Training for under 21 Feet
Getting off the X
by Gabriel Suarez
www.suarezinternational.com/
In the early eighties, a young police officer named Dennis Teuller wrote an article for Chuck Taylor's Magazine titled "How Close is Too Close?".
In the ground breaking article, Officer Teuller compared the time
frames in which an adequately trained officer could draw and fire an
accurate shot, and the time frame in which an able-bodied man armed
with a contact weapon could cross a seven yard distance. The time was
remarkably similar - 1.5 seconds for each.
The distance of seven yards was chosen, incidentally, because this was
the 'average' distance between combatants in an urban gunfight. Of
special note is the word 'average'. The stats came from the FBI's
Uniform Crime Report. In this report, over 85% of those confrontations
under 7 yards were more like 5 to 10 feet - well within the 21 feet in
Teuller's test. In any case, Teuller determined that, in the best case,
the attacker would connect just as the first shot broke. Those of us
who've been in combat know that a Tie in such a situation is no
different from losing.
Teuller suggested maintaining a distance greater than 7 yards. To his
credit, the study was intended for questionable individuals of
potential threat and not for the every day contact of those labeled as
'low-key' or 'unknown risk'. Keeping your distance from a likely threat
is a fine idea and God knows how many lives Teuller saved with his
study.
The main problem is that while the concept of 'keeping your distance'
is a tactically sound one, it is difficult to apply in every day,
unknown risk situations. Who can, for example, simply talk to someone
from 7 yards away?
Practicality demands getting a lot closer. Proximity creates its own
problems, however. As you close in, your reaction time increases
because everything can happen faster. Keeping in mind that 85% of these
events occur at 5 to 10 feet, it is likely that if all one has to fall
back to is to draw and shoot, the adversary will kill you before your
hand ever touches your pistol.
Listen carefully: An artificially created mechanical target
mover that charges you will not give you the visual and dynamic input
necessary to train correctly for this situation.
Solutions? Increase your adversary's reaction time by changing his
perception of things when things start to happen. In simple terms,
you'd better move out of the way. Lateral or diagonal movement will
increase your chances of evading his attack as you launch your own
attack on him. The ability to integrate footwork from certain field
sports and martial arts disciplines will make your survivability even
better. But that is not all. As things get close, the integration of
hand to hand combat and shooting becomes very important.
Body to body contact requires moving laterally while blocking,
redirecting, or striking the adversary. While all this is going on, you
would also be drawing your pistol and firing as it begins to extend
forward toward the adversary. The only viable solution in this interval
requires this integration of force.
As distance is increased from arm's length to a couple of steps beyond
(10 to 15 feet) the need to actually touch your opponent with your
hands may be limited, but it must remain as a viable option, in
addition to moving laterally. Even at extended distances (anything
beyond 7 yards) you should move, either aggressing the threat, moving
to cover, or into a better defensive position. Very rarely will it be
desirable to just stand still.
Getting back to the 5 to 10 foot interval, picture an 'X' on the floor
in front of you. Your initial steps will be along the legs of that 'X'.
Think of 10:00 and 4:00, and also 2:00 and 8:00.
To really get the feel of how this works, forget about using a timer to
move within 1.5 seconds or anything like that. Time is only relevant to
the speed of your opponent. Ideally, you would be able to use
Simmunitions, but there may be liability issues. That stuff is also
quite expensive. A good training alternative, if you can manage to stay
serious about it, is to use your kid's water pistol.
Here is the set up. Draw out a large man-sized 'X' on the deck and
stand on top of it. Get comfortable moving, with speed and balance,
toward each direction of the leg of the 'X' (2:00 - 4:00 - 8:00 -
10:00). Next, place an adversary with a simulated contact weapon in
front of you at an appropriate distance. I would suggest starting out
at 10 feet and decreasing the distance as your speed and ability
increases. Holster your water blaster and stand by.
The adversary initiates the action by attacking. Your job is to react,
moving and evading, blocking or redirecting his attack as needed, while
bringing out your little plastic water gun and, well, hosing him down
with it.
Stop the action immediately and evaluate. Did you get hit? Did he? Were
you able to move in time? This is what reactive CQB is all about. The
Teuller Drill is an excellent beginning into the study of intervals and
reaction time. But it is only a beginning, and a presentation of a
concept. It is up to each operator to test himself at the more likely
closer intervals well within Teuller's 21 feet. Start thinking, moving,
integrating, and evolving. When you are presented with the
once-in-a-lifetime moment of truth, you will realize that it was
definitely time well-spent.
