The Tactical Advantage: A Definitive Study Of Personal Small-Arms Tactics

FOURTEEN DISTANCE INTERVALS AND CLOSE-QUARTERS DEFENSE

The closer you arc to your adversary, the fewer options you have at your disposal. There are roughly three distance intervals involved in close-quarters defenses:

1. Within grasp of the adversary, or face to face, and with no room to maneuver or gain standoff distance

2. Within arm's reach of the adversary, but with the ability to gain standoff distance

3. Just outside of arm's reach, one or more steps away

When you arc within the grasp of the adversary or he has already grabbed you, there is a great immediacy to solve the problem… right now! Every instant that you are within this distance your life is in jeopardy. You will not have room to extend your pistol into a standard firing position, nor will you have any room to maneuver. Often, this is because your back is against a wall or vehicle, or you are in a phone booth, or whatever. This will impede your ability to gain any standoff distance prior to firing. Your only option in this situation is the Taylordesigned "speed rock."

The speed rock involves going to step three of the presentation (clearing the muzzle from the holster and rolling your shoulder down, thereby allowing the muzzle of the pistol to move forward along an arc toward the target) and then "rocking" back at the knees. This rocking motion, done in conjunction with the upper body movement of the presentation, will orient the muzzle onto your opponent's chest. Two quick shots may be fired in less than one second. In fact, I time students with an electronic tinier, and the average time, including the reaction to the audible "start" tone, is.89 second. The fastest I've seen is.75.

^{This is the closest interval-where you are literally within your adversary's grasp.}

^{Common or traditional pistol techniques will not work if your back is trapped against an object or if you are physically grabbed.}

After the speed rock is executed and the shots are fired, you do not want to linger there, with your adversary draped over you and bleeding on your business suit. You cannot move back because of the terrain, but you can move to the side. Move either to the left or right, as the situation requires-but move. When you obtain the necessary standoff distance to the side, you may then extend your firing position to the ready. The disadvantage of the speed rock is that it unbalances you to the rear, but this is not as crucial as many critics make out. Keep the proper perspective on the matter: you arc close enough to your enemy to smell the onions he had for lunch, you cannot move back, and you must shut him down immediately or you die. Only the speed rock will let you do that. The advantages are that it is lightning quick (two shots in less than one second), and it denies an adversary access to your pistol. It is a special-purpose technique for special circumstances. If the choice is to unbalance yourself and shoot your opponent in the nick of time or to be too slow and die, which would you choose?

^{The only solution is theTaylor-designed speed rock, which gets the pistol on target quickly, as well as preventing the adversary access to your weapon.}

^{The second distance interval is within arm's reach of the adversary, but still allows some room to maneuver.}

^{Notice that extending your weapon into a standard position places it right into the adversary's hands.}

^{Similarly, attempting to gain any standoff distance before firing is often a futile move when the adversary is so close, since he will simply walk forward and fill the void you've created.}

When you are within arm's reach but have ample room to maneuver to the rear for standoff distance, the speed rock is not the preferred technique. In this interval, the close-contact technique developed by the Los Angeles Police Department is a more suitable choice because it allows you to maintain balance while you also protect your firearm from an adversary. However, the close-contact technique is slightly slower than the speed rock. Notice also that in situations where the speed rock can be employed, the close-contact technique is less desirable because of both speed and weapon retention issues.

After the adversary has been rendered safe with the closecontact technique, you should put distance between you and your adversary in the event of a failure to stop. You do this by executing the step-back technique. However, one step back is generally not enough because your adversary will simply step forward and fill the void that you created. And if you extend the pistol in a standard firing position, you have just placed the muzzle in his very grasp. If you have the room, step to the rear with the firing-side leg as the firing hand finds the pistol and then step back again with the support-side leg, reestablishing the firing platform, as you present your pistol and fire. A second series of steps after the shots have been fired and during the target assessment phase will create more distance in the event of a failure to stop.

^{The only tactically sound solution is to use the Los Angeles Police Department's close-contact position.}

^{After the immediate problem has been neutralized, stepping back to gain distance is a good idea.}

^{The third critical distance is when the adversary is just outside of arm's reachor one step away from contact.}

^{As the fight begins, your opponent must take a step forward to press the assault, so you can use the distance to step back, creating enough distance to…}

^{… be able to shoot from a conventional position.}

^{After the threat has been neutralized, lower the pistol out of your line of sight to determine if more gunfire is needed.}

^{It is a good idea to include a second set of steps to the side or rear to gain even more distance. You'll need it if a failure to stop occurs.}

^{The classic speed rock scenario: close proximity to the adversary and no room to move back at all!}

^{After the execution of the speed rock, don't just stand there! Begin to create distance in the only direction available, probably to the side.}

^{Then take another step, just in case the fight is not over. Notice that the pistol is immediately placed in a two-handed Weaver ready position as soon as stand-off distance is achieved. Notice also that the weapon is kept oriented on the threat as the operator moves clear.}

The interval of the confrontation and your ability to extend that interval will determine your response to an assault. When the distance between you and your adversary extends beyond his arm's reach, the speed rock or close-contact position is generally ineffective, and the step-back technique is usually recommended. However, the solution you select will be based on your perception of this interval. Theorists who've never faced death or seen their opponents' muzzle flash often attempt to discount close-quarters defenses. They seem to forget that each particular problem has its own specific solution. If you want to be successful (i.e., keep breathing), you must make your solution fit the problem. Don't make the mistake of trying to force one technique to fit every circumstance, because you will fail.

If you need to drive a nail, get a hammer; if you need to turn a nut, get a wrench. Similarly, if you need a speed rock, don't try to make a step back fit the problem-or worse yet, just ignore the necessity of a close-quarters defense. The price of failure in close combat is too high.