Lessons from Blackwater/US Training Center Match

Jim and the gang added some twists to the IDPA Shootout at Blackwater this year that included opening and closing doors on a frequent basis. For safety they mandated a "high ready" position for most starts.  Gun out and muzzle touching the door or frame at about eye level with support hand on the door knob.

They were then very careful to emphasis that crossing your support hand with the muzzle of your gun at any point was a very bad thing. So I got to thinking... how often does your dry "fire" practice involve something as simple as moving about the house with a handgun and opening and closing doors while remaining conscious of where your muzzle is at all times?

[Note: one of my all time favorite training tools is this 5.11 barrel, swap it in for practice and you can't mess up and do something stupid while dry firing http://www.lapolicegear.com/511-tactical-training-barrel.html]

And when you get to where you think you've got that down, add a flashlight and try moving through the house with gun, light and door knobs to contend with. Think about it, this is the most likely scenario you will ever face - have you practiced it?

"Train hard or don't train at all."