Retention Shooting

Just when you think you have scenarios down, the RGV Shooters put in something new in our IDPA Thursday night tournaments. Retention shooting.  Also known as close quarter tactical shooting.

This is defensive shooting when the bad person is within arm's distance of you or technically 2 to 10 yards.  You would think that this would be easy and you would have complete control, but it is not.


1. You have to have a good, solid and stiff wrist to hold the gun in one hand.

2. You have to hold the gun close to your body so the bad person cannot take it away or knock it in another direction.

3. You have to hold the gun so the ejecting cartridges don't hit you. Ouch.

4. You have to hold your non-shooting hand somewhere where you won't shoot your hand.  Do not forget this step!!!  It is really a messy nuisance if you forget this one.

They let me do the drill twice because I limp wristed it the first time.  I had never done that before and didn't know what to expect. I learned quickly that I didn't know how to do it.  If your hand does not absorb the recoil then the cartridges have a tendency to jam.  With a limp wrist, the gun punished me.

This drill proved to me how much practice and training you really need to have your gun be a truly defensive weapon.

Lets say a bad person came up to you.  You drew your gun from the holster, and the instinct is to hold it out to aim.  Remember bad people are prepared, you are the one surprised and caught off guard.  You have to rely on your muscles to move faster than your brain.

Look at the picture of the Joker.  Notice his hands.  The good person using the gun as a defensive weapon just managed to give it to him.  The Joker has the gun in two hands.  The good person has his arm extended and, now, no hope now of controlling the gun.  If the good person had kept the gun close to his body, kept his left hand out of the way, and just fired he would have had control of the situation.  It is really hard to miss a target two feet away.

Below is a video you can watch to practice this drill.