Shoot and Scoot: Movement is Important for Handgunning Defense

A boxer’s success is largely dependent on his movement. Sure, punching, parrying and myriad other skills are important, but without fluid footwork to augment those abilities, the boxer becomes one-dimensional. The flat-footed pugilist makes an easy target and poses little threat to an experienced opponent who uses movement both to avoid being hit and to place himself in bargain position to land a powerful punch to the unprotected head or body.

Movement is equally important to the defensive handgunner. Whether the threat is a gloved fist or a bullet, a moving target is harder to hit. If shots ring out while you’re unarmed or when your gun is holstered, moving is probably your best option.

While movement of any kind is better than standing still, not all movement is equally beneficial. Let’s take a look at different types of movement and how proficiency in each can help tilt the odds in your favor.

Running is the fastest way to propel ourselves from point A to point B under our own power. Therefore, it’s the best way to put distance between you and an assailant. But since running directly away doesn’t require a gunman to change his aim, it’s probably the least helpful direction for you to run. It isn’t much harder for the bad guy to shoot you at 10 yards than it is for him to hit you at five, and so on.

How To Move While Running Away

By running away at approximately a 45-degree angle, you can distance yourself from the gunman just as quickly while simultaneously presenting less of a target and forcing the gunman to track you with his muzzle. These factors increase your odds of escaping without being shot—or at least without sustaining a fatal wound.

I’ve been taught that staying low and running in a zigzag pattern will make you a harder target. While this may be true, it’s equally true that while you’re running for your life, your fine motor skills are bound to deteriorate. As you try to change direction in mid-sprint, there’s a fair chance you’ll fall, which could leave you even more vulnerable. Also, zigzagging doesn’t put distance between you and the threat as quickly as running straight away or at a 45-degree angle.

Of course, if there is an object nearby that’s capable of stopping a bullet, that’s a smart place to head. This exemplifies what renowned handgun instructor Dave Spaulding calls moving with purpose. This concept is in stark contrast to the shooter on the range taking a sidestep or two while drawing his or her gun, reloading or clearing a malfunction—which may well be all you can do due to firing-range restrictions.

Lateral movement can work, but it needs to be dynamic so the assailant is forced to reorient himself to you and redirect his attack. Taking a step or two in either direction isn’t fooling anybody. It just makes it harder for you to perform the task at hand.

Dynamic Lateral Movement

Dynamic lateral movement can get you to cover, get you offline of an attack or create an opportunity to draw your gun. It’s meant for close quarters, where your goal is to stay square to the threat so you are in the best position to fight. If the assailant is beyond about five yards, running is probably the best option, even if you’re wearing a gun.

Dynamic lateral movement as taught by Spaulding isn’t merely a concept but rather an actual technique. It starts with maintaining an athletic stance, with your knees slightly bent, with your gun-side leg to the rear. You should feel the balls of your feet in contact with the ground, with your heels lightly planted or even slightly raised.

Rather than favoring one side or the other, your stance should enable you to move quickly in any direction. Think of a shortstop in baseball, who must be prepared to move right, left, forward or backward to make the play when the ball is hit in his direction.

If you are moving right, your left foot initiates the movement by pushing off the ground as you take an exaggerated step to the right with your right leg. Then your left leg follows. Rather than crossing your feet, think of your left foot replacing your right foot, then take another step with your right leg to reestablish your shooting stance.

Buying Time

An additional step or two in this manner should get you off the “X” and buy you time to draw. But how you stop your lateral movement is as important as how you start it. I’ve seen students fall over as they try to stop. To avoid this, think of reaching out with your leading leg at the last step and using it as a brake to help stop your momentum. Ideally, you should end up in a balanced stance, with your gun on target and ready to fire. As with any athletic endeavor, this takes practice.

Your feet should glide above the ground. Don’t hop. Doing so slows you down and makes it harder for you to draw. When you hop, your balance also suffers.

Lateral movement is a great way to traverse several feet left or right, but if you need to move farther, your best bet is to turn your lower body in the direction you want to go, while rotating your upper body like a turret to face the threat.

When moving in this manner, you’ll find it much easier to orient to the threat when you’re heading toward your gun side. When you move in the other direction, you’ll probably feel more bound up.

Against the Grain

You might find bending your knees a little more will make it easier to engage targets when moving to your non-gun side. This technique was taught to me by Special Forces veteran and Viking Tactics president Kyle Lamb, and I find it helpful.

When faced with an armed assailant in close quarters, closing distance may seem counterintuitive, but sometimes it’s the right move. For instance, when an assailant reaches for a weapon within or just outside arm’s length, moving toward him may enable you to foul his draw. From there, moving to the outside, then shoving or striking him should enable you to draw your own gun.

If an assailant closes in to grab you, extending your off hand toward his face and moving to your gun side could halt his movement and enable you to circle him while drawing your gun. Continuing to move around the assailant could provide a favorable position, where you are facing his side or even his back. From there, he’d have to reorient to face you. Meanwhile, you’re prepared to fire immediately if warranted.

Moving backward is an instinctive way to create distance from an adversary, but if he’s armed with a firearm, it’s like running directly away from him. He doesn’t have to track you as he would if you moved laterally or at an angle.

Backpedaling Danger

Backing up is also slower than turning and running, so you’ll be in harm’s way even longer. But the real danger of backpedaling is that, even when you’re facing an attacker armed with a contact-distance weapon like a box cutter or a pipe wrench, he can more forward faster than you can move backward.

If you try to move backward quickly more than a few steps, there’s also a good chance you’ll fall on your butt or flat on your back. That’s because we are designed to walk forward, and it’s harder to maintain your balance walking backward.

From the ground, your mobility is severely limited, and you are susceptible to bullets that skip off the ground. And whether you’re seated or supine, those rounds are likely to traverse your body lengthwise, which will likely produce devastating wounds.

Moving backward to create space can work, but it should be used minimally. When doing so, keep your body weight centered over your toes and lead with your toes as you step. This helps maintain balance and enables you to feel any obstacle such as a curb or a large rock behind you that might otherwise cause you to trip.

Depends on the Situation

Any discussion of movement in armed conflict begs the question of whether it’s better to shoot on the move or to stop moving to shoot. The correct decision is situationally dependent. Shooting on the move makes you more difficult to hit, but it’s also more difficult to shoot accurately while moving.

In the case of moving from one position of cover to another, shooting on the move requires that you move more slowly than if you were running. This leaves you exposed to incoming fire longer. On the plus side, when you shoot on the move, your rounds fired at the assailant may stop him or at least give him something to think about other than shooting you.

You’ll never shoot as well while moving as you could while standing still. The faster you move, the more your gun and subsequently your sights will move. When you accept that your sights will move and become comfortable enough to trust the wobble, you can get sufficiently accurate hits while moving at a moderate pace.

If you move too quickly, accuracy suffers, as does your ability to process information. If you’re actually running, don’t try to shoot. You are accountable for each round you fire and must realize innocent bystanders may move into your line of fire.

Practice Running With Gun

That’s not to say you can’t have your gun in hand while running. In fact, doing so saves time so that when you stop, there’s minimal lag time before you’re able to make a shot. Run to where you’re going, then stop, plant your feet and shoot from a stable platform. If you haven’t practiced running with your gun in hand, you should. As with developing any new skill with a handgun, an inert training gun is a good way to start.

One thing you’ll notice is that it’s easier to run with the gun held in only your dominant hand. Doing so allows your non-dominant arm to swing naturally, but you need to be mindful of where your muzzle is pointing.

When you’re running, taking larger strides increases the likelihood of the muzzle crossing your legs. That’s why it’s important to keep your finger not just off the trigger but indexed on the frame of the gun, well outside the trigger guard.

When running with your gun, keep the gun oriented in the direction of the threat, or at least orient the muzzle so it isn’t pointed at anyone other than the assailant—including yourself. If an innocent party wanders into your line of fire, divert the muzzle.

Train For It

Of course, physical limitations including a preexisting or a recently sustained injury may limit your mobility. In such a case, feigning cooperation until you can covertly draw your gun may be your best bet. If your mobility is limited, awareness of potential threats and recognition of nearby objects that could be used as cover are paramount.

When most of us practice shooting, it’s from a stationary position. That’s a great way to hone marksmanship fundamentals, but if you need to use your gun in defense of your life or someone else’s, you should expect things to get chaotic. The more well-versed you are at handling your gun while moving, the better off you’ll be.

Whether dodging fists or bullets, movement makes you harder to hit. It’s perhaps the most underrated skill for the defensive handgunner. Moving can buy you time and cause the assailant to play catch-up. This is much more advantageous than making your stand while standing still.

Consider how movement might help you in a self-defense situation, and incorporate various types of movement into your training regimen. If you don’t, you may find yourself flat-footed when the bullets are flying or woefully unprepared when your or someone else’s life is on the line.

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