Professional Documents
Culture Documents
Grip
GRIP: Controlling the weapon while shooting and through recoil with pressure and friction and leverage.
Grip is reality based- under duress you will probably squeeze the weapon hard. Get used to the convulsive grip in training.
At close range against sudden encounters, shooting will often be done with one hand.
It is quicker and allows the other hand to be used for grasping items and for balance. The strong side thumb can be straight or curled down for better contact and control.
For Marksmanship, Two hands are better than one, and a firm grip with the support and a lighter grip with the strong hand will allow better trigger manipulation and is the most desirable for accuracy. This will most likely require anticipation and control of duress.
SKILLS YOU REALLY NEED WHEN IT REALLY COUNTS
Thumb rests on frame or rides safety. Thumb can be straight or bent for better pressure.
Stance
STANCE A body position that allows effective movement, fighting, and shooting, with control of recoil. Reality Based Combat Stance is based on the instinctive response to threats- facing, flinching, fighting: Toes to threat Lower the center of gravity Toes Straight Bent knees Back Straight Head, Shoulders forward Strong, tight base Aggressive forward lean It is also an important part of aiming as the body aligns and points the weapon and the eyes simply verify it is on target with minor correction Traditional marksmanship will direct shooters to bring the gun to their eyes. We teach dropping into the fighting stance as the gun is brought up because that will be your natural reaction under duress.
Set up with combat breath control during the respiratory pause Mostly useful in pro-active and offensive situations with the ability to fully anticipate the need for the shot Front sight should not move during trigger pull Check using dime and washer and unknown empty gun anticipation drill
T o R p e a r
Trigger Control
TRIGGER CONTROL- Independent movement of the finger on the trigger moving it straight back until the gun fires with minimal movement of the sights and gun Trigger control is probably the greatest source of error in pistol marksmanship The trigger must be pulled or squeezed straight backward to avoid pulling the weapon out of alignment during the shot Ideally a shooter wants to squeeze the trigger back slowly until there is a surprise break and the shot is fired Trigger control and grip work together to eliminate shot anticipation Finger placement on the trigger is highly individualistic, and can greatly affect marksmanship. (A) may be too much trigger for some and may push shots to the left. (B) is the preferred point, but not best for every person
Trigger Control
The trigger should be released only far enough so a click is felt and heard, which indicates the trigger has reset Trigger reset is part of good follow up After the final shot, always prepare to take one more For combative marksmanship, the trigger and gun are often squeezed convulsively. This requires a harder grasp on the weapon to keep it steady Single shot- Shot is fired with a single sight picture with careful and full follow through as if firing another shot (always prepare for one more during follow through practice) String (Tap)- Each shot is fired separately with a new sight picture, but with minimal time between shots. As shooters improve, they are able to do this rhythmically and quickly. Burst (Hammer)- One sight picture is acquired and weapon is fired as fast as the weapon can be controlled, useful only at very close range
SKILLS YOU REALLY NEED WHEN IT REALLY COUNTS
Fully Forward
Fully Back
Reset
Breath Control
BREATH CONTROL A method of controlling breathing to minimize gun movement as the body expands and contracts during inhalation and exhalation. Ideally, one should shoot during the respiratory pause after exhaling while the body is the most motionless If the shot is not made in time, another full breath with release should take place Combat breathing should start as soon as you are alerted to the potential need for violence Against a spontaneous threat, you will most likely hold your breath while shooting; stop doing this as soon as you recognize it and make breathing part of your tactical response and follow through If you make the deliberate decision for a perfect shot, you should set up the breath, which sets you up mentally for the fundamentals of marksmanship; The skill is to snap into position, breath out, and take a deliberate fully aimed shot as quickly as possible
Example: Run, Stop, Shoot Officer chases and armed bad guy until he gets a clear shot, the officer stops quickly, forces out a quick exhalation, finds the sights fully and shoots in a compressed time frame.
Follow Through
FOLLOW THROUGH- Consciously maintaining the shooting fundamentals for a brief time after the shot is fired. Preparing to fire the next shot. In real-life situations, this will only happen if taking one perfect shot, otherwise it will be highly compressed Combat follow through is shooting the threat until it is no longer a threattypically to the ground and/or with weapon dropped Next the shooter follows the threat down and assesses, while still aimed in and ready to shoot If the threat does not need to continue to be shot, the shooter should place the finger on frame, compress the weapon, and scan his surroundings If the shooter is more comfortable staying extended, it is not a major error. The purpose of the compression to a ready position is to break tunnel vision and protect it from a potential attack The shooter should scan left, middle (back to check the threat), right, middle (checking the threat one last time)- this can be done on the move The shooter should then take off and take cover getting behind cover or moving to a flank while checking the rear for un-expected threats Other Ts are Talk, Top off, or Take care of injuries Verbal commands should initially be Dont move or Stay down
FAST-5 Fight Assess Scan Take off Take Cover Talk Top Off Treat injuries
FAST- 5 From Randy Harris Suarez International Staff Instructor
SIGHT PICTURE