In combat, it is important that we practice control of both our actions and our emotions. This can be hard to do when we are confronted with real threats to our safety. Discipline is the practice of incredible self-control and being able to keep going even when you don’t want to or you feel like you can’t. Combat demands sound judgement and rational responses along with determination. You have to maintain a sound mind and control yourself in a few ways if you intend to stay in the fight and ultimately keep your chances of survival high. RATE OF FIRE It can not be overstated that ammo equals time. Time to fight, time to defend, time to maneuver, and time to survive. It is common for video games to make people think it is vogue to unleash a barrage of semi-accurate fire in the general direction of the enemy until you hit them. This is counter to the common knowledge among combat veterans who understand that 10 mags can go very fast in a firefight. Just to illustrate how fast ammo goes, if you are firing at a sustained rate of 1 round every 3-5 seconds, 300 rounds will be gone in less than 25 minutes. So, think about that before just thinking that it is COOL to just fire in the general direction with 5 rounds, or just poor as many rounds as you can into a target. Do not confuse suppressive fire with volumes of fire on an area target. This is a common misconception to think that unloading in the area of the threat will have a suppressive effect. This is factually untrue, especially if the threat is disciplined and determined. Real suppression is simply shooting as fast as you can hit accurately and then maintaining those accurate hits to discourage the enemy from attempting to further engage your unit. The best way to do this is to actually hit your target or at least have a few people maintain slow and sustained accurate fire on likely avenues of exposure or escape and maneuver for the enemy. This will clearly illustrate how prepared you are to discourage them from effectively countering your offensive or defensive actions. I understand that our trigger manipulation can often be connected to how we are feeling, and it is natural to feel that a volume of harassing fire is the best answer to heavy incoming fire. However, this has been proven to not only be a myth, but also it has shown to only attract more fire on your position until you are suppressed or dead. Here is my recommendation on what to do, even when you are stressed. Take cover, observe the enemy, make your hit, confirm effect, fire again if necessary, and repeat until the threat is gone. This is fire discipline. Only hits count, not almost hits, and not volumes of fire. This is how you extend the life of your combat load and survive. MOBILITY & SPEED I was always told that mobility is survivability, and speed is security when movement takes priority. If you want to survive a firefight, you have to keep moving and minimize the risk of really getting pinned down and passing off the initiative to the enemy, allowing them to maneuver and overwhelm you. For you are breaking contact, it is important to start your movements early, and keep a tight rhythm of fire and movement out of the danger zone. This may mean you want to lessen the distance of each bound in order to keep the movement constant and fast, but it depends on the situation and what you can get away with. But whatever you are doing, whether assaulting or withdrawing, you better move quick and establish your composure and steadiness just as quick. If you are going to survive, keep up the accurate fire, and quickly move. This will be hard on you if you do not have good cardio or are not used to having to move quickly, stabilize, and move quickly again. You have to have the discipline to fight through the exhaustion in order to avoid death as the alternative result. This is why I recommend practicing mimicking your Individual Movement Techniques often. This will cause your body to adapt and build the muscles and endurance for this exhausting element of combat which can ultimately determine your survivability. CONTROLLED AGGRESSION As I mentioned earlier, it is important to keep your emotions in check. This does not mean that you need to be emotionless, but rather be able to control them. As a warrior, you need to be able to have empathy, sympathy, kindness, and love for innocent people. But when you are under fire, it is important to switch on the anger, focus it on the enemy, and use it to aggressively maneuver and deliver effective fires that neutralizes the enemy. After the enemy ceases to be an enemy, your aggression needs to be controlled again so that you can focus on what comes next without letting your aggression get you into a bad situation. This is something that is drilled into British military recruits, and even the Marines preach high discrimination of force. No better friend, no worse enemy. TAKEAWAY In my experience, it is a bad idea to not try and control how much we mix emotions with physical actions in combat. In a few instances our emotions can help us in a fight, but they can also rob us of our ability to fight smartly, remain alert, and maintain awareness of the consequences of our actions. We cannot afford to let our emotions dictate our behavior in combat. That has proven to be detrimental to many people who sleep 6 feet under.
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Do It RiteAlaska-Based Youtube Vlogger, Retired Marine, Firearm and Gear Tester. Archives
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