Pluspinc--
Funny thing about that "91 % hit rate for crooks" (you know, the one that's often quoted and seems to never be substantiated?)-- Crooks shoot first. Cops rarely shoot as an instigation, but rather as a hurried, unplanned-for response. Crooks don't have that rule of engagement. Also, it is ALWAYS documented when a cop shoots at a crook; it may not be the case conversely.
<BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>You've disparaged the Weaver stance in the past.
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No, ALL stances. They don't happen in real life at least they don't get caught on videos.
You've asserted that sights don't get
used in confrontations.
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Videos show that also. And you cant see them in the dark or low light and you WILL focus on the
threat. Another study just came out showing that and is totally conclusive.
[/quote]
You know, I know just WAY too many cops who've had to point their pistols at armed felons who insist that the thing that saved everyone a LOT of trouble was that the felon in question observed that the cop in question held their pistol in a solid Weaver hold, had a good sight picture, and seemed to be in command of the entire situation. My own father asserts that this has saved more than one man's life in his experience, both in chance encounters
and in raids (Dad's a 30+ year LEO.).
NON-shootings don't get the close scrutiny that the shootings do. When you're certain of your sight picture and hold and have 2lbs of pressure on a 4lb trigger, you have a lot more control of the situation than if you are totally focused on the target, and unsure of just where that first shot will actually go. [My Humble Opinion, yes, but a reasoned one, and corroberated by some pretty learned souls.]
Recall that I asked what kind of training you give your students to survive a gunfight: <BLOCKQUOTE><font size="1" face="Verdana, Arial">quote:</font><HR>What is your main concern in preparing people to survive a gunfight?
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Avoidance first. Second, avoid (if possible) a state of fright which removes all ability to manage or
respond in a formal educated manner to the problem. The mind switches to a pre-programmed
response you have no control over regardless of training.
[/quote]Okay, okay; what I
should have asked is: "What kind of PISTOL techniques do you train your students to use to survive a gunfight?" I'd really like to know.
Muscle memory is a buzz-word that I really should know better than to use. I merely mean that consistant use of small motor control on certain tasks makes them easier to do without
conscious thought. Putting on a seatbelt; driving a manual transmission car under stress; writing your name without looking or thinking about it; drawing, safety, front sight, squeeze. Ganglia and neurons DO grow with repeated use. I can't write my own name with my left hand (I would basically have to
draw my signature left-handed.) However, with repeated practice, over a couple of years, I could get my left hand to be almost as good as my right, through rigid, repetitive drilling.
This is why, after a lengthy session at the range, I've seen a full pistol qualification course shot
blindfolded for what would have been a passing grade. (rural private closed range, with a man right behind at the ready to correct any safety missteps.) The man in question had full knowledge of where the pistol was pointing without even seeing the target nor the sights. Not "muscle memory"? Fine. Call it repetitive motion training.
Without such training, it's dadgummed hard to hit things in the dark. I've tried.
I've noticed that I will hit a man silouhuette in the dark better than I thought I could, but I was certainly
trying harder, too. We noticed in academy that most of the guys' groups shrunk when they shot weak-handed, too. They were concentrating more on sight picture and trigger squeeze.
Sounds a LOT like your point is that training doesn't work. Is your contention that the old addage that a man will fight in the manner he's been trained is a lie, or just that most people aren't trained right? Given a choice, I'd rather be trained, and am glad I am. I welcome plenty of future training, because I know that I'm a long way from finished. (My graduation certificate will, of course, come in the way of a headstone.)
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You're away from cover, a man pulls out a gun and points it at you from 15 feet away, and imparts to you that he's going to kill you. You're wearing a pistol in a holster strong-side on your belt. You know that on your worst day, you have a 1-second draw-and-fire. What do you do? Avoidance is out of the question. Too late. Do you throw technique out the window? How do you put that first bullet center mass, right NOW? I don't mean to steal the thunder from your class, but we're talking goals of application, here, and not techniques of training.
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