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I would like to share a very tense and hair raising story. Just kidding, no, IT's NOT.
It's not even exciting. Just a story to share something that happened a couple nights ago.
I got startled by someone who was not supposed to be in my home, and this resulted in having to draw my weapon for the first time.
Brief background.... I participated my first shooting match last December. I thought I was good, until I realized by the end of the match, I came in 27th out of 35 participants. I realized that shooting under pressure is really something else, compared to comfortably practicing at the range, where I was Jerry Miculek. I fumbled my draws, got a bad grip, shaky hands and missed targets I could otherwise easily hit while standing relaxed on a firing lane. Shooting on the move? I quickly realized I'd be lucky to hit a 12-inch chest shot at 7 yards while walking.
Since January, I have been practicing at least 3 times a week, and so far put in over 4,000 rds of draw-firing, double taps, failure drills, shooting on the move and all kinds of CCW and IDPA drills. I was determined to improve my skills. I don't like to lose. I don't like fumbling. I want to be able to prove to myself that I trust my shooting/weapon handling reflexes in a pressure situation. That has been my goal and mindset recently. I think my skills have improved a lot over the last 3 months or so, and steadily moved up the ranks.
Well 2 nights ago, I got my self defense reflexes put to a small, but real situation. I am staying at a large house by myself. The only other person that is supposed to be there is a housekeeper who "keeps the house" once in a while, takes care of my laundry, cleans up and stuff.
I came home from work at about 8pm. Nobody is supposed to be there. The housekeeper is gone, she is out before sundown. This is a typical day.
I unloaded stuff from my car and walked to my room, locked-up for the night. After about 5-10min, I realized I forgot something in the car. I still had my CCW on me. I got up and went out of the room towards the front door. I was walking pretty fast.
As I'm walking through the dark/dimly lit living room, I sense a movement on my left side, and from my peripheral vision I see a shadow of a person about 5-6 yards distance, walking in the same direction as me.
The hair on the back of my neck stood up. My first thought... burglar... or is it that disgruntled psycho I fired last year? How'd he get into the house?? What the ...??? I stop in my tracks, take a small step back.
I initially reacted in a way that I had not ever practiced, nor expected. For some bizarre reason, I turned to my left and stomped my left foot forward really hard on the wooden floor, as if to attempt to make a sound or action that would startle/scare that person too. Maybe something to distract that person from my right hand, which was reaching for my pistol, IWB at 3:00.
Did I just stomp on the ground? Maybe it's from TaeKwonDo class 30 years ago? I don't know why I responded like an stomping rhinoceros, but anyway, that's what I did.
At the same time, my right hand reached under my Shirt to draw my 9mm pistol, which came out smoothly, while I stepped sideways to my right, towards a wall for cover, about 3-4 yards away. Some people would call that "getting off the X," which was part of the my practice routine. I draw while stepping off to the left or right. It came out as pure reflex, didn't think about it. But this was more like "getting off the STOMP" .... Please don't laugh.
Before I even reached the wall for cover, I realized that silhouette I saw is a young girl who was by now standing frozen with her hands and cell phone tight on her chest, in full attention and look of utter shock in her eyes.
I didn't even have time to get both my hands on my 1911, just one hand, with my thumb on the Safety ready to disengage it... by this time I realized this person is not a threat... I recognize it's the housekeeper's young daughter (about 16 or 17 years old), who was probably about to pee where she was standing.
The feeling of getting ready to raise my weapon, to realizing I have probably traumatized this young lady was pretty immediate. I had continued to move to the side, not for cover... but to literally hide the gun from her sight and put it away.
She was first to speak... "sss...ss..sorrrryyyyyyyy ......."
I raised my left hand, "..no, no... no, no... it's ok... are you ok?"
I apologized to her too and told her I got also startled, didn't expect anyone to be in the house. She explained that her Mom had left her behind to run a quick errand, and she sat in the room next to mine so that she could access my WiFi - I gave her Mom the password and permission to have access to it.
All went back to normal after that. The housekeeper later apologized for not letting me know, I told her its no problem.
I'm pretty sure if one was watching from the outside, a startled 200lb man stomping on the ground with a gun in his hand vs. a 90lb teen girl would be pretty funny, which in hindsight, it is.
It was a decent test to see where my reflexes were, and I'm pretty sure the recent practiced routines helped in ensuring I'm not fumbling around in that situation. It was good to know and feel everything seemed automatic. Got a solid grip on my pistol. I never had any feeling to fire, but I was pretty close to raising my weapon.
I sure hope that's the only time I would ever have to do that ever again though.
.
It's not even exciting. Just a story to share something that happened a couple nights ago.
I got startled by someone who was not supposed to be in my home, and this resulted in having to draw my weapon for the first time.
Brief background.... I participated my first shooting match last December. I thought I was good, until I realized by the end of the match, I came in 27th out of 35 participants. I realized that shooting under pressure is really something else, compared to comfortably practicing at the range, where I was Jerry Miculek. I fumbled my draws, got a bad grip, shaky hands and missed targets I could otherwise easily hit while standing relaxed on a firing lane. Shooting on the move? I quickly realized I'd be lucky to hit a 12-inch chest shot at 7 yards while walking.
Since January, I have been practicing at least 3 times a week, and so far put in over 4,000 rds of draw-firing, double taps, failure drills, shooting on the move and all kinds of CCW and IDPA drills. I was determined to improve my skills. I don't like to lose. I don't like fumbling. I want to be able to prove to myself that I trust my shooting/weapon handling reflexes in a pressure situation. That has been my goal and mindset recently. I think my skills have improved a lot over the last 3 months or so, and steadily moved up the ranks.
Well 2 nights ago, I got my self defense reflexes put to a small, but real situation. I am staying at a large house by myself. The only other person that is supposed to be there is a housekeeper who "keeps the house" once in a while, takes care of my laundry, cleans up and stuff.
I came home from work at about 8pm. Nobody is supposed to be there. The housekeeper is gone, she is out before sundown. This is a typical day.
I unloaded stuff from my car and walked to my room, locked-up for the night. After about 5-10min, I realized I forgot something in the car. I still had my CCW on me. I got up and went out of the room towards the front door. I was walking pretty fast.
As I'm walking through the dark/dimly lit living room, I sense a movement on my left side, and from my peripheral vision I see a shadow of a person about 5-6 yards distance, walking in the same direction as me.
The hair on the back of my neck stood up. My first thought... burglar... or is it that disgruntled psycho I fired last year? How'd he get into the house?? What the ...??? I stop in my tracks, take a small step back.
I initially reacted in a way that I had not ever practiced, nor expected. For some bizarre reason, I turned to my left and stomped my left foot forward really hard on the wooden floor, as if to attempt to make a sound or action that would startle/scare that person too. Maybe something to distract that person from my right hand, which was reaching for my pistol, IWB at 3:00.
Did I just stomp on the ground? Maybe it's from TaeKwonDo class 30 years ago? I don't know why I responded like an stomping rhinoceros, but anyway, that's what I did.
At the same time, my right hand reached under my Shirt to draw my 9mm pistol, which came out smoothly, while I stepped sideways to my right, towards a wall for cover, about 3-4 yards away. Some people would call that "getting off the X," which was part of the my practice routine. I draw while stepping off to the left or right. It came out as pure reflex, didn't think about it. But this was more like "getting off the STOMP" .... Please don't laugh.
Before I even reached the wall for cover, I realized that silhouette I saw is a young girl who was by now standing frozen with her hands and cell phone tight on her chest, in full attention and look of utter shock in her eyes.
I didn't even have time to get both my hands on my 1911, just one hand, with my thumb on the Safety ready to disengage it... by this time I realized this person is not a threat... I recognize it's the housekeeper's young daughter (about 16 or 17 years old), who was probably about to pee where she was standing.
The feeling of getting ready to raise my weapon, to realizing I have probably traumatized this young lady was pretty immediate. I had continued to move to the side, not for cover... but to literally hide the gun from her sight and put it away.
She was first to speak... "sss...ss..sorrrryyyyyyyy ......."
I raised my left hand, "..no, no... no, no... it's ok... are you ok?"
I apologized to her too and told her I got also startled, didn't expect anyone to be in the house. She explained that her Mom had left her behind to run a quick errand, and she sat in the room next to mine so that she could access my WiFi - I gave her Mom the password and permission to have access to it.
All went back to normal after that. The housekeeper later apologized for not letting me know, I told her its no problem.
I'm pretty sure if one was watching from the outside, a startled 200lb man stomping on the ground with a gun in his hand vs. a 90lb teen girl would be pretty funny, which in hindsight, it is.
It was a decent test to see where my reflexes were, and I'm pretty sure the recent practiced routines helped in ensuring I'm not fumbling around in that situation. It was good to know and feel everything seemed automatic. Got a solid grip on my pistol. I never had any feeling to fire, but I was pretty close to raising my weapon.
I sure hope that's the only time I would ever have to do that ever again though.
.
The WiFi in your house only goes to the next room? No? Well then tell her mother that if she ever does that again she's to tell her daughter to stay in the living room with the lights on and to let you know when you arrive that she's there. 
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