Shooting Fundamentals

       During the defensive firearms courses that we teach, we’ll continually differentiate between the skills required for defensive shooting, and the skills required for being a good “marksman” on the range. Unlike relaxed exercises on the range with paper targets at 50 feet, dynamic critical incidents are usually fast and they’re usually close. Nationally known instructor Tom Givens has gathered data confirming that nearly ninety percent fall between 9 and 15 feet. In addition, when we’re under the extreme stress of a violent attack, our higher brain will very likely check out, and to one degree or another, automated responses will take over. Because of that, if we have a choice between a complex method of doing things and a simple method, we’re going to have to pick simple. If we have a choice between a method that embraces those automated responses or fights them, we need to pick the method that embraces them.