Submitted for your perusal and edification, E-mail Blog report received from:
The Tactical Wire sponsored by Bushmaster
*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*!*
Skill Set: Clearing the Corner
By Tiger McKee
Your surrounding environment is composed of corners. There are vertical corners, you have horizontal corners, and then there are rounded corners, that have a radius to them. Whether you're clearing the inside of a building, searching an urban environment, or patrolling a wooded area you have to be able to properly work corners.
Rule number one when clearing a corner is to maximize the distance between the corner and you. In an interior structure you are limited by surrounding walls; with exterior environments you may be able to increase this distance, depending on terrain. Now we have to apply geometry. If you are six feet from the corner, but the area on the other side of the corner is 24 feet deep, that means for every foot you move, you slice off four feet on the opposite side of the corner. So the amount you move is determined by how deep the environment is on the opposite side of the corner. And this is really important, as you work around the corner, or 'slice the pie', never bite off more than you can chew.
Expose the least amount of your body as possible. This allows you to see part of the threat before they see you, and if they see you hopefully you're not letting them see much of your body. I use my normal ready stance, and then lean out at the waist to the left or right, taking lateral steps. Then I hold my head straight up, so I'm only sticking half my head around the corner. The way to fine-tune your position is to use a large mirror. Imagine the edge of the mirror is a corner, and as you clear the corner you get the see what the bad guys see of you.
Your weapon's ready position should be with the muzzle pointing at the bottom of the corner so you can see everything from the corner and beyond. If your ready position is too high the weapon, your hands, and arms will prevent you from seeing something important, like shoes, legs, or some other part of the threat's body. Remember the key is to see part of them before they see part of you.
Once you locate a possible threat, and they haven't seen you yet, now it's decision time. Do you stop, turn back and find another route? Do you hold, issue verbal commands to have the threat move so you can I.D. them, or are you going to step and roll out a little more, access the threat and act accordingly? It all depends on who you are, what you are doing and why, and whether or not lives depend on your actions.
The principles for working corners are fairly simple, but their application can be complicated by the environment and situation. The key is to learn and practice before you need these skills. This is the same for every aspect of fighting. And always make sure you're using your most valuable asset, your mind.
Tiger McKee is director of Shootrite Firearms Academy, located in northern Alabama, author of The Book of Two Guns, a staff member of several firearms/tactical publications, and an adjunct instructor for the F.B.I. (256) 582-4777 http://www.shootrite.org