Look Behind You

In 1984 Massad Ayoob published a 149-page book called StressFire. It is the result of his ten-year study of police gun fighting techniques and outcomes. Ayoob wasn’t happy with his observations. Here are his words from page one of StressFire: “I found that the conventional American police weapons training worked well on the range, but not worth a damn on the street.”

Basic StressFire FireStar sans change in grips - I didn't need them.

 

“The New Pistolcraft” developed by Jeff Cooper was making inroads, but were seen as “…too complex to be trained to anyone but a constantly-shooting buff…” 

One of the premises Ayoob used in developing his concepts was to look at how the body reacts to stress, then match a technique that works with those stresses. I think it has been a very fruitful endeavor.

I suggest you buy a copy and read it. You’ll be surprised how much of it has been incorporated into current training.

My interest today is stress fire kneeling or the evolution of it from StressFire Star. Bottom line – the technique allows you to cover targets through 360° rotation from the kneeling position. 

Classic marksman shooting teaches the more points of contact you have on the ground, the more stable you are. Add to that by resting your support elbow on your knee, in either sitting or kneeling, you can improve accuracy. There are two problems usually mentioned. Both are slow to get into and slow to get out of. But there is a third problem. These positions limit your engagement range from the 11 o’clock to 1 o’clock positions. 

While the kneeling position is relatively faster to get in or out of, you are still unable to quickly engage anyone approaching from the rear. 

The solution was found in some of the basic movements from Aikido.  You’ll find an excellent description in StressFire’s Chapter 12 of Ayoob’s technique called StressFire Star.  Ayoob incorporates Chapman, Weaver, and Isosceles pistol holds to deal with individual flexibility and strength. 

This same technique can be used with the tactical rifle. 

Here are two photos of a shooter in the high knee position.   He can cover both 12 and 6 o’clock positions by changing knees while kneeling.

High kneel, left knee down facing 11 position

By changing knees in the kneeling position I can cover the area in the back of me.

From a tactical perspective, you’re not likely to be kneeling to improve accuracy for 150 yard shot. You may be either trying to make yourself a smaller target or, more likely, take advantage of cover and concealment. If you assume that actual combat for your survival will be a fluid situation, then you must consider dealing with threats from several different directions. 

The rifle Firestar gives you that ability. 

But can you fire rounds with your body twisted in those positions? The answer is yes. One of the virtues of the AR in .223 Rem or 5.54X45 mm NATO round is the relatively low recoil. The proof of that statement?  Small arms firing school for rifle at Camp Perry used to demonstrate a woman holding the AR to her chin and firing rounds one-handed. 

I recently used the technique on a closed range, firing most of my rounds in the 5 to 8 o’clock position. It worked flawlessly. 

The drawback is you can’t live fire this technique at most ranges without endangering someone. Still, the basic technique can be practiced dry anyplace you have room to swing a rifle. 

This technique isn’t likely to help you win three-gun matches, but it is a skill set you may need to call on at some point. I hope you are ready.