Some weapons are robust enough to be usable as contact weapons. If your weapon is fragile, avoid this.
Chuck Taylor was a pioneer in the development of realistic close-quarters defensive techniques with pistols and shoulder-fired weapons.
If you have a partner with you, one of you can close and physically subdue the adversary. Do not try this alone! If the problem escalates, your partner can shoot him as you move clear. If you are alone and you get into a physical contest with him, you've lost your advantage-specifically the fact that you could have shot him.
One good alternative here is the use of an oleoresin capsicum ("pepper") spray. While pepper spray is not the solution to all nonshooting problems, it sure beats a few rounds of fisticuffs with an adversary of unknown skill. If the encounter does come to blows, hit him fast and hard. This is also a time when you must know your limitations. This is no time for fancy artistic moves-stay with the basics. Hit him hard in such vital areas as the eyes or throat. If you kick, do so only below the waist. With all due respect to my martial arts friends, kicks above the belt are relatively useless in a real fight. A fast, hard kick to the leg or knee is extremely devastating and much more effective than a spectacular jumping spin kick. Meanwhile, keep in mind that you have a gun in your hand. If he gets near it, shoot him. Keep it in the close-contact position and keep your trigger finger clear of the trigger. Remember, you are not sparring with him. You do not want to be that close to him for very long. Your intention is to hurt him so badly and so quickly that he either submits to your will or his thoughts turn from attack to self-preservation and he retreats. In basic terms, the more you hurt him, the less he'll think about hurting you. This may sound barbaric, but who cares? It works!
If you are armed with a shoulder gun, your empty-hand options will be limited. In this instance, you can use the weapon itself as a striking implement. For example, you can thrust with the muzzle to vital targets as you would with a bayonetequipped rifle. Rising or vertical strikes with the buttstock are also useful techniques. You can even strike with the receiver in a horizontal manner to the chest or throat of an adversary.
Engaging in physical contact while you are under arms is to be avoided at all costs, because the risk of losing your weapon is too great. The dynamics of personal tactics involved in building searches, not to mention daily life encounters, demand getting close to potential adversaries. When that happens, these combat countermeasures will help you save the day.
Close-quarters confrontations may require unusual firing positions. For example, how would you respond to a threat if you were seated in a vehicle?
FOURTEEN
DISTANCE INTERVALS AND
CLOSE-QUARTERS DEFENSE
It is the cold glitter in the attacker's eve not the point of the questing bayonet that breaks the line. It is the fierce determination of the drive to close with the enemy not the mechanical perfection of the tank that conquers the trench. It is the cataclysmic ecstasy of conflict in the flier not the pet fection of his machinegun that drops the enemy inflaming ruin.
The closer you arc to your adversary, the fewer options you have at your disposal. There are roughly three distance intervals involved in close-quarters defenses:
1. Within grasp of the adversary, or face to face, and with no room to maneuver or gain standoff distance
2. Within arm's reach of the adversary, but with the ability to gain standoff distance
3. Just outside of arm's reach, one or more steps away
When you arc within the grasp of the adversary or he has already grabbed you, there is a great immediacy to solve the problem… right now! Every instant that you are within this distance your life is in jeopardy. You will not have room to extend your pistol into a standard firing position, nor will you have any room to maneuver. Often, this is because your back is against a wall or vehicle, or you are in a phone booth, or whatever. This will impede your ability to gain any standoff distance prior to firing. Your only option in this situation is the Taylordesigned "speed rock."
The speed rock involves going to step three of the presentation (clearing the muzzle from the holster and rolling your shoulder down, thereby allowing the muzzle of the pistol to move forward along an arc toward the target) and then "rocking" back at the knees. This rocking motion, done in conjunction with the upper body movement of the presentation, will orient the muzzle onto your opponent's chest. Two quick shots may be fired in less than one second. In fact, I time students with an electronic tinier, and the average time, including the reaction to the audible "start" tone, is.89 second. The fastest I've seen is.75.
This is the closest interval-where you are literally within your adversary's grasp.
Common or traditional pistol techniques will not work if your back is trapped against an object or if you are physically grabbed.
After the speed rock is executed and the shots are fired, you do not want to linger there, with your adversary draped over you and bleeding on your business suit. You cannot move back because of the terrain, but you can move to the side. Move either to the left or right, as the situation requires-but move. When you obtain the necessary standoff distance to the side, you may then extend your firing position to the ready. The disadvantage of the speed rock is that it unbalances you to the rear, but this is not as crucial as many critics make out. Keep the proper perspective on the matter: you arc close enough to your enemy to smell the onions he had for lunch, you cannot move back, and you must shut him down immediately or you die. Only the speed rock will let you do that. The advantages are that it is lightning quick (two shots in less than one second), and it denies an adversary access to your pistol. It is a special-purpose technique for special circumstances. If the choice is to unbalance yourself and shoot your opponent in the nick of time or to be too slow and die, which would you choose?
The only solution is theTaylor-designed speed rock, which gets the pistol on target quickly, as well as preventing the adversary access to your weapon.
The second distance interval is within arm's reach of the adversary, but still allows some room to maneuver.
Notice that extending your weapon into a standard position places it right into the adversary's hands.
Similarly, attempting to gain any standoff distance before firing is often a futile move when the adversary is so close, since he will simply walk forward and fill the void you've created.
When you are within arm's reach but have ample room to maneuver to the rear for standoff distance, the speed rock is not the preferred technique. In this interval, the close-contact technique developed by the Los Angeles Police Department is a more suitable choice because it allows you to maintain balance while you also protect your firearm from an adversary. However, the close-contact technique is slightly slower than the speed rock. Notice also that in situations where the speed rock can be employed, the close-contact technique is less desirable because of both speed and weapon retention issues.