Originally Posted by
rob_s
The trend you're seeing toward the longer handguards in the "tactical" world is almost entirely due to the move many are making to the support hand being out further forward, which in turn is the result of people either training with, watching videos of, or simply emulating a few high-profile instructors. As has been rightfully pointed out, the majority of those instructors got this technique (even if they don't know that's where they got it) from the gamers. Say this in some circles and they'll lynch you, but I believe it to be the case, especially with the tiny little bit I know about these trainers backgrounds, prior employment, and who influenced the training in those locations. Not to mention that some of these trainers are known prior gamers themselves. There may be other historical references for the technique, but there isn't as clear a lineage from those sources to now as their is tracing things back to the gamers.
I always encourage people to try new techniques. If that requires a change in equipment then see if you can get a loaner to try the technique first, but give it an honest shake not just "ok I shot a mag that way and it sucks". When we cover stance at our practice nights we do the more common squared, hand further back, feet more squared up stance and we try the "new" hand further out, feet & shoulders more bladed, etc. We talk about pros and cons of both, and we talk about gear setup for both. From there it's the shooter's option, but at least he's tried both in a dynamic environment for as many rounds as we can get out of him and he can make up his own mind.
As mentioned, there is nothing new in the world. Just because the current proponents trace the roots back to gaming doesn't mean gamers invented it or were the first to do it. You watch the training world long enough, or research far enough back, and you'll find that anything not directly related to technology advancements (and even then some) goes in cycles.