America's First Concealed Carrier's Co-Op

Self-confidence is 90% of self-defense.  Not being selected by a violent criminal is the first priority and your ability to carry yourself with confidence is the foundation for self-defense.  When that confidence fails, the chances of you being the one selected increases.

There are several established facts about what happens to the human body (most especially the human eye) when we have an adrenal response.  Two of those reactions affect a person's ability to shoot under an adrenal response:

• Losing near-field focus and becoming temporarily farsighted
• Our nervous system forcing us to go "target focus"

What we do and the proficiency we develop on the range does not translate into the real world.  This is a fact.  Struggling against what our neurological system is doing to our body complicates the issue further and puts us at a greater disadvantage.  We are now fighting with ourselves and our opponent.

Building the Right Foundation for Self-Defense Shooting

Any system for self-defense shooting must take into account the neurological changes that occur in the human body.  That means that a firearm system for self-defense must be built with the goal of the user being able to operate it effectively under an adrenal response.

Our Natural System is the ONLY System

Knowing that the human eye goes "target focus" and that we become farsighted under an adrenal response means that the ONLY system we will be able to use in a fight is our natural one.  Despite what some technological companies might say, there is no sighting system in existence that can override and outperform the natural sighting system in the context of an adrenal response. It is the ONLY system we will be using.

Instead of working against the inevitable, it is best that we find ways to work with that system.

Choosing the Right Gun Means Everything

Most firearms training programs attempt to overcome our natural responses and reactions during an adrenal response.  We must remember that these neurological responses are a part of evolution and not only can they not be changed, they are perfectly designed.  They are there to help us fight.  We should not be trying to use technology to override them in an effort to market a new product that will never come close to surpassing the natural one.

You may have heard trainers discussing "marrying the gun to your hand".  While this is partially true, we must actually marry the gun to our EYES.  The neurological system we use to operate the firearm under an adrenal response is our eye-hand coordination, which actually performs better under stress. That means the most important feature of a "fitted" pistol is that the grip angle of the pistol is perfectly and naturally parallel to our line of sight.  We determine this through a "blind sighted test".

Proper Form for Your Natural Point of Aim

All contact sports like football, basketball, hockey, etc. all understand this system.  Professional athletes are trained to maintain their skill sets under adrenaline.  In fact, every successful coach in the world does their best to induct or 'hype' their players before a game.  This is the system should be using for self-defense shooting.

With professional sports, quarterbacks need to still throw with precision and the ability to follow the plays.  During this process, they must maintain proper form when throwing the ball.  You will notice that they are doing so without the use of any tools or sights.  When it comes to sports like hockey, the stick represents the use of a tool in much the same way as using a pistol does.  So we know it is possible to maintain skill sets under adrenaline!

"National Hockey League (NHL) sticks are up to 63 inches (160 cm) long. The blade is the part of the stick used to contact the puck, and is typically 25 to 40 cm long. Stick dimensions can vary widely, as they are usually built to suit a particular player's size and preference."

Setting up the proper foundation for self-defense shooting must follow that same path if we want to ensure our skill sets endure a neurological crossover.  Just like the sticks for professional hockey players are all built to suit a particular players size and preference, a handgun must also fit a shooter's size and preference.  Be that as it may, the form used by each player with slightly different equipment still remains consistent with each player.

Taking You Off Your Sights

You're going to come off your sights whether you want to or not.  That is a neurological fact.  Having the right gun whose grip angle is parallel to your line of sight, coupled with the proper form, allows the shooter to now simply look from their sights to their target.

On the range, aiming happens with lining up your sights.  In a violent altercation, aiming comes from reaching for a detail on your opponent (keeping your eye on the ball).  If your pistol has been correctly fitted and you have established proper form through muscle memory, at this point you will be able to hit what you are looking at, which is what we call FixPoint Shooting.

In Conclusion

Now you can clearly see why most training systems fail at preparing a student for real world self-defense with a firearm.  The truth is, shooting is a fairly easy and natural thing.  When we pile technology on top of the tool, we weigh it down in a way that slows us down.  In a fight, that can have devastating results.

So, here is what we have learned:

• Choose a pistol that fits your natural point of aim
• Establish proper form until it becomes second nature
• Shift your point of focus from your sights to a detail on your target

That is what setting up a proper system for self-defense shooting looks like!