Wounded shooter drills

[sjwsti]

 Ever wonder what the Instructors at The Bullet Hole do in our free time ? Here is some video that was shot this week of some wounded shooter drills that we were working on.

DISCLAIMER: THESE VIDEOS ARE FOR INFORMATIONAL PURPOSES ONLY. GUNS ARE DANGEROUS. THE TECHNIQUES DEPICTED ARE PERFORMED BY PROFESSIONALS ON A CLOSED RANGE. DO NOT ATTEMPT THESE DRILLS WITH LIVE AMMO UNLESS UNDER THE DIRECT SUPERVISION OF A QUALIFIED INSTRUCTOR AND AT YOUR OWN RISK.

The drill is set up to simulate being injured and having to fight from the ground. There is a dummy round and 7 live rounds in the gun. The shooter will first kick both legs to simulate kicking the BG off of him. On the command of "threat" he will draw with one hand (the other is injured and useless) and begin firing (all hits need to be within a fist size group high in the chest). He will have to fix the malfunction and reload one handed, get up off of the ground and scan. This completes the drill. So, with only 10 shots fired we are working a combative skill (kicking from the ground) one hand presentation, use of cover (yes, your legs are cover), one hand shooting, immediate action drill, sustainability drill, getting up off the ground and moving and finally a 360 scan. Then we do it with the support hand only. The individual skills can be worked dry to start and and the entire drill, minus the misfire, with Airsoft at home (using proper safety gear of course).

Here are the links (I couldnt figure out how to post them directly to this page..??)  :
                http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NuuK-oE6HG0
                http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-iYgNc5YDQU
                

- Shawn


ONLY MODERATORS AND ADMIN can post videos due to limited bandwidth

[NE Bull]

Thats some good stuff to think about, Shawn. I've done the fail clears and one hand/ off hand reloads, but never thought about doing it from the ground. Guess I just ASSUMEd I'd get the jump on them and be standing.

[sjwsti]

It certainly adds a new set of problems to deal with. Normally I practice the drill from concealment but I took my extra t-shirt off for the video so the technique would be more clear.

- Shawn

[Lorimor]

Just don't know if I like the idea of my legs/knees up that high in front of me when I'm drawing whilst on the ground. 

[sjwsti]

Just don't know if I like the idea of my legs/knees up that high in front of me when I'm drawing whilst on the ground. 

I think the angle of the camera makes it appear that Im sweeping my body more that I actually am. But its not possible to do this type of exercise and avoid it completely. 

The reason my legs and knees are high is to provide cover when no other exists. You have already been injured to the point were your on the ground and one arm is useless. You have to stay alive long enough to get your gun out and shoot it. And if you never train it you will never do it, especially under stress.

The drill could be modified and done while your legs are flat on the ground to minimize the amount of your body that is swept by the muzzle. But it would not be as effective.

This is an advanced technique and must be trained in steps.

- Shawn

[Lorimor]

Oh I would very much agree this is an advanced technique.  Getting the timing down pat would be critical.  If you're down on the ground, you're already in big trouble and very vulnerable in many, many ways.  It could well be that you're already injured.  Or it just may be you were pushed or punched to the ground.  Or maybe you just tripped and fell while backing up.  So many variables involved. 

I've never worked on my draw with my support hand while on the ground.  It would necessitate rolling up onto my strong side so I could reach behind my back to attempt to draw I believe. 

Sigh... yet another skill to learn and practice.

[bullit]

Lorimor is a 10th degree superior Black Belt multi graduate of Thunder Ranch (and wears Clint Smith designer underwear)...so he has the credentials to speak thusly.....and he is my friend so I can jibe him in such a manner.

[Lorimor]

Not only is the Clint Smith underwear the ultimate expression of tacticality, it greatly speeds my draw.  <ahem>  Did I ever show you my Clint Smith lunch box? 

I don't mean to question Shawn's ideas here.  It's just that the idea of NEVER covering yourself with the muzzle has been thoroughly hammered into my thick skull.  The 4 basic rules still apply in a gunfight. 

Not that I've ever been in a gunfight and hope I never will be.  I don't claim to be an authority but I've learned some good stuff from some of the best in the biz. 

For instance, many folks will one hand rack the slide of their favorite blaster by catching the ejection port or rear sight on the belt and ramming it downwards.  Where's the muzzle during this evolution?  That's right, downwards, towards your feet.

Clint will teach you to rack the slide with the muzzle pointed downrange, away from your body, by jamming it HARD into your hip and racking.  It works, even with ski slope Novak profile rear sights.  (However, I'm thinking the newer rear sight designs now on the market, like the Wilson "boot cut" are a better way to go.)  And if you're wearing riveted blue jeans while attempting this manuever, yes, you'll scratch up your smokewagon's finish.  Many put good ol' skateboard tape on top of the slide to aid in racking.

Regardless, I will work on drawing with the support hand on the ground with my airsoft propane gas burner. 

[bullit]

"Tacticality".....from the G.W. Bush dictionary I surmise.....

[sjwsti]

Clint will teach you to rack the slide with the muzzle pointed downrange, away from your body, by jamming it HARD into your hip and racking. 

There are as many different ways to do this as there are instructors. I havent tried this one yet, I`ll run it through a few drills and see how it works.

Just one question though, were`s down range on the street? Once your gun is out of the holster its going to be pointing at something. Thrusting forward means everything that direction. On your back wont be "down range". What if your prone? See were Im going with this?

The downward thrust may appear "less safe" but I think its more reliable as it can be used in nearly any position. And when properly done the muzzle is at your front or side, canted outward slightly, and the thrust is down and away. This pushes the muzzle away from your body and lessens the chance of catching your clothing.

Clints version sounds like a great way to teach the basic skill to a group, on a square range, in a relatively safe way.  I may have to use it.

- Shawn

[Lorimor]

I suspect that what drives much of what Clint teaches is safety.  The man is all about safety.  He obviously doesn't want to deal with anyone getting shot or shooting themselves while in one of his classes.   He comes from a background of teaching large numbers of people in a class.  The old Texas TR had upwards of 2 dozen students in each class. 

Now, flat on my back, I'd be inclined to hook the belt while at the same time, crossing the gun side leg over the other to get it more or less out of the line of fire. 

As far as "downrange" is defined, Clint's mantra is "Keep the gun between you and the threat while keeping your eyes on the threat."  So I believe it's only natural he's going to have his students rack the slide off the hip with the muzzle oriented towards the threat.  He's no fan of handguns aimed downwards at any time. 

I agree the belt hook is more reliable.  It's much, much easier to hook the belt than it is the seam in your pants on the point of your hip. 

And there's less bruising involved.

[Lorimor]

"Tacticality".....from the G.W. Bush dictionary I surmise.....

No, that's my term.  No dang Texan can make up words as cool as "tacticality." 

You can use it if you like.