...
Firstly, I find I often have something in my hands. ...
Secondly, if I'm inside contact distance or am about to be because I'm being charged, I want a free hand to defend myself. ...
Thirdly, I don't want to have to practice two different draws for the same carry position based on whether I have one or both hands free. ...
I chose to compromise on speed, to increase my chances of a successful draw in a dynamic and compromised situation.
These are some salient points.
They're also why a lot of LE training and periodic skill assessment checks (quals) often emphasize
both 1 & 2-handed drawing/presentation and shooting. We may not have the luxury to use both hands for a draw. It's often difficult enough to use just the strong hand to sweep and clear a cover garment. Using both (meaning being able to use both) is a luxury that may not be available to us in any particular situation.
The scene in the old Miami Vice TV show, where Jim Zubiena performed a Mozambique drill using AIWB carry, caught the fancy of a lot of shooting enthusiasts of the time. As I recall, during some interview back then he explained that the latex gloves he was required to wear for the scene made it difficult to catch and lift the shirt and grasp the gun, and it involved some takes of the scene to get it to where it felt right to him.
Granted, the OP's video was entertaining, but it really just highlights what a lot of dedicated practice can do for folks looking to develop and refine their skills. And yes, performing several thousand proper repetitions does help to ingrain some skills so they may become better than second nature. The former head instructor at my range once told me, answering a question about improving the speed of my draw from concealment, that practicing doing it the
right way
10,000 times would be a good way to go about getting better and faster.
TANSTAAFL, right?
There's another thing, though, and it's a very difficult thing to address. That's the ability to access and perform a well-practiced
technique when the stress, duress and chaos of an unexpected real-world threat occurs.
The gentlemen in the video knew what they were about to do, and knew they were only performing a technique in a situation where the only threat to their safety was ...
their gun handling. Nobody was trying to kill them. They hadn't been injured before they began their draw and presentation. Granted, the best practical way to begin to simulate this sort of thing is using the modern Force-on-Force training, done properly, using experienced people supervising things and the right safety gear (including Simunitions or UTM modified weapons and dye-marking cartridges).
Sure, training and proper practice does help instill and ingrain the
technique. That's why training and practice is done, right? It's just that once that actual gunfire or waving blades are introduced, the person has to be able to mentally overcome the natural
Freeze, Flight or Fight response
- otherwise also known as the "This can't be happening to ME!?!" reaction and delay
.
Another thing that has been reported to help is to gain experience in encountering and successfully dealing with situations where the potential for a life threatening action exists. This is where having military and Public Safety (especially LE) experience can be helpful. Learning to successfully overcome the natural reaction to freeze up, and still function and make good decisions in the face of stress and duress.
