Combat Focus® Shooting is an intuitive program designed to help the student be more efficient in the context of a dynamic critical incident. “CFS” was developed from reality based concepts and is deeply grounded in behavioral science.

I first heard about CFS from 10th Special Forces guys who had gotten CFS as part of pre-deployment training.  I wanted to see what all the fuss was about. I read the book, Combat Focus Shooting by Rob Pincus and I went through a 2 day CFS class when I got back from Afghanistan. I learned a lot and it dramatically changed how I shot and what I taught about shooting.

Rob Pincus developed CFS over a period of years. With the advent of the “dash-camera” era of law enforcement and the availability of high quality security camera videos, Pincus saw a disparity between the what was taught on the range and behavior during actual shootings. The good guys were were improvising their responses when forced to suddenly defend themselves against violence. Their training had had not prepared them for a real fight.

Tony Blauer‘s research on ambush attacks led Pincus to an understanding of the natural human reactions when attacked. CFS is as much a philosophy  as a training system. There are some central drills, but no dogma. If it works it has value, it must work 100% of the time.

Marksmanship has been studied and taught for generations. Excessive marksmanship in a fight can result in slow inappropriate actions which can get you killed.  Combat Focus® Shooting is designed to work in the context of what the body does naturally in a Dynamic Critical Incident. CFS will not make you a great marksman or help you win competitions. It will help you defend yourself and others in an unexpected fight.

I recently had the opportunity to attend two more CFS classes. I remembered why I liked it so much and I realized that I had internalized much of the instruction into my own philosophy. The Combat Focus® Shooting drills teach you to hit targets with as little time, effort and energy expenditure as possible.

I took the Fundamentals of Combat Focus® Shooting one day class. In an intense 9 hours, we shot practical drills and received personal coaching designed to push students into the mindset of defensive shooting and provide the tools to win.

The Fundamentals of Defensive Shooting & Intuitive Skill Development class covers the following topics:

Combat Accuracy

Lateral Motion

The Balance of Speed & Precision

The Critical Incident Reload

Volume of Fire

Realistic Training for Multiple Target Engagement

Understanding the Body’s Natural Reactions during a Dynamic Critical Incident

The Skill Development Cycle

Non-Diagnostic Linear Malfunction Clearing

Shooting in Motion (When, How & Why)

This video shows some of the drills used in CFS:

I fired about 400 rounds, during the one day class, the actual amount you shoot depends on how aggressive you are in the drills. I recommend you bring extra ammunition so your training is not limited by ammo consumption.

There are no prerequisites for the class, but you will get much more out of it if you read the book, Combat Focus Shooting  by Rob Pincus and/or watch CFS videos so you get an intellectual head start with the principles involved. You need to know how your gun works and have basic skills like re-loads and clearing malfunctions before you hit CFS class.

There is no better training available and if you have never taken a firearms class, this is a great way to start. You can find your own Combat Focus Shooting Class HERE.  No classes near you? You can host a class in your home town.

Photo courtesy of I.C.E. Training