Practice for Self Defense

TONIGHT!The #1 Secret to Accuracy!

Practice for Self Defense

Objectives Tonight:• Improve your accuracy – tonight!• Show you how to save money

practicing• Show you what to practice

Goals in Defensive Training• Safety

• Don’t endanger persons or property during training

• Accuracy• Shot placement is way more important that

what weapon you are shooting

• Speed• You need to stop the assailant before he

gets to you

Accuracy – Tonight!

• It probably takes a couple of thousand rounds to get your groups from four inches to two inches at 25 yards

• It takes zero to get your groups from 24 inches to six inches at 25 yards!

The One Secret to Accuracy

Point your gun at the target!

The Secret

• If you are not cutting one ragged hole in the target at 10 yards then you are moving the gun away from the aim point before the bullet leaves the barrel.

The Key to Accuracy

• Hold the Gun Steady• Sight Picture• The Grip• Trigger Control

Sight Picture

• Choose sites that you can easily see if they are aimed right• Errors:

• Front sight is too wide or rear sight is too narrow• Not enough contrast

• How quickly can you find the front sight?• How steady you can hold the sight picture?• Compare sight picture to laser to see the

wobble

Sight Picture

• Cure the Flinch• What causes it?

• Anticipating the recoil• Common sight error will product about 1 degree

of error• Flinch will induce up to 3 degrees or more

• How to cure it• Practice trigger control and follow through to a

pause

Grip

• Start two handed• Grip as high on the weapon as possible

• Torque is force times distance – reduce the distance• More meat the better

• As much contact as possible with the weapon, each hand and each weapon will be slightly different

• Helps control the aim and hastens the recovery for the second shot

• It you have a lot of wobble, try dynamic tension (push and pull)

• Weak hand should be tighter than strong hand (helps trigger control)

Grip

• Alternate Methods of 2 handed grip• Isosceles (more tactically flexible)• Weaver Stance (easier to control high

powered weapons)

• Strong hand• Ensure the grip gives you alignment

between forearm and barrel

• Weak hand• Same, but trigger control will be harder

Trigger Control

• Stare at front site• Don’t pull, touch – press• Learn “stages” of the trigger• During live fire, every “bang” is a

surprise• During dry practice, touch, press, hold

the trigger and the sight picture for the follow through – pause (flinch control)

Trigger Control

• The “vector” should be straight back• Pad of the finger square on the trigger is best• Second joint is okay, particularly for high force

triggers• Practice your trigger press until there is no

movement in the front sight• If, after practice, you cannot get a good

straight pull, perhaps the gun does not fit you• Start very slow, learn the trigger, then speed

up

How Do We Train?

• Develop a Plan• Try it out • Study the outcome and replan

How To Train

Words to Live By:

“Train like you fight!”

-Pete Pettigrew, USN

Call Sign “Viper”

Methods of Training

• Live fire at a commercial range • Live fire in a representative

environment (IDPA or similar) or our range

• Dry Practice• Visualization

How to Train

• Practice in Context• Develop the habits you want to become automatic – every

time• Draw to a compressed ready for unknowns• Assume you are surprised in a direct threat• Move off of target area• Drive the gun to your sight picture• Exercise safety off/out, on/back• Assess other threats

• Practice being Smooth (works in dog fighting and car racing, too!)• Speed comes with practice• Crawl, walk, run• First do it right, then do it fast

• Practice being Consistent

Rules for Dry Practice

• Remove all ammo from the area• Unload the weapons away from the area –

recite the mantra “the weapons are unloaded and I am beginning dry practice”

• Set up a target, ensure no one can enter your line of fire unexpectedly

• Ensure what is behind your target can withstand a bullet

• Practice• Take down the target – recite the mantra “dry

practice is over and the weapons will be loaded”

Why the Silly Mantra?

• What is the object that is most often hit in a negligent discharge?

• Your Television

Proofing Your Technique without spending Big $$

• Dry Practice will perfect draw, defensive procedures, sight picture, trigger pull

• But how do I know if I will actually hit the target? (costs 2-3 boxes of ammo)

How Do We Assess Competency

• First you need to understand the levels of competency

• You can then assess your level of competency

• Here are the definitions:

Levels of Competency

• Unconsciously Incompetent• Consciously Incompetent• Consciously Competent• Unconsciously Competent

Questions?

• Too long?• Too much depth?• Not enough detail?

• What do you want to hear about next?

Some Options

• Legal aspects of a weapon involved confrontation

• Levels of awareness – the color codes of situational awareness

• Sources for buying on line or catalogs• Training opportunities• What to do if you cannot bring a

weapon to your defense

4 Universal Safety Rules

• Treat every weapon as if it were loaded• Never let the muzzle cover anything you

are not willing to destroy• Keep your finger out of the trigger

guard until you are ready to shoot• Be sure of your target and what is inline

with your target