Protecting Your Family

[HeadHunter]

Here's my latest article on Personal Defense Network.

Defensive training and practice typically involve one person alone against single or multiple assailants. But most of our lives, we are with other people. The difference between training/practicing alone and working with others leaves a significant hole in our capabilities until we practice to fill that void.

http://www.personaldefensenetwork.co...g-your-family/

[Hiker 1]

This is good stuff man.

[dannyb]

Excellent article and well written.

[kraigwy]

In the age of two-handed shooting, one-handed shooting has become severely neglected. However, any parent could be carrying a child or grandchild when an incident occurs.

Or anything else, wallet at an ATM, gas nozzle at gas station, door handle, shielding or pushing away loved one, door knob, etc etc, the list is endless.


This is my pet peeve, seldom if ever does one have two hands free in such situations. Seldom do people practice with one hand.

I'm a firm believer a huge majority of SD practice should be with one hand. 50-40-10 meaning I believe 50% of your practice should be with your weak hand, 40% with your strong hand and 10% with both hands.

But it wont happen, we shoot better with two hands so our egos wont let us practice with one hand simply because we want to see good groups not bad groups shooting with one hand gives us.

Just think about it, how often do you walk around with two hands free?

[K_Mac]

Good article. I am guilty all too often of practicing to see how accurate I can be, and ignoring the drills that can make me more effective in an emergency situation. Thanks for the reminder and keep up the good work.

[C0untZer0]

But it wont happen, we shoot better with two hands so our egos wont let us practice with one hand simply because we want to see good groups not bad groups shooting with one hand gives us.

I admit this is a big problem for me.

Firing left handed at 25 feet gives me a target with holes all over it - some not even in the 5 ring.

It's just not as fun as creating that tight shot group so I procrastinate on doing the not-as-fun training.

[12GaugeShuggoth]

I'm a firm believer a huge majority of SD practice should be with one hand.

+1, I'd say about 75% of my shooting is one handed. Whether it be SD practice or just plain fun shooting at soda cans or steel spinner. My problem is not practicing weak hand shooting enough . Once you can shoot quickly and accurately with one hand, two handed shooting is easy, at least IMO.

So many of us have this fanciful idea in our heads that we'll have the time and distance to achieve a perfect stance and sight picture and rock solid grip..........truth is that a lot of the time that just isn't going to happen. Unless you're on super red alert 100% of the time, there's always the possibility of someone getting the one-up on you and getting inside your comfort zone. And really, who wants to walk around on super red alert all the time?

I also found this:

Working with others on any task can be difficult. In the context of a defensive encounter, it can become incredibly complicated.

to be quite apt.

[Onward Allusion]

That was an excellent read. Thanks!

[HeadHunter]

This topic is a work in progress for me. If anyone has anything to add to the discussion about how they work with their family members, in terms of training, practice, or protocols, I am all ears.

[Patriot86]

Great read! Going to save this one for a refresher later

[dannyb]

I was forced into one-handed shooting last year when I had a rotator cuff injury. Once it healed, I started weak hand single just to catch up a bit.

This article inspired me to use yesterday's gorgeous weather to convince my wife to come with me to the range - the outdoor range with the fixed-distance 25 foot pistol range instead of the indoor range to which she comes with me once in a blue moon and shoots at 5 yards. It was also her introduction to snubbies - 2" model 10, 2" model 64, and 1.75" model 442. After hitting the target 5 times out of 20, it came as a surprise to her that it wasn't as easy as with the Model 19 at 5 yards. She's determined to come back and get better.

So, thanks for the article and the inspiration. This may work out on many levels.

[TexasJustice7]

Kraigwy: This is my pet peeve, seldom if ever does one have two hands free in such situations. Seldom do people practice with one hand.

I'm a firm believer a huge majority of SD practice should be with one hand. 50-40-10 meaning I believe 50% of your practice should be with your weak hand, 40% with your strong hand and 10% with both hands.

I agree with you. I practice shooting with one hand, but probably do less than 20 % practice with my weak hand (right hand). One of my weapons
I don't normally carry, I might have to shoot with both hands. (S&W 625-5 Long Colt 45) Shooting one handed or pratice drawing I have to pull my shirt up with my weak hand, draw with my left. I can draw unassisted from
my backup gun in a pocket holster, but my primary weappon I need both
hands to draw it. How do you handle that situation if drawing from Concealed Carry?

[ares338]

It has been my habit to include one handed shooting with both my dominate and non dominate hand. I use a mobility chair and I most likely would not be able to use a two handed grip in a crisis situation. I was a Boy Scout so I believe in the motto "be prepared"!

[Discern]

I would also suggest working on one handed shooting with the weak hand. Then there is the question can you drop the magazine or empty the cylinder chambers one handed - strong and weak hand. How about loading a revolver cylinder with using only one hand - strong and weak hand. How about being able insert a new magazine and rack the slide on an uncocked semi-auto while only using one hand/arm and still have the muzzle pointed in a safe direction - again strong and weak hand. Practice and perfect using snap caps.

[HeadHunter]

Developing and rehearsing teamwork, communications, and tactics/SOPs is what I would prioritize first. Proper emphasis on those helps avoid having to deploy weapons at all. While weapons and skill at arms are an important part of our defenses, they aren't the most important part.

As an example, a woman in SC was shopping, with her child, in Wal-Mart and noticed a man seeming to shadow her. She thought nothing of it at the time. She left and went to her car. Her SOP was to immediately put her child and purchases in her minivan, get in, and close and lock the door behind.

After she was secure, she would go through the rigamarole of belting the child in, securing the groceries, etc. As she was doing so, she noticed that same man walking behind her vehicle, looking around. Her first thought was "he must be looking for his car." Then she realized he was looking for HER not his car. But she had gotten in and ensconced herself so quickly that he couldn't figure out where she had gotten off to.

She was shaken but unharmed. Her tactics had saved her not weapons or skill at arms.