Why Proper Training and Holsters Matter

Why Proper Training and Holsters Matter

For the following video review, I wanted to focus on a video that is now a decade old but, unfortunately, is still sadly applicable today. It is a short video of a wannabe influencer attempting to draw at close range of a target from a cheap OWB holster and shooting himself in the leg in the process. Here are some of the critical lessons that you can take away and hopefully never replicate.

From the onset, we can see that this individual is using sub-par gear, despite the grainy video. It is carried at his 4 o’clock, and from the appearance, the gun just barely cleared the holster before he put his booger hook on the bang switch (yes, those are technical terms). I can’t emphasize this enough, but cheap holsters are cheap for a reason; get a quality one that will guard that trigger, and a deep concealment one like the Roughneck or original will clear the holster a lot faster than one that rides higher on the hip. Second, that holster is not retained very well. As he draws up, it folds inward, pointing the muzzle directly at his leg. This method is wildly dangerous, especially if you appendix carry. I don’t know about you, but I don’t want to accidentally hit my femoral artery or blow off my family jewels (which, if the latter happens, I hope I just hit the artery anyway). You can tell by the amount of play it is not very secure, therefore adding to draw time and not providing significant retention should he have tripped or if someone tried to grab his pistol.

Another key aspect to this is training. You can tell that his video was meant to demonstrate the speed of draw and target acquisition, and engagement. Watching this sequence, I would imagine that he has likely never done this for time repeatedly. Otherwise, he would have noticed the holster he had was crap, as well as he would have probably not had an issue drawing. This happens a lot when rushed, especially when in a stressful situation. Therefore, I constantly re-iterate to practice drawing the same way every time, repeatedly, as it is likely the one step that we can screw up the easiest and most dangerous as you have introduced a firearm to the fight. It can be catastrophic if not employed immediately (either to fire or dissuade).

Also, the key to this video is that he immediately drops the weapon (smart in his case) and puts pressure on the wound. I usually carry at least an Israeli bandage on me, if not a tourniquet when I carry. If I am alone like he is, I typically carry a full Individual First Aid Kit (IFAK) because I may have to self-secure. As he was alone in a rural setting, this could have been fatal if the round was a few inches in a different direction.

Thankfully he survived and posted a follow-up video, as seen here. The bottom line is he was lucky.

Don’t rely on luck, practice, practice, practice, and throw the crappy holster in the trash.

Author: Ian Bolser