Combat pistol shooting is a modern martial art that focuses on the use of the handgun as a defensive weapon for self defense, or for military and police use. Like most martial arts, combat pistol shooting is practiced both for defense and for sport.

Many of the action shooting disciplines are based on combat pistol techniques, and take the form of simulations of defensive or combat situations.

History

thumb|250px|left|British section of the [[Shanghai International Settlement|International Settlement in Shanghai, during the 1920s.]]

Combat pistol shooting, as separate from target shooting, began to evolve in the early 1900s. Modern tactics of pistol combat were developed in the 1920s by two British members of the Shanghai Municipal Police. (Shanghai was then governed by an international government). At the time the Shanghai streets were rife with criminal activity, and policing in the city was becoming a very dangerous line of work.

Captain William E. Fairbairn and Sergeant Eric A. Sykes developed innovative pistol shooting techniques and handgun specifications for the police force. During the Second World War, they were recalled to Britain, and trained the British Commandos in their combat tactics, including their system of combat pistol shooting. Their methodology was later disseminated through their book Shooting To Live With The One-Hand Gun, published in 1942. These techniques were also adopted for the training of American Office of Strategic Services troops by Rex Applegate. This system lives on today in modern point shooting techniques. Cooper's methodology has become known as the modern technique. The methods promoted by Fairbairn and Cooper differ in many respects, and to this day there are arguments between supporters of the different methodologies.

==Combat pistol drills== <!-- El Presidente Links Here -->

El Presidente

One combat pistol drill is the El Presidente drill, developed by Jeff Cooper in the 1970s and published in the January/February 1979 issue of American Handgunner magazine. This is used as a benchmark to gauge a shooter's skills, as it tests the draw and reload, and requires good transitions and follow-through.

The Dozier Drill

This drill was invented by Jeff Cooper after the kidnapping of Brigadier General James L. Dozier by Italian Red Brigade members. The militants had entered General Dozier's apartment by posing as plumbers. As many as eight completed the gang and four or perhaps five entered the apartment. One of the militants removed a submachine gun from his bag of tools while another read a political statement to General Dozier. At that time, US military personnel were prohibited by Italian law from carrying firearms within their areas of accommodation, which were within the local community and not on US bases. General Dozier was unarmed and unable to defend himself. In response to this incident, Jeff Cooper designed the "Dozier drill".

The range is set with five metal silhouette targets which are hinged at their base (called "Pepper Poppers") so as to fall backwards when struck. A second participant stands well to one side and is tasked with retrieving a pistol and a magazine from a toolbag, which he must assemble and ready for action. This action mimics the terrorist who retrieved his submachine gun from his toolbag and provides a datum against which the shooter must compare his performance. On the signal, the shooter must draw his pistol and engage the five targets, representing the five terrorists, before the participant representing the terrorist retrieves his weapon and readies it for use. The shooter must devote full attention on the smallest part of the target whilst drawing the weapon to fire. Once the weapon is at the ready, the shooter must fire immediately, to avoid losing the intense focus and missing the target. The shooter must almost simultaneously:

  • See the target
  • Decide to shoot
  • Start moving the gun to position
  • Focus on a small part of the target
  • Pull the trigger the instant the weapon reaches position

See also

  • Gun fu
  • Pistol-whipping
  • Buttstroke
  • World War II combatives

References

  • USPSA, United States Practical Shooting Association
  • IDPA International Defensive Pistol Association
  • ICPS Israeli Combat Pistol Shooting
  • IPSC Classifier CM 99-11, El Presidente, setup and scoring sheet
  • Rob Leatham discusses IPSC El Presidente times and strategy