Fast-forward 20 years and shooting on the move is now doctrine in most all defensive shooting courses. But not just moving forward as in an assault, but sideways, backward and diagonally, too. I am not talking about the “Shoot, Move, Communicate” doctrine pioneered by Clint Smith. I am talking about the current trend of trying to teach average folks to trigger shots while they are trying to walk in all directions.

Shuffle stepping to the rear may be more accurate but not so much that it justifies staying in the open for the sake of accuracy. Turning and moving may be a better option for a quicker exit from the kill zone.

Gunfights are fluid affairs. I have learned from personal experience that when the guns come out, people scatter like rats in a fire, which is a good thing, as moving targets are hard to hit. But are we actually endangering people by teaching them to try and draw a gun and shoot while they are moving away from a threat? This especially concerns me when we are moving in a direction that our bodies are not designed to travel in, like backward. Today it is common practice to teach shooters to “step and drag” or “shuffle step” backward while they shoot. It is commonly called “fighting to cover,” but is it wise?

One of my former basic academy students, Deputy Robert Gates of the Clinton County (Ohio) Sheriff’s Office, was one of the officers who bravely shot it out with the white supremacist Kehoe brothers during a traffic stop in Wilmington, Ohio, in the mid-1990s. This gunfight was caught on a cruiser camera and has been viewed the world over. Many who have viewed it have been critical, but only those who do not understand what really happened during the fight. Bob called me after the trial was over and the gag order had lifted to tell me what happened.

At one point he is seen engaging one of the suspects in a close-quarters gunfight (and hitting him multiple times in the chest—not missing, as many surmised, as Kehoe was wearing body armor—an excellent example of combat shooting and keeping one’s head under fire) and then what looked like moving to cover behind the hood of the cruiser. This was not the case. Bob told me that he was trying to move backward while shooting and that he went “ass over feet” and fell in the street. He related to me that it was the scariest part of the fight, as he had no cover or mobility, a sitting duck.

“Don’t try to shoot while moving backward,” Bob said. “You’ll fall. Your body isn’t set up for it.” Deputy Gates was on a paved road with no impediments. What would happen in a situation where curbs, grass, holes or loose gravel got in the way?

A more recent case occurred on March 3, 2005, in Schertz, Texas, when Officer Richard Kunz made a traffic stop on a vehicle that was speeding on I-35. Unbeknownst to Officer Kunz, the driver was armed with an AK-47 and a 9mm pistol and was willing to shoot it out. The officer approached the vehicle and asked the driver for his operator’s license. As the driver made a motion similar to reaching for a wallet, the camera shows that he produced the pistol and opened fire. At this same moment, Officer Kunz removed himself from the kill zone that is the driver’s-side window and ran back toward the cover of his cruiser. As he ran, he turned his upper body and fired one-handed in the direction of the suspect. This motion allowed Officer Kunz to continue rapid forward movement, while at the same time cover his retreat. This motion also allowed him to keep track of where he was going with just a turn of his head.