A default, two handed, high pectoral draw stroke is a very good place to start. It leads to outstanding accuracy at a very nice rate of speed.
IMHO, the elbow up/elbow down draw stoke (as seen in the clips of me that Matt Temkin posted) needs to be added to facilitate more speed inside of the retention concept.
Adding on a completely versatile draw stroke is the only way to be the very best that you can be.
The Completely Versatile Draw Stroke
There is no doubt in my mind on the importance of the "default" two handed, linear, drawstroke. I have spent thousands and thousands or hours on this skill.....with every minute being well worth the time.
As I have progressed in my skill sets and knowledge base, I have also seen the importance of something more “well rounded” and completely versatile. In my observations on FOF encounters it has become clear to me that people may not be able to get to their default draw stroke. As a matter of fact, that it may be a very bad idea using the default draw stroke in some situations. The reason for this is that there is a need to square up to the threat. By squaring up you may have had to adjust the direction of your movement. In a reactive situation, adjusting the direction of your movement could be a very bad idea. Your displacement off of the line of attack is negatively affected by this adjustment for squaring up.
In my observations, it is my opinion that accepting your momentum and continuing in the general direction of your movement, in an explosive manner, and drawing directly to the threat is a much more efficient and effective tactic. This is very much like what Gabe sets down while drawing directly to the threat, while seated in a car. We all know that this will cover our legs.....but in a reactive situation your body will choose the fastest way to align your firearm onto the threat. The very same concept should be applied to your draw stroke and the corresponding direction of movement while we engage.
It is my opinion that a completely versatile draw stroke should be added to a well ingrained default draw stroke. One should be able to draw directly to the threat no matter what "clock position" the adversary is at, without squaring up or dramatically adjusting the direction of your movement. As we break away from the default draw stroke, we begin to see the absolute need for the one handed draw stroke. My two handed "frontal" draw stroke (righty) covers my 8:00 all the way around to my approximate 2:00. My one handed drawstroke covers the rest. That is six directions apiece, which puts this at virtually equal importance.
As we add the completely versatile drawstroke, we will immediately see the benefits to this in regards to getting off of the X. The fastest way possible to get off the X is by exploding forward, the general direction that the toes are pointed (from the 10:00 to the 2:00.) If you have "walked" into a bad situation, this is even more obvious. The continuation of your forward movement makes the explosive move out of the kill zone even more effective and efficient. To not use that momentum to your advantage could be a very bad idea.
As I have said before, the height and the extension of the gun will depend on a number of factors, proximity of the threat, urgency of the shot, position in the reactionary curve, need for retention properties, chaos of the encounter, type of terrain, user’s skill level, and tactical considerations (zippering.) The completely versatile draw stroke also takes in the consideration of these factors. Not only should you be able to engage to every clock position, you should be able to do it through out the extension of your completely versatile draw stroke....one handed and two.
You have all seen me preach about "being able to make solid hits, from any position, from any angle, anywhere throughout your draw stroke, with what ever movement that is necessary." The completely versatile drawstroke is part of that concept. And from what I have seen in FOF.... a very important part of that concept.
The completely versatile drawstroke is just one part of the “Dynamic Movement Draw Stroke.”
While working with the concept, it is nice to notice that the square range training of it is actually the best way to do it in the real world. This does not happen often, but it is so here.
As we look at drawing directly to the threat on a firing line, we need to understand that "directly" cuts out any sort of swinging of the arm horizontally that may cover somebody that is on the firing line or outside of the direct path to the targeted area. What we do and what is best for the square range and the real world is draw directly to the threat in a direct vertical and linear manner.
If we look at drawing directly to your 9:00, that means that the gun is pointed at the ground as it comes across your body and then is lifted vertically to the 9:00 and then punched out in a linear manner. The orientation of the gun is never off of the 9:00 path, and that path is from the area around your feet directly up to the threat. With dynamic movement this may cover your legs, but that is the reality of the situation whenever you draw directly to the threat (especially with dynamic movement and when you are seated.) While this is not optimal, it is better than the alternatives. As long as you have good trigger finger discipline, this should not be a problem.
So, we obviously see that this is very good on the firing line. The question is why is it good in the real world?
Horizontal swinging of a firearm under stress is always a risky maneuver. Under stress you have the obvious risk of over travel and you also have the problem with the "tuning fork" effect as you try to stop the momentum of your swing. If we use our completely versatile drawstroke in the same "linear" manner as our default draw stroke, we are much more likely to hit what we are aiming at.