WHAT WORKS?

You’ll be hard pressed to pick up a firearm periodical these days where you won’t find an article written by an instructor explaining some new and innovative technique to defend yourself.  Instead of low ready, you should now use “SOL” (handgun is held close to the body with the muzzle pointed at the ground).  Or they have the greatest method to perform a tactical reload, one that we would never have thought of.  There is no weak hand shooting, only right and left.  Anyway, you get the idea.

Now, don’t get me wrong, I’m sure all these techniques are useful and you’ll probably look very “tactical” using them but the question is – do they work?  My martial arts instructor always said “All knowledge is good – take what works for you and discard the rest”.  If the new “SOL” position is quicker and easier for you to get on target, then by all means use it.  If the “new” method of reloading works better for you, then do it.  The key is – IT WORKS!  Don’t try to use it just because it looks good.

When I examine a new technique the first question I ask myself is – does it make sense?  Is this method really any better than the one I currently use?  Next, I try it to see how it works for me – is it something I will be able to use under a tremendous amount of stress?  Last, will it really add to my chances for survival?  If I answer NO to any of these questions, I discard it. 

Survival is not about looking “tactical”, it’s about hitting your target before it hits you.  The dynamics of a gunfight have not changed much since man first started flinging projectiles at each other.  The person who incapacitates the other one first, wins – plain and simple.  Gunfights take place at very close ranges and are over before most people can count to five.  You and your adversary will most likely be moving (running for cover) and have enough time to fire only a few rounds at each other.  The chances that you’ll have to use your weak hand are very slim and you won’t have time to reload until it’s over.

Does that mean we don’t need to practice skills that we probably won’t use?  Not by a long shot.  The chances of getting hit by lighting are very slim but a lot of people do each year.  So, my suggestion is find the techniques that make sense to you and practice them so they will WORK if the time ever comes.