How to practice drawing your gun from a holster

    If you have a handgun for self-defense, it is possible you have a holster, and if you have a holster, it is incumbent on you to know how to draw your gun from it when you need it. Most of the time, you’ll need to conceal your handgun, and even if you don’t intend covering it, you will need a holster to carry it around while going for training. For general understanding it will be a good idea to define what a holster is, a holster is a handy, safe accessory that you can use to keep your gun safe with you. If you intend to carry your handgun for a defensive reason, it is imperative to practice how to draw it from the holster to avoid what you don’t plan. 

The tips below will educate you on the fundamental steps on how to practice using your holster.

THE REASON BEHIND PRACTICING DRAWING FROM A HOLSTER

 In everything we do in life that requires expertise, we need to first practice, and the more the time of training the better. Drawing from a holster is also one of the processes that require expertise. When you practice the same movement for more than 50 times, you will feel comfortable doing it.

Like the famous saying of Bruce Lee “I don’t fear someone that practices 1000 kicks at a time, but I fear someone that practices one kick for 1000 times.

WHAT ARE THE REQUIREMENT YOU NEED TO PRACTICE YOUR DRAW

It is apparent that you’ll need your handgun and the holster you want to be comfortable with its usage. Besides, you will need the cloth you usually wear such as polo or t-shirt. If you are the type that carries the magazine, you can use that too while practicing.

    You don’t need to have the gun loaded to avoid a hazard since you are just practicing on how to draw it from the holster; you can get a different room where there won’t be any distraction, or there won’t be a case of you scaring people around while pointing out your gun. Safety is essential, so if you will have to practice using ammo, it is advisable to use dummy ammo. When you use dummy ammo, and you mistakenly pull the trigger, you rest assured that there won’t be a hazard.

PRACTICING AGAINST THE ODDS

    Preparation they say is the best way to tackle unseen circumstances. Some scenarios can prove all the practice you’ve doe futile. If you have been practicing with your regular t-shirt or polo and you happen to wear a cardigan when you need to use the skill you have been practicing. The cardigan can affect your drawing and shooting. You need to practice your drawing with different scenarios, like imagining yourself using your phone while trying to draw your gun from the holster, or trying to fill your car with the groceries you just bought when you need to pull your weapon. Also, have it in mind that most time when you need to draw your gun, you won’t always have your both hands free. To be at the safer side try practicing using one hand or try to practice on how to free the other hand when you need to draw your gun.

CHOOSE A SAFE PRACTICE POINT

It is essential to choose a safe place to practice your drawing to avoid scaring people or creating an impression on someone that you are trying to commit a crime — practicing in an area within your house where people won’t see you would be a better place to practice. As I have said earlier safety is paramount, try to practice without ammo, so as not to record an accidental discharge. The more you practice, the more you get comfortable with drawing and aiming with your handgun.

THE STEPS TO DRAW FROM A HOLSTER 

1. Keeping your firing side elbow close, get a proper firing grip, excellent and high, with your shooting hand. Try to grasp the gun grip correctly on the first try, so you don't have to adjust it later. Your elbow will extend backward and close to your side. Also as part of the first step, bring your support hand up and to your chest, placing it right at the base of your sternum. This brings your support hand in close to the body to eliminate the risk of it ending up in front of the muzzle. It also positions your support hand in the perfect place to grip the handgun as you bring it up into a firing position.

2. Draw the gun straight up, keeping your trigger finger along the side of the gun. Only bring it as high as needed to clear the holster. Keep your support hand right where it is on your chest.

3. Rotate the gun forward until it's pointed down range to your target. Rather than thinking of pulling the gun's muzzle up to the mark, think in terms of pushing your firing arm elbow down — that will rotate the handgun. At this point, the gun is pointed down range but close to your body. It will also be right near your support hand. If you have to, you can shoot from this position single-handed or using both sides.

4. Bring your support hand to the grip to get a two-handed grip while driving the gun forward. Keep the muzzle at or below the line of the target. What you don’t want to do is raise the muzzle above the mark so that you have to lower the sight back down when your arms are fully extended. Think of the front sight as rising into view until you have a perfect sight picture.

CONCLUSION

   Don’t perceive the practice to be a big hassle, and it is necessary to practice to be able to react spontaneously during an attack. Exercising with your self-defense weapon can make the difference between being a victim or being a victor.