Qualities of a Realistic CO “Shooting O-Course”
The integration of a REALISTIC and PRACTICAL “Shooting O-Course” into the CO self-defense training program has been a long and arduous one. When they first appeared (in very crude form) at early IDPA matches some 30 odd years ago they were nothing more than timed Competition marksmanship drills, and to this day, because of the grossly mistaken notion that Competition shooting and Self-Defense (or Combat) shooting are one in the same, most people still regard some of these timed drills as “O-Courses”. Nothing could be further from the truth. A true SHOOTING O-Course integrates Real-World type scenarios with simulated stressors and excludes all the competition/marksman garbage. Understand, at the rate the world has been going to shit lately, simply going out to a square range and putting 50 to 100 holes in a bad guy paper target does not cut it anymore. No, for the CO to train realistically and give himself the best possible chance at going home after the fight, he has to step-up his training a few notches and integrate a full blown combat training O-Course.
Now when I say “Combat Training” some people automatically get a mental image of people swinging on ropes, and climbing over walls all the while general mayhem is happening and smoke grenades and mortar shells are dropping. And while that may be the Hollywood version of a MILITARY O-Course (ala’ the movie Stripes), the CO version is much better (and more realistic and practical!)
Here is a general outline of the things your CO O-Course should incorporate:
- PHYSICALITY- All Fights, and yes, even a gunfight is physical in nature. The main issue here is MOVEMENT. We do not operate in a vacuum when fighting and we do not remain static….we move! Therefore, from the very start, the student will be running, crouching, crawling, etc.
- USE OF COVER– Cover is LIFE in a gunfight. Cover stops bullets and keeps them from going into your body and either wounding or killing you. We will learn to fight TO and FROM cover. This must become as natural as breathing.
- 360 DEGREE ENVIRONMENT & TARGETS– The biggest problem with square-range training is it mistakenly assumes the person or persons trying to kill will always remain in front of you. Wrong. As #1 has shown us, people tend to move when being shot at, and they don’t always move in the direction you want them too either.
- NO SET NUMBER OF ROUND’s PER TARGET- The student fires as many rounds as he thinks the target needs to go down. You should never train to ALWAYS fire a SET number of rounds; approach every situation with a fresh pair of eyes!
- TIME NOT A FACTOR– This is not a reality competition for a shiny $5 gold trophy. I could care less if it takes you 20 minutes or 20 hours to get through the course. This is shooting for your life, not shooting to impress for time.
- NOT A MARKSMANSHIP COURSE– Shooting with anatomically correct 3D targets let’s the shooter assess how “combat accurate” his rounds were and not how “tight a grouping” he got. In the real world, all that matters is that you kill the bad guy, not that your worst group was 2 inches. Gotta start thinking in terms of “that shot took out the liver” versus “I really shot the X ring out”.
- RELOADS AND MALFUNCTIONS HAPPEN WHEN THEY HAPPEN- With the length of the course, I guarantee you will have at least 3 to 4 reloads, maybe more. As far as malfunctions, deal with them if they come up the best way you can. Forced malfunctions with the use of squibs are an option if the students feels he needs to work on it.
- STRESS INDUCEMENT- To train realistically, we have to expose ourselves to the same types of stressors we will encounter on the street, while at the same time, trying to think through cognitive task. This is why I am a huge fan of Cognitive Stress Targets, as they work this area of the brain and keep it sharp. There is no substitute however for good ole’ stress replication! Things like unexpected gunfire, people yelling and screaming in panic, car horns, etc. Also working through a section of the drills with no hearing protection (using a minimum amount of live fire obviously) to show the student how disorienting live gunfire actually is and how it impedes communication and simple thought processes all the while some asshole is trying to kill you!
Stay Armed, Stay Realistic in your Training and Stay Dangerous!