Too often, tactical types just don’t get it. They avoid improving obvious, useful (though less flashy) skills in favor of fixating on rare, edge cases.
The solution to all problems concerning skill and capability is to focus on core fundamentals, driving skills up against an objective metric. Doing so improves you in ANY environment these skills and capabilities may be tested, be it competitive, tactical, real world, etc.
Here’s an example of the problem.
It’s dry fire practice time. You bring the weapon up, obtain a sight picture, and smoothly press the trigger, concentrating on making each step of the process as precise as possible. The front sight is steady throughout the press. You set it up and run it again, knowing that repetitions are important. Practicing the fundamentals is essential. But, this practice of pressing the trigger, which results in a click instead of a bang, may actually be counterproductive when it comes to developing your combative skills.
For example, when you press the trigger in real life – live fire practice and especially during a confrontation – and you get a click instead of a bang it means you have a malfunction. The response to this, clearing the stoppage and getting the weapon running again, must be immediate. In a fight time is a precious commodity. There is no time to stop, think or assess the problem and then correct it.
So this tactically-minded instructor is concerned about dry practice creating a bad habit because it might impact malfunction/stoppage clearance response. For most gun owners, this concern is a bit foolish.
Getting into a fight (English-to-Douche translation: dynamic critical incident, time-is-life scenario) is a statistically low occurrence, even for active law enforcement personnel. A malfunction/stoppage is also a statistically low occurrence, assuming you conduct a minimum of semi-regular live fire practice/training with periodic maintenance and aren’t using complete garbage for equipment.
OTOH, marksmanship is needed 100% of the time live ammo is used – for qualification, practice, training, competition or real world/DCI-TIL – assuming you intend to hit something on purpose. Gun handling, such as getting the gun aligned on target starting from a ready/carry/holstered start, is also required 100% of the time. Doing these things in a time-efficient manner will always be useful in every conceivable use.
Also consider, that rare stoppage during that rare fight will never occur until after:
- You first find yourself in that rare fight.
- You get the gun out and up on the assailant.
- You attempt to shoot at (and, preferably, hit) said assailant.
Only after all this happens first does malfunction clearance become a concern – if it ever does.
I’ve had both military and police argue against my suggested use of dummy rounds and dry practice to fix their flinch, for the same reasons stated above. The only reason we were playing around with dummy rounds and dry fire at all was due to their now-identified flinch and problems with fundamental skills. They didn’t pick up on it before because the terribly low standards used in their qualification didn’t weed out this problem.
So, they’d rather continue to flinch and shoot horribly, coupled with a slow, inconsistent draw, all because a given practice method MIGHT (proof, please?) slow down their malfunction clearance in a fight…. Awesome.
Given that marksmanship and gun handling will always be needed, they need to be addressed to a reasonably high level first.
- If something like a ball and dummy drill indicates you’re flinching, FIX THAT FIRST.
- Can you hit a 30 MOA target (three inch at 10 yards, eight inch at 25 yards) with your handgun?
- Can you draw to a first round, centered hit on a silhouette at seven yards in about 1.5 seconds?
- Can you shoot multiple shots center-chest on the same target in less than half second per shot?
- Shoot an El Presidente to par (10 seconds with centered hits) or similar drill with your EDC (Every Day Carry) equipment?
If you can routinely do these things on demand, your marksmanship and gun handling skill is sufficiently high enough – and, more importantly, your practice/training habits are sound enough – that additional tactical concerns might be worth considering. At least your base fundamentals are acceptably good enough to warrant further study.
If not, you’re an like an obese diabetic worrying about the “optimum” exercise program instead of just starting with something simple and actually following it.
george
Apr 13, 2014 @ 16:27:26
John,
I think you are right on here. Tiger usually isn’t usually this far off the mark but I guess none of us is perfect. Just like building a house, if you don’t have a good foundation (as I say foundational skills) all else is subject to failure in the future. I also commend you for your comments on the likelihoods of bad things happening. Yes they do and sometimes “Shit Happens” and perhaps we should give some deference to their potential of happening but, dwelling on the unlikely is a waste of time. Having a good foundation to work from instills confidence which overcomes fear and doubt setting the stage for a good outcome when we find ourselves in a pinch.
The likelihood of having a stoppage in a well maintained service pistol with visually inspected factory ammunition is practically nill. I initially teach immediate action and an emergency reload as what you should do when the gun quits running. Larry Nichols, as wise man that lives near you, came up with this years ago and it makes so much sense that I borrowed it from him and always try to give him the credit. Simplicity is the best way to go.
Keep up the good work my friend!
George
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John M. Buol Jr.
Apr 14, 2014 @ 00:53:18
Thanks! It’s disheartening to witness so many military and police that would be better served addressing foundational skills overly concerned about edge cases.
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btmj
May 25, 2015 @ 16:25:15
Probability of ever being in a self defense gun fight: estimate 1 in 10,000 per lifetime
Probability of a pistol malfunction: estimate 1 in 4000 rounds, based on my personal experience
Assuming 10 rounds fired in a gunfight (well above average), my lifetime probability of having a pistol malfunction during a gunfight is 10 x (1/4000) x (1/10,000) = 1 in 4 million. So if I live my life 4 million times, I can expect to be in a self defense gun fight 400 times, and in just one case I will have a pistol malfunction during the gunfight. Gosh I am worried.
Now add to that the probability of having no vision and an injured hand?
Why not practice in arctic conditions with mittens? Or while hanging from a rope while rappelling? or while skydiving? what if you need to engage an enemy while in a burning building, and your gun is too hot to handle with bare hands? Should you practice firing under water?
It can get really silly, really fast.
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John M. Buol Jr.
May 25, 2015 @ 16:26:34
This is a great breakdown. Thanks!
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The ‘Net | Firearm User Network
Sep 24, 2015 @ 07:13:03
Michael Williams
Sep 25, 2015 @ 13:24:21
It just struck me that you can practice both. If you are dry firing, you will need to rack the slide for your next shot. If you have a malfunction, you will tap and rack. So, that’s what you do, and it trains you to automatically do that when you hear the click. Seems like a perfect solution to both points of view.
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John M. Buol Jr.
Sep 25, 2015 @ 13:43:13
Fine with me. Do whatever works.
Dummy rounds and dry practice are not necessarily required, but they’ve been proven so effective and inexpensive for so many for so long that it’s silly to not make use of them. Especially when we discourage using obvious, cheap (or free), effective tools that are known to address real problems common to most people in the name of tactical concerns that won’t likely ever be a problem.
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BigDogatPlay
Jun 20, 2019 @ 17:12:53
Reblogged this on The View From Out West and commented:
An older article, but absolutely spot on advice. Dry fire and malfunction drills are not the same thing. Both have value, and dry fire has proven in my own experience to be far more valuable both as a shooter and as a teacher.
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