Title: Combat Focus Shooting: The Science of Intuitive Shooting Skill Development
Author: Rob Pincus
Edition: Evolution 2010
Publisher: I.C.E. LLC Publishing Company
Pub. Date: 2010
Softcover, 216 pp.
Rob Pincus is Lead Instructor and Owner of I.C.E. Training, a firearms training company in Virgina Beach, VA. I’ve watched Rob on Outdoor Channel as co-host of The Best Defense, The Best Defense: Survival and host of the award-winning S.W.A.T. Magazine TV. Earlier this year I had an opportunity to train with him during the Northeast Shooters’ 2010 Summit of an Armed Society. At the time he was in the process of proofreading the latest edition to his book, Combat Focus Shooting, which I promptly ordered when it went on sale this past May.
The book codifies Rob’s firearms training program (years in the making) in the context of a dynamic critical incident (i.e. counter-ambush scenario). Combat Focus Shooting is based on empirical evidence from real violent encounters and what the body does naturally when reacting to an attack.
The applicability of using this training in the real world is more than you'd think: most attacks are, in fact, a surprise and often you only have 1 – 4 seconds to react/respond. Combat Focus Shooting is based on the following principles:
* Intuitive shooting – shooting in a way that works well with what the body does naturally
* Safety – resting largely with the instructors
* Comfort – between the instructor and the student
* Competency – getting as good as you can be and always trying to get better
* Warrior Expert theory – constant process of gaining, evaluating and using information to form the appropriate "habitual routines" that can be executed on demand with having to think about them
* Dynamic Critical Incident (DCI) – surprising, chaotic and threatening
* Combat-accurate shots – any shot that significantly affects the target's ability to present a lethal threat
* Balance of Speed & Precision (BoS&P) – finding and pushing your limits; target, shooter's skill and comfort level/confidence
* Realistic and varied training – necessary for effective and efficient shooting
* Efficiency – achieving a goal with as little time, effort and energy as possible
* Consistency – doing things the same way every time; having fewer options
The remainder of the book covers in detail stance, movement and the step-by-step process for drawing your pistol from a holster. The final pages discuss Combat Focus Shooting Drills and how you can adapt these when you go to the range. It's not about what size handgun or caliper you have but how you use the tools you have in the best way possible to defeat a threat. It's also more than a rapid quantity of shots: the shots have to be 'combat-accurate' to be effective and you have to deliver them as efficiently as possible.
The book is an easy and relatively quick read although dense with information and details. Rob does a great job with referencing the applicability of the latest neuroscience (brain) research in describing how we react to a threat. The book also has several appendices including a bibliography for further research and reading. I enjoyed reading this book and will be employing as many of the Combat Focus Shooting techniques as I can during my upcoming range visits.
Author: Rob Pincus
Edition: Evolution 2010
Publisher: I.C.E. LLC Publishing Company
Pub. Date: 2010
Softcover, 216 pp.
Rob Pincus is Lead Instructor and Owner of I.C.E. Training, a firearms training company in Virgina Beach, VA. I’ve watched Rob on Outdoor Channel as co-host of The Best Defense, The Best Defense: Survival and host of the award-winning S.W.A.T. Magazine TV. Earlier this year I had an opportunity to train with him during the Northeast Shooters’ 2010 Summit of an Armed Society. At the time he was in the process of proofreading the latest edition to his book, Combat Focus Shooting, which I promptly ordered when it went on sale this past May.
The book codifies Rob’s firearms training program (years in the making) in the context of a dynamic critical incident (i.e. counter-ambush scenario). Combat Focus Shooting is based on empirical evidence from real violent encounters and what the body does naturally when reacting to an attack.
The applicability of using this training in the real world is more than you'd think: most attacks are, in fact, a surprise and often you only have 1 – 4 seconds to react/respond. Combat Focus Shooting is based on the following principles:
* Intuitive shooting – shooting in a way that works well with what the body does naturally
* Safety – resting largely with the instructors
* Comfort – between the instructor and the student
* Competency – getting as good as you can be and always trying to get better
* Warrior Expert theory – constant process of gaining, evaluating and using information to form the appropriate "habitual routines" that can be executed on demand with having to think about them
* Dynamic Critical Incident (DCI) – surprising, chaotic and threatening
* Combat-accurate shots – any shot that significantly affects the target's ability to present a lethal threat
* Balance of Speed & Precision (BoS&P) – finding and pushing your limits; target, shooter's skill and comfort level/confidence
* Realistic and varied training – necessary for effective and efficient shooting
* Efficiency – achieving a goal with as little time, effort and energy as possible
* Consistency – doing things the same way every time; having fewer options
The remainder of the book covers in detail stance, movement and the step-by-step process for drawing your pistol from a holster. The final pages discuss Combat Focus Shooting Drills and how you can adapt these when you go to the range. It's not about what size handgun or caliper you have but how you use the tools you have in the best way possible to defeat a threat. It's also more than a rapid quantity of shots: the shots have to be 'combat-accurate' to be effective and you have to deliver them as efficiently as possible.
The book is an easy and relatively quick read although dense with information and details. Rob does a great job with referencing the applicability of the latest neuroscience (brain) research in describing how we react to a threat. The book also has several appendices including a bibliography for further research and reading. I enjoyed reading this book and will be employing as many of the Combat Focus Shooting techniques as I can during my upcoming range visits.
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