Be Fast, Be Accurate, Be the Best

A lot of this book is about history, but the history described is very important history.  

There are some MAJOR gold nuggets for anyone who is a firearms instructor or wants to be exceptionally skilled at shooting.  Bill Rogers had a giant influence on the training programs of some very prestigious organizations(Navy SEALS, FBI).  I haven't had the chance to fully develop skills in his style of "reactive shooting", but have trained enough to start seeing benefits (both speed and accuracy).

Bill Rogers started out as a 1920's style hip shooter, but appears to have had skills in one-hand point shoulder shooting as well.  Ken Hackthorn was perhaps a bad influence on Bill, teaching him the Weaver stance in the 1970's.  Ken knew that hostage head shots at 10 yards are quite difficult with point shooting and challenged Bill with that.  Bill benefited by adopting Ken's two-hand shooting, but Bill appears not to realize that the vast majority of defensive shootings are inside 7 yards.  

COL Applegate was training the OSS and Army 2-handed isosceles shooting back in the 1940's... Bill doesn't mention that in his book, but Bill does discuss how the competitive pistol world finally caught up to using "modern" isosceles in 1982 (40 years later!!!).



As far as technique goes, Bill's speed and accuracy from the ready and holster positions are MOST impressive.  Like jaw dropping impressive.  His emphasis on training with steel or other reactive targets is justified.  

My main concern with Bill Rogers is that his perspective is more technique focused than fight focused.  There are limitations to shooting steel (i.e. you can't shoot steel targets from retention distances).  His impressive successes with steel targets seem to have detracted from any thought or mention of retention shooting, realistic distances, or fight focused training (i.e Force-on-Force).  

Typically steel is shot at 10 yards or more... but 95% of shootings are inside 7 yards... so exclusively shooting steel is not realistically training for the fight.  Because of 10 yard head shots Bill abandoned point shooting.  I believe that is an oversight, in that all retention shooting is point shooting and abandoning the point shooting technique because you can't get consistent head shots at 10 yard is absurd.  Only a fool tries to use their sights at contact distances.  Techniques don't dictate the fight.  The fight dictates the techniques.

Would really be interested hearing a discussion between Roger Philips and Bill Rogers.  I suspect there is common ground between Roger's Point Shooting Progressions and Bill's Reactive Shooting.  

The book is a strong recommend, but I believe Bill's myopic focus on steel is both a strength and a weakness.

You should post this in GD. Lot more traffic.

You should take a class. Then you'd learn why much of what you think is wrong.


Or you could quit and go home, and spray bullets down range like an Iraqi Death Blossom.

Your choice.

LOL, I posed my Appleseed KD Rifleman and Morgan Rifleman patch (250y cold bore headshot) in another thread, and making 100y headshots with a pistol isn't too difficult for me...

But since you assume to know that I "spray bullets down range like an Iraqi Death Blossom", I'm pretty sure you don't have the experience or training to justify your other comments either.

I've done lots of Force-on-Force training on the 2-way range, which as far as I can tell, Bill Rogers has not.  I train students in Force-on-Force, which as far as I can tell Bill Rogers does not.  Paul Howe has alluded to tossing out ALL of "a respected trainer's" methods because that trainer had never been in the military or a gunfight before and advocated keeping your finger on the trigger... I think I can guess which instructor Paul was referring to.

It is dangerous to unquestionably base your entire shooting method on a system that was developed for IPSC/USPSA.  Is there something to be learned?  Yes, I think so.  But the 2-way range is the ultimate test.

So I've had more time to practice and teach Bill Rogers methods.  

I made 2 changes to the Rogers method.  #1 Like 99.9% of the shooting community I do not start with my finger on the trigger.  #2 train to no shorter than 0.35 second split times.  I could shoot faster, but its risky to force yourself to out run your headlights.

Since I don't have access to a million dollar automated target range, I simply use falling steel.  I recommend starting with .22LR ammo (both pistol and carbine).  You will burn through a lot of ammo and .22LR saves you lots of money.  Save your 9mm for after you are capable with a 22.

I should say that the results have been spectacular.  Reliable half second up drills.  Had a student with a strong side, under the shirt concealed draw clocking in at 1.1 seconds.  These things and more are possible.