The aim of the wall drill is to improve trigger control. A poor trigger pull is one of the reasons that shots miss even when your sight is right on target. To perform a wall drill use an unloaded gun. Bring your gun to eye level, align your sights, and place your muzzle about an inch from the wall. Once in place, “fire” a shot while focusing on the sights. Make sure to pull the trigger straight back. That’s what this drill is all about. No frills, all skills.
Double Tap
The double tap is one of the most practiced shooting drills by both amateurs and professionals. Also known as controlled pairs, this drill is fairly simple, you fire two shots in quick succession, grouping them as closely as possible. Just like draw and fire, you start slowly and eventually, if your fundamentals are correct, you will achieve proficiency, efficiency, and speed.
Balance Drill
The balance drill is a great companion to the Wall Drill. The goal of this drill is to improve trigger control and pull. Instead of focusing on a point, you hold your firearm as flat and level as possible. Balance an object behind the front sight, such as a penny. Dry fire while focusing on a good trigger pull. If the object moves while you’re shooting that means you are jerking the trigger. Keep practicing until you get it perfect. Always make sure your gun is unloaded for this drill.
Tactical Reload
For this drill you’ll need to have a spare magazine with you (if you’re not using a revolver). The gist of the drill is to load a small number of rounds and fire them at the target. Eject your magazine and insert your spare. Load your weapon and continue firing. Remember to practice reloading with both hands. You can do similar drills with a revolver, of course.
Your best defense will always be to avoid using your gun and simply escape a dangerous situation, if possible. But if you have no choice, then use what you have learned to try to disarm your attacker. Practicing defensive shooting is crucial for effectively dealing with a threat when you find yourself with no other options.