Either Way, Get Off the ‘X!’
Personally, I’m a BIG advocate of training to shoot WHILE moving. It’s easier than you think and it’s the best of both worlds. - DD
Adding a dash of movement to your shooting can change the game. It’s easy to get sucked into the static world of range work, where we don’t do much moving. In the real world, bad guys aren’t polite enough to stand still while you launch rounds into them. Movement can be a big part of fighting. With that in mind, is it better to move and shoot at the same time, or to move, shoot, then move?
Personally, I thought the answer was easy. Off the top of my head, I’d say it’s better to move, stop, shoot, then move again. This is a conclusion honed by a lot of competition shooting, which is often sprint, shoot, sprint. The more I thought about it and the more I reflected on my own experiences in gunfighting, the more I realized that the answer is a lot more complicated than that.
Sadly, I’m beginning to think there is never a simple answer when it comes to anything to do with guns, self-defense, or shooting in general.
Move and Shoot – Bottom Line Up Front
It’s hard to accurately shoot while moving. The more you “press the gas,” the harder it is to land accurate shots. It takes a fair bit of training and practice to become proficient at moving and shooting accurately. Standing still and taking a shot will always be the more accurate approach. It’s a skill that only applies to close-quarters shooting and goes out the window when the range increases much beyond spitting distance.
Standing still has its downsides. You’re vulnerable. As soon as you stop…