How Concealed Carry Permit Holders Can Improve Defensive Shooting Skills

How to improve Shooting Skills for Self Defense

There is no substitute for . Repeating an action will ingrain that skill - no matter the skill. This is especially true for firearms. The concept that a person who doesn't regularly fire his or her pistol suddenly being able to put rounds on target at 25 yards.

Not all of these activities have to be done at a range. Obviously, if you intend to put rounds down range and get some great defensive CCW shooting skills practice with your inside the waistband concealed carry holster and favorite CCW pistol - more power to you. But don't let that limit you on continuing to train outside of the range.

Do You Like Your Draw Style?

CCW requires each person to become intimately familiar with his or her own body's response to a threat. If the only time we call upon these reflexes is out of dire need, surely we tread on dangerous ground. That's why it's important for CCW holders to and putting their muzzles on target.

In this video, a CCW instructor demonstrates a technique for ensuring his draw is fast and his muzzle stays on target. While it may seem he's able to do it lightning fast - just remember it's only through constant practice that any of us can hope to hone our ability to defend ourselves from a lethal threat.

Talk Through a Concealed Carry Draw and Fire

A live fire, real-world scenario involves timing, precision, and communication. If you're not in a police uniform, people may have a hard time identifying you as a good guy when bullets start flying. That's why it's important to incorporate good communication skills alongside your normal concealed carry draw and fire practice.

This is a great way to get in the habit of not only moving and putting rounds on target but also keeping others from getting hurt.

Close Quarters Concealed Carry

Close quarter training is a crucial piece of any concealed carry regimen. Because life rarely seems to hand perfect scenarios over to anyone, it's all the more important to focus on being prepared for the least advantageous of these. Close quarters can be a real killer for concealed carriers. This is the perfect place for an attacker to get because it's difficult for the carrier to negotiate space to draw his or her pistol from an inside the waistband . It is these types of close quarters scenarios that will improve our handgun shooting skills, accuracy and reaction time.

This YouTube video does an excellent job of reviewing a few techniques that can help build the knowledge base to react to these types of situations.

Don't Be Afraid to Dry Fire

A lot of CCW carriers can't get to the range every week to practice - but that's precisely what's required in order to stay vigilant. To circumvent this, the technique that turns into muscle memory.

Dry firing helps reinforce good trigger control, muzzle discipline, breathing and aiming alignment - all key fundamentals to putting a bullet on target. It's also the best way to incorporate the full commitment of a trigger pull in our CCW defensive practices.

How do you hone your self defense shooting skills? Let us know in the comments below.

About The Author James England (@sir_jim_england) is the contributing editor for Alien Gear Holsters. He is a veteran of Operation Iraqi Freedom and private defense contracting in Afghanistan.