Hello all, here is today's article posted on TheArmoryLife.com. It is titled “How to Survive a Gunfight” and can be found at https://www.thearmorylife.com/how-to-survive-a-gunfight/.
How to Survive a Gunfight
- Thread starter Mike H.
- Start date
The Night Rider
Professional
I agree with the article, not that my opinion counts.
Training is when somebody else teaches you how to do it right practice is when you practice what you were trained.
Going to the range and shooting at tin cans is not training.
I was very lucky in that when I was on my church's security team they paid a professional trainer to put on a two-day training class for us every quarter.
The very first training class I ever attended I failed. I panicked and I failed the shooting qualification. And I mean my target looks like I just pointed a shotgun at it and pulled the trigger.
That event was its own stress inoculation training.
I passed on the next attempt but I learned from that to take the training classes very very seriously and pay attention to every single word. I also learned that the training was important enough that unless I was scheduled to work, I went every single time they offered it.
Training is when somebody else teaches you how to do it right practice is when you practice what you were trained.
Going to the range and shooting at tin cans is not training.
I was very lucky in that when I was on my church's security team they paid a professional trainer to put on a two-day training class for us every quarter.
The very first training class I ever attended I failed. I panicked and I failed the shooting qualification. And I mean my target looks like I just pointed a shotgun at it and pulled the trigger.
That event was its own stress inoculation training.
I passed on the next attempt but I learned from that to take the training classes very very seriously and pay attention to every single word. I also learned that the training was important enough that unless I was scheduled to work, I went every single time they offered it.
Good piece. Other than the Army I’ve never been in a gunfight. But, as a pilot I’ve enough inflight emergencies that I think doing the right thing requires a certain ability to remain rational and observant while everything else around you seems in chaos, all while trying to organize the chaos.
The Kubler-Ross stages of grief are useful constructs: denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance. You will be in Denial when presented with a life threatening crisis; you just can’t stay there for more than a second. Anger; yep. Bad guys on three sides; next. Bargaining: can’t be happening to me, I’m a decent person, pay taxes, love my kids. Nope, it’s happening. Depression; skip this one, it’s just a waste of time.
Finally you Accept the disaster, hopefully transiting the above in the blink of an eye. They trap people in crisis all the time. Not you though.
The training should kick in; should START to kick in during the denial phase when you see the situation is real.
I’ve had several inflight engine stoppages, and two forced landings. Two were unsolvable from the flight deck; on one we were very low and the copilot did the work of trying to restart. On the other it was just me, again at fairly low altitude and I went back to training/procedures/recited checklists out loud and it worked out OK; real bumpy though.
Training works; thinking while reacting per training works. You should be well enough trained that you do not have to think about whether the piece is loaded, cocked/locked, trigger finger position, front sight focus.
The Kubler-Ross stages of grief are useful constructs: denial, anger, bargaining, depression and acceptance. You will be in Denial when presented with a life threatening crisis; you just can’t stay there for more than a second. Anger; yep. Bad guys on three sides; next. Bargaining: can’t be happening to me, I’m a decent person, pay taxes, love my kids. Nope, it’s happening. Depression; skip this one, it’s just a waste of time.
Finally you Accept the disaster, hopefully transiting the above in the blink of an eye. They trap people in crisis all the time. Not you though.
The training should kick in; should START to kick in during the denial phase when you see the situation is real.
I’ve had several inflight engine stoppages, and two forced landings. Two were unsolvable from the flight deck; on one we were very low and the copilot did the work of trying to restart. On the other it was just me, again at fairly low altitude and I went back to training/procedures/recited checklists out loud and it worked out OK; real bumpy though.
Training works; thinking while reacting per training works. You should be well enough trained that you do not have to think about whether the piece is loaded, cocked/locked, trigger finger position, front sight focus.
When danger strikes you commonly see 3 types of reactions, freeze, flight or fight. From my long time training in martial arts, I saw the value of training as it can increase you situational awareness, increase your tactical evaluation and decrease your reaction time allowing for an almost instant appropriate response. I did a lot of full contact fighting and found that my mind would focus and accelerate to the point it seemed like everything around me was in slow motion. I have experienced the same thing with proper scenario based tactical firearms training. The more you do it (correctly) the more natural your reactions become (the weapon becomes an extension of your hand), allowing you mind to focus on the threat and building a tactical plan.
Icepick Mike
Operator
Never equated that speech with gun fighting or war. I believe it was about doing your best and not worrying about what the spectators thought about the participants performance in a sporting event. Just get in there and do your best.
Just after my 10th year in LE and getting promoted to corporal 2days earlier I was on patrol after having done all my paperwork. Trying to stay awake at 3:30am I got into a pursuit with a stolen car. I chased the car until he crashed and ran the driver down and caught him as he was trying to jump over a fence. As his feet hit the ground he lit me up with a 380 at contact distance. I turned my upper torso to draw and he got me in the left trap. It put me down right now and he was kind enough not to finish me. But as I struggled to recover after being revived 3 times and a stroke from blood loss and nerve damage I found this speech. It pushed me onward. I lost that fight and my face was literally marred with dirt and blood. I lay in a pool of my own blood until my brothers found me. Radio problems complicated this. But that speech gave me pride in what I did. I chased that guy down. He couldn’t believe I could catch him he said later. By the literal Grace of God I survived but had to retire. Had that part of the speech framed and gave it to another cop who got paralyzed after being shot in the neck also.
That’s what the speech was about as Icepick Mike says. Really nothing to do with training and inoculation and skills. All important things especially inoculation. Just not what the speech meant.
That’s what the speech was about as Icepick Mike says. Really nothing to do with training and inoculation and skills. All important things especially inoculation. Just not what the speech meant.