I was talking recently with combat firearms expert, Omari Broussard, about how to master “shooting on the move” and one of the things that really stood out for me was his realistic approach to training for “worst-case scenarios” with your firearm.
But this is typically the exact OPPOSITE of how most people train with a gun, isn’t it?
I mean, 99% of the time, people are training for the “perfect picture”, like when…
… you have time to get to your gun…
… you’re in a perfect shooting stance…
… your heart isn’t beating at 3,000 bpm…
… and your attacker (i.e. paper target) isn’t trying to do the 40 yd. dash down your throat!
That’s just NOT the way real attacks happen, right?
Well, as you know, I’m a big fan of “at-home dry-fire drills” and…
Like Omari says, even if you’re an expert at “shooting on the move”, you can still trip and fall on a parking space divider… over a chair…or even your own two feet in the chaos of an ambush.
When that happens, you may only have a split-second before your attacker is on top of you.
Even worse, you may be facing MULTIPLE attackers from any direction, right?
That means you’d damn well better be able to shoot (fast and accurately!) from ANY position you land in.
The problem is, hardly anyone EVER trains for this scenario.
In fact, for safety reasons, most gun ranges won’t even LET you train for situations where you’re flat on your back, on your stomach, or all twisted up like a human pretzel – even though that’s exactly the position you could be in in a real attack.
That’s why I always say that the very BEST “gunfight training” you can get ISN’T at the local gun range… but actually right in your own home, garage, driveway, or back yard – using “scenario-based dry-fire drills”.
And to give you an example of how you can use these types of drills, let’s go back to the “worst case” scenario with you flat on your back – facing multiple attackers with your gun…
Setup:
- It’s best to use an Airsoft, SIRT or other replica gun (but even your fingers can work)
- Padded floor or rug (for safety)
- 5 targets (like balloons, paper plates, etc) placed around the perimeter of the room at about chest height.
Execution:
1. Assuming you already have your gun out and are engaging your target “in motion”, fall onto your back (lead with the buttocks and be safe) opposite the main “target” you would have been running from.
2. Once on your back (or side, or however you fell), engage your target with your “weapon” with 1 or 2 shots.
3. Move onto one of the other 5 targets (doesn’t matter which one) and engage from the fastest position you can accurately engage in (side, stomach, knees, whatever).
4. Keep engaging targets – from whatever position you’re in – until you’ve effectively hit all “attackers” with 1-2 “rounds”.
For best results (and add some more fun to it), time yourself from the moment you go to fall and see how quickly you can engage all targets. Try to beat your best time.
What you’ll find is that – using this simple dry-fire drill – you’ll be able to familiarize yourself with firing from several different “worst case” firing positions and the complications with each.
But what you’ll REALLY notice is how much better prepared this type of a training exercise will make you for a real gunfight – that you WOULDN’T have been able to do down at the local gun range.
Add more of these types of dry-fire drills to your personal defense training and I promise you’ll see a dramatic improvement in your skills and confidence.
You can get our best-selling collection of scenario-based dry-fire drills right here…
