Best Defensive Handgun Drills Ever

By Alan Murdock
AmmoLand Youtube Firearms Reporter

Albuquerque, NM --(Ammoland.com)- I first met Rich Daniel at The Place to Shoot in 2002.

Rich was working the desk at the Portland Oregon indoor range and defensive firearm training center.

I had never been to an indoor range, having learned to shoot at an outdoor Izaak Walton League range in Iowa, and I was a bit nervous.

Rich wanted to make sure I knew the basics before going out on the range.

“Do you know how to load and unload a pistol?” he asked me, quite sternly.

I wanted to say, “Yes, sir. Load in the magazine and unload out the barrel,” but I didn’t.

I’m a bit of a joker, and Rich is too. He creates a light, enjoyable atmosphere in which to learn, but I could tell he makes no bones about safe handling of firearms. His training technique requires mastery of the fundamentals – finger indexed on the frame of your gun until it is aligned on target and you have made the decision to shoot.

I showed Rich I understand and value safety as much as he, and I was off to my lane with ammo, target and a rented Sig 9 mil.

I had a great time on the range and became a regular. During that time I experienced some of the best personal defense training I’ve ever had.

Rich is the founder of FFKG, or Fist Feet Knife Gun, a defensive training technique focused on the kind of close quarters defense that a citizen with a concealed firearms permit might face in America should they come under attack.

In the mid 2000’s Rich produced two training videos, one that focused on defensive pistol drills – blocking, striking and drawing a weapon in defense of deadly attack, and a second that emphasized the use of airsoft, an emerging trend at the time which increased reality based training opportunities while reducing cost below that of training tools such as simunitions.

I believe these training videos should be in every defensive shooter’s collection. The way information is put together is insightful and logical. Rich doesn’t just jump into drills, he explains the reason for each exercise, and the technique is rooted in training that goes back hundreds or thousands of years.

Rich combines techniques in his videos from Thai Boxing, and Kali and Escrima martial arts. The reality is that a gun is simply one tool in a host of tools you can use to get off the target and neutralize the threat. The videos combine common techniques of CQB handgun fighting with highly effective techniques popularized by masters like Dan Inosanto and published trainers like Michael Janich.

Today these videos are available only direct from Rich at The Place to shoot. Watch these clips, and if you want to know more, check out the websites ffkg.com and theplacetoshoot.com to order the full DVD set.

About: Alan Murdock is a lifelong shooting enthusiast. From youth he has shot firearms and archery. Today he is a certified NRA basic pistol instructor and Utah Concealed Firearms instructor. His blog on shooting and personal defense can be found at http://alanmurdock.wordpress.com/

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