Sidearm Presentation against "The Rush"

[Rich Lucibella]

Those of us who ascribe to the Jeff Cooper school are trained to draw our weapon with the strong hand while our weak hand is "velcro'd" to abdomen/navel. As the strong hand punches out with the weapond, the two hand grip is achieved.

When being rushed, we might use a straight arm to block, stab or deflect the attacker, firing from close retention or other position. (Naturally, footwork is emphasized as far more effective than one armed grappling, but footwork is a topic for another thread).

I am only peripherally aware of GSGI's presentation technique using the weak hand to a high (chest?) position and the elbow(?) to block the rush. As this technique allows the attacker to get closer than a straight arm, we have given up some distance, violating the rule that "distance is your friend". It does, however, seem a better platform for deflecting the attack while moving.

I'd like to hear more about this technique and conditions under which it is employed. Other techniques for close quarters presentation and retention are also welcome, as this is an often overlooked area of training for many.
Thanks,
Rich

[This message has been edited by Rich Lucibella (edited 11-20-98).]

[This message has been edited by Rich Lucibella (edited 11-20-98).]

 

[longhair]

Rich, not having any formal training, i curious as to why draw from the weak hand??
that's why i like this place, while i know it doesn't take the place of a good formal traning, it let's me have acess to stuff i would normally not have heard.

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longhair

 

[Rich Lucibella]

longhair-
You've misunderstood my ambiguous description. We do not draw with the weak hand. I've edited my original post to clarify. Please reread and thanks for pointing up my oversight.
Rich

 

[David]

I think I remember see C.J. Carraci do this once. It does indeed get the perp close to
you.

 

[Spectre]

I personally sometimes practice defending against a hypothetical close-range attack by

(1) Blading my body (to get the most distance between my attacker and my sidearm)

(2) Drawing my sidearm very close to my body, wedging my forearm against the bottom of my ribs, while

(3) Practicing an eye strike with my "reaction side" hand.

I can see some advantages to the elbow method, though. The elbow is a very solid, and obviously pointed part of the body. In addition, correct alignment will allow the skeletal structure to do most of the work, instead of mere muscle. If the attacker really is onrushing, they will "impale" themselves on the elbow. I can vouch for the effectiveness of the elbow, as I received an elbow strike about 4 months ago that bruised me through a 12" striking pad. I was wearing a necklace at the time, and had an interesting design on my sternum for about month.

 

[Spectre]

Rich,

I just read your initial post again, and thought I would offer a thought. The advantage of a weapon, aside from increased effectiveness, is indeed distance. At very close range, though, one unexpected technique is to "spear" the attacker with the gun barrel. Be sure you have trained to keep your finger out of the trigger guard! I know of a case where this method was used. BG suffered a shattered jaw... Of course, the method used will depend on your tool(s), the situation, distancing and other variables. I would assume this technique would tend to work better with an AR than with an MP5, but this will, again, depend on distancing.

 

[longhair]

Rich, that's for straighting that out for me. i knew i wasn't the smartest sucker in the world, but you had me scratching my head on that one

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longhair

 

[Rich Lucibella]

I'm going to lock this one down, as it seems to be developing nicely in a parallel thread ("new" training...?). Look for it on this same Forum.
Thanks all,
Rich