A good friend and tremendous firearms instructor posted the below story on Threat Focused Shooting. A great read
Threat Focused Shooting/Practical Shooting/Point Shooting
What we are going to work on tomorrow and why we will do it.
This skill is natural and instinctive. It is not just a skill for warriors but for wives, mothers, grandparents…everyone who carries a firearm.
Article posted by Mr. Robin Brown
The Purpose of Instincitive/Point Shooting
The purpose of instinctive/point shooting training is not to develop marksmanship; it is not to compete with other shooters; it is not to punch holes in paper targets; and it certainly is not to hunt small game. The purpose is to enable one to quickly and effectively stop someone who is trying to make you a victim.
In short, instincitive/point shooting trains people to win in a gunfight. The problem is that the innocent citizen or cop must wait until a predator makes an overt act; one cannot shoot another on mere suspicion. This places the citizen or cop in a situation where one must react to anothers actions.
In a gunfight, the aggressor has the advantage and the defender is usually a second or two behind. Thus the defender is already coming in second; and there are no second place winners! (Bill Jordan)
In order to win, given this terrible disadvantage, the defender must be able to overcome this lag time with a combination od speed and accuracy. This is what we teach: speed and accuracy in an armed encounter. Instinctive/Point Shooting trains you to win in a gunfight, even when the aggressor has the advantage. There are no rules in a gunfight/knifefight/streetfight. There are only facts, which if understood, can give you a winning edge.
Fact: Nearly all gunfights occur at distances of under three meters.
Fact: Most ginfights are over in two to three seconds.
Fact: A high percentage of gunfights occur in dim light or where sights are hardly visible.
Fact: In a spontaneous life-threatening situation, the body undergoes changes which deteriorate fine motor skills, while vision is FOCUSED EXCLUSIVELY on the threat.
Therefore: To win in a gunfight requires great speed and accuracy in drawing and firing the gun at close range without the use of sights. This is sometimes called instinctive shooting/point shooting/threat focused shooting.
Violence, whether recreational or otherwise, is part of the culture in western society. Therefore, whether we like it or not, violence is going to be a feature of our lives for a long time to come. Rather than to ignore it or hide away from it, we must learn to handle it. If we wish to stay in this beautiful but troubled country, we have to learn to deal with the problem.
The only objective way we can live with the violence is to avoid it, deflect it, or reduce its impact by being prepared for it, because it will not go away. This is a terrible notion for genteel folk who just want to live in peace, but one we can no longer ignore.
As usual, it is nature that holds the key. The human animal’s natural instincts, which include spontaneous reaction to sudden attack, are formidable powers which will usually ensure survival, but only if harnessed correctly. In my experience, there are two factors which constantly interfere with our primordial ability to defend ourselves, inappropriate equipment and training, which have killed (and continue to kill) many good guys.
After many long years involvement in personal security matters, I have reached the conclusion that in order to give full reign to the natural survival instincts of the human body, equipment and training must be kept simple as possible.
Recent history has shown that as far as attacks on farmers in our country are concerned, attackers average three to five in a group. Attacks on families inside there homes in urban areas appear to be no different.
The average attack occurs at very close range, and is over within a few seconds. This suggests that a handgun with sufficient firepower is called for. Attacks are sudden and with out warning. A huge bonus during such attack is a concealed handgun capable of immediate action, one that requires no time-wasting two handed-loading operation or a frantic search for a cunningly hidden safety catch.
What is needed is a handgun that can be pulled , pointed, and fired repeatedly without fuss or bother, as well as capable of being carried safely whilst in this ultra-ready mode.
Both the training offered and the equipment recommended by Instinctive/Point/Threat Focused Shooting are caculated to keep people safe whilst at the same time impacting minimally on their daily lives.
(This article was translated from hebrew to english by one of my private students who is a full time firearms instructor with a major city agency in California [ over 1400 officers ] and is reprinted with permission from Major Avi Nardia, Israeli Counterterroism Unit (Yamam)