Customer Reviews

Defensive Shooting For Real-life Encounters: A Critical Look At Current Training Methods

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FINALLY! Someone who is not chained to any one school of thought and attempts to conform reality to training instead of the opposite! I am a Firearms/Defense Tactics instructor (both for law enforcement and civilian) and have become conscious on how unrealistic many "defense" training is (be it firearms or empty hand).

I have studied countless real-life incidents of deadly force attacks on both officers of the law, and civilians, and have been training others and myself for such possible scenarios. There are great flaws in many "systems" taught by today's Gurus. Ralph Mroz, the author, outlines these flaws and gives the reader a "reality check".

In this book, Mr. Mroz describes how different philosophy of training (martial arts, weapon craft, etc.) forms a different (and many times only one aspect) point of view on the potential threats one may face. A martial artist envisions a single unarmed mugger (maybe wielding a knife at the most) and a gunfighter prepares for armed and multiple attackers. The problem is that we all live in the same world and can face a multitude of dangers. Stop looking at the world through a martial artist's colored glasses or gunfighter's colored glasses.

Mr. Mroz stresses on how we must train for situations that may require unarmed AND armed solutions. As the saying goes, "If all you have is a hammer, every problem begins to look like a nail". If you find yourself being assaulted at contact distance, and your gun is still holstered, you are better off resorting to proper empty-hand techniques.

One must always strive to make their training as realistic as possible, this means going beyond punching holes in paper targets. Mr. Mroz explains. The author covers close-range Point Shooting, something some "modern" schools scoff at because it does not fit in to their doctrine (BUT IT WORKS!). Another chapter to ruffle some feathers (and open some eyes) is the "Five Deadly Training Traps".

It is so refreshing to read someone who has broken out of the mold. I hope Mr. Mroz continues his writing in the truth in combat training and publishes more books of this nature.

I have been in the field of self defense combining handguns and barehand methods of close combat since 1978. I have worked at many crime scenes where homicides had taken place. If some of the victims had the knowledge found in Defensive Shooting for Real Life Encounters I am sure that they would not have ended up as victims. Much of the information is very workable for serious self protection. There are not enough books on the subject of combining the two disciplines of handgun shooting and hand to hand combat. I recommend this book to anyone who takes their self protection seriously. I teach some other methods of close combat firearms use and hand to hand but there can never be enough quality instruction out there for the honest citizen or law enforcement officers who are in the front lines every day. I also recommend the titles, Shooting to Live, and No Second Place Winner. Good luck out there.

Training is synthetic experience. This fake experience is valuable because greater feedback is possible, telling me exactly what happened in the clinical training session. This "play " is inexpensive compared to the real thing-nobody is supposed to really die or become crippled, and the safety rules prevent criminal and civil charges when followed. Training is great stuff because training can focus in on a specific aspect of life, an aspect that happens too rarely to otherwise gain enough real-world experience, such as exchanging gunfire with an armed opponent, and the trainee can experience handling this situation successfully. Training is great-but it is phony!

Ralph Mroz points this out in different words. His "Defensive Shooting for Real-Life Encounters" is not a recipe book of handgun techniques, but a yardstick to measure a training program. This book may go over the head of the casual shooter, someone who is seeking only the minimum training required for professional certification (a majority of our professional police) and most of the private citizens who carry concealed handguns for self-protection. These casual shooters' needs don't include self-criticism and introspection-they have a specific goal and just want a cheap, simple way to reach the goal. Mroz is also certain to alienate many because he reminds us that not only is training NOT "real-life," but that it cannot be. As many gun people have invested thousands of dollars and years gaining measurable skills that they can perform upon demand-on a structured shooting range-being told that their skills are not always the right answer is going to hurt their feelings. Mroz states that most self-defense shootings happen at hand-to-hand combat distances; on page 63 he wrote that 54% of gunfights happen at 5 feet or less and 74% happen at less than 10 feet. Then he turns around and states in the footnote that some of the shooting data is based upon self-reports and may not be entirely truthful or accurate.

For the serious (obsessed?) student of the gun, "Defensive Shooting for Real-Life Encounters" is a gold mine. Miners know that a lot of gravel has to be moved to get a handful of nuggets. This book's information can't really be used directly as a training blueprint or a performance yardstick. The 74% of gunfights at 10 feet or less figure I quoted above doesn't take into account the dynamics of a lethal force encounter-that the participants don't just stand at a set distance from each other, but they move, sometimes several miles at high speeds. Ever hear of a freeway shootout between two speeding cars? Mroz writes of gun-FIGHTING rather than shooting because often, at these close distances, the defender has no chance to use his gun and has to rely on running or empty-hand techniques to create enough space. Mroz doesn't call the skills imparted by intense competitive shooting useless. Instead, he points out that the performance envelope for those skilled at these games is limited and that real-life lethal-force encounters take place outside of this envelope. Here's and example: virtually no shooting schools permit their student shooters to shoot at moving targets or targets closer than 9 feet-in real-life encounters, most "targets" move (and move AT the shooter with deadly intent, else shooting isn't justified) and there's that 74% of shooting incidents taking place at less than 10 feet figure again.

On Page 51, the chapter that includes point shooting is worth the price of the book. I was introduced to point shooting by Rex Applegate's "Kill or Get Killed" and I learned to shoot by using a cheap BB gun. When I read the controversy about point shooting versus "aimed fire," I was mildly amused. Mroz not only settles the issue (use both, depending upon the situation), but he details the strengths and weaknesses of both, discusses the psychological and physiological factors involved, and then in his examination of police departments who successfully use point shooting instruction to better their street shooting results, reveals the real secret of success: lots of realistic practice. If you train to a performance standard that is related to real-world incidents, you are better prepared for those incidents.

Mroz covers subjects including shoes and eyeglasses. How much detail can you get from 148 pages, anyway? This book is a primer on THINKING. One thing which can upset readers is that many of us buy a book to get the answer to questions such as "what is the meaning of life?" Since real life isn't a fully-instrumented laboratory, there are going to be a lot of unknowns. If you don't know the questions, how are you going to find the answers? "Defensive Shooting for Real-Life Encounters" is a series of questions that I'm going to use to re-examine my own training programs. Besides, in my case Mroz validated much of what I've been doing for years. For example, due to safety concerns and feedback issues I use Air Soft "toy guns" for close-quarter shooting exercises. I also insist upon referees for force-on-force training, and when I can, I videotape training. The street does have video cameras (remember Rodney King?), but referees only intervene afterwards-in the courtroom. In training, the referee is there for safety (training is synthetic experience) and to provide performance feedback. Still, nobody's perfect!

A very good intermediate to advanced level book.

Mroz is not dogmatic. His writing tends to show shades of gray rather than absolutes. The book provides some very interesting discussion on reacting to real events that trigger the startle reaction, point-shooting and aimed fire (This is an area where he really provides a fair and frank discussion without falling into the "always" or "never" trap.) and gunfighting at arms-length and closer. This final topic is really where I found the book most useful. He describes a number of popular methods and techniques with pros and cons for each of them. In reading, it became obvious that he has recruited helpers and actually tried most of the techniques. His discussion provides not only a toolbox of extreme close-quarter technique but tested advantages and disadvanteges of each tool.

This book is not intended for those who are into shooting as a sport, but for those who approach it as a martial art. For the latter people, this book should be mandatory reading. Actually, this book is not about tactics in a real-life shootings, it's about how we should train to prepare for such an event.

In the book, Ralph Mroz sheds a new light to several established "truths" on the field of combat handgunning. His aim is to look things from a new perspective, and to find flaws in established state of the art techniques and tactics. The most interesting parts of the book are those where Mroz compares different styles (for example, point shooting versus sighted fire, or different styles of close quarters shooting), and weights their pros and cons.

In the book, Mroz does not try to give the answers, he just wants to point out the common mistakes in trainig. On the other hand this is a good thing, because there is not an impression that Mroz is advocating a trainig system of his own. On the other hand, the book would be more complete, if it gave also solutions to the problems it reveales. Now about the only solutuion Mroz gives is to include force on force -exercises and role playing to training.

There is not any reference section in the book. On some footnotes Mroz gives the source (mainly when it is published by Paladin Press, which is the publisher of this book also), but there are many sources which Mroz does not address fully (e.g. he tells the name of the author, but not the name of the publication). This gives a slight impression of bias, which in a sad thing because the book is otherwise so unbiased, and is not bound to any school of thought.

This book is intended for instructors and those who view firearms from a martial arts perspective (not sport shooting). May be confusing for those who are not familiar with some of the common names/training methods: i.e. Farnam, Stanford, Suarez, Ayoob, etc...

Mroz asks questions and offers his opinions. He covers a wide variety of issues that are relevant to anyone who trains with firearms; the problem with range standards, five deadly training traps, limits of practical match training, myths of concealed carry, etc...

This book was not written to provide answers, but to make you think. That said, there are definitely some pearls of wisdom in here. For example, in the last chapter, Bert DuVernay says "There are no misses on the street. There are only unintended targets. Every bullet we launch hits something." Not a novel thought, but I like the way he said it.

A relatively short book (148 pages) that can be read in one or two sittings. He provides some footnotes to his chapters. A comprehensive reference list or recommended reading/viewing list is not included and would have made this book much better.

Defensive Shooting for Real-Life Encounters: A Critical Look at Current Training Methods by Ralph Mroz is a mixed bag in that it does provide some good information but also identifies problems with none or minimal solutions. Also, the title is a bit misleading when it states: "A Critical Look at Current Training Methods" as it really doesn't evaluate "methods" per se but elements of firearms training. At most it cover the merits of point shooting and sighted shooting. Having said that this book does provide some valuable pieces of information but the reader needs to have some experience with firearms and training to be able to discern the valuable information from the not so valuable information.

This book begins with the premise that people who are truly serious about self protection must be proficient in both firearms and empty hand skills. Leaving out either of these skills leave you inadequately prepared to handle potential encounters especially considering that many gunfights occur at a distance of five feet and less.

The chapter on "The Range Effect" is completely accurate and insightful. Mroz states that there are essentially three stages to firearms training which are:

Stage 1: Fundamental skills such as safety, basic gun handling, marksmanship, trigger control, sight alignment, etc.

Stage 2: Range drills that vary from simple to complex. These drills are shooting at mostly static targets under no stress or risk of personal injury. The only stress will be self induced by a time constraint. Drills may include bull's-eye shooting, shooting from cover, standing, kneeling, prone shooting, support hand shooting, shooting and moving, one handed shooting etc.

Stage 3: Force-on-Force Scenario. The goal is to replicate as closely as possible a realistic encounter using non-lethal training ammunition where a live, thinking, moving person is attacking or shooting at you and you have to respond appropriately under stress to neutralize the threat. Even with this level of "realistic" training it does not duplicate the level of stress you would encounter in a real incident.

It used to be that most shooting facilities would stop their training at Stage 2 and never enter the world of Stage 3 training. These days more and more training facilities are conducting realistic force-on-force scenario training using non-lethal training ammunition. Any law enforcement officers or combat military personnel who are not training in force-on-force are missing out on the development of crucial skills.

The chapter titled KIASAP which stands for Keep It As Simple As Possible has some points that I do not agree with such as his stance on the application of a "tactical reload" during a gunfight. Mroz does not believe in the use of tactical reloads and only performs speed reloads. His reasoning is that he, "doesn't burn up hours mastering a skill I can't see the logic in anyway." While I respect his opinion and that he chooses to only do a speed load I do not necessarily agree with his conclusion. He also has what he calls "The 5-Minute Test" where he will, "give a new technique a try, and if it doesn't seem like a good idea, or I don't get the general hang of it within 5 minutes, I chuck it." Really! Giving up after only 5 minutes is truly not giving any new idea, concept, or skill enough time. Mroz also finds the use of "nomenclature" difficult yet all fields have nomenclature. It seems that he is trying a little too hard with the Keep It Simple Stupid model. I am all for keeping things simple and easy to perform under life and death situation but the reality is that some skills take time, effort and understanding to become proficient or master. If it was simple and easy then everyone could be a winning gunfighter. Obviously, the statistics prove this to be not the case.

Chapter 8 which discusses advantages of point shooting and advantage of sighted shooting really fails to bring any clarity to this debate and leaves the reader in no better position to understand which technique is better and why. In fact, Mroz often states that there is "lack of respectable science" in this area but fails to offer any solutions to the ongoing debate. His conclusion is that, "we need some serious scientific investigation into the whole matter." It has been 11 years since this book was written and this issue is still not resolved and remains hotly debated.

The chapter on Extreme Close-Quarter Shooting does provide a gem of valuable and accurate information when Mroz states: "Basically, our tests showed that the sheer mechanics of an up close (within 7 feet) attack make any attempt to draw a gun all but impossible. Given that a defender will have about a half second reaction time, and then draw time on top of that, and given the fact that an assailant can easily cover 7 feet inside of that time, we simply won't have time to draw and shoot. We are therefore advocates of integrated defense training." This points to the fact that at an Extreme Close-Quarter range one must have other defensive and offensive empty hand skills. Too many people fail to properly and realistically train within the realities of this extremely close distance.

Many times throughout the book Mroz dismisses his own shooting ability by making comments that he is not that good of a shooter and that he needs to practice more, etc. He does this often enough to make one question his ability to write a firearms book. Such repeated self-deprecating language does not exude confidence that the author has the skill set regarding the topic that he is writing about thereby diminishing his credentials. There is a difference between being humble or a quiet professional verse constantly knocking your own ability. Mroz would be better served by leaving such comments out of the book.

Overall, the book does have some valuable information but the reader will need to have a background in firearms to determine the valuable from the not so valuable.

I was so fascinated by this book that I read it in one sitting. It critiques many different defensive tactics but leaves it to the reader to decide which tactics they wish to choose as best for themselves and hence to train for. It provides no recipes for tactics or training but is a great basis for deciding which tactics might work best for you (not necessarily for anyone else) and hence what further training you should seek out. Thoroughly recommended. Very good value for money.

After reading all the other reviews on this book I am amazed at the different opinions given. It is as if everyone was reading a different book. Personally, as a life long student of the martial arts and police defensive tactics, including the teaching of firearms, I found this book interesting and informative. I agree with most of what the author wrote in this book and in fact, I have often emphasized that firearm training and defensive tactics should be combined for a more well-rounded training program. I also agree that in order for techniques and tactics to work under true real life combat situations, they must be simple, effective and easy to learn and retain.

The 14 chapters cover a wide range of material that is both practical and effective. Of course, the author gives his opinion on various controversial topics. Though I do not agree with all the author's opinions, but he certainly has a right to express them in his book. In conclusion, this book has vital advice for anyone interested in practical combat shooting.

Rating: 5 Stars. Joseph J. Truncale (Author: Monadnock Defensive Tactics System).

The book goes into and examines real life shooting scenarios that are common. Excellent book to have and one should review it several times.