Another book I recommend is Tiger McKee’s The Book of Two Guns.
From the publishers website:
The Book of Two Guns is a collection of material gathered during ten years of intensive firearms training, both as student and instructor. The focus of the book is the 1911 pistol and the AR carbine, although a majority of the techniques included will work with any type weapon. The Book of Two Guns covers the mental aspects of fighting with firearms as well as the physical techniques. The “book” began life as a training diary, a record of one man’s Musha-Shugyo, or training pilgrimage, and so was handwritten and illustrated. The result is a work of art and a valuable training reference for the ultimate martial art – fighting with firearms. Tiger Mckee is Director of Shootrite Firearms Academy (est. 1995)
I found the book an interesting collection of basic techniques and tactical thought put together much like Bruce Lee’s Tao of Jeet Kune Do. Like the Tao, the book is hand illustrated and “hand written”. It is pretty much a published collection of various notebooks the author produced while attending weaponcraft schools.
Don’t buy The Book of Two Guns expecting to find something “new” or some “secret technique” that you have never seen before. Buy it as a reference of the basic techniques and tactical thought of schools like Gunsite, Thunder Ranch, etc. as well as a source of quotations and references to other sources that will provide you with a path for further reading and research.
What I found thought provoking was the books subtitle, The Martial Art of the 1911 Pistol and AR Carbine. When one thinks about it, the carbine and pistol are to todays warrior what the Katana and Wakizashi were to the Samurai. As a matter of fact Wakizashi roughly translates as “side arm”. I have always wondered why it was that people who dressed in classic garb and swung swords around or shot ancient Japanese Bows were considered “martial artists” while people who develop their firearms skills seem to get pigeonholed as “gun nuts”, “rambo wannabes” or paranoids. The fact of the matter is that anybody who seriously trains firearms skills has as many techniques and issues to master as any classic martial art. This entails more than just going to the range and shooting up a few boxes of ammunition, or purchasing the latest gadgets and gear. Magpul’s Art of the Tactical Carbine series is an excellent example of how a serious student of firearms can approach firearms training as a “martial art”.
The Book of Two Guns can be purchased from the Shootrite website.
June 14, 2009 at 12:36 pm
Excellent post tgace and this book is a good read. You are correct in that it is nothing earth shattering but still a very good read none the less.
June 14, 2009 at 6:03 pm
Outstanding analogy on the pistol/AR as Wakizashi/Katana. I will plagiarize it at the first opportunity.
July 8, 2009 at 6:52 pm
The ‘martial arts is the old stuff’ mentality is pretty common and part of the reason I tend to distinguish between “recreational martial artists” and “purposeful” martial artists.
The Rec MA’ers are doing it for a variety of personal motives (ego, fitness, social grouping, challenge, history…) which is fine, but the training can take as long as it needs and isn’t linked directly to a ‘mission’ or ‘purpose’ other than the exploration and training for it’s own sake.
“Purposeful” MA’ers tend to be in a ‘martial profession’ such as Law enforcement, Military, EMT, private security roles… where these skills serve some kind of purpose or are skill sets that enhance mission success/survivability…
Nothing wrong with either group. Neither is ’supeior’ to the other, as long as people recognize the differences and are honest about what/why/how they are training.
I will never be a Jackie Chan martial artist, but a Jackie Chan martial artists won’t be able to do what I do either. Just a difference in preparation and performance goals.