GUN FIGHTING FUNDAMENTALS
A sound knowledge of gun fighting fundamentals should be taught at the Apprentice Special Agent Course, reinforced by quarterly qualification ranges, kept current during periodic office training meetings, and most importantly perfected through individual agent dry fire practice.
Fighting Platforms:
Shooters should not be pigeonholed into a rigid, one-size-fits-all fighting platform. Just as all fights do not take place at the same range, all body-types are not the same, thus we need to emphasize a time tested truth found throughout the martial arts: If we find ourselves in a fight (i.e. fistfight, gunfight, etc.), we need to utilize a stable fighting platform which allows us to be flexible, and takes into account the natural human inclination to crouch slightly when faced with a threat and focus on our opponent…as with a good boxing stance (see figure 1).
Figure 1, Boxing Stance
It is also important to understand just what we need to see in order to get good hits. At distances from contact to a conservative three meters, our sight focus need not be razor sharp to achieve good hits. As was defined early in the twentieth-century, at such close distances we can “index” our body toward the threat to get good hits.
In order to use this fact to our advantage and guard against disarms at close distances; some forms of indexed firing platforms need to be in the shooter’s tool bag (see figures 2 and 3).
Figure 2, Close Contact Stance
*Emphasis must be placed on keeping muzzle pointed at the opponent’s lower abdomen (lower “5” zone) to remain clear of shooter’s support elbow.
Figure 3, Retention Stance
By squaring the hips to the target (the “index”), we are able to direct our fire by using the upper body as a sort of “turret” to hit our close opponent(s).
Note. The proper Close Contact Stance places the support hand palm against the back of the head, thus positioning the support shoulder and arm to best absorb strikes from an opponent within arm’s reach. In the Retention Stance, the heel of the firing hand and bottom edge of the magazine are against the upper chest, with the pistol canted slightly away from the body (this is also how the firing hand is positioned for the Close Contact Stance).
Once we move roughly past our opponent’s arm reach to a distance of up to five meters, we now want to bring the pistol into our direct line of sight. An efficient means of doing so is the Point Shoulder Stance (see figure 4).
Figure 4, Point Shoulder Stance
At these distances, we now bring the pistol into our line of sight with the target in order to get good hits. The desired sight picture at these distances has been described as the silhouette of the back of the pistol’s slide superimposed on the target.
You do not have the luxury of time at these short distances to achieve the “classic” bullseye sight picture with perfectly centered, razor sharp-focused front sight nestled perfectly inside the rear sight. We’ll look for such a “classic” sight picture at distances which afford us the time to do so.
Note. In the Point Shoulder Stance, bringing the support side hand to the chest in a clinched fist will aid in balance and stability. The shoulder should serve as an index point for the jaw (thus bringing the back of the handgun into the line of sight to the target), and firing side foot should lead. In previous (and latest proposed) iterations of 195-1, Point Shoulder was erroneously described with the attributes of the Weaver Stance.
As distances increase past roughly five meters, we now begin to rely more on traditional stances and sight pictures. However, at distances beyond five meters and up to 15 meters, the shooter should look “through” the rear sight, only verifying the front sight is superimposed on the target. At distances from 15 meters and beyond, the shooter will then utilize the “classic” sight picture as described previously.
Both the Isosceles and Weaver stances are nothing more than variations on a good boxing stance. The Isosceles (both arms generally straight, feet generally square to the target), is often more comfortable for average sized individuals, while the Weaver (firing arm generally straight, while support elbow is flexed with feet as in a boxing stance), is often preferred by those with large upper bodies. Keep in mind, two-handed shooting stance selection is a subjective matter, and each shooter should be allowed to experiment and find the most comfortable solution to fit their needs and achieve good hits…which for some may be some sort of combination of the two (see figures 5 and 6).
Figure 5, Isosceles Stance
Figure 6, Weaver Stance
Note. Just as boxers or other martial artists no longer stand erect before their opponents; neither should the shooter maintain an unnatural head erect shooting platform which runs contrary to the body’s natural inclination to slightly “crouch” when startled. I dare say none of us would pose as an old Queensberry Rules boxer when faced with an opponent, so why should we do so in a gunfight?
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