The self defense shooting course is one of the enrichment courses offered by the Maor Israel Self Defense Center.

The course is suitable for people who carry personal weapons, police officers and security personnel, who wish to develop operational skills for the use of weapons in the street and at work and when facing mortal danger.

The Director of the Center, Amnon Maor, who served for many years in the combat ranks of the IDF and the Border Guards, is a graduate of special units and has vast experience in training combat soldiers. Amnon has developed the course based on his personal experience, the lessons learned from real time debriefings, and also based on his military experience of terrorist attacks perpetrated in Israel.

Many Israeli residents carry weapons, but it is not enough, in itself, to know how to deal with a terrorist attack. Many tragedies could have been avoided if passers-by, who were armed at the time of the event, had undergone the basic training that would have given them the operational skills necessary to cope with the situation. A particularly distressing example is the event that took place at the settlement of Itamar in Samaria on the night of March 11/12, 2011. Two terrorists entered the home of the Fogel family and murdered, with knives, a child aged 11, a child aged 4, a baby, and their two parents. Investigation of the event revealed that the father was armed and had even managed to struggle with the murderers. If the father’s gun had been at hand and if he had had the basic training, it is possible that the grave event would have ended differently.

The course in self defense shooting was set up precisely for this purpose. The idea behind the course is to teach civilians who keep a pistol at home, a number of basic measures - such as where to store the pistol so that it will be at hand and of its use in the event of the threat of mortal danger to them and to those close to them.

The basic course lasts between 3 and 4 days during which the user is taught skills such as self-restraint, awareness of when there is a situation of mortal danger and how to cope with it; when mortal danger requires the use of weapons; the element of surprise, shooting from a disadvantageous position, drawing and moving with the pistol. Emphasis is placed on how to hold a weapon correctly, the law - what is permitted and what is not - getting out of holds, basic self defense, being aggressive without shooting, and shooting as a last resort.

Since we are not speaking of shooting in combat, special emphasis is placed on safety and shooting from a situation when the pistol is not loaded, and with only one magazine. When the event occurs in the street, in the presence of innocent people, it is forbidden to employ deterrent fire or to shoot in a general direction. Every bullet has a purpose and a target.

The main idea when shooting in the street is to know how to shoot in changing situations, preservation of correct judgment, and safety. Firing is done from a short range of up to a few meters and consequently, emphasis is placed on precise aiming and on an overall observation of the details that must be taken into consideration. In contrast to Olympic shooting, training is given in the course for shooting with both eyes open.

You can never know when you will encounter a situation of mortal danger. The criminal may catch you at home, at work, on the road, or in a queue at the bank. On the modern street of the 21st Century, where a simple act of theft could develop into murder, where crime is constantly on the increase, the bearer of a weapon requires effectiveness and control. Shooting in a civilian environment calls for judgment and measured steps.

Since the course is also intended for skilled combat soldiers, the course places special emphasis on shooting practice when taken by surprise, in volatile situations, and under pressure. Techniques are learned for mobility with the pistol, and combat in restricted spaces such as a room or a vehicle.

Special emphasis is placed on the legal issues and on judgment. The holder of a weapon may not respond to an attack by shooting unless he is in immediate mortal danger. The time when to draw the gun is also a subject comprehensively studied on the course. For example, when attacked with a knife from short range, the attacker must first be pushed away and only then is the gun drawn. Situations of mortal danger on the street demand basic skills for shooting on the move, and the capability of shooting with one hand in order to permit the other hand to be free to repulse or grab hold of the assailant, etc.

In most situations the armed civilian will carry a pistol with a single magazine and therefore basic rules are taught for handling jamming in real time. In order to respond rapidly and effectively in a situation of mortal danger on the street, you have to know first of all how to use your hands. Consequently the course teaches basic movements in self defense [Maor Hand-to-hand fighting], including defense by repulsing the assailant, releasing yourself from his grip, and rapid transition to a shooting position.

Training:

The basic course lasts between 3 and 4 days, 5 hours a day.

The first hours focus on self defense, defense by the individual against numerous attackers, defense against a threat from a knife, a gun held close up, attack using clubs and sticks, how to extricate yourself from being choked, held or gripped.

Shooting in self defense is intended to stop and not kill the assailant, and consequently emphasis is placed on accurate shooting aimed at the legs. At the second stage the trainee learns and practices the significance of distance and how to use it to protect himself. Awareness that a situation is mortally dangerous, prioritizing escape, planning and anticipating situations, etc. Training in shooting is carried out in a measured, controlled and unhasty manner at targets set at distances of between 5 and 6 meters. Emphasis is placed on holding the weapon correctly and, at an advanced stage of the course, on moving with the gun and reducing the distance in order to shoot accurately.

At the last stage of the course the instruction moves from physical defense to firing, as well as repelling the assailant and getting out of his grip without needing to fire, in situations that do not involve mortal danger.

The fourth day of the course is devoted to security personnel who make use of two magazines. The subject of changing magazines, at rest and in motion, is learned, as well as shooting at a distance of 10 meters. Exercises are held in firing under pressure, in different situations and from various angles.