by Chris Cerino
Long ago, I was a victim of some of the old phrases and break downs for movements on the range for years.
Sayings like, “slow is smooth” and “smooth is fast” or “you can’t miss fast enough.” How about the four-step combat draw stroke? You know the one where every step is a pause and a fidget so by the time you get your gun out on target, you might as well have simply picked it up off the shooting bench to shoot because you’ve done anything but draw from the holster.
There are many such sayings in the training industry that are so far off base that they are either laughable or infuriating. Myths that you have to perform an almost unattainable amount of repetitions to build muscle memory or that security holsters are death traps. Saying you can’t draw fast enough to save your life and, no matter how much you train you will always be slower with them. How about the latest: that you have to move when you draw to get off the attack line. Always! In over 20-some years in law enforcement and training you can bet I’ve heard some doozies. Having practiced and fallen victim to them is why I can tell you that most of it is just plain dribble. Let’s look at Wyatt Earp’s statement about learning to move in a careful hurry. You must know that I am a HUGE FAN of Wyatt. I have all the movies. All signs point to him being the man that said, “slow is smooth, smooth is fast and fast is fine, but accuracy is final. We need to learn to move in a careful hurry.” A great saying.
If we break the statement down you first have “slow is smooth.” Reality is that slow is just slow. I completely understand that you need to move slowly in order to map proper neuropathways at first. It’s like crawl, walk, run. You have to practice to be fast.
Strive for perfection and only settle at excellence. In this, be willing to commit imperfect practice, otherwise you are holding back your potential.
Ergo…..Slow is just slow.
“Smooth is fast”. Yes! If you have ever had a run on a plate rack that felt slow but was actually a fast time, you have experienced this. More than likely the reason for your fast run was due to you performing with economy of motion. Economy of motion comes with practice and is realized by removing or avoiding unnecessary movements or tasks. How so? If you are practicing the four step combat draw stroke and pause at the gun to grip then pause at retention before moving to the high center chest position where you now pause to place your support hand on the gun and start the two-hand grip before punching it out to the target.
Wow! Look how long it took to talk through. Mike Seeklander used to call me Mr. Roboto. Twelve years ago that was me. His advice, “just flow.” He got me to relax the muscular tension caused by wanting to be strong and perfect. I know the path to my holster so now I move to the gun, grip it and bring it to the support hand and punching out while melding my twohand grip? Sound a little more economical? Yes, smooth is fast if you practice to be smooth.
Moving in a careful hurry comes by allowing your body to go on auto pilot while you make conscious decisions about direction of travel, method of travel and speed of travel— all while taking in the terrain you are covering. Yes! You need to move in a careful hurry but your mind needs to be unencumbered with thoughts of how to manipulate your gear or weapons, let alone applying the fundamentals. No advanced training, only advanced applications of the basics! Somewhat out of order is “accuracy is final.” It’s generally coupled with the ubiquitous statement that “you can’t miss fast enough.” Actually, you can miss fast enough. I see it all the time and am being beaten by people who miss fast and recover faster on the competition scene. The key here is to train to a point where you know what you saw or felt the instant the gun went off and the round left the barrel so you can move on to another target, or send another. As a lawman I have always trained myself and others that you are accountable for every round you send downrange.
It’s very true however, there are times in defensive situations and more so in competitive situations that a fast miss maight be acceptable. This is something I am learning these past three years and try to temper with the reality of deadly force for self-defense and law enforcement. Here again we are talking about the basics being performed to a level that causes advanced applications. If you master your fundamentals to a point where you see and feel shots break, you will know when to fire again or to move on.
However, if you need a down range visual stimulus, such as holes in the target, you will be as slow as molasses on a cold January morning.
My advice, as we close this myths and mysteries column, is this: when you are training with others, seemingly more knowledgeable, ask the tough question of “why.” Why is this true? Why should I do this? Then say “show me how this works for you and if it will work for me.” Practice to be smooth but don’t be slow doing it. Always move as fast as you can perform the task. There will always be times when you screw up or foul a movement. No do-overs! Fight through it and learn from your mistakes. Strive for perfection and settle at excellence.
Don’t be Mr. Roboto. Learn to flow and “throw down.” Start to identify your misses based on what you saw in the sight alignment and sight picture or by what you felt when the shot broke. Become a master of the fundamentals. Let yourself miss sometimes so long as it’s a fast miss with a quick follow up hit! Until next time. It’s all about the fundamentals!
