Jungle Work

I have never been an X-Purt at gun fighting, but I had the oppurtunity to teach Police Officers and Citizens for the last 30 years the art.
My agency sent me to Police Firearms Instructor School in the Mid 1970s and then consented to sent me to lots of other firearms training over the next 33 years(it good to have lots of money). They never took into account the fact that most of what I was being taught I had learned a lot of, some through trial and Purple Heart in the Southeast Asian Theme Park. The other I had the fourtunate ability to be trained by the US Secret Service and the US Treasury Academy. Both are first rate.

But the three things that I believe one must do in a gun fight is to move, shoot and communicate.

In basic firearms training, your trying to teach a person to accurately shoot a firearm. The basics of breath control, sight alignment and trigger control are stressed. You start building the good mental and physical habits that the shooter will do without thinking. I also taught proper maintenance of the firearm. After the lenght of the training you hope to have a student that can sit, kneel, stand and shoot the firearm accurately. Then the fun begins.

Most firearm instructors take their students and stand them up at 3, 7, 15 and 25 yards and have them fire their pistols at a target that resembles a human and call it good. Maybe a little sitting, kneeling or shooting and baraciade if available. I always thought it was nice to teach students to do the above three, move, shoot and communicate and most importantly think ahead. The first thing is to teach students to move to cover and if none is available, move laterally. Most folks are right handed and in dealing with percentages I move to my right as it causes the perp to track to his left, which is harder than him tracking to his right. (Its also nice to do your homework on perps if you're running warrants to know whether they are right or left handed.) I also teach my students how to shoot while moving. Its not as easy as it sounds to engage targets at distances while moving. I also teach my students how to work with each other in a gunbattle. It great to be moving, but its also nice to let your fellow attendees know what you're and the BG are doing. And its also nice to say "Magic Words" to the perps so that when your case goes to the Grand Jury all of the witnesses are telling them that your were telling the Bad Guy/Girl not to shoot you, to drop the gun/knife/baseball bat, etc.. and that you were giving them the ability to surrender. Don't use Magic Words that start with "Make My Day or Goodbye A**hole".

This is just the simplified version of what I teach to my friends now that I'm retired and most importantly it is how I pratice. One should remember that pratice makes perfect (just like momma said). I try to shoot two to three times a week and I try to stay away from the benches and the straight lane shooting.

I was just wondering how often and how you other folks out there pratice.

Jungle Work

Team American

Great post, Jungle Work!

I live in an urban area, and straight lane shooting is my main hobby...I do like to get out of town whenever I can for more creative exercises.

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"I surrounded 'em"- Alvin York

"They're ain't many troubles that a man can't fix with seven hundred dollars and a thirty ought six"- Jeff Cooper

P95Carry

Great JW - some excellent points there for us all - thx

A handy post in particular for those newer to CCW and all it could involve.

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Chris - P95
NRA Certified Instructor & NRA Life Member.

"To own a gun and assume that you are armed
is like owning a piano and assuming that you are a musician!."

If a BG dies as the result of pointing a gun at me, then he has merely succumbed to an occupational hazard of being a thug

Freedz

Very good read, thanks for the post. Theres some really good points in there.

rstickle

Good post. I think that's the first time I've seen someone mention what NOT to say.

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Rick

EOD - Initial success or total failure

MattLarson

As the guy that taught my last defensive pistol course said - "Have a plan of which magic words to say, so you don't say the first thing that pops into your head. 'Put the gun' down will play well with the Grand Jury. 'Die Mother******!!!' won't play so well."

Matt

Ben Hennessy

This post is like what I wanted to say in one of my post. Jungle Work we think alike and I agree with you. But living in the city limits you to where you can practice like that. But I feel its a must to learn and be responsible.

srfl

Your post was a good read Jungle....thanks for posting it!

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Redneck Repairs

well reasoned and consise jungle

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Criminals are looking for victims, not opponents.

mark555

Great reading and lots of food for thought.

Thank you

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“My Idea of a fair fight is beating baby seals with a club”