Articles
Combative Applications of Competitive Techniques, Part 1
By Mike Seeklander
Photos by Author
Posted: June 23, 2010
I’ve often been asked, “Does practical shooting under the stress of competition offer training benefit to those who want to use these skills for combative purposes?” My answer is a strong yes, and I will break down why in this two-part article. In part 1, I will draw correlations between the two areas (combative and competitive) in each of the five critical skill-sets. In part 2, I will break down each of those skill-sets and discuss training concepts for each area.
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| Training for a competitive event and honing high-speed marksmanship. |
What’s in it for you? Civilians who use practical shooting as a testing ground for their ability to perform under stress will get that process validated. If you carry a firearm professionally, hopefully this will help you convince your supervisor or training coordinator to let go of some ammunition and perhaps a couple hours of training time to test your skills in a local match.
Why listen to me? Consider my background. Competitive experience: I am a card-holding GM in USPSA, Master in IDPA, and a Master in the NRA classification system. I have done well in pretty much every major match and have competed against the best shooters on the practical shooting circuit for over 10 years. Combative experience: I am a former Marine with combat experience (if Desert Shield/Storm counts as combat!). I have local and federal law enforcement experience, including more than 10 years as a full-time instructor or lead instructor. A portion of that time I was in charge of the Federal Air Marshal (FAM) firearm-training program during the FAM buildup after 9/11.
I have had the privilege of working with some of the best military and law enforcement instructors in the United States, and I credit all that I submit to you in this article to folks I have worked with and learned from. What should this mean to you? It means I have done my homework in both arenas and can hopefully offer some insight into how practical shooting translates to quality training for combative purposes.
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| Training movement techniques is applicable in both competitive and combative environments. |
During my time in law enforcement, I keenly remember hearing this statement: “That competition stuff will get you killed on the streets.” This was sometimes followed by a polite refusal of my invitation to attend a match (I invited those around me every month). More than once I heard, “I’ve always wanted to do that, but I’d better get some practice time in before I go, thanks anyway.”
Wow! Get some practice time first? What happens if the stuff goes down tonight? Will you tell the bad guy to wait until after you practice to start the fight? I think not. I had no doubt about my skills and ability to perform under stress and on demand. Why? Because I had spent hundreds of hours training myself to get the gun out of the holster and rounds downrange, and had validated these skills under stress during my agency training as well as at practical shooting matches. So the real question is, what happens when we compare the skills needed to excel in practical competitions to real world fighting skills with a firearm?
First, let’s set the record straight. I advocate using practical competitions and the training that goes with them in addition to regular law enforcement, military, or civilian self-defense training programs. Winning a gunfight is a combination of solid tactics, good manipulation skills, and an aggressive will to win the fight. Competing in a match will not train you; it will, however, validate your marksmanship and manipulation skills under stress.
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| Enhancing high-speed manipulation while training for a match. |
Another belief is that practical shooting will teach someone tactics, which it won’t! It will test and validate the ability to perform on demand and get rounds on a given target very quickly, under stress. And all the good trainers I know agree that this is a good tactic! (Speaking of stress, more than one highly trained military operator has told me that they felt more stress before a match than in combat.) One key point: I strongly recommend that law enforcement and military operators shoot matches with their standard-issue gear and not use tricked-out racing equipment.
The left column of the following table contains five skill areas that are critical to perform well during practical shooting matches. The middle column describes how each skill is applied in competition. The right column compares that same skill and outlines its application in a combative environment. In Part 2 of this article, I will describe exactly how we train each skill.
Skill |
Competitive Application |
Combative Application |
| Weapon Deployment (draw) | In every match I have shot, the first shot (hit) was critically important. In matches like the steel challenge, competitors who draw and “hit” faster than others have a serious advantage in the match. | Critically important here too. In our Tactical Handgun classes at the U.S. Shooting Academy, we emphasize over and over that statistically and realistically, the person who gets the first “hit” in a gunfight increases their chances of survival exponentially. In reactive gunfights (police officer reacting to a gun pulled on them), the draw and hit are even more important. |
| High-Speed Marksmanship | The ability to shoot a quick first shot and then repeat shots accurately is incredibly important at any match. Any top shooter will tell you that speed combined with accuracy is the key. | Once again there is a direct correlation. The saying goes, “Speed is fine, but accuracy is final.” But I would change it to, “Speed is fine, but accuracy at extremely high speed is final … faster!” Anyone who plans on fighting with a firearm will be that much better off with the ability to shoot accurately at high speed. |
| High-Speed Weapon Manipulation | Practical shooters know that their ability to manipulate their gun to clear a malfunction or do any type of reload may make the difference between winning and losing a match. I don’t think there’s any argument that competitive shooters are the best on the planet at high-speed manipulation of a handgun or rifle. | Would the ability to rapidly manipulate through a reload or malfunction under extreme stress be important during a fight? Absolutely! Think about it. If an officer or soldier must reload, or fix a malfunction, they are already in a fight … hence the incredible importance of using high-speed manipulation techniques to get the gun back in action. |
| Movement | Top shooters separate themselves from the rest of the pack in their ability to move and flow effectively through stages. Even shooters who lack experience learn to move, shoot, and/or manipulate with relative skill after their first several matches. The best shooters spend a lot of time working on this critical area. | Think about the average gunfight, if there is such a thing. How important is movement? It’s critical! How many fights are stationary in nature and don’t have some sort of dynamic movement involved? None that I have witnessed. Think about the incredible advantage the ability to move while placing solid hits on target would give someone during that life-or-death situation. |
| Information Processing | Any competitive shooter will probably tell you that “information overload” has happened to them more than once during a stage at a match. We shooters call this a “mental meltdown” on a stage, but the reality is we have not trained our brain to process the visual and kinesthetic information we are receiving while under stress. The only way to learn this process is to experience it. | The ability to process an extremely large amount of information coming from multiple senses while under extreme stress, plus at the same time manipulating and applying solid fundamentals of marksmanship (getting rounds on target): Are these important during a fight? You bet they are. Experienced operators have a proven incredible edge after they have been through numerous high-stress situations. They get extremely efficient at processing information and using it to make decisions quickly. This skill is critical and has been shown to be directly related to surviving in combat. |
As you can see, skills honed to perfection and used in practical shooting are much the same skills that will help someone win a fight if they have to do so. If you have a correct understanding of what competitive matches can do for you and how you should use them to test your skills under stress, you will benefit from doing so.
Competitive pressure brings out the best in us. It drives us to excel and to increase and analyze our training with the intent to win. That drive to train harder and more often can and will increase skills to the point where the standard qualification that most officers have to pass will be a breeze. And remember, “correct design and perfect execution” of training sessions is the only true way to performance on demand!
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1 Comments
Excellent, Mike!! I look forward to your contributions here. Bill