This past Saturday I taught one of my Advanced Defensive Pistol courses. I had a really great group of students – one of those special classes – special in a good way, not in a bad way, if you know what I mean.
I can truthfully say there isn’t a person who attended the class who I wouldn’t be proud/comfortable to have by my side in a gunfight and I certainly don’t make that assertion lightly.
Today, I thought I’d share with you some of the drills we did at the class, a few of which you can practice on your own in the comfort of home. One of the first drills we did at the beginning of the day was a “Close Quarters Push-Off” drill.
The way this drill works…
Is that you’re standing about arms-length away from the target. When the “threat” command is given, the shooter pushes away from the target with their left hand while moving backwards and drawing and firing the gun.
We know the majority of gunfights are close range, so this drill teaches you to push off with your left hand simulating that you’re slapping away a knife, or hitting the person to stun them giving you time to draw and shoot.
You can practice this drill in your own home by pasting a target on the wall, hitting the target, then backing off and drawing and “firing.” Just make sure you have a safe and empty gun and you know your backstop.
The second drill is what I call the “End of the World Drill.” This drill takes place in a 360 degree shooting range and numbered targets are in a circle around the range. I walk the students into the very middle of the range and have them close their eyes and tell them that it’s the end of the world and they’re surrounded by zombies, Obama supporters and their mother-in-law.
I then spin them around a few times to disorient them…
And then I call the first number, which they must quickly find and shoot. Then I quickly yell at second number and they must charge in that direction and shoot too. I do this with multiple numbers until they’re running all around the circle engaging different threats from different directions.
Typing it here does not do the drill justice, but let’s just say by the time it’s done they’re huffing and puffing and they’re much better trained to quickly acquire threats that may come from all around them.
Probably the most difficult drill of the day, which every student accomplished, was clearing a “double feed” malfunction one-handed. (With both the strong and weak hand.) If I had to guess, not one in a million gun owners knows how to clear a double feed one handed, and I’d explain here, but it’s really something you have to seen in person, otherwise I’d totally confuse you.
With that being said, you should always be improving your self-defense skills, so if you’ve never practiced close quarters combat drills, or never been in a 360 range or never cleared a double-feed one handed, try and learn those skills in the future because life is strange and you never know when you’ll need them.
I liked the article and am reminded to practice close quarters drills. Also the “Obama supporters” I think I liked that the best!!
Those that would follow a pastor who thinks he likes the Obama comment the best would surely follow that pastor striaght to hell in the process. Really, Pastor T
So you think the “tongue n cheek” comment was calling for the shooting of obama supporters and mother in laws? You and the other “uber sensitive” Need to get a life! You sit around and try to find something you can get offended at and don’t have the guts to stand up to what is really offensive and harmful in this country! If you are not intelligent enough or too politically correct to see what was meant as a humorous harmless remark that’s tough! Next time you get mad and say you could kill someone I hope you are arrested for plotting a murder. That’s how stupid your reaction is! And you wouldn’t be judging me saying I’m going to hell would you? Now that wouldn’t be right would it? (insert, a large amount of sarcasm in my voice)
I like the push off drill, we did something simular at the United States Shooting Academy! Now the 360 degree drill seems a bit scarey FOR THE INSTRUCTOR, like where does the instructor stand? My little range does not have a 360 degree back stop,,, yet… I can sense that might be one of the first things I do when I get my new tractor for the Freedom Ranch, in Bristow, OK where CCW classes are always half price (30 bucks) and free to any sexual assault victim!
Aside from my own law enforcement departmental training over 28 years, I decided to take a .45 combat pistol course with a local Range master expert and competition shooter (MacScott) here in Santa Rosa, CA back in the ’80’s. He had a similar drill call an “El Presidente”. You basically stand just a few feet away from three standard B27 targets placed in front of you (left, center & right). You draw and fire as fast as you can putting one round into each target going from left to right and back to the left again. It’s amazing how humbling such close quarter exercises can make you. Extremely close up shooting requires practice just as distance shooting. I’m glad you are highlighting such training. Thanks Jason!
We’ve done the close quarters drill for many years at my agency. The 360 drill would be a hoot given the right range environment and several instructors who could tag-team the students to avoid fatigue (assuming the range is fairly large). I especially enjoyed the zombies, Obama supporters, and mother-in-law reference. That made my day.
Am I to take that you really like shooting your mother in law and Obama supports. Killing is made easy we we desensitize ourselves and taking things lightly or as if they are a joke. I don’t play those type games when it comes to the use of weapons.
No doubt I’ll get flamed by some juvenile for bringing this up (watch), but I liked the article until the reference to including Obama supporters and one’s mother in law as targets to be gunned down even in jest. While that may have been meant as a joke . . . it’s a bad one. Fellow Americans with different viewpoints than ours are entitled to differing viewpoints. A responsible adult range master can do without jokes about gunning down fellow Americans.
That is not what real Americans should be about. I can also understand the millions of mother-in-law jokes out there as well, but we really don’t need to be including them as targets to be gunned down either, as we have far too much domestic family violence as it is. Again, a responsible adult range master such as yourself really needs to tone down such things. I’ve come to expect better from you Jason.
You and I will both be put on blast but, that is OK. I can take the heat for standing up. Those remarks were just disappointing to me coming form someone with Jason’s back ground.
“Obama Supporters”….. so, we should be fantasizing about shooting other Americans who have differing political opinions? Comments like that just give the gun control crowd validation of their views.
I would have expected more.
So you are ok with shooting mother in laws then, right!?! get over yourself!
A good article Jason, The first drill is good, starts at the point with “Contact Shooting” 0-1yds, moving to “Extreme Close Quarters Shooting” 1-3 yds or “Point Shooting” 3-7yds, It is important to remember “Close Quarters Precision Shooting” could be used at these ranges 1-25 yards. Of course in real world events a lot would depend on the situation. The nice thing about this drill is you could use it to practice of these styles depending on how the scenario was set up. Before I get ridiculed again for bringing up “Point Shooting” at these close distances action is faster than reaction, hence being able to execute a defensive tactic, get off the line of attack, and put rounds on target the fastest will help increase the shooters chances of surviving the situation. The second drill is good and just makes me wish I had access to a 360 range locally for defensive shooting classes. I have shot on 360 ranges while training for my agency, but these are not open to the public, but offer a lot more options when setting up and practicing shooting drills.
Matt
Wow, I can not believe that you stated as part of your “End of the World Drill” that you have them close their eyes and tell them that it’s the end of the world and they’re surrounded by zombies, Obama supporters and their mother-in-law. Those combatant’s to me as a 6’1″ black male 300 plus Lbs, who trains and works out and carries a weapon and supports President Obama is as insulting as a person who would bring a target to the range of a silhouette in a hoodie with a can of ice tea in one had and candy in the other. For real Jason. What ever respect that I had for you and reading the many training articles that you have post is diminished and I am truely disappointed in you.
And here we go, a comment made in jest has to offend anyone that supports this president. It was ok when the left made fun of the last one, but Lord help us if anyone bad mouths this one. By being offended and having to post it here, you lost any respect you could have ever earned from me. You proved that you cannot separate a joke from real life. Get real.
I consider offending an obama supporter an act of patriotism!! And I just realized, I must be a racist because the silhouettes I make and shoot at are black!!! From now on though I will make them with hoodies as you mentioned, because it’s more true to life. I mean most of the thugs I see in the news carjacking, robbing, and mugging, are not black silhouttes but thugs in hoodies !?!
Maybe Jason threw in a couple of categories of no shoot targets to make sure you were paying attention.
While both drills are good, professionals should walk a fine line between highly charged political and social comments. If you are going to hold yourself out as an expert, then you have just lowered yourself to the depths of those you dislike. JMHO. That said, I have done the close quarters drill. It is also done in IDPA and IPSC competitions. The 360 drill is good because if fatigues the shooter. (Most ranges would NEVER allow it though.) There are other ways to “fatigue” a shooter. You can walk for older folks, run for younger ones, any exercise will do. Then with your back to the shooting area, place colored AND numbered 3×5 cards on your target and call those out to hit while “winded.” Turn and fire. Can you do it? Time frame? Accuracy? Just a thought.
I like the drills. I
haven’t worked on a single handed malfunction drill in a while. My bad. Thanks for the reminder.
About the comments, I have no problem with them at all. I’ve heard all sorts of comments.
No malice intended here. It’s a stupid statement. We’ve all heard them and made them. Lesson learned.
I guess the zombies comment is ok but man there might be some offended zombies out there too.
Also, leadsender, are you saying that only blacks support Obama? Really? Take your race card and toss it in the fire. There was no race statements used in Jason’s comments. I’m sick and tired of that. Color be damned. Stand up and be an American regardless of your race, creed, or color or anything else!!!
Personally I’m tired of being the short (5′ 9″) fat (195) white bald guy (I do work out too) is religious, married with kids and grand-kids and carries a gun. Holy cow, (sorry cows) but I’m the poster child for all conservatives!!!
OMG! I am only responding to you pantywaists who can’t take a joke.
For real guys. I enjoy Jason’s articles too but the joke brought a small chuckle to my lips. Quit borrowing faux sensitivity from the race hustlers and “calling out” members of our own community for innocent jokes.
Turn it around. If a liberal made a tongue-in-cheek joke poking fun at a conservative, and it was a little funny, would you be making the same stink?
Me? I’d enjoy another chuckle.
Regarding the Obama/Mother-in-Law comment Jason made that has caused some controversy . . . I wasn’t personally offended. However, it might be a good idea to leave things like politics and religion out of the equation. While it didn’t offend me, it also didn’t contribute much either to be totally honest. His article was a good one and its too bad that an off-color remark has caused some concern. Jason, I pretty much always praised your articles. Perhaps in the future it would be best to focus on the topic as the other authors do. Keep up the good work!
If it didn’t bother you, you would not have mentioned it!
This is a silly response. No it didn’t bother him but he has the same right to comment as you. Who appointed YOU the decider for the rest of us as to what we can comment upon? It didn’t bother him but he has every right to comment upon it and his response to Jason was very much a favorable one! You commented and he didn’t say a word about your right to do so, so please stop trying to monitor or censor what the rest of us can talk about here.
As he and others said to Jason, this article was a good one and no the comment didn’t offend him or a number of us. HOWEVER, whenever we introduce hot button side topics like politics and religion into things these kinds of things happen. THAT was his point and it’s a valid one.
Ok, so it DID bother him. That’s what kihbuilder said. It wasn’t a silly response. The guy made a big deal about it and also a big deal (twice) about how it didn’t bother him. IT DID. HE LIED! It has nothing to do with your right to say something. The point was, he was complaining about something that bothered him, and then he professed it didn’t bother him. If it really didn’t, he shouldn’t mention it. Is that really hard for you to understand? Kihbuilder never said what you could and couldn’t say. So he wasn’t asking for an appointment to make that decision. And he wasn’t censoring anyone. He merely commented on a guy that complained about something, then said it didn’t bother him. Don’t you see the irony in that? Personally, I think the point of the author was very valid.
Those who r offended by Obama remarks; lighten up n get a grip. It is Jason’s article to say as he wants. You self righteous types will offended no matter what. Political correctness is so played. Good article Jason n thanks again. If they don’t bash they will someone.
Matt, I see your comments above. You are still not getting it . Bringing the gun to eye level with a target 7 yards away and using the “flash ” sight picture is no slower than what you teach and the hits are more consistent .
Larry, give it up you will not change his mind. besides your the only one who seems to have the problem. So how is WV?
Great point! This PC garbage and super sensitive junk has to be stopped ! If not we are on the path to arresting people for what they say and think! It’s time to stand up against this madness! And I really like the part where you said. “It’s Jason’s article to say what he wants.” That’s called freedom of speech! I wish we had that in America again!
Have you heard the one about mixed emotions? Having mixed emotions is when your new
car goes over the cliff with your mother in law in it. My mother in law was a great lady and
even she laughed at that one when I told it to her. Perhaps that was one of the things
that made her a great lady, being able to take a joke and laugh at her self.
Hey Jason,
This is kind of off-topic but I can’t figure out how to message you via Google+.
My wife and I are planning on seeing the new Batman tonight. I have a concealed carry permit here in Alabama, but I can’t for the life of me find it. I hardly ever carry outside the house, but part of me wants to (understandably) have some hidden protection at the theater tonight. If I conceal, and something happens that threatens either my life or the lives of other theater goers, will I be in deep trouble if I act without the physical permit on my person at the time of incident? Thanks in advance for your reply.
Mr. Hanson,
For the record, I was not offended by the mother in law comment . . . CiA . . . I never would have made it . . . glad you did.
JD
. . .
Spies like us . . .
January 10, 2011
Dear President Obama,
Sacrificing for a ones country comes in many forms. From stepping into the political arena to stand up for what one believes in to hiding out in a foreign land to make certain that nations intentions are peaceful. If I had to pick I’d rather end up as a spy then a politician. At least its over quick in the very end rather then getting tortured like Jimmy Carter for decades for being the only President, other than you, in modern history that almost single handedly decimated a nation by not doing what was necessary to preserve it and grow it economically. How did a former submariner end up such a failure will forever be a mystery to me. Smart people as President are not a prerequisite; people of good character and rock solid commonsense are though. Right now we are in the thick of trying to find your replacement; there are days I wonder why we do this this way, but then I remember we are a free people and we fight it out this way because we are free, so naturally it’s going to be a bit messy. Besides what would be the fun in not having something for the next guy to fix:)
Back to spying. One of the primary ways the peace is maintained is reading each others eMail. When nations look to hide their intentions we know that they are up to no good. I often wonder why nations waste so much wealth in these endeavors. One wonders who sold them on such stupidity? Is it not much easier just to open your doors ask for a little help to meet your national objectives, and do some free trade, and and grow your economy, and the wider peace, in the process? Guess that notion is alien to some. Yet, here we are, we and they must do what we can to preserve the peace. Did I just say “they?” Because like the weird lady in that Poltergeist movie once said “They’re here” in that eerie voice. The United States is probably the most spied on nation in the history of nationhood. We are an open society we let anyone come in here, with or with out the proper paperwork:) At some access points we even train future Olympians by leaving pole vaults near the fence to give them a fair shot at the fence! Complete with an entire political party, and half of the other one, cheering them on . . .
Regardless, they treat ours is a bone of contention with me. One wonders what they seek to gain by such mistreatment? Do they think that it will garner them much support? I cannot see how considering their own domestic population would relocate if it could, and we would welcome them with food stamps and a 3 foot high fence, complete with a rubber stamp! The notion of excrement for brains comes to mind. But hay, that’s what passes for intellect these days in dictators so like I always say “When in Rome, act like a Roman!” Ever been to Rome? Nice place. Nuts drivers, as well as people on those two banger scooters. That’s a risk they are willing to take. The same with spies. But, even spies have families. Wives and children. Does the world need one more crying widow and orphaned child? Or another war to open up a closed society murdering it’s own people? We sure hope not. We pray for peace, but we prepare for avoiding war by spying. Do you ever wonder what the world would be like if those in the most closed societies just opened their doors, and stopped wasting so much wealth and time trying to keep the door shut? You see what happens eventually is this all comes to a head and a nation like ours is forced to act.
Not with people just checking out what the other guy is doing with his mail, but with B-52’s.
Mr. President do you ever wonder why those nations choose that?
I do.
Respectfully,
Joe Doakes
That Jason dude is w-a-y too confident. He pontificates about safety being the number one priority and then is shown on the range in a photograph, gun raised, pointing parallel to the butts. It may not have been loaded. Doesn’t matter. Any Range Safety Officer worth his salt would have introduced him to the joys of anal sex for a stunt like that. And why shouldn’t the CIA object to him effectively trading on its name ?
Great drills,and as for the rest of the crap and insults thrown out, BOTH sides need to grow up.
I don’t have to train to clear a jammed gun with one hand… While I love my autos, and especially my Springfield Armory “Loaded” .45, For personal carry and home defense, I shoot a revolver for that very reason (the Judge, Governor, and LCR). No, I don’t need 19 shots. If I can’t do it in 5 or 6, then I was out-gunned to start with and should not have gotten into that situation without a machine gun in my hand! ’nuff said.
Zombies, Obama-supporters, and mothers-in-law, oh my!
(1) What are you doing on foot with a short arm against zombies? We all know that zombies are best dispatched with long guns from height.
(2) Obama supporters surrounding you? Can they be that organized? Normally they are wondering around as aimlessly and smelly as the zombies. (Until they learn to “occupy showers” I will be aiming for the head, just in case).
(3) Anyone with enough mother-in-laws to surround them is best served by turning their firearm on themself. Unless you are a polygamist – that could be worth it. How do I get the administration to support my lifestyle choice of emotionially abuseing MULTIPLE women into wanting to be married to me? Seems like a far easier argument than same-gender marriage.
(4) You left out the ethinic innercity gangbangers, alien invaders (both kinds), hobos, teenagers. All of those deserve a spare clip as well!!!