NEW Front Sight Training Article #12

May 27th, 2015  

Our purpose at Front Sight is to positively change the image of gun ownership in our lifetime by training responsible citizens in the defensive use of firearms, to levels that far exceed law enforcement and military standards, and deliver the training without any boot camp mentality or drill instructor attitudes so the training experience is great for your entire family.

We are entering our 19th year, have trained nearly a million citizens, and look forward to the day when our training will positively impact every American.

Here is Training Article #12…

At Front Sight, we administer a “Skills Test” near the end of your course. A skills test is essentially a qualification course and accomplishes several things:

  1. A skills test adds a little self-induced stress to the training. Since everyone wants to do well on the “test,” there will naturally be a little bit of adrenaline. This gives you a small taste of the stress you will feel in a real gunfight.
  2. Your performance on the skills test gives the Front Sight staff an idea if you are ready for more advanced training. In other words, we use the results of the skills test as a prerequisite for the advanced courses.
  3. Most importantly, the skills test gives you snapshot view of your own skill level. I say “snapshot” because your skills are always evolving and will be different tomorrow than they are today. Regardless, the test lets you know what skills you need to work on.

Since everyone wants to perform well on the skills test, some students spend countless hours dry practicing for the skills test to the exclusion of everything else. As an example, they practice standing at 7 yards, facing a static target taped to the wall, and drawing their handgun at the sound of a shot timer or buzzer. While this sort of practice is certainly beneficial for the skills test, it doesn’t translate very well to the street. I’ll bet the ranch that when your gunfight happens for real, you won’t be squared-off against a stationary opponent at exactly 7 yards. And there sure as hell won’t be a shot timer involved! So, practice for the skills test all you want, but practice for the street too.

Gunfights are horribly scary and most of them are chaotic and unpredictable. The vast majority of gunfights happen at night. What’s more, the time and place of the gunfight will be determined by the bad guy(s); not you. Most elements of the gunfight are out of your control. The only thing that you can control is YOU. Therefore, you had better practice everything you might face in real life. Below is a list of topics you should consider dry practicing. This list is by no means all-inclusive, but it will get you thinking in the right direction.

Practice AVOIDING the gunfight:

  • Get in the habit of using the Color Code of Mental Awareness. The Color Code is a skill that you can practice like any other. If you don’t live in Condition Yellow, you are asking to be a victim.
  • Visualize what you will do under all sorts of circumstances. Create your “Rolodex” of tactical plans now!
  • Practice a tactical retreat. In other words, if you can simply run away, you should. I know that many states do not require you to retreat, but if you can simply walk away and avoid a gunfight, you should! To that end, practice getting out of the house.
  • Practice communicating with your loved ones. Come up with an emergency plan and practice it.
  • Practice gathering your loved ones into one location.
  • Practice verbal commands and challenges. If you can diffuse the situation with your voice instead of the gun, so much the better. Many people are reluctant to shout or give orders. Get over that hesitation by practicing.
  • Practice using cover and concealment. Put something between you and the bad guys.

Practice WINNING the gunfight:

  • Practice shooting from various distances ranging from arms reach to maybe 10 yards.
  • Become adept at engaging multiple adversaries. Rats travel in packs!
  • Practice moving while you shoot. A moving target is much harder to hit than a stationary one.
  • Practice one-handed shooting. You may have one hand occupied by holding onto a loved one.
  • Practice support-hand-only shooting. This will pay big dividends if your firing-side arm is ever injured.
  • Practice tactical movement around your house, office, etc. This includes corners, doors, T-intersections, stairs, the garage, and your vehicles.
  • Try clearing a friend’s house because the architecture is different which will increase the challenge.
  • Practice when you are tired, sick, distracted, etc. You will not be operating at peak performance in the middle of a gunfight.
  • Practice dialing 911 on the phone. I know of a guy who was so stressed after a gunfight that erroneously dialed 411. I know this sounds ridiculous, but people do ridiculous stuff under stress.
  • Practice what you will say to the 911 dispatcher.

Practice at NIGHT:

  • Practice all of the skills mentioned above in a low-light environment. The rats come out at night! Your low-light practice should include gunhandling (chamber check, magazine check, reloads, and malfunctions), marksmanship (including the use of night sights), and tactical movement (it’s MUCH harder to move around your house in the dark).
  • Practice with a flashlight; both hand-held and weapons-mounted. Even if you have a flashlight mounted to your handgun, you may find it necessary someday to use a hand-held light. Practice both.
  • Practice at night without a flashlight using only the ambient light.

At the risk of sounding redundant…follow the dry practice rules exactly and at all times. Never let down your guard just because you are in a familiar environment. If you get complacent even for a split-second, your world will never be the same. Stay focused and dry practice correctly.

Okay, enough conversation. Get started today because “Dry Practice is the Key to Success!”

And here is an opportunity for you to secure our 5 Day Defensive Handgun Course, 30 State Concealed Weapon Permit and our entire set of 7 training manuals (over $2700 in total value) for only $200.

That’s right! Only $200. But you will need to act fast before this link is taken down. Go here http://www.frontsight.com/patriot/ to grab a 5 Day Front Sight Course, plus 30 State Concealed Weapons Permit, and our entire set of 7 Front Sight Training Manuals for only $200. Just do it before the offer sells out!

Keep up the great work! Together, we are positively changing the image of gun ownership hundreds of times faster than any other group in America!

Thanks again for your participation in Front Sight’s phenomenal success.

Sincerely,

Dr. Ignatius Piazza
Founder and Director
Front Sight Firearms Training Institute
7975 Cameron Drive, #900
Windsor, CA 95492
http://www.frontsight.com
info@frontsight.com
1.800.987.7719

Entry Filed under: Dr. Ignatius Piazza,Front Sight,Gun Training,Handgun Training,Monday Blog Posts,Newsletter,Self Defense.

Ignatius Piazza
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