What am I physically capable of?
I believe that there should be continuity to ones movement. I feel that one should train to get hits through the entire movement spectrum. There is no doubt about the importance of "stand and deliver" skills. I have spent hundreds and hundreds of hours on this skill with tens of thousands of draw strokes. If I chose this solution to the problem, that skill will be there.
I also see a need for very controlled movement that facilitates a precision shot on the move. This could include skills such as "just walk", side stepping (crab walk,) or even the old groucho (duck) walk. All three of these techniques have there place and should be something that you can do on demand, if that demand arises. I practice head shots at logical distances with this type of movement.
I also see a need to be able to get hits with your toes pointing the direction that you are moving. This type of movement has your upper body working independent from your lower body, "like a turret of a tank." Toes point the direction you are headed, body turreted the direction that you are shooting. This type of movement brings in your bi-lateral skills. Shooting to the firing side can be done two handed to a certain point, eventually you need to go one handed. The possible speed of this movement can cover the full spectrum, from a walk, to a jog, to a stride, to a run, and finally to a sprint. This is where you find what you are physically capable of. This is where the limitations are pushed, and the standards are set.
Feints, jukes, cut backs and directional changes are also part of the movement skills set. One should explore there ability to use these skills and the limitations that different terrain/footing give you.
React as you need to react, move as you need to move, and see what you need to see to solve the problem that you are confronted with. If you train with these basic concepts, you will have covered the vast majority of the possible situations. In covering these situations, your subconscious mind will choose, with confidence, the appropriate solution.
Training to move and shoot in every direction is the best way to go. The only thing that I refuse to teach is back peddling. There are ways to engage while moving rearward without back peddling.
I believe that getting off of the line of attack is very important. This accomplishes getting out of the kill zone as quickly as possible. Moving straight in or straight back simply does not get you off of the line of attack. But there are times when advancing straight forward is a very good idea. If you find yourself in a position where you can not avoid the situation, but you are in a dominant position (inside of the BG's OODA loop), due to awareness, distraction, deception, metsubushi, or ballistic effect moving forward aggressively and stopping the threat has its place.
Movement needs to have purpose. Getting to cover would be the most obvious purpose. But many times cover is just not a reality. In this case, movement to acquire the adversary flanks is an outstanding tactic. Moving forward to the oblique or using elliptical movement to try to get behind the adversary is as solid a tactic as there is.
If your instinctive reaction is to move in one direction, due to the fact that you are behind the reactionary curve, that does not mean that you need to keep moving that direction. Direction can be changed with elliptical movement or "cutback" type moves. The directional changes can come out of the visual input of the dynamics of the encounter. You need to be able to recognize the changes in your position in the OODA loop. Making adjustments to your movement due to this visual input is something that everyone should be aware of.
Moving rearward to the oblique while putting accurate hits on board is an outstanding skill to own. This can be accomplished quite easily with the correct training and tools. The LEO's that I have taught in my courses have considered these skills "life saving” skills for officers that have been caught behind the reactionary curve. In a typical traffic stop, the officer cover, radio, long gun......down right security is behind him. To be able to fight their way back to the patrol car, while delivering accurate hits, can be an excellent tool to own.
Lateral movement is the best way to not get hit, but it is also the most difficult way to get hits. The dynamics of this displacement dictate this as fact. This is why the ability to make hits laterally, on a full run is one of the highest skill levels obtainable in the movement spectrum.
The bottom line is that it is a very good idea to "train for the worst and hope for the best." You never know what the dynamics of the fight are going to be. It is the wise man that trains him self to be well rounded as possible in order to cover as many bases as he can. Training in just one response will make you a "flat sided" fighter. Flat sided fighters can not adapt to varying tactics, if you can not adapt, you will not overcome. Situations dictate strategy, strategy dictates tactics, and tactics dictate techniques. Techniques should never dictate anything except for the beginner or the lowest common denominator.
I regards to movement, the KISS concept is for the lowest common denominator. This is for those that do not learn, do not train, and do not practice. Every top athlete that I have ever seen has a vast number of skills, techniques, and tactics ingrained at a subconscious level. They can access these ingrained responses easily....at top speed, with zero conscious thought. They can also transition from one, to another, to another seamlessly. This is what all students of the art, that are serious about their training, should be striving for.