Customer Reviews

Handgun Combatives

5 star:		(8)
4 star:		(6)
3 star:		(1)
2 star:		(0)
1 star:		(0)

 

 

This is a very good book about using handguns in combat. In the book, the author not only tells about the technical stuff (correct grip, stance and so on), but he discusses the tactis and mental aspects as well. The author has reviewed many established models of operation, and has found that the most common way is not always the best way to conduct business. ... Spaulding also gives answers to questions raised, ...

In the book, Spaulding goes though the usual stuff of selecting the handgun and holster, but in my opinion, Spaulding gives advise that is a way above average. Usually, in similar books they only advise which guns and accessories are good, but Spaulding advises how to select gear that is good FOR YOU. In other words, he tells how to select gear that is both of good quality, but is also suited to your individual needs and physique. It is odd though that after the chapter on gun selection, there is seven chapters (about 50 pages) before Spaulding goes to holster selection.

Spaulding does a good job of presenting proper shooting stances (actually combat stances, because shooting a gun in a range is a totally different ball game than shooting in combat), getting a good grip (he gives an interesting trick that helps you to determine the proper grip that was totaly new to me), and so on. He also discusses extreme close quarters shooting, shooting in the dark, the problems with automobiles and so on. He also stresses that your practice should reflect the conditions of real life, not those of a shooting range.

The only real problems with the book are those of production. It appears that Looseleaf law publications have tried to save printing costs by limiting the number of photographs to a minimum, and printing the captions as small as possible. There are hardly any diagrams in the book, which would have helped to understand the text better. Also, the text is printed in a dense format, and because of that the book is a little stenuous to read.

In conclusion, I would say that this book is of very good quality, and there is some very useful stuff even for experienced shooters. It should have a place in the bookshelf of every person interested in his survival in a armed confrontation.

My copy of this book has highlights, sticky tabs, and notes in the margin. I like his thoughts on training regarding simplicity of technique. Spaulding eschews complex, difficult, or fancy technique. Instead, he focuses on what he can guaranty will work and how to recover when Murphy's Law takes effect and the guaranty fails. I started to say that although he covers some basics, this was not a basic level book. Now that I think about it more, I think much of this book is pre-basic defensive handgunning. It addresses the question what are the goals and objectives of our training before jumping into training techniques. To this end, I particularly like chapter one: "Developing the Combative Mind," chapter two: "NLP Skill Development and the Way of the Jedi," and chapter ten: "Technique, Physiology, and the Continuous Motion Principle."

One thing that seems to distinguish particularly good books on this topic is how well it addresses extreme close quarters combat (fistfight distance). Many of the books of this genre ignore the topic even though the odds are high that if you ever have to use a gun to protect yourself, it will be at nose-to-nose distance. Spaulding devotes a seven page chapter to the topic. His advice on this topic is similar to his advice throughout the rest of the book . . . a simple and reliable approach.

This book doesn't seem to have a search inside feature enabled. So here's what is inside (plus my little summary for each chapter):

Table of Contents:
About the Author, Foreword, etc

"Chapter 1: Developing the combative mind"
Levels of awareness, willingness to use force, focusing on simple, street-proven techniques, etc.

"Chapter 2: NLP Skill Development and the Way of the Jedi"
Not as weird as it sounds. NLP stands for Neuro-linguistic programming. This is all about modeling your practice after experts, using mental imagery, and understanding the thought process that occurs during combat.

"Chapter 3: Legalities in Using Force For Personal Defence"
Three pages long. You better have darn good reason if you kill somebody, or you will end up in prison. Does not address state CCW laws at all.

"Chapter 4: Personal Fitness for Combatives"
Two pages long. Summary: get in shape and learn hand-to-hand combat - the gun can't solve everything.

"Chapter 5: Other Things to Think About"
Six pages about the necesity of hand-to-hand combat, First Aid kits, knives and defensive driving.

"Chapter 6: Selecting the Personal Defense Hangun"
The book is only about semi-autos. No revolvers. It goes on to give advice on selecting the proper size, grip, finish, sights and caliber.

"Chapter 7: Individualizing the Personal Defense Handgun"
A reprint of one of the author's magazine articles about how he customzized his gun. This chapter is meant to open your eyes to the fact that you can have a gunsmith drill, grind, sand, cut and otherwise modify your gun to be your perfect weapon. Does not discuss modification options - just what he personally did to his gun.

"Chapter 8: What is This Thing Called Stopping Power?"
Discussion of caliber, as well as the advice that if you _know_ you are going to a gun fight, bring a rifle or a shotgun, not a handgun.

"Chapter 9: Safety"
One and a half pages.

"Chapter 10: Technique, Physiology, and the Continuous Motion Principle"
Simple is Good. Learn simple techniques that reuse the same basic motions for many types of activities.

"Chapter 11: Getting a Grip"
Short chapter on the proper ways to hold a handgun.

"Chapter 12: Ready Positions, Range Safety, and Getting the Gun on Target Fast!"
Discussion on several ready positions, and how to get your gun from ready position to shooting position quickly and accurately

"Chapter 13: The Combat Stance, or How to Avoid Falling Down During a Gunfight!"
Short chapter on stance

"Chapter 14: Carrying the Handgun: Holster Skills and Holster Selection"
Fifteen or so pages on holsters and drawing from concealed carry.

"Chapter 15: Keep it Running"
How to reload and clear jams.

"Chapter 16: Going Tactical"
Selecting cover, turning corners, moving while shooting.

"Chapter 17: Dealing with Multiple Threats"
Prioritizing and dealing with multiple targets

"Chapter 18: Night Work"
Night eyesight and flashlight use

"Chapter 19: Automobiles and You"
Gunfighting from within or near your car, plus dealing with attempted carjacking.

"Chapter 20: Extreme Close Quarters Shooting"

"Chapter 21: Keeping Sharp"
How and What to Practice

Chapter 22: Putting it All Together
Brief closing chapter


Hope that helps.

This book is destined to be a classic of combative firearms usage in the same way as Jeff Cooper's PRINCIPLES OF SELF DEFENSE or Bill Jordan's NO SECOND PLACE WINNER. Dave Spaulding has distilled his over 25 years of experience on the streets into a concise manual that addresses in detail not only the technical aspects of firearms selection and combat technique, but the essence of combat survival: the survival mindset. Buy this book if you have any interest in surviving a lethal confrontation.

This title is much like the author's other title "Defensive Living". While it is good for what it is and what it contains there is much that's missing. For a title like "Handgun Combatives" I was expecting to see material that's beyond the norm for firearms books. I had expected to read about close quarter deployment, integration of empty-hands, retention, force-on-force drills, etc. However, what I got was some very good basic concepts and sound advice on handling, holsters, ect. However it was nothing that can't be found in other books on the topic of defensive firearms. I would recoomend this title for those interested in learning as much as possible about combat shooting but I wouldn't recommend it as the only source.

Unlike many other writers, Spaulding does not push a particular style or technique of shooting. His approach is to follow what the body does naturally. The discussion of neuro-linguistic programming and the continuous motion principle were especially interesting and worth further exploration.

My only complaint was his overt advocacy of the Beamhit training device, but that was only a few pages. Overall, this is an excellent read and well worth the purchase price.

Excellent book. Very informative and easy to follow for the most part. If you are thinking of buying your first gun or if you have been shooting for years, this book is well worth your time.

Some techniques explained would have been greatly clarified if photos were included for all techniques instead of only the more basic ones.

Most of the book is fairly clear, but a good editor could have made this a five star book.

This is one of the top five books written on the subject of defensive handgun use. It covers all of the basics and then moves on to more advanced areas. It is clear and easily understood. A must have in your library.

Dave Spaulding is a veteran police officer from Dayton Ohio, and has over 25 years of experience, from which, 12 years in SWAT unit.
Spaulding has also written over 500 articles concerning the use of weapons in live situation.

In my opinion yhis perhaps the best book that I have read on the subject. It covers all aspects, starting from selecting the proper equipment, ending in psychological aspects of armed confrontations.
Spaulding covers handgin fighting in low light conditions wery well, a topic that in my opinion has been neglected too much.
The negative thing in this book was that it had very few pictures in it. In my opinion some of the concepts and techniques presented in the book are hard to understand since there isn't any photos or picturres to clarify them.
Anyway, this book is must for those working as a police officer, in military or armed security. It doesn'matter wether you are a pro r a beginner, this book has something for you.

Just like the review title says - A MUST READ (BIBLE) FOR BEGINERS, and a GREAT REVIEW FOR THE EXPERIENCED. I really like how the author says that he tells you what HE thinks is THE BEST but that you need to determine what works best for you (through accessing other sources). The book contains A LOT of very good info.