There are many inaccuracies here that need to be addressed.
1. The OP is not advocating shooting someone in the genitalia. He is simply asking what we think about targeting the Pelvic Region as a viable immobilizing shot.
2. Psychological stops and Physical stops are very different things that occur for very different reasons. However, both are stops and have defensive value.
3. The Pelvic Shot is a viable stopping shot. Don't attempt to use it.
The pelvic shot is a tactic that was developed and trained by law enforcement. After some high-profile shootouts in the last few decades, law enforcement personnel were made painfully aware of the presence and usefulness of body armor, as it was used by well-armed perpetrators.
The "Headshot" has always, and will always be the end-all, be-all incapacitating shot (And it's the CENTER of the head; not High-Middle, regardless of what you see in the movies). But anyone who's seen a true shooting take place will tell you that achieving a headshot in the heat of the battle is an aspiration at best; especially when the assailant is shooting back at you with the confidence that near-impenetrable body armor provides.
Enter the Pelvic Shot.
It is trained by Sharpshooters to incapacitate the shooters, and it's a much easier shot to make. The groin doesn't sweep around like the head does (Ask any successful defensive football player where they look at a ball-carrier to see where he's going. Not the head or shoulders, watch his hips). So you shoot him in the groin and you can achieve one of the following:
1. Broken Pelvis- Debilitating and painful. Makes the central weight-bearing structure of the body incapable of supporting weight.
2. Large Sensitive Vascular Damage- Slightly debilitating, mostly painful. A shot to the hip, groin, or femur/quad impacts highly sensitive areas rich in blood and nerve tissue. Makes it hard to continue the attack.
Sounds like a great tactic right? Now for the major difference. The guys using this tactic are shooting .308 rifle rounds or something close. You are most likely not carrying a .308 concealed on your person. The standard self-defense handgun calibers and loads do not possess the appropriate level of ballistic intensity to shatter a pelvis, so the best thing you can hope for is a vascular shot to cause damage. And if the round you're carrying is only capable of vascular damage, the appropriate tactic would be to direct that toward the major organs including the heart and spine: Center of Mass.
It is wrong that CCW classes are teaching this tactic without fully understanding where it came from or what it's intended use it (and obviously being unable to convey that to their students). So please, for your own safety, put this tactic on the back burner and don't consider it a viable option for self defense.
To be perfectly honest, and I've been telling people this for quite some time, your absolute BEST tactic for personal self defense is:
Two in the Chest, One in the Chest.
Don't get fancy. Don't try to throw out something someone once tried to teach you. Put as many shots as fast as you can into the most vital area of the body. And don't stop until he does. Simple.
I hope this finds you well and provides some help.
~LT
1. The OP is not advocating shooting someone in the genitalia. He is simply asking what we think about targeting the Pelvic Region as a viable immobilizing shot.
2. Psychological stops and Physical stops are very different things that occur for very different reasons. However, both are stops and have defensive value.
3. The Pelvic Shot is a viable stopping shot. Don't attempt to use it.
The pelvic shot is a tactic that was developed and trained by law enforcement. After some high-profile shootouts in the last few decades, law enforcement personnel were made painfully aware of the presence and usefulness of body armor, as it was used by well-armed perpetrators.
The "Headshot" has always, and will always be the end-all, be-all incapacitating shot (And it's the CENTER of the head; not High-Middle, regardless of what you see in the movies). But anyone who's seen a true shooting take place will tell you that achieving a headshot in the heat of the battle is an aspiration at best; especially when the assailant is shooting back at you with the confidence that near-impenetrable body armor provides.
Enter the Pelvic Shot.
It is trained by Sharpshooters to incapacitate the shooters, and it's a much easier shot to make. The groin doesn't sweep around like the head does (Ask any successful defensive football player where they look at a ball-carrier to see where he's going. Not the head or shoulders, watch his hips). So you shoot him in the groin and you can achieve one of the following:
1. Broken Pelvis- Debilitating and painful. Makes the central weight-bearing structure of the body incapable of supporting weight.
2. Large Sensitive Vascular Damage- Slightly debilitating, mostly painful. A shot to the hip, groin, or femur/quad impacts highly sensitive areas rich in blood and nerve tissue. Makes it hard to continue the attack.
Sounds like a great tactic right? Now for the major difference. The guys using this tactic are shooting .308 rifle rounds or something close. You are most likely not carrying a .308 concealed on your person. The standard self-defense handgun calibers and loads do not possess the appropriate level of ballistic intensity to shatter a pelvis, so the best thing you can hope for is a vascular shot to cause damage. And if the round you're carrying is only capable of vascular damage, the appropriate tactic would be to direct that toward the major organs including the heart and spine: Center of Mass.
It is wrong that CCW classes are teaching this tactic without fully understanding where it came from or what it's intended use it (and obviously being unable to convey that to their students). So please, for your own safety, put this tactic on the back burner and don't consider it a viable option for self defense.
To be perfectly honest, and I've been telling people this for quite some time, your absolute BEST tactic for personal self defense is:
Two in the Chest, One in the Chest.
Don't get fancy. Don't try to throw out something someone once tried to teach you. Put as many shots as fast as you can into the most vital area of the body. And don't stop until he does. Simple.
I hope this finds you well and provides some help.
~LT
