Issue link: https://let.epubxp.com/i/149261
FI RE ARMS TACTICS comes closer, a precision engagement isn't as important as a fast delivery. Still the rule is, deliver rounds until the threat is no longer a threat. I had a chance to pick the brains of three firearms experts. As training experts, their credentials are extensive. But that's not quite as important as the fact that I know them personally and have seen them train others. John Hall, Dan Gray and Dr. Ron Martinelli are results-driven trainers. Gray, a retired police sergeant and lead instructor/owner of Trident Firearms Academy, told me that the "speed rock," the rocking of the heel of the gun to bring the muzzle level just above the holster, is dead. He has been teaching the "high tuck" position, which differs from the original speed rock because the firing position is not over the holster, but at chest-level. The Safariland 7TS lightweight holster is made of SafariSeven, a proprietary nylon blend. Because it literally suspends the gun within the holster, it delivers a smooth quick draw with a reasonable retention level and a recessed release. The 7TS is a tactical advantage. The logic behind abandoning the speed rock makes the most amount of sense when the officer needs to draw from a seated position. Seated in a vehicle, a booth at a restaurant, or in a similar position, officers would have to stand to be effective and may not have time to stand. Raising the handgun to the "high tuck" position allows the officer to be effective. The target area, Gray continues, is also different. From the high tuck position, the hit zone is lower in the abdomen, rather than high up in the big blood bearing organ areas. The support hand now becomes www.officer.com part of the weapon defense system. Its purpose is to strike, deflect, protect, grab or defend. When the officer draws, he uses the non-drawing hand to facilitate getting bullets to the target, which can mean striking or even drawing the assailant to the officer. Gray's training to shoot the lower abdomen/pelvic girdle area has added benefits. This area can quickly take away an assailant's mobility. Most important, a miss is most likely pointed toward the pavement. Hall recommends that officers practice their close quarter draw consistently. When he teaches this, he uses an IDPA style target with the center circle cut out. I do, too. We sometimes call this a "negative" target. The idea, of course, is to shoot the close quarter target through the hole without hitting the target. Officers begin at a distance of approximately one arm's length. On the command to draw, they perform a distraction strike while beginning the draw stroke. As the gun clears the holster, the officer raises the muzzle, canting the gun slightly away from the body. The officer continues to fire and create distance. Since the majority of Hall's law enforcement career has been in casual clothes, he is adamant about practicing in environments where clothes-clearing is part of shooting training. His requirement for this type of training is 1.5 seconds from a concealed draw. That is, officers don't leave the range until they can do this consistently. Hall's training method is one I use myself: officers compete against each other, two at a time. They do this all the way to an elimination round. The competition creates a little stress in the training. Hall told me he used to have a knife giveaway for the fastest round. One thing that he stresses is the fact that draw speed is a significant criterion for holster selection. I have just discovered the Safariland 7TS, one of the most versatile and indestructible holsters I have tested. For an open top, thumb released holster, it has an ideal level of retention. Even August 2013 Law Enforcement Technology 39