Armed defense at Front Sight: Intermediate tactics and skills
![]() Armed defense at Front Sight: Intermediate tactics and skillsFebruary 18, 8:20 PM
Front Sight Training Institute offers extensive facilities and instructors for teaching defensive handgun tactics. Photo: Lori D. Roets, LazyRPhotography
The frist two segments of the Day three of Four Day Defensive Handgun Course delved into more advanced skills, including:
TACTICAL MOVEMENT
The day began with a classroom presentation on tactics. Noting that tactical movement is more art than science and can take years to learn, instructor Morello described the presentation as
Quickly dispelling the notion that you should search for home invaders when things go General principles of tactical movement:
Clearing corners
Next came demonstration of movement around corners by instructor Scott Hoernier. He emphasized a low-ready position while clearing in order to maintain a better field of vision and to avoid being too ready to engage if the person you find is a non-combatant. While Clearing doorways Approaching a door – especially one with which you are not familiar – considerations include:
Whenever possible, approach from the knob side, without hugging the wall, in order to provide enough leverage to open the door briskly. Bring the gun high and close to the chest to avoid muzzle flashing your hand. Don’t lean into the doorway.
Turn the knob and throw the door open briskly while stepping back to the ready position. Gradually Other considerations in clearing
RANGE EXERCISES
Next it was on to the fun part. Students were divided into groups depending on their original range assignment. First, we went to a large outdoor area for training on clearing corners and doors using plastic Corner clearing sequence:
Door clearing sequence:
Finally, it was time for live fire. When sent to the range, students paired with instructors who attached carabiners to our belts as
After orientation, a safety briefing and receiving a scenario which required clearing the house (i.e. an intruder enters the home with family members inside), I began to clear the house. Photographic targets depicted either perpetrators (some shielded behind hostages), or non-combatants. Happily, I shot everybody who needed shooting, and didn’t shoot my CONCEALED CARRY CONSIDERATIONS After the morning’s tactical exercises, the afternoon was spent learning presentation, reloading and malfunction drills, all from concealment. Our briefing covered holster selection and other considerations of concealed carry, and then a demonstration of sweeping a jacket out of the way or lifting a closed garment. From this point forward, all range exercises except low light shooting would be done from concealment. Presentation from concealment:
LOW LIGHT DEFENSE
After dinner came the classroom briefing for optional low light shooting exercises. Discussion of equipment included tritium night sights (Front Sight recommends a single color, noting also that glowing sights can identify your position to your opponent), types of flashlights, and
First and foremost, the school stressed light discipline – keeping the light off until necessary to identify and possibly engage a potential threat. Over-use of the light creates, as one instructor put it, a Flashlight techniques Several techniques address the difficulties of holding a flashlight and a gun simultaneously, including the Chapman, Ayoob, Modified FBI, and Neck Index. (The latter, as pointed out by Front Sight’s instructors, draws opponent fire toward the head. Not a happy outcome.)
Until the 1990s, the predominant method was the In the interest of commonality, however, Front Sight instructs students to use the Harries technique. While their explanation that it can be used with any style of flashlight makes sense, it was disappointing to be required to use a less stable shooting platform. Range work
Because flashlight-assisted shooting exercises were conducted on the range in near absolute darkness, range discipline and commands were strictly enforced. Our instructors required equally strict light discipline to avoid night-blindness. Only after receiving a fire command did we illuminate targets to be engaged. During after-action drills, we did keep lights on long enough to ensure the threat was |