spankaveli
08-13-09, 11:58
This is long winded. There are no cliff-notes. I wrote it this long because I wanted to include what I learned and stuck into my head as well as give appropriate thanks to Paul who put on an amazing two day class that touched on a significant amount of things as well as gave everyone a great baseline for what they need to work on and practice in their off time as well as, I assume, an idea of what they need to work on more-so than other things.
Please forgive me if I miss anything. For the last class I attended, I had the luxury of writing each day's AAR that evening while everything was, for the most part, fresh in my mind. Suffice it to say, I did not this time.
This class was really an eye opener for me.
Day one consisted of two handed shooting from various positions. The class started as most do. Introductions, safety briefing, etc. Then Paul did his normal "hey guys, what do you do if someone gets shot?" and opened alot of eyes. I'd heard it before so I was prepared. Not to say I had a blow out bag or knew where the nearest hospital was but I knew he was going to open some eyes.
We started out with drawstroke, did some sighting routines, worked alot on malfunction clearances (diagnostic and non-diagnostic), reloads, shooting from inside of full extension. The drawstroke that Paul teaches (which he got from SouthNarc) is unique in that it is universal regardless of body position (seated, standing, lying on back) or direction (forward of you, left, right). It works whether you're in a car, at a restaurant booth, sitting at a bar or walking down the street. What, I suppose, struck me the most from day one was sight picture, sight alignment, etc variances and how their weight not prohibitively impacting on accuracy at fighting distances. Focus on the gun, the front sight or the target and within 5-7 feet your hits will be where you put them. The malfunction drills were eye-opening for me as well as I'd never really worked more than a handful of malfunction clearances and never really worked on double-feeds.
There was also a large emphasis, as I was aware of from before, with hips square, nose over toes posture. As was stated, often times a gun is either not the appropriate tool for the job or might not be accessible. Furthermore, it is significantly higher probably that your fight will start without warning and you need to be able to survive the initial attack and press the fight as opposed to being pushed back. As such, you need to have a good platform to absorb a crash impact and be able to fend off an attack and then utilize weapons if necessary and acceptable.
Paul is also big on repeatable indexes being placed into unconscious memory so, a few scenarios will lead you to the same place and be able to get you on track sooner. Specifically, elbow into abdomen and fist at eye level with your muzzle pointed up is not only your stoppage reduction position but it's your assessment position and your movement position as well. from there, regardless of previous situation, you're back to position two, then three, then driving forward (as necessary) into position four.
About the drawstroke, count one is given as a full firing grip on the firearm. As you go into count one, your offhand comes high on the chest. Count two has the handgun coming straight up a vertical line, shoulder muscle bunched, elbow pointing straight up and rearward and the gun at a diagonal-ish angle pointed in front of you. This serves both as a retention position from a gun-handling standpoint as well as a fundamental position to be able to shoot from at contact distance. Count three has the gun coming across the front of the chest with you flagged thumb in contact with the chest until it meets the center where your offhand makes contact with the gun and grips it as well. Count three is also when the gun first comes into your peripheral vision. Count four is variable in that it's definition is "appropriate contraction or expansion depending on distance from threat." Meaning it could be arms fully extended or it could be just far enough that you can have the gun, and sights, at eye level.
Not my pictures, I stole them from his Drawstroke 101 thread.
Count 1:
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3158/3065489302_a6ec05fb35.jpg
Count 2:
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3024/3065541226_45d5aefd49.jpg
Count 3:
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3024/3064698785_dc62f5ab85.jpg
Count 4: (full extension)
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3034/3065533676_f848b6eecc.jpg
We also did a good bit of work seated and also off our backs. Shooting from lying completely down, to sitting up, to kneeling, then to standing. This is to, of course, simulate coming into a fight after being knocked on your ass/and or shot and realizing, at that point, you're in a fight.
I'm sure there was alot more but I was sick Saturday, barely made it home and passed out about an hour later after taking Nyquil Night time, Tylenol Extra Strength and some anti-biotics.
The second day's whole emphasis was on safely performing routines from day one (drawstroke, reload, type 1 and 2 malfunction clearances) with one hand only. Both strong hand and weak hand. This is very eye opening for everyone as no one really realized how much you need your other hand when it's time to draw your pistol with your offhand, shoot, perform a reload, possibly clear a malfunction, etc. This is where the whole "Novak sights suck" come into play. The simplest (for lack of a better term) way of doing most of this work is, of course, by running the gun using the rear sight against the edge of either your belt (if it's sturdy enough) or your pants pocket. Conversely, if you are already behind cover you can use your shoe or trap the weapon between your knees. Obviously this cannot be done if you are on the move, hence the "if you are already behind cover." Reloads were interesting but much easier after a bit of practice. Upon slide lock, tap/rack, release mag, shove gun into waistband, retrieve magazine, seat magazine, rack, work. Type 1 malfunction is as simple as tapping the magazine on your belt (or leg, whatever) and racking it using the above mentioned method. Type 2 is a whole new ballgame. It quickly becomes apparent that it's quite difficult to, with one hand, lock back the slide on your pistol then release the magazine, rack several times, reload, rack and work.
We also worked on firing through the drawstroke and the usage of vertical and horizontal elbows as defensive moves to keep our attackers at a distance far enough away to retrieve necessary tools. We started with a vertical elbow and in count two of drawstroke, firing one-handed through count three and then four, pausing, back into count three then back to four two handed then firing towards the target from four to three then back to two utilizing a horizontal elbow. As was demonstrated, with proper technique, both are very capable of disallowing someone from getting "within your space."
We also worked a bit on seated draw stroke again but this time chairs were placed facing in different directions. We shot at a target behind us, to our strong side (one handed), to our weak side (two handed) and in front.
The end of the day Sunday consisted of a series of 11 or so firing strings utilizing the procedures we had learned. This was a timed exercise but times were recorded solely to give everyone a benchmark for something to work towards.
These are from memory as my book is at home but it was something like:
String 1. Draw & fire 5 rounds from concealment both hands.
String 2. Draw & fire 5 rounds from concealment strong hand only
String 3. Draw & fire 5 rounds from concealment weak hand only
String 4. Fire 1 round (to slidelock), perform reload and fire one round both hands.
String 5. Fire 1 round (to slidelock), perform reload and fire one round strong hand only.
String 6. Fire 1 round (to slidelock), perform reload and fire one round weak hand only
String 7. Fire 4 live rounds (one dummy round was placed somewhere within) using both hands.
String 8. Fire 4 live rounds (one dummy round was placed somewhere within) using primary hand only
String 9. Fire 4 live rounds (one dummy round was placed somewhere within) using weak hand only.
String 10. Starting with a double feed, clear and fire two rounds using both hands.
String 11. Starting with a double feed, clear and fire two rounds using strong hand only.
String 12. Starting with a double feed, clear and fire two rounds using weak hand only.
Needless to say, strong hand and weak hand only is very eye opening by itself, even more so when you know, even though you are not worried about the time, that there is a timer running.
There was also a heavy suggestion for anyone involved in shooting sports to obtain some sort of medical training and carry with them, at all times, a compact medical kit to deal with traumatic injuries. This is something most people pay no mind to. I'd heard it before from him and am aware of the necessity but I saw many eyes open when he mentioned something about a perfect shooting then fast-forward to your child screaming because they took a stray bullet and having to watch them bleed out because, just like cops, ambulances aren't always seconds away. It makes it worse because, as most people know, EMT cannot enter a scene of violence until police have deemed it okay.
Please forgive me if I miss anything. For the last class I attended, I had the luxury of writing each day's AAR that evening while everything was, for the most part, fresh in my mind. Suffice it to say, I did not this time.
This class was really an eye opener for me.
Day one consisted of two handed shooting from various positions. The class started as most do. Introductions, safety briefing, etc. Then Paul did his normal "hey guys, what do you do if someone gets shot?" and opened alot of eyes. I'd heard it before so I was prepared. Not to say I had a blow out bag or knew where the nearest hospital was but I knew he was going to open some eyes.
We started out with drawstroke, did some sighting routines, worked alot on malfunction clearances (diagnostic and non-diagnostic), reloads, shooting from inside of full extension. The drawstroke that Paul teaches (which he got from SouthNarc) is unique in that it is universal regardless of body position (seated, standing, lying on back) or direction (forward of you, left, right). It works whether you're in a car, at a restaurant booth, sitting at a bar or walking down the street. What, I suppose, struck me the most from day one was sight picture, sight alignment, etc variances and how their weight not prohibitively impacting on accuracy at fighting distances. Focus on the gun, the front sight or the target and within 5-7 feet your hits will be where you put them. The malfunction drills were eye-opening for me as well as I'd never really worked more than a handful of malfunction clearances and never really worked on double-feeds.
There was also a large emphasis, as I was aware of from before, with hips square, nose over toes posture. As was stated, often times a gun is either not the appropriate tool for the job or might not be accessible. Furthermore, it is significantly higher probably that your fight will start without warning and you need to be able to survive the initial attack and press the fight as opposed to being pushed back. As such, you need to have a good platform to absorb a crash impact and be able to fend off an attack and then utilize weapons if necessary and acceptable.
Paul is also big on repeatable indexes being placed into unconscious memory so, a few scenarios will lead you to the same place and be able to get you on track sooner. Specifically, elbow into abdomen and fist at eye level with your muzzle pointed up is not only your stoppage reduction position but it's your assessment position and your movement position as well. from there, regardless of previous situation, you're back to position two, then three, then driving forward (as necessary) into position four.
About the drawstroke, count one is given as a full firing grip on the firearm. As you go into count one, your offhand comes high on the chest. Count two has the handgun coming straight up a vertical line, shoulder muscle bunched, elbow pointing straight up and rearward and the gun at a diagonal-ish angle pointed in front of you. This serves both as a retention position from a gun-handling standpoint as well as a fundamental position to be able to shoot from at contact distance. Count three has the gun coming across the front of the chest with you flagged thumb in contact with the chest until it meets the center where your offhand makes contact with the gun and grips it as well. Count three is also when the gun first comes into your peripheral vision. Count four is variable in that it's definition is "appropriate contraction or expansion depending on distance from threat." Meaning it could be arms fully extended or it could be just far enough that you can have the gun, and sights, at eye level.
Not my pictures, I stole them from his Drawstroke 101 thread.
Count 1:
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3158/3065489302_a6ec05fb35.jpg
Count 2:
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3024/3065541226_45d5aefd49.jpg
Count 3:
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3024/3064698785_dc62f5ab85.jpg
Count 4: (full extension)
http://farm4.static.flickr.com/3034/3065533676_f848b6eecc.jpg
We also did a good bit of work seated and also off our backs. Shooting from lying completely down, to sitting up, to kneeling, then to standing. This is to, of course, simulate coming into a fight after being knocked on your ass/and or shot and realizing, at that point, you're in a fight.
I'm sure there was alot more but I was sick Saturday, barely made it home and passed out about an hour later after taking Nyquil Night time, Tylenol Extra Strength and some anti-biotics.
The second day's whole emphasis was on safely performing routines from day one (drawstroke, reload, type 1 and 2 malfunction clearances) with one hand only. Both strong hand and weak hand. This is very eye opening for everyone as no one really realized how much you need your other hand when it's time to draw your pistol with your offhand, shoot, perform a reload, possibly clear a malfunction, etc. This is where the whole "Novak sights suck" come into play. The simplest (for lack of a better term) way of doing most of this work is, of course, by running the gun using the rear sight against the edge of either your belt (if it's sturdy enough) or your pants pocket. Conversely, if you are already behind cover you can use your shoe or trap the weapon between your knees. Obviously this cannot be done if you are on the move, hence the "if you are already behind cover." Reloads were interesting but much easier after a bit of practice. Upon slide lock, tap/rack, release mag, shove gun into waistband, retrieve magazine, seat magazine, rack, work. Type 1 malfunction is as simple as tapping the magazine on your belt (or leg, whatever) and racking it using the above mentioned method. Type 2 is a whole new ballgame. It quickly becomes apparent that it's quite difficult to, with one hand, lock back the slide on your pistol then release the magazine, rack several times, reload, rack and work.
We also worked on firing through the drawstroke and the usage of vertical and horizontal elbows as defensive moves to keep our attackers at a distance far enough away to retrieve necessary tools. We started with a vertical elbow and in count two of drawstroke, firing one-handed through count three and then four, pausing, back into count three then back to four two handed then firing towards the target from four to three then back to two utilizing a horizontal elbow. As was demonstrated, with proper technique, both are very capable of disallowing someone from getting "within your space."
We also worked a bit on seated draw stroke again but this time chairs were placed facing in different directions. We shot at a target behind us, to our strong side (one handed), to our weak side (two handed) and in front.
The end of the day Sunday consisted of a series of 11 or so firing strings utilizing the procedures we had learned. This was a timed exercise but times were recorded solely to give everyone a benchmark for something to work towards.
These are from memory as my book is at home but it was something like:
String 1. Draw & fire 5 rounds from concealment both hands.
String 2. Draw & fire 5 rounds from concealment strong hand only
String 3. Draw & fire 5 rounds from concealment weak hand only
String 4. Fire 1 round (to slidelock), perform reload and fire one round both hands.
String 5. Fire 1 round (to slidelock), perform reload and fire one round strong hand only.
String 6. Fire 1 round (to slidelock), perform reload and fire one round weak hand only
String 7. Fire 4 live rounds (one dummy round was placed somewhere within) using both hands.
String 8. Fire 4 live rounds (one dummy round was placed somewhere within) using primary hand only
String 9. Fire 4 live rounds (one dummy round was placed somewhere within) using weak hand only.
String 10. Starting with a double feed, clear and fire two rounds using both hands.
String 11. Starting with a double feed, clear and fire two rounds using strong hand only.
String 12. Starting with a double feed, clear and fire two rounds using weak hand only.
Needless to say, strong hand and weak hand only is very eye opening by itself, even more so when you know, even though you are not worried about the time, that there is a timer running.
There was also a heavy suggestion for anyone involved in shooting sports to obtain some sort of medical training and carry with them, at all times, a compact medical kit to deal with traumatic injuries. This is something most people pay no mind to. I'd heard it before from him and am aware of the necessity but I saw many eyes open when he mentioned something about a perfect shooting then fast-forward to your child screaming because they took a stray bullet and having to watch them bleed out because, just like cops, ambulances aren't always seconds away. It makes it worse because, as most people know, EMT cannot enter a scene of violence until police have deemed it okay.