When assaults begin, they typically begin quickly and at close range. Close Contact Handgun focuses on verbal and physical de-escalation and avoidance. This course also incorporates close quarters shooting concepts with both live fire on static targets and force-on-force with UTM guns against competitive, non-compliant targets with free will and initiative. This course begins with an evening session, non-live fire, and continues the following day with the range session.

This could very well be the most useful on a daily basis course I do. This class teaches you how to NOT get entangled, how to NOT have to go hands on, and how NOT to inappropriately use a firearm to defend yourself. This is not “fight club” and you will not get physically involved. Everything is geared to either defusing the situation and escaping from a potential hostile encounter or maintain distance so that the handgun can be used to it’s best capability.

The main prerequisite is that you have good safe gun handling skills, and you can work from a holster. Other than that, come as you are and get some learning on!

We can’t always use our defensive pistols in the optimum way we would like. Sometimes, we are able to shoot at extended range, but too often we need to shoot at closer distances. Sometimes, even when in actual physical contact with an assailant. Most people do not realize how easy it is for a bad guy to get too close to you, and how easy it is for him to interfere with your use of a firearm. This critical skill set requires specific training to optimize our chance of success and survival, and this course helps to accomplish that.

In this class we will look at ways to maintain distance, using verbalization, footwork, positioning, and awareness to keep distance from an aggressive criminal, and to utilize the pistol in a manner in which we can prevent him from stopping us. The focus is on NOT getting entangled and having to get into a physical fight, but rather to use the pistol the way it is intended to be used – at a distance.

We will cover:

Maintaining Spatial Relationship
Functional Footwork
Proper Verbalization
Presenting the pistol through an appropriate line of extension and compression
Live fire through extension and compression
Retention Shooting (both from the thumb-pectoral and the compressed high ready)
Live fire retention shooting
Integrating Verbals with everything else
Recognizing when it is appropriate to go to the gun and when not to

We will be working live fire on the range, as well as drilling concepts with blue guns. At the end we will pressure test our new skills in Force-on-force scenarios against resisting opponents with opposing will and freedom of action using UTM marking cartridges. We will be working in open space, in and around vehicles, and inside structures.

Students will need a suitable carry pistol, at least three spare magazines, a quality holster, and 350 rounds of ammo. If you have training guns and training knives, please feel free to bring them.

To sign up go here:

Cost: $320

https://squareup.com/store/independencetraining/item/close-contact-handgun