[OldMarksman]

Posted by Limnophile:

I agree, which is why I would lean toward standing my ground (not that I have much choice) and delivering accurate fire.

Have you tried that, in any kind of realistic simulation-based training?

You have to (1) recognize the threat, (2) draw and present, and (3) shoot as many times as necessary. AND--your attacker has to stop before striking you.

If you detect and start acting when the attacker is six yards away, and if he moves a five yards per second, that must all take place in 1.2 seconds--including the time for the attacker to be stopped.

You can increase the time by moving--away from him, or laterally and forcing the attacker to change direction.

I view the location of a self-defense encounter as a battlefield.

???

A modern battlefield does not have nice, organized lines.

Nor is the location of a defensive encounter likely to have such lines. AND THAT'S THE PROBLEM.

If I have to move to get a clear shot I'm probably leaving a covered position, which may be unwise unless ...

Why would you ever think that?

If I am truly in imminent danger, to be honest my last concern will be ensuring I have a safe backstop. If innocents are in the background I would hopefully....

In my opinion, you really have to re-think that. Obtain and watch the recent episode of The Best Defense about the pharmacy robbery. It's all about clear shots and backstops.

Taking the recommendation of this thread -- to move when under threat -- to the extreme, it would be even better to not venture into a dangerous environment in the first place.

That should always be the first strategy. It is sometimes expressed as "don't go to stupid places."

While I did not do an exhaustive search, I could find no YouTube videos showing or endorsing the idea of shooting on the run.

Here is just such a video. You will find it well worth the time. It shows not only what to do, but why.

I have not tried shooting while moving. I have, however, trained in "moving off the X" while drawing. See this.

I have a trick knee, limited stamina, and more frequently than I should, bouts of gout. But I guarantee you that I would never trust my luck to standing still if I were being attacked.

A bood blackthorn walking stick helps with mobility, and if push comes to shove (pun intended) it would be a good thing to have for anyone.

Delivering accurate fire from a stable stance seems to be preferred for obvious reasons.

I cannot tell what you are thinking, but it seems to me like you are thinking in terms of group size, as in range shooting. Forget about it. If you are being attacked, you will have no idea where, within that three dimensional moving attacker, the small vital targets are. Nor will you have time to worry about hitting them, even though doing so is critical. I will be a matter of balancing speed and precision, with the hitting of vial areas being a stochastic thing.