How do you train to use a firearm “under pressure”?
Except for being in intense situations (as they do in the army and law enforcement, for example) how do train for something like that?
I am surprised that none of the flash mob participents has not been stabbed or shot yet. Indeed, most of their victims have been your average joe out for a good time but in Milwaukee, Philadelphis, Chicago, etc......someone has be be carrying a weapon for defense. I am afraid is they did, the mob mentality would take over and the victims would suffer even greater threat from the entire mob.
Might be a good idea though....leaving a few of the mobsters lying in the streets may slow things down a bit.
Practice is the process of training your mind and muscles so that you may react without having to think about it.
It’s what pro athletes do for hours every day.
Check around your area for IDPA-style shooting competitions. That’s one way. The scenario shooting competitions are very good for building confidence with pressure. Larger competitions offer a variety of classes. You can find IDPA online.
Alternatively, always practice with someone who is also seeking to build these skills. You can add some pressure to the shooting exercise by placing time limits, shot counts, and shot placement. Granted these don’t completely simulate the conditions of a flash-mob scene, but adding noise and lights will help to raise the pressure level, too. Regardless, though, always devote a portion of your practice sessions to simple, no-pressure, aim-and-fire work.
Also, when you practice, set aside some time for practicing clearing your weapon in the event of jams or misfires, and mag swaps or reloads. Also, Draw-and-fire and Move-and-fire exercises. These skills are every bit as important as the rest.
And, if you have the means, there are several excellent tactical shooing schools around the country that offer a wide variety of training programs from beginner through more experienced shooters. My son and I have thoroughly enjoyed a number of these while gaining valuable skills and experience that we carry into our maintenance shooting and further training. Plus, it’s a great way to spend some time together; and pass along skills to the wife and daughters, too.
There are several ways that you can train yourself to use a firearm under pressure.
1. Hunt. Hunting teaches you to use a firearm under pressure. It does not have to be dangerous game. You will be dealing in a life and death situation (normally not yours, but that of your prey), in which you have to act quickly and decisively. Jim Cirillo, the legendary New York officer who was involved in numerous gunfights as part of the New York City Stakeout Squad, said that being a hunter of big game was something he would look for in officers to recruit for such duty.
2. Play the "What if" game. Think about how you might react under various circumstances, how you would use cover, how you would retreat, what the legal requirements are for the justified use of deadly force. If you have thought about it, in a variety of circumstances, it is likely that you will be able to fit one of those to your circumstance if it occurs to you. Reading about what others have done, and how they handled it, with a critical eye as to what you might have done differently, is a good way to start putting your mind into the proper framework.
3. Train from different positions and target presentations. I and my brother used to set up "ravine runs", hidden targets along a trail that we had to react to quickly and effectively. Train on multiple targets at close range. Train on moving targets: a simple clothesline system with silhouette target mounted on it, and a cord to pull from behind the shooter is inexpensive and effective.
4. Engage in competition. Unless you have property available to you, you may have difficulty performing #3. Various clubs that are involved in "combat" style competition allow people to pool resources to get the type of practice recommended in #3. Competition of any kind is effective in teaching you how to shoot under pressure. Even National Match bulls-eye competition is effective for this purpose.
“Except for being in intense situations (as they do in the army and law enforcement, for example) how do train for something like that?”
I was military, so I’ve done it before, but I’ve been to civilian classes where you have targets pop up and charge you, instructors scream and push you, and these really cool interactive, full size video games with a pneumatic/laser/fake Glock (same ones the FBI uses, actually).