How many of you train against firearms? [Archive] - MartialTalk.Com

MartialArtist

04-02-2003, 02:07 AM

Originally posted by Yiliquan1
Yiliquan has several defenses against a firearm wielding attacker. They are all intended as last ditch efforts, when you know you are likely to lose your life equally whether you act or not.

Their practice is begun early, to allow for more time to train them into instinct. The entire basis is to gain control over the hand holding the gun, and get it pointing someplace other than at you. Then you worry about other things...

Gambarimasu.
:asian: :tank: :asian:
Yes, I understand...

But is the training with all types of weapons? Shotguns, rifles, and handguns? And if you do use a handgun, each handgun has its own special "feel" to it, just like a car. There are manual transmissions, autos, then each car has its own agility/maneuverability, speed, and power/torque ratings. In handguns, there are SAs, DAOs, SA/DAs, SA/DA revolvers, SA revolvers, grip safeties, hammerless, etc. Once you get the basics down, the rest should come easy.

First thing I remember doing way back in training, was hand-to-hand combat. Years of grueling punishment. Then I'd go on to rifles, and spent a lot of time on the M1s (Garand and Carbine) and the M14's. Then went on to shotguns and the hardest to bullseye with... Handguns. Especially when you have fixed sights (great for combat, not for bullseye competitions).

If you're going to disarm someone with a weapon as a last resort, in my opinion, one should at least be versed with firearms. To know what each and every gun is capable of, or whether the guy who's holding the gun has the safety off and such. It seems stupid, but to know what firearms are capable of what would make the disarming process a lot easier.

phlaw

04-02-2003, 02:27 AM

I have studied the highly dangerous technique featured in the movie "The Last Dragon, which is catching the bullet in your teeth.

See here in a pic from my early training days.

http://phlawproductions.tripod.com/bulletpic.jpg

Yari

04-02-2003, 03:50 AM

We've worked with disarming a person with a gun in Jujitsu, but I felt that it was kind of show-technique. We didn't have anybody who knew how to handle a gun, so it was a lot of winging it.

In Aikido we dont do it.

Never done it in Arnis either, alot of other weapons, but not firearms.

/Yari

Wmarden

04-02-2003, 04:07 AM

I have a CCW.

I have a limited amount of training in disarms. But really disarms are pretty simple. Get the end the lead comes out of away from your body. No more different than any other block to one side or the other. Then taking the gun is where it gets interesting. Little turns of the wrist will generally take an object out of the attackers hand. Also consider a strike with a leg or unengaged hand. But really the best I can suggest is to practice. Alot. I cannot say I have enough practice. Yeah I would try it if I was staring down a gun, but things probably won't go great.

While we have not done it yet, there are wooden guns at my Sensei's dojo for practicing disarms.

As for disarms, better still is to be aware and not let them get that close. Work on awareness. Make it your daily preoccupation. Today I feel I did poorly in my awareness, but yesterday I did well(relative term). It is a skill that can be developed.

And with good awareness, hopefully I would be able to avoid a situation where I might be forced to use my firearms or other combat skills. Also by being aware, the predators may decide to hunt elsewhere, even if I have not yet oriented on them as a threat. That is another thing, do a walking threat assesment of everybody you meet.

As for firearms training, I try to shoot once a week with my pistols. I follow the advice of some and try to keep the session short(<100 rounds). I also dry fire another 3-4 nights a week. Dry firing is where you will build your skills. I can reccomend a couple of authors for firearms training books, Jeff Cooper and Gabe Suarez. There are other good books.

My firearms skills are not yet what I would consider good. I would consider them ok, or acceptable at best. I am working on improving my accuracy. An acceptable(well at least starting out) group is something that will keep it in COM at the range you are shooting. I have started at 5-7 yards as most encounters happen within that range. But since I am hoping to go into law enforcement, I plan on going out to 50+ yards because sometimes it happens. ANd there are other gunhandling skills such as reloads and clearing malfunctions. Those also must be practiced.

:soapbox: ALWAYS KEEP IN MIND FUNDAMENTAL SAFETY RULES WHEN TRAINING WITH FIREARMS :soapbox:

1. ALWAYS CONTROL YOUR MUZZLE.

2. KNOW YOUR TARGET AND BACKSTOP

3. DON'T PULL THE TRIGGER UNLESS YOU ARE PREPARED TO DESTROY SOMETHING.

4. DO NOT POINT A GUN AT ANYTHING YOU ARE NOT WILLING TO DESTROY.

Even professionals get killed because of violations of these fundamental rules of safety. :(

vin2k0

04-02-2003, 04:54 AM

i have studied karate for 9 years and have never defended against a gun. Simply because it would be a stupid thing to do. if a gun is pulled on you it would be highly unlikely that he would stand close enough for you to do anything about it. So that if you made any flase movement he could pull the trigger. It is advisable to never react when someone is holding a gun to you... a knife is a completely different thing, however... :karate:

yilisifu

04-02-2003, 06:50 AM

Yes, Yilichuan teaches students the differences between a revolver and semi-auto handgun and provides rigorous training against handguns.

I do have a CCW although I haven't been able to shoot at all this past winter...
Even though I was the oldest deputy in my firearms class some time back, I ended up with the highest qualification score.

Having had handguns pulled on me in the past, I will disagree with the statement that people never stand very close to you when they do that. On every occasion (all three of them), the armed opponent was actually quite close.

It is true that it's a lot like parachuting. You can only screw it up once...but that's why we train so rigorously. It's a self-defense problem that our martial arts forefathers didn't have to worry about; a problem that was encountered in the 20th century...

Unfortunately, most firearm defenses have been developed by people who know little about firearms in the first place and who have never been looking down the business end of one (you could drive a Volkswagen down the muzzle of a handgun when it's pointed at you!), and who have never really delved into the psychological factors involved. It's a delicate thing and Yilichuan has studied it very extensively.

The fact that I'm still around and writing this reply indicates that these techniques are effective.

Aegis

04-02-2003, 07:53 AM

I had just finished typing out a long reply to vin2k0's comment about a knife being easier t deal with than a gun, but my computer decided to hang and I lost it. Might try again later.

theletch1

04-02-2003, 12:02 PM

I have a CCW. I haven't carried for quite some time though. The legal hassle to carry one anywhere anymore is ridiculous. I will rely on my mind and martial skils for protection.

We do have several gun defense techniques in my kwoon. I just got to start working on them when I made green. The first thing you are told is "If he wants your money, give him your money. If he wants your money AND your life, well that's where these techniques come in.

i have studied karate for 9 years and have never defended against a gun. Simply because it would be a stupid thing to do. if a gun is pulled on you it would be highly unlikely that he would stand close enough for you to do anything about it. So that if you made any flase movement he could pull the trigger. It is advisable to never react when someone is holding a gun to you... a knife is a completely different thing, however...

If an individual has had training in handgun use (police or military) then the chance that they would be close enough to react against is indeed slim. My training dictated that you keep some space between you and your target to avoid them being able to grab the weapon. If your assailant has only trained by watching gangster rap videos then that is a different story. Pulling a gun then becomes a time to look "cool", dig the muzzle into who ever you are intimidating and talk "smack" as my kids say.

It is not advisable to react when some one pulls a gun on you if you can feel that once he gets your money watch etc that he will take off running. However, there are a buttload of people out there nowadays who will put a bullet in your head just because they felt like it. If you don't react to this type of attack you may as well lay down in the middle of the higway. It's a matter of degree. You have to judge the degree of threat and react accordingly. I'm not gonna get myself killed over the few dollars I may have in my pocket but I'm sure as hell not gonna just roll over and die if I know that that is the intent of my attacker.

Cryozombie

04-02-2003, 01:55 PM

We do gun disarms as well. We have techniques for both disarming a gun while It is pointed at you, and to stop the gun from being drawn if it is not. Some of the more advanced students were working on it last night, as a matter of fact, and I got to observe first hand (as the gun wielding assainant) how quick (and painful) some of the disarms can be.

One of the inmportant things they stress is not to let the assailant KNOW you are reacting... to make all your movements look like you are about to comply with him. Of course use that in a lot of our fighting... psychologicaly making the attacker think he has the upper hand...

I have a Kevlar vest, I occasionaly wear it if I am going downtown Chicago for an evening. I dont wear it all the time, it's not really practical. I have considered having my Biker Jacket armored, I found a couple places online you can send your coat to and they will add a liner to it up to threat level IV.

Johnathan Napalm

04-02-2003, 02:16 PM

Originally posted by vin2k0
i have studied karate for 9 years and have never defended against a gun. Simply because it would be a stupid thing to do. if a gun is pulled on you it would be highly unlikely that he would stand close enough for you to do anything about it. So that if you made any flase movement he could pull the trigger. It is advisable to never react when someone is holding a gun to you... a knife is a completely different thing, however... :karate:

O/T :
You have studied Karate for 9 years and yet you posted a question asking what the most effective MA is?????

Johnathan Napalm

04-02-2003, 02:21 PM

Originally posted by yilisifu
.....Unfortunately, most firearm defenses have been developed by people who know little about firearms in the first place and who have never been looking down the business end of one (you could drive a Volkswagen down the muzzle of a handgun when it's pointed at you!), and who have never really delved into the psychological factors involved. ......

LMAO! Including many posted in this thread!! I LMAO at some of the BS defense posted here. Nothing to do with reality what so ever! :D

Mark L

04-02-2003, 02:35 PM

We practice disarms against handguns from the front, side, and rear using a wooden replica, and only when the weapon is easily reachable. Never been in a real situation, but have practiced outside the dojo with real, unloaded weapons. They feel different than wood.

dearnis.com

04-02-2003, 04:35 PM

yes, yes, yes, and yes.

See above comments reference Jeff Cooper; a must read for anyone serious in their martial studies.

Johnathan Napalm

04-02-2003, 05:24 PM

Originally posted by MartialArtist
Yes, I understand...

But is the training with all types of weapons? Shotguns, rifles, and handguns? And if you do use a handgun, each handgun has its own special "feel" to it, just like a car. There are manual transmissions, autos, then each car has its own agility/maneuverability, speed, and power/torque ratings. In handguns, there are SAs, DAOs, SA/DAs, SA/DA revolvers, SA revolvers, grip safeties, hammerless, etc. Once you get the basics down, the rest should come easy.

First thing I remember doing way back in training, was hand-to-hand combat. Years of grueling punishment. Then I'd go on to rifles, and spent a lot of time on the M1s (Garand and Carbine) and the M14's. Then went on to shotguns and the hardest to bullseye with... Handguns. Especially when you have fixed sights (great for combat, not for bullseye competitions).

If you're going to disarm someone with a weapon as a last resort, in my opinion, one should at least be versed with firearms. To know what each and every gun is capable of, or whether the guy who's holding the gun has the safety off and such. It seems stupid, but to know what firearms are capable of what would make the disarming process a lot easier.

Easy for you to show off....you ex-Military! :D

A.R.K.

04-02-2003, 05:25 PM

Anyone have a CCW?
Anyone wear a concealed spectra or kevlar vest?
Any of you train in disarming?
Any of you practice shooting?

I know it's pretty much futile to try to disarm when the guy has a gun, but still

I carry off duty in accordance with state statutes. Either a Gock 30 [.45] or a Glock 19 [9mm]. On duty I use the agency issued Beretta 92 [9mm].

I wear an issued level II vest on duty.

I train academy recruits as well as personal students in multiple disarming techniques from various angles and positions as well as how to prevent a disarm.

I have two firearm Instructor certifications. First is a state FDLE Police firearms instructor certification. This allows me to teach academy recruits as well as in-service for veteran officers. The second is an ISI Israeli Instinctive Shooting Instructor certification. These are advanced techniques utilized by the Israeli IDF. I teach advanced courses to veteran officers. And as most of my personal students are off-duty LEO/military I include this type of shooting into the Mya Ryu Jitsu program.

Futile to attempt a disarm? It isn't the first on my list of things to do in a given day :D but if your life is on the line [or the life of a loved one] and there are no reasonable alternatives, it can be effective given proper training. Is it guarenteed? No...but not much is in this arena. At least it gives you the opportunity that might not otherwise exist. And fortunately, many have done so in the past.

:asian:

Cryozombie

04-02-2003, 06:19 PM

But in defense of myself I would just like to say that I have had the unfortunate displeasure to look down the barrel of a handgun durring a confrontation.

MartialArtist

04-02-2003, 08:18 PM

Well, unless it was some type of mugging, and if the offender was confused (like many "home-made" or amateur criminals are), there is little time for reaction. If a person had the intent to kill you, he'd do it with...

1) Protection - In a building, in brush, dense areas, and with range
2) Speed - If he was on the same level as you, most experts can draw faster than most people can react. Many can do an Israeli draw (draw and racking the slide) if they decide to carry in that condition faster than most people can throw a decent counter-attack or to disarm someone.

But most crimes are not done in that fashion. It is where the criminal is confused, and does not know whether to kill or to just run.

Doc

04-03-2003, 01:20 AM

Originally posted by MartialArtist
? This should be an interesting thread, with the rising numbers.

Anyone have a CCW?
Anyone wear a concealed spectra or kevlar vest?
Any of you train in disarming?
Any of you practice shooting?

I know it's pretty much futile to try to disarm when the guy has a gun, but still.
E) All of the above

vin2k0

04-03-2003, 12:03 PM

Originally posted by Johnathan Napalm
O/T :
You have studied Karate for 9 years and yet you posted a question asking what the most effective MA is?????

That's correct... see that post for my reply to this.

DAC..florida

04-03-2003, 06:13 PM

Originally posted by Technopunk
But in defense of myself I would just like to say that I have had the unfortunate displeasure to look down the barrel of a handgun durring a confrontation.

And you managed to survive, I guess disarming is a important part of training!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

I have never had to look down the barrel of a gun, but I can say that The Florida Department of Law Enforcement does require this training in all law enforcement and corrections academies so it must have saved someones life otherwise its a big waste of time and money.

MartialArtist

04-03-2003, 10:27 PM

I have a level III spectra vest and a spectra plate which makes it able to stop the common rifle calibers like .223 (5.56mm) and 7.62mm NATO bullets. Total, the vest is fairly light, at about 20 pounds or so but it restricts movement.

However, I don't wear one concealed. Anyone can spot on unless it was wintertime, it gets very hot and uncomfortable, and it's not worth it. It might save my life... If the guy is packing a cold 9mm or a .22 pistol or something.

Cryozombie

04-04-2003, 05:11 PM

Originally posted by DAC..florida
And you managed to survive, I guess disarming is a important part of training!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!!

Ha, I'm going to agree with this statement, I think it's important HOWEVER...

The situation was a domestic dispute turned violent and the gun was pulled on my Sister. I stepped in to try and calm things down and the gun was turned on me... There was no "disarm" technique, I just jumped in and pinned the gun arm to down and held onto the gun untill the cops showed up... while desparatly fighting off the other arm with my free arm... No technique, no rational thought just "F#$!, where are those cops!" until they showed up...

Disco

04-04-2003, 08:59 PM

With the proliferation of hand guns in the U.S. it would behoove all to train in disarming techniques. Contrary to some opinions, you can disarm a gun thug (yes I have personally acomplished this unsuperhuman feat). The caveat is that you must be within arms length of the weapon, which translates to approx 3 feet from the end of the barrel. There is nothing fancy or super special that has to be done in order to accomplish this. Hapkido, Ju Jitsu and the early Aikido practicioners have trained for this encounter. No doubt, many other styles also have some training in this area.

Now aside from the above caveat, you have to realize that you must be sure of yourself and your training, cause you'll only get one shot (no pun intended) at it.

The last time I reviewed the Justice Departments crime stats was about 5 years ago. They stated that you would have a 50 / 50 chance of survival if you were involved with a criminal with a weapon (the odds may even be lower now). That's not doing anything, just complying with the criminal. To me a 50% chance of survival is not good odds. Any training surely must increase the odds in your favor. I'm sure we've all heard and read the stories of people being killed for no reason during a holdup. One of the motto's hanging on our dojo wall say's " Train not to become a statistic"........... :asian:

vincefuess

04-04-2003, 09:28 PM

And shoot them first. I DO have a concealed carry permit and I do carry. Self defense is just that.

muayThaiPerson

04-04-2003, 10:52 PM

I dont but I want to.

I'd say disarming techniques work good. My friend in college demonstrated a technique for me. But the guidelines are to do it when they are not looking, no one is around, and you are nearly positive that you can do it. Nice techniques. But Practice is need, lots of it. Hes been confronted at gun point and choked, so the usefulness depends on the individual

Arthur

04-04-2003, 11:05 PM

I don't currently have a ccw due to living in Boston, Mass (the laws and fees are extreme here). But we practice plenty of gun stuff in class. Disarms of handguns and long guns, displacements, draws, retention, etc.

For those that are intereted we also practice in and against vests, helmets and other Law enforcement and military gear.

We have a lot of military people in calss and are of course a military based art, so it sort of figures.

In general I think its good for people to get use to being around, holding and using knives and guns, even if just for the mental benefits.

Arthur

progressivetactics

04-04-2003, 11:40 PM

statistically,
14% people who are involved in a gun fight against an assult rifle, will die.
18% handgun will die
72% knife will die.
These are statistics from the DEA in May, 2000.

You can safely disarm an assailant with a weapon. Any weapon. Most people over respect a firearm, and under respect a knife.

We do disarms from front, side, & back. We have worked with Police issued hand guns, wooden guns, wooden knives.

Police teach you need 21' between themselves and an assailant to safely, effectively discharge their weapon. Their 'hit' percentage is only 24% within that range.

Knowing all the stats, getting prepared for such an event and practice practice practice, still doesn't matter if you don't believe you can do it, or if you hesitate.

I too have had guns and knives pulled on me. Remember the best you can hopefor is even kill. The lesson of the samurai. If you can't get out of the situation with talk, Be prepared to die for your attempt at living!

bb

MartialArtist

04-05-2003, 03:10 AM

Originally posted by Disco
With the proliferation of hand guns in the U.S. it would behoove all to train in disarming techniques. Contrary to some opinions, you can disarm a gun thug (yes I have personally acomplished this unsuperhuman feat). The caveat is that you must be within arms length of the weapon, which translates to approx 3 feet from the end of the barrel. There is nothing fancy or super special that has to be done in order to accomplish this. Hapkido, Ju Jitsu and the early Aikido practicioners have trained for this encounter. No doubt, many other styles also have some training in this area.

Now aside from the above caveat, you have to realize that you must be sure of yourself and your training, cause you'll only get one shot (no pun intended) at it.

The last time I reviewed the Justice Departments crime stats was about 5 years ago. They stated that you would have a 50 / 50 chance of survival if you were involved with a criminal with a weapon (the odds may even be lower now). That's not doing anything, just complying with the criminal. To me a 50% chance of survival is not good odds. Any training surely must increase the odds in your favor. I'm sure we've all heard and read the stories of people being killed for no reason during a holdup. One of the motto's hanging on our dojo wall say's " Train not to become a statistic"........... :asian:
The common thug is different from an experienced criminal. Many are almost marksmen. Or an IPDA and bullseye competitor.

MartialArtist

04-05-2003, 03:18 AM

Originally posted by progressivetactics
statistically,
14% people who are involved in a gun fight against an assult rifle, will die.
18% handgun will die
72% knife will die.
These are statistics from the DEA in May, 2000.

You can safely disarm an assailant with a weapon. Any weapon. Most people over respect a firearm, and under respect a knife.

We do disarms from front, side, & back. We have worked with Police issued hand guns, wooden guns, wooden knives.

Police teach you need 21' between themselves and an assailant to safely, effectively discharge their weapon. Their 'hit' percentage is only 24% within that range.

Knowing all the stats, getting prepared for such an event and practice practice practice, still doesn't matter if you don't believe you can do it, or if you hesitate.

I too have had guns and knives pulled on me. Remember the best you can hopefor is even kill. The lesson of the samurai. If you can't get out of the situation with talk, Be prepared to die for your attempt at living!

bb
I think those numbers are a little off, in that they don't show the entire truth behind it.

Police teach you to be 21' apart? Most gun shots occur at 7'

http://www.handgunsmag.com/tactics_training/what_happens_gunfight/index.html

To safely disengage my weapon? I can point shoot at 30 yards and still hit the paper, and a lot of other people can too. I'm sure many of you remember the olden days when playing Duck Hunt with your kids, and do weird behind the back shots and under the legs.

21' is more of a gurantee than a set number. And police qualifications are not very strict.

However, don't give people any false ideas on defending against a gun. From even 5 feet back, there is nothing you can really do against a criminal who knows what he's doing, not those type of criminals that sweat from their palms.

Johnathan Napalm

04-05-2003, 07:14 PM

Kind of reminds me of that statistics that claims that over 90% of fights end up on the ground. Caveat: Don't hang your hat on it.

Johnathan Napalm

04-05-2003, 07:16 PM

Originally posted by MartialArtist
I think those numbers are a little off, in that they don't show the entire truth behind it.

Police teach you to be 21' apart? Most gun shots occur at 7'

http://www.handgunsmag.com/tactics_training/what_happens_gunfight/index.html

To safely disengage my weapon? I can point shoot at 30 yards and still hit the paper, and a lot of other people can too. I'm sure many of you remember the olden days when playing Duck Hunt with your kids, and do weird behind the back shots and under the legs.

21' is more of a gurantee than a set number. And police qualifications are not very strict.

However, don't give people any false ideas on defending against a gun. From even 5 feet back, there is nothing you can really do against a criminal who knows what he's doing, not those type of criminals that sweat from their palms.

EXACTLY!!

yilisifu

04-05-2003, 11:41 PM

In my years of law enforcement experience, I have never once met a criminal who regularly practiced with any kind of firearm. To say that "many are almost marksmen" or IPDA competitors and such is, I feel, grossly incorrect. My experience has been that criminals who carry firearms possess very little experience and absolutely no real training with them.

To those who insist that there is nothing we can do against an assailant armed with a handgun, I would ask "Would we be expected to get on our knees and beg?"

I would also say (once again) that I am living proof that practical handgun defenses work.

Rich Parsons

04-06-2003, 12:08 AM

Not an expert

Just a comment:

I think we have it on the right information here. 21' is a reference. IF you meet someone intent on shooting you and has their weapon out or not they will do what they can.

Yet, the officer which is trained to keep is weapon away from the opponent and not to pull it unless it is required, etc. The police need to realize that someone with intent can enter their safety zone with in the 21' before they can clear and get a clean and safe shot. IF you are a bad guy and care less for what happens to thers around you then the situation is different.

Have a nice day everyone.
:asian:

MartialArtist

04-06-2003, 01:10 AM

Originally posted by yilisifu
In my years of law enforcement experience, I have never once met a criminal who regularly practiced with any kind of firearm. To say that "many are almost marksmen" or IPDA competitors and such is, I feel, grossly incorrect. My experience has been that criminals who carry firearms possess very little experience and absolutely no real training with them.

To those who insist that there is nothing we can do against an assailant armed with a handgun, I would ask "Would we be expected to get on our knees and beg?"

I would also say (once again) that I am living proof that practical handgun defenses work.
I'm not saying all criminals are marksmen. There are gang members who use full-auto Uzi's and miss.

But, better prepared than sorry. Of the last five murders in my area, all were precision attacks.

Disco

04-06-2003, 12:11 PM

Many have responded with using police tactics and having the criminals on a professional level or gang members using automatic weapons.

We should be talking about the common everyday street hood or the neighbor that's in a domestic dispute (examples were given in this thread). NO we can't train against armed people 21 feet away. There is no magic pill against uzi's or M16's. But as stated before. If you can extend your arm and touch the weapon, YOU CAN disarm a person (also several have said to accomplished this). Almost every thread goes off on a tangent and people start bringing in unrelated and irrelevent facts. There's alot we can learn and share with each other, if we can just focus on what's relevent.

:asian:

yilisifu

04-06-2003, 01:14 PM

Very well said. Thank you!

DAC..florida

04-06-2003, 02:58 PM

Originally posted by Disco
Many have responded with using police tactics and having the criminals on a professional level or gang members using automatic weapons.

We should be talking about the common everyday street hood or the neighbor that's in a domestic dispute (examples were given in this thread). NO we can't train against armed people 21 feet away. There is no magic pill against uzi's or M16's. But as stated before. If you can extend your arm and touch the weapon, YOU CAN disarm a person (also several have said to accomplished this). Almost every thread goes off on a tangent and people start bringing in unrelated and irrelevent facts. There's alot we can learn and share with each other, if we can just focus on what's relevent.

:asian:

I like that outlook and agree we must stay on topic in order to answer the original question.

Most thugs/criminals are not expert marksman but it probabley wouldnt hurt to train for all scenarios.

I do beleive that you can disarm someone and train in that frequently.

:goop:

:machgunr:

:enfo:

Wmarden

04-07-2003, 02:45 AM

to follow on what DAC..florida and who he was quoting, one must also consider that martial arts trains you to bridge gaps. If a person is slightly out of reach, there are ways and distractions so you can close the gap and then perform the disarm. Of course it is more dangerous, but we are talking about situations where the most dangerous thing is to do nothing at all.

yilisifu

04-07-2003, 07:26 AM

Indeed! Physical distractions may actually frighten the opponent into squeezing off, so I suggest psychological distractions which slow his reaction time (if only slightly). There are several of these.

MartialArtist

04-07-2003, 08:27 PM

Distractions are work, but there are a lot of nervous criminals out there. I actually saw one sweating and his hands shaking. Those are the people to watch out for, because they have no idea what they are doing. It is possible that you can walk up to them and they won't shoot, but, the opposite can happen. The slightest distraction will make the criminal instinctively pull the trigger.

Also, it helps if you are somewhat close, to see if the gun is real or not, but most are impossible to tell. You can judge his skill level by looking at his stance and position, but again, is impossible to tell. The one thing I would do is remain calm (if his intent isn't on killing me).