But just like anything else, you have a low probability to effectively employ a tactic unless you practice it regularly at full speed. How well do you think you'd be able to shoot in a self-defense situation if your only method of practice was to slowly go over your draw and never actually fire your weapon?
Not true, this is a strawman argument with "speed" (a lack thereof) being the strawman. If we are going to mix H2H and shooting...OK. Shooting a paper target full speed...is the H2H equivalent of punching a bag full speed. Punching a bag is not the ultimate in H2H realism...
Furthermore, you can practice groin, eye, throat strikes full speed. You just have to have extra distance and pull back at the last moment...an oft used (see "no contact" sparring in MA), yet ineffective training methodology.
MMA practitioners rarely go "full speed" and against "fully resisting" opponents anyway even though this is the claim to "realism". If they trained that way most often then there would be a lot of injuries (albeit minor) and very little learning occurring. We learn best by practicing new skills slowly in a setting as realistic (what will be experienced in performance) as possible. Witness an entry team working "slow and smooth" in a shoothouse.
The problem with any sports based art is the setting is never real...just the speed and resistance on
some occasions. The rules, ref, only one opponent, setting, goals (of you and the other guy) are all way, way different than the "reality" of criminal violence or police/military use of force.
Bottom line: Shooting targets=punching a heavy bag. Playing a paintball game = sparring/sport fighting. Realistic force on force w/ airsoft/simunition=working
with a partner(s) to develop effective H2H skills.
Sure, you can derive some "street" benefit from traditional martial arts (whose primary goal is to teach that art) or sport-based arts (whose primary goal is to get you to "win" under those conditions), but not nearly as efficiently as by going to a place whose only goal in training is survival of violent situations.