What comes after the shot? Follow Through
The fundamentals of marksmanship are simple: align the sights on the target and then press the trigger without moving the barrel off of the target. That said, it is important to follow through and make sure that your great shot is not disrupted. In marksmanship follow through, we recover from recoil, re-acquire a sight picture and reset the trigger. What happens after the bullet leaves the barrel is as important as firing the shot.
Follow through is critical for consistency. If you move before the bullet comes out of the barrel you will disturb the alignment of the barrel. If you are shooting a paper target, that is where things stop. If you are facing someone trying to hurt you or someone you are sworn to protect, that this is only half of the process. The second half of the sequence is the tactical follow through.
In a fight, we must be prepared to fire another round, and another. We don’t know how many hits will be required to stop the threat; after every shot we get ready to shoot again. If you hope to follow through tactically in a fight, you will have to practice it on the range. In tactical follow through, we check the target asking, “Is he down? Do I need to shoot again?” If he goes down, follow him down, pointing the gun at the threat.
Make sure there is no longer a threat before you look elsewhere. Keep your head up and your gun down, out of your field of vision. Scan a full 360 degrees, looking one way or the other coming back to the original threat if there is no other. Make sure you shift your focus out and search areas which might hide an attacker. Don’t be that guy and point your gun at everyone around you. Look for bad guys, good guys, innocent bystanders and cover.
Scanning is critical. When you face a threat, your eyes and mind focus on it. Everything else is pushed aside. This is a great survival feature when you are fighting one saber tooth tiger. It is not so great when you face a pack of feral humans. FBI statistics say that 80% of assaults on officers involved more than one subject. As one of my cop buddies says, “every crook has a buddy.” Someone may be upset you shot their buddy. They may want to hurt you.
Breathe deeply. You have probably been holding your breath for 20 seconds. This affects the eyes and the brain. Consider moving to a better position or just moving in case someone else wants to shoot you. Look at your gun. Is it jammed? Clear it. If you shot, you probably shot more than you think you did. Consider a tactical reload.
This is a good time to de-cock or work a safety if your gun has such a device. Once all is right with the world, you can holster. Do it reluctantly. I have seen people practice drills where the pistol goes back in the holster faster than it came out. Practice it on the range and you will see it it the street. There is no reason to holster fast.
If shots were fired, the police are coming. If you are on duty look for back up. Position yourself to see them coming. If you are off duty or out of uniform, consider calling 911 or directing a bystander to do it. Talk to dispatch to make sure responding officers know there is an armed officer on scene. Expect to be told to put your gun down and perhaps be handcuffed. If there is a hazard on scene or additional suspects, let officers know.
If you think about follow through, if you train follow through, it will be there for you when you need it. You don’t want to miss the surprised look on the face of the bad guy sneaking up behind you as you show him your gun.
