Speed and Aggressiveness in Training

[Signmaker]

Something that I like to do is surf YouTube for people posting videos of their own training exercises. Gives me some neat ideas, see how other people may be doing things differently, and look at different scenarios.

A constant I come across in a large number of videos is an apparent lack of aggressiveness in their training. Now I don't know these people and don't know what they do with the rest of their time when not on camera. However in the videos I watch, they perform actions cleanly and neatly, but quite slowly in comparison to how things go down in actual fights.

Training with slow movements does have a benefit, as it lets you learn the motions cleanly and correctly without picking up bad habits that can come from speed too early. However, once you learn those motions, you need to work on speeding them up to just within the limits of your ability.

The reason we need to increase speed along with competency is because in an actual fight, our bodies are going to want to move fast. If the only training we have provided our bodies is with slow, deliberate movements, it doesn't actually have correct muscle memory to draw on in order to perform those actions at the speed the brain is demanding.

If you only train to draw slowly, in a fight your body is left with the options of drawing slowly and correctly, or drawing quickly and badly. We don't want to screw things up when they're for real, so it is vital to give ourselves training that reflects the speed and intensity of an actual life-or-death situation.

[customloaded]

Something that I like to do is surf YouTube for people posting videos of their own training exercises. Gives me some neat ideas, see how other people may be doing things differently, and look at different scenarios.

A constant I come across in a large number of videos is an apparent lack of aggressiveness in their training. Now I don't know these people and don't know what they do with the rest of their time when not on camera. However in the videos I watch, they perform actions cleanly and neatly, but quite slowly in comparison to how things go down in actual fights.

Training with slow movements does have a benefit, as it lets you learn the motions cleanly and correctly without picking up bad habits that can come from speed too early. However, once you learn those motions, you need to work on speeding them up to just within the limits of your ability.

The reason we need to increase speed along with competency is because in an actual fight, our bodies are going to want to move fast. If the only training we have provided our bodies is with slow, deliberate movements, it doesn't actually have correct muscle memory to draw on in order to perform those actions at the speed the brain is demanding.

If you only train to draw slowly, in a fight your body is left with the options of drawing slowly and correctly, or drawing quickly and badly. We don't want to screw things up when they're for real, so it is vital to give ourselves training that reflects the speed and intensity of an actual life-or-death situation.

Very good points, however, I have to disagree. In any situation, the entire scenario developes over a period of time. Being slow, so to speak, in drawing, engaging, and changing magazines is not a bad thing. This time delay allows the full scenario to develope and gives the good guy involved time to assess, make decisions, and come out a winner. We call this a "Combat Pause." I will say, my thoughts depend on the situation that one is handed in the life of cards. In an immediate, violent, surprized attack, time to react is minimal, with the best solution at the beginning of an attack consisting of going along with the criminal action. But, in going along with the surprize attack, being caught flat footed, time is on your side, as it gives you the time needed to watch, plan, and wait for the appropriate time to launch your counter attack, ie defense.

Remember this slogan: "Slow is smooth and smooth is fast"

Aggressiveness-There is no room for pansy anything when it comes to your life. When a decision is made to fight, it must be with 110% of everything you got and not stop until the threat is 1000% stopped. Nothing is out of the game. Gauging out eyes, biting, testicle pulls, strikes, kicks, elbows, knees, weapons of any kind. There is only one motive, survive and it doesn't matter how.

CL

[The_War_Wagon]

Speed is fine - accuracy is FINAL.

[PocketProtector]

Speed is fine - accuracy is FINAL.

Speed and accuracy are not independent of each other. Both are paramount.

Accuracy should always be stressed when one begins shooting. Trigger squeeze coordinated with front sight picture is the essence of beginner training.
As you progress if you don't increase speed, you are not getting better. You may be good at bullseye, but defensively you're a dead man. JMHO.

[Noah_Zark]

Aggressiveness-There is no room for pansy anything when it comes to your life. When a decision is made to fight, it must be with 110% of everything you got and not stop until the threat is 1000% stopped. Nothing is out of the game. Gauging out eyes, biting, testicle pulls, strikes, kicks, elbows, knees, weapons of any kind. There is only one motive, survive and it doesn't matter how.

+1000. Speed and accuracy are certainly important, but the most important attribute is mindset.

The three things that impressed me the most at boot camp at Parris Island were: "Esprit de corps" - Marines look after Marines; Immediate execution of an order as-ordered; and the mindset required to take out an enemy swiftly and ruthlessly once the enemy is ID'd.

You can be fast and accurate but if you hesitate in the heat of battle you are done for.

Noah

[Lycanthrope]

Speed and accuracy are not independent of each other. Both are paramount.

Accuracy should always be stressed when one begins shooting. Trigger squeeze coordinated with front sight picture is the essence of beginner training.
As you progress if you don't increase speed, you are not getting better. You may be good at bullseye, but defensively you're a dead man. JMHO.

+1.

Mindset is a prerequisite, and smooth and slow....is still slow.

I don't recommend it for the beginner, but once solid gun handling skills are in place, there is something to be learned from going full bore in practice drills.

Accuracy may suffer to a degree from person to person, but you will know what your current threshold is, in terms of how fast you physically could shoot if you were capable of correctly tracking the sights and can control the trigger.

If you don't practice at high speed you won't know to "see what you need to see" to make the shot. What you see at speed, doesn't always appear as a faster version of what you see in slow fire.

I know a lot of people who are "waiting" to get faster without pushing to get faster.

I know I cannot shoot a 5 second El Presidente without visualizing ripping the gun from target to target and seeing what I need to see. You don't need to be tense, but you do have to try to be fast.

Lycanalthoughitfeelsslowattimesthrope

[Edg]

There isnt really much point to going fast when your alone practicing at the range. Slow is safe. Muscle memory isnt dependant on speed. Speed will come with adrenaline. When its actually happening it will be faster then you can imagine. Practicing slowly and with perfect form safely over and over again are what will make sure you do it right when your adrenaline is flowing and your doing it at speed.
There was a video going around at another site last week with a guy practicing his close draw and fire shooting himself in the knee.

[ProShooter]

Slow is smooth.....smooth is fast.

[Lycanthrope]

Slow is smooth.....smooth is fast.

Yeah, but what does that mean?

We repeat those mantras with very little explanation of how fast occurs. It's like the sound of one hand clapping......

Making the jump to macros of thought......"muscle memory" for some......where you process a great deal of information quickly and seemingly without conscious thought......never occurs for many shooters.

"Fast enough", "Minute of bad guy" and other oversimplifications limit a shooters ability because we are slaves to our own cognitions.

There is no such thing as "too accurate" and there is no such thing as "too fast" when you are hitting the target 100%.

Lycannotthatsimplethrope

[Signmaker]

Muscle memory isnt dependant on speed.

It actually is quite dependent on speed. There are tons of martial arts techniques (even entire schools) that are brilliantly effective at half speed, but end up being useless at full speed/force.

Slow is smooth.....smooth is fast.

Not picking on you Pro, but I'm hitting the point where I want to toss this mantra in the trash bin, along with "never seen a stopwatch in a gunfight". These concepts are valid to a limited point. Smooth is not fast without pushing for that speed. Being smooth will make the push easier, but it is not automatic. Past their usefulness they almost become a crutch shooters use to hold themselves back.

Accuracy may suffer to a degree from person to person, but you will know what your current threshold is, in terms of how fast you physically could shoot if you were capable of correctly tracking the sights and can control the trigger.

Really good point, being able to instinctively know your accuracy/speed/range triangle on the fly. You only learn two points when you limit yourself to slow training.

To give an example in context, if you give me a threat at any given distance/orientation/cover, my brain already knows how quickly I can expect to put rounds into an acceptable target area. If I only ever train at a maximum speed of, say, 0.80 splits, the fastest I can expect to place rounds on any target at any distance is 0.80 splits. By pushing up to 0.18 splits, if presented with a close range situation I already know what is going to happen when I run that fast.