Shooting From Cover

Barricade Firingthe pad of the thumb and the last knuckle of the
Firing from a barricaded position is an essential part ofsupport hand into the barricade. Cradle the firing hand
combat marksmanship. It is a relatively straightforwardand weapon in the support hand. Make sure that no
skill and easily acquired. As all shooting techniques,part of the firearm is touching anything other than your
however, mastery only comes from extensiveflesh. Contact by the weapon with solid objects
practice. Contrary to what is seen on movies, mostcauses the weapon to bounce and the round to go
shooting incidents do not happen at high noon on Mainoff target. The only portions of your body that should
Street. Common sense dictates that when being shotbe exposed beyond the barricade are your firing hand,
at, the reasonable person will try to find cover fromand only the amount of your face that is needed to
incoming rounds. If withdrawal from the scene is notobtain a clear view of the sights, target, and situation.
practical and returning fire is justified, then knowledgeYour arm should be raised enough so that the
of barricade position firing is essential.weapon is brought up to your face, not your face
lowered to your sights. It takes practice to enable you
As this is a combat skill, it is important to become asto be able to quickly judge the distance needed
small a target as possible. A good strategy is to adoptbetween your body and cover to allow you to quickly
a kneeling position behind the item of cover. Kneeling isassume the position.
a good position because it allows quick adoption fromThis article is based on the strategies for using a pistol
standing and is quick to get up from. As a general rule,behind a barricade, but long guns can also use this
the closer your center of balance is to the ground, thetactic with superficial modifications. Instead of using the
more inherently accurate a position is. Therefore theknuckles of the support hand against the wall the hand
kneeling position is a two-fold better position thanshould be extended as if making a "stop" sign. Extend
standing for return fire, not only for making yourself athe thumb away from the hand. Press your hand
smaller target but also for making your shots moreagainst the cover with your index finger flush against
likely to hit your aggressor.the barricade edge. Your thumb should extend past
The adaptations from a normal two handed shootingthe cover like a shelf. Rest the forearm of the firearm
position are simple. The shooter does not use the offon this shelf. All other aspects are similar.
hand to give support to the weapon by muscle tensionIt cannot be stressed how important this technique is in
as he would in a traditional manner. Instead the offa lethal force situation. It is equally important that this
hand is pressed against the covering object. Atechnique is practiced so as to allow a seamless
much-used method to accomplish this is to make a fisttransition into this position.
with the thumb extended, in a "thumbs up" sign. Press