COMPETITION

This month I thought we’d talk about what role competition can have in your defensive firearm training.  If you choose to add competition to your program, you should look for a format that complement’s and re-enforces the other elements of your training.  Here’s what I suggest you look for. 

First, are you required to use cover when it’s available?  Cover is one of the essential elements of defensive firearm training and we should be conditioning ourselves to seek it out.  If the competition you are choosing allows you to stand exposed in a doorway or window etc. while engaging targets, you MUST be aware of the bad habits you are learning.  You can still participate, but use cover.  You might not be as fast as the other shooters who don’t, but you will be practicing an important skill.

Second, is the required threat (target) engagement real world?  Are they taken in tactical priority/sequence?  For defensive purposes we must be aware of the threat level presented by our targets, this aids us in determining what the order of engagement should be.  We DO NOT want to engage a target that causes us to be exposed to another threat while doing so.

Third, are the equipment requirements (guns, holsters etc.) in line with what you carry?  We know that we should be using our carry firearm and equipment in any competition we participate in – there is no better testing ground.

Fourth, is the round count realistic?  We all love to shoot, but the odds of having to expend 28 rounds at one time to defend ourselves, are pretty slim.  In New York State, that’s a minimum of three (ten rounds each) magazine changes.  Statistics show most gun fights are over in a matter of seconds with only a handful of shots fired at very close distances.

Competition can be a great training aid if used properly.  If your only goal is to fill a room with trophies, that’s fine too but remember - habits, good or bad, are hard to break.  If you truly are a student of defensive tactics then the competition you choose to participate in should reflect that.