Fast Draw?  Or Fast Timing?

Since 10-05-11

 

From: Suarez International USA [mailto:info@suarezinternational.ccsend.com] On Behalf Of Suarez International USA
Sent: Tuesday, September 27, 2011 12:14 PM
Subject: Leadership and Success Principles To Live By - Read More

 

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The two scruffy looking men faced each other in the deserted street. Twenty yards separated them and the only sound was the desert wind blowing dust and tumbleweeds. They stood there for what seemed hours, hands poised over the low slung single action pistols they each wore. But as the western sun hung low in the sky, one hand flashed to the ivory butt of a polished six shooter and each man fired...

 

Sounds like a script for a western doesn't it? Fanciful by today's world view but yet that image is very influential in the curriculum of most shooting schools. The historical truth is that gunfights in the old west were nothing like that. They were exactly like they are today...ambushes where the shooter either kills the intended target, or is himself killed. No Matt Dillon heroics on deserted streets. Yet because of the westerns of the late 1950s and early 1960s, and the resulting sport Fast Draw, and later live fire attempts to emulate it, the focus becomes the speed of access over anything else. And in my opinion, that exclusive focus is ill-placed.

 

That doesn't mean that a fast draw is a waste of time. To the contrary, a fast draw is a good thing, but far more important is the timing of when to draw, what to do during the draw, and of course..the ability to hit.

 

Let analyze this. If you know the fight is about to erupt, and you cannot remove yourself from it, is it wise to keep the pistol holstered? I don't think so. Before the fight, the wise gunfighter already has the gun in his hand. Waiting to draw would be a foolish thing to do. The timing of the draw would be far more important than the speed of that draw. For example, I have a student that drew his pistol quite slowly while being held at gunpoint by armed robbers in a small bunched group of people. As one of the robbers was distracted, he fired the already drawn Glock and dropped them.

 

If the adversary is already shooting at you, and by the grace of God you have not been hit, should the focus be on a fast draw? Hardly. The draw will certainly take place, and it will undoubtedly be fast, but you had better be moving quickly off the line of fire. To outdraw the drawn gun based on speed alone (the goal of the Hollywood western pistolero) you would have to be twice as fast as your opponent just to make it a tie! No, the timing here is far more important than the speed. Move first and draw as soon as you get moving. Moving will save you and standing still will help you get shot. Can you still draw fast while running?

 

If the adversary has you at gunpoint, and for some reason is holding you there, will your fast draw beat his trigger finger. And I don't mean a tie. I mean decisively defeat him so that he cannot fire before you kill him? That is the litmus test no? Perhaps a better solution might be a response based on distance. If he is within a step of arm's reach, combining a combatives-based solution makes more sense than a Matt Dillon fast draw. If he is outside of arm's reach, at an intermediate distance, perhaps a dynamic displacement along an unexpected angle while you draw will yield the best result. But in either case, I doubt the fast draw alone will solve the problem.

 

Is a fast draw important? Yes it is, but that alone should not be the goal. Combining a reasonably fast access with dynamic movement and combat timing is far more important than defeating Matt Dillon.