Is there a best combat shooting method? Perhaps yes, perhaps no! But are you even using a combat shooting method?
Today's specialised literature emphasises comparing or discussing techniques. For example, “what is the best stance for you?”, “how to perform a tactical reload?”, “best ways to grip a pistol?”, etc. Obviously, techniques are important and are the fundament of any combat shooting method. As a consequence techniques are often confused with methods. For instance, the Israeli combat shooting method is often downgraded to the topic of carrying the weapon with an empty chamber (condition 3), which is a technique.
A combat shooting method should integrate coherently various techniques, tactics, procedures and possess a training methodology. Many instructors combine various “best” techniques learned in a course (or online) and integrate them into their course curriculum. However, they often abstain to ensure properly the coherence between their techniques, tactics and procedures. Therefore, they don’t teach you a combat shooting method, but just various techniques.
As we know, as well as Fairbairn and Sykes have documented in their “Shooting to live” (1942), close quarter combat is a highly stressful situation. Therefore, the applied techniques, tactics, and procedures should be as simple as possible. In most cases, professional weapon users don’t have enough time to train, thus the number of techniques they learn should be limited. As a result, the technics should be simplified in order to get the most from the available training time. For example, if you carry/ use a pistol and a rifle, it’s probably better to use malfunction drills, that are identical for both weapons, compared to different drills for each weapon, even if they are labeled “the best” ones.
Ask yourself, if your weapon manipulations and stances are applicable to the various weapons that you are using (e.g. pistol, submachine-gun, rifle, etc.); or to the various tasks/ missions you need to perform (e.g. concealed carry, personal protection, rural combat, urban combat, etc.)? Are the weapon ready positions adapted to your needs or not? For instance, a low or high ready position may be adequate for a police officer, while the hand on the grip of the holstered pistol or the pistol slightly hidden behind the leg, maybe more adequate for a concealed carry citizen.
Last but not least: is the training methodology respectively how to learn and apply the correct techniques, tactics and procedures in your training. This is the most difficult part, in order to build the correct reactions…at the same time not to learn the wrong ones! For instance, what to do just after the shooting? There are lots of options here as: assess; assess and scan; check the weapon (not empty/ stoppage); etc. Important is to understand / to avoid drills, that can cause a negative or false reaction in a combat situation. One of those would be scanning immediately after firing. A questionable drill would be to holster immediately and check the shot timer! That doesn’t mean you cannot use the shot timer in your training… But remember that in high stress situations, you will apply the drills you trained the most… No matter right or wrong!
In the end, I’m inclined to paraphrase Eleanor Roosevelt’s quote:
Great minds discuss methodology.
Average minds discuss methods.
Simple minds discuss techniques.
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