1st technique up close?

L

LASur5r

Moderator
I noticed over the years on TFL, there are some who are gun artists first and others who are unarmed martial arts first depending on the situation.

I would like to know on close up scenarios (6 or less feet), what is the first response? Armed? or unarmed?

For example, simple robbery...Bg approaches from your 8 o'clock. He is wearing dark clothes and a dark rain coat. He came from around a post in the parking lot, he is coming up with his right hand with a .38 snubbie. He is 5 feet away from you. The gun barrel is just starting to level with your head when you hear him earing back the hammer.

What do you do? First response?
 
If he's moving up for a headshot @ 5', my response would be to disable him physically. It'd be much faster to close the distance, deflect the extended arm and use a series of strikes to disable and put him down. I'd use a firearm as a secondary in this instance, but it'd still depend on the situation, how big he was, the availaility of escape avenues, etc.

Whatever the counter-response, the first move would be to sidestep the extended gunhand, deflect, and get inside his defenses from there.
 
I'm with CWL on avoiding the headshot as the first priority. Robbery may in general be a non-fatal encounter, but once the drop is had on you to that extent, ain't no way I think anyone could out-draw a trigger squeeze without either fortuitous distractions or Divine intervention.

Maybe draw from the wallet holster??? Naw, I don't think so. To avoid the reflexive trigger squeeze (AT YOUR HEAD!!!), you must be able to direct your muzzle to his brain stem in an impossibly short time. Sniper shot from afar, yes. Move my hand to the robber's head before he/she shoots, naw, I don't think so. See the last sentence of the previous paragraph.

IOW, if the guy plans on offing you to eliminate the only witness, you already stand a good chance of being dead before it's over.

So, WHEN the cosmic forces indicate it's time to move, it's deflect, disarm, distance and evaluate.

Deflect, draw & shoot seems to be more risky. Disarm would _generally_ be my first priority after and as simultaneously with deflect as I can manage it.

Impossible to fully predict reaction without the situation--including the demeanor of the robber. There may be situations where the gut feeling directs me to cave in and buy my life from a non-murderous robber. Sucks, but consider the alternative.

It happens all the time. Let The Force guide you, young Skywalker. Seriously.
 
In any scenerio, the first response will be to remove myself from the equation, if possible.
 
Depends much on the situation.

Is the defender's hand in his jacket pocket gripping his snubbie? Is the gun concealed in a holster taking two seconds or more to deploy?

How fast, effective and confident is the defender?

Is there a line of retreat? How fast can the defender run?

Is there cover at hand? How close?

How is the attacker armed? How fit and confident does the attacker appear? How many attackers are there? Where are they.

List ten or fifteen more of your own. Then imagine scenarios involving different combinations thereof. Boil it all down to two or three basic options and the one or three factors which will actually make the decision for you.

When it comes down to it you will have one fifth of a second to act so your training must target your subconscious mind.

Good luck! Stay safe.

With that in mind, what is in your hand (even if it is empty) is your most quickly deployed weapon.

Bentley

"Trust the fungus." -- Luigi Mario
 
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