Did you know that, according to FBI statistics, many police officers killed in the line of duty are killed in fights that occur at 10 feet or less?
That means that maybe you should know how to use your gun to fight at that close quarters distance too.
Of course, those are statistics from the officers that died (i.e. lost the fight) and you’re not a police officer so you have no reason to handcuff or otherwise get close to a bady guy, but I think it’s still a good idea to know the basics of how to shoot and fight back during an in-your-face assault!
Today, I want to share with you a short clip from former Navy SEAL and now professional gun trainer Kyle Defoor.
Benefits of Carrying a Knife
More and more “in the know” trainers are carrying a knife these days along with their pistols.
Kyle Defoor not only shows the basics of how to shoot at close range, but he also shows the time difference in deploying a knife at close range.
Some Important Tips Shared:
Kyle made a point to cover a few important tips about retention shooting like this:
– You grab the guy and bring him in close, so you’re not going to shoot your own hand
– You cant the gun out to the side, either putting the baseplate of the grip on your side or your primary fighting grip thumb on your side — making sure the slide can clear your body while shooting.
– Actually index it on your own body, in other words, have it touching you
– There is actually safety in keeping the guy close because you’re in the “clinching” range where he can’t punch you effectively. This is important because even wild, untrained, flailing blows from an attacker can knock you out.
Of course, videos are no substitute for learning this stuff in person. Greg Ellifritz has an excellent one day class called “Extreme Close Quarters Gunfighting” that I took and highly recommend.
Do You Carry a Knife AND a Gun?
I have to admit, I don’t carry a fixed blade knife with my daily EDC, but the more I hear about the benefits the more I think about it …
I think it certainly gives you an edge (no pun intended) but I just haven’t made the commitment yet. I always have a folding pocket knife clipped to my pocket, but that’s a VERY last resort because it would be slow to draw and employ for self defense. It’s more for convenience.
Did this video give you some good tips on how to fight at close range?
Do you currently conceal carry and practice close range gun work? Do you also carry a knife? Why or why not?
Good points, good demonstration. Especially using the timer to back up your speed claims. Thanks!
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