In this video – as in all of these disarm videos – the bad guy holds the gun steady, well within the good guy’s reach. In this situation, even someone who hasn’t studied under Wing Chun Tai Chi JKD Master Wong has a pretty good chance of stopping the bad guy from shooting him – provided they apply the recommended speed, surprise and violence of action. A skilled, determined good guy might even be able to take away the bad guy’s gun and use it against him. Problem: unless the defender incapacitates his antagonist and/or high-tails it out of there (always a good strategy), the good guy will face a vicious counterattack. That said, the biggest problem anyone in this scenario faces is . . .

it doesn’t happen.

The bad guy isn’t likely to be standing still. He probably won’t be alone. He/they will probably come out of nowhere – or from various angles – and whack you in the head, first. And then whack you some more. And then take you money. Then again, they might not want your money. They may want to hurt you, kill you, kidnap you, rape you or all of the above.

Face it: the days of the polite mugger – as seen on TV! – are gone. (If they ever existed.) Anyone evil enough to rob you is A) smart enough not to get too close unless they’re going to knife, shoot, kick the crap out of you or beat you to death and B) evil enough to kick the crap out of you, shoot you, stab you, beat you to death or rape you – just because.

In short, if “it” happens, it could be really messy.

If someone’s holding a gun against you, if you missed the chance to escape or evade, the first thing to keep in mind: you don’t have to counterattack. If you can’t counterattack, if the bad guy or guys are too numerous or too far away, if you’re physically or mentally unable to be violent, if you can’t get to your gun, surrender your valuables and hope for the best. No regrets.

If you are going to mount a non-gun defense – which must take the form of a violent counterattack – there’s one rule to follow: go all-in. Use everything you’ve got all at once: kick, punch, head butt, elbow, scratch, gouge, anything and everything. Simply put, go for the kill. Maximum damage in the minimum amount of time.

Sure, it’s great to have hand skills, a plan/technique of some sort and enough sense to move the gun so that it’s pointed in a safe direction. Knowing how and where to strike is vital information. But the real world is not a dojo.

Notice that the scenario assumes a single attacker. Again, not likely. Will the bad guy’s friends stand around and watch you attack their cohort? They will not. What then? Hell if I know. But the more of them there are, the worse it’s going to be. And it’s going to be bad.

I know! Use your gun! And carry it in such a way that you can remove it from concealment as fast as humanly possible. “I’m just going to get my wallet.” Get your gun and shoot the bastard. Which bastard? Boarding house rules: everyone gets firsts before anyone gets seconds.

For God’s sake, move! Don’t stand there and shoot the bad guy(s). Move and shoot. Shoot and move. Shoot while you’re moving. Where to? Anywhere. Even a couple of steps to the side could save your life. Move to cover or concealment? If you can. Run like hell? Yes please! Remember: a bad guy shot through the heart still has time to kill you or your fellow friendlies dead before he dies.

A firearm is your best defense against a firearm but – you may have to use physical violence before you can get to your gun. That sucks but not as much as not having a gun to get to. As for these disarm videos, as silly as this one is, it’s one of the best. If you have half of Master Wong’s animus when you attack someone holding a gun to you, you’re on the right track. Good luck with that. You’re going to need it.

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54 COMMENTS

  1. I laughed through the whole 2 minutes I watched of that video, that guy’s accent is gold.

    Seriously though, speed surprise and violence of action always apply. Also, this dude’s meatshield technique is interesting, Id rather enjoy watching some force on force training with opponents who actually resist trying this.

    • This video, like most that I have seen, is a very good example of what NOT to do after a disarm. Never rely on the bad guy’s gun for your own defense. It may be fake, unloaded, broken, jammed, etc. Disarm, then draw your own weapon.

      The other thing rarely explained in disarm videos, that in all likelihood, the gun will go off during the disarm, and/or the assailants finger may get twisted within the trigger guard. Somehow they never tell you that, nor how to deal with it.

      Beware of internet training!

      • Someone researched the operability of firearms that law enforcement confiscated from violent criminals. Their firearms were inoperative over 40% of the time!

        I would NOT want to depend on a criminal’s firearm to work when they are broken over 40% of the time.

        • That gun would make a decent club. Many will regardless of operating condition.

          If it’s a Glock (or imitator) and is inoperative you are completely SOL, however.

        • Steve

          If a gun is innoperable 40% of the time, how often is one of them likely to have internal damage that will let it fire if whacked too hard. I don’t want the handle of my “club” suddenly spewing lead at me.

  2. At work I hired a guy who on the first day told me that he was a black belt in something and that if we were robbed he could take the gun away before they shot him…. I told him he should carry a gun….like several other employees already do.

  3. You gotta appreciate the beginning where the guy basically said if a gun gets pulled on me I’m giving up whatever I have.

        • Only if used as a punishment. In this case, it would be more akin to a war crime being that it would be completely disproportionate with regard to force employed and probably a violation of standing ROEs.

    • Hell if screaming like a girl and collapsing gives me enough time to pul my firearm and shoot the bastard I’ll do it.

  5. Sometimes, it may be advantageous to take a few seconds to assess the situation before counter-striking. Other times, it may be advantageous to counter-strike immediately without any thought or hesitation.

    If only we could know ahead of time whether to pause or counter-strike immediately. Then again, if we knew ahead of time, we would know to be somewhere else.

    In these scenarios, “analysis paralysis” can cost you your life. Whatever you choose, it is probably best if you commit to it 1000%. And no matter what you decide, your number may be up, period. That is why it is a good idea to make your peace with yourself, your family, and your Maker today, before such an event happens.

    • “And no matter what you decide, your number may be up, period. That is why it is a good idea to make your peace with yourself, your family, and your Maker today, before such an event happens.”

      This is so important. All the Internet Bravado and Keyboard Commando braggadocio doesn’t mean feces in the real world.

      Sometimes, the good guys lose.

      But, it’s important to fight back….or at least to have that option. Going meekly to extinction is not a human destiny.

      All that said, and to your second point, I have stared down the wrong end of a firearm three times. I was eerily calm in each case. I remember the thought hit me, “This could be it” and that was that. Didn’t dwell on it or anything, just recognized it.

      Those cases ended well (obviously) and just as thankfully, non-violently. The “Malice Factor” was low, and for that I remain thankful. However, I’ll never forget how consciously I thought about how close things were to being the end and how little overall impact that thought had at the time.

  6. I love the Asian meets London street accent.

    Instructors like this do moves “clean” for instructional purposes. IRL you would not just be standing there; either the guy would be pushing into you or you would be pushing into the guy.

    Get two hands on his gun arm and “all in”. Camera footage around this world has shown it sometimes works. Also, keep in mind all this struggling, pushing, etc. can hurt a pistol’s reliability greatly. That and this:

    “I concluded, based on seeing so many patients, that all common pistol rounds pretty much sucked for any kind of instant incapacitation, and that with qualified medical care, the vast majority of people shot lived. If you are one of those people, that’s good news for you. It means that even if you are shot at close range with a large caliber pistol, you have a fighting chance to survive.”

    Which came from this:

    http://www.thetruthaboutguns.com/2015/07/jon-wayne-taylor/combat-medic-the-work-really-starts-once-youre-shot/

    You might have to take some shots. Fighting and fornicating its what we humans do.

    • “I concluded, based on seeing so many patients, that all common pistol rounds pretty much sucked for any kind of instant incapacitation…”

      I should point out here that several times in the video he suggested pointing the pistol at the BG and blowing his balls off. Pretty sure that will result in instant incapacitation in almost all cases.

  7. ” Will the bad guy’s friends stand around and watch you attack their cohort?”

    It depends on how swiftly brutally successful you are.
    I’m reminded of a 1970’s DGU story from DC, IIRC:
    Accosted by a gang of youths, he pulls his gun, and is met with scorn.
    Leader says, ‘go ahead, shoot me’.
    Since Leader is standing still, victim carefully aims at Leader’s thigh and squeezes off a round.
    Leader jumps high into the air and falls down.
    ‘MoFo just shot me. Ain’t you gonna do nothin?’ and his gang did…nothing.

    Unfortunately, it probably takes more than a flesh wound to shock a modern group of muggers into inaction.

  8. As cool as Tom Cruise’s awesome Presidente Drill move in Collateral was, it hinged up on bad guy 1 being apocalyptically stupid and putting his gun RIGHT in Cruise’s face, and bad guy 2 being the world’s slowest draw.

    Not a realistic plan of action.

    • That was indeed a great gun scene – probably should go into some USPSA/IPSC training video. Also some good gun handling in The Way of the Gun.

      • A much more realistic close range shootout is in Smokin’ Aces between Agent Carruthers and Acosta (one of the guys from Lost) in the elevator.

        In a close range quickdraw shootout, there are no winners.

  9. Puh-leeze…I’m old and I ain’t getting to that point. I’m not as fast either-but my bullet travels faster than the speed of sound…

    • There’s a very good chance that shotgun was not functional, in that it didn’t work or wasn’t loaded.

  13. Anyone stupid enough to hold their firearm within your reach while robbing you would almost certainly be holding the gun sideways.

  14. Having been a TaeKwonDo instructor for years, I agree with this article.
    If someone is close enough to hold a gun to you, it’s likely gonna be in the back of your head and the guy is gonna be digging in your skull with the front post. Thats pretty much the only time a gun will be close enough to touch you in real life.
    If you are in arms reach and are well trained enough, you can actually grab the gun by the slide and jerk and bad guy most likely will let the first round off.
    If it doesn’t hit you, it WILL fail to eject and he will have to rack the slide to make it fire again.
    He likely won’t be expecting that or have time to figure out why it won’t fire before you flurry him.
    Notice I said WELL TRAINED.
    Hours and hours of practice on that one technique or don’t even try it.
    (You can wear a glove and death grip the slide at the range while someone fires in a safe direction and prove it wil fail to eject)
    If he is 5 feet away behind or in front of you, yur screwed. Yes you can make up distance fast, but most people don’t practice or have the ability to disarm a pissed or drugged up bad guy.
    Usually tho, if he is close and talking, he isn’t wanting to shoot until he tries to flee after taking your goods. Then it’s a shot or two as he runs off.
    (That’s the common bad guy with half a conscious)
    A real bad guy is probably going to kill or at least shoot you no matter what you do, comply or not.

    A thief usually isn’t there to kill. He wants your stuff and to get away without anyone trying to make chase.
    The pissed off guy that doesn’t want your $hit is probably going to shoot you if not kill you no matter what you try to do.
    Take him with you or go peacefully, you have a 60%+ chance of dieing right there.

    • If limo-wristing a semi-auto can and does cause a failure to cycle then it would seem very likely that grabbing the slide, which may or may not cause some injury to your hand, will very likely cause a similar failure to cycle. Good option, perhaps, as long as you’re not in front of the muzzle for that first round.

      • It’s really all one movement. My intention is to make him fire so it will fail to eject, making the gun ralitively safe and not have to worry about wrestling it away or worry about where it’s pointed anymore. It’s not a safe move at all if anyone is near by, but we are taking about saving your life in that senecio, not anyone else’s or if it’s the safest way out of the situation.
        You move opposite of the direction you grab and push away from yourself just like he does in the video except grabbing the slide instead of the wrist. It also only takes one hand instead of grabbing the wrist with one hand and trying to get the gun away with the other.(removes a step making it faster) Harder to describe than to demonstrate.
        When I do it in demos, I hold my hands up and beg for my life as I inch close enough to grab the pistol.
        If you don’t grab it just right, the front post will cut my pointer finger or my pinky will get cought between the slide and barrel and will fubar a pinky if you don’t death grip it.(trust me)
        Look it up on YouTube. Fps Russia does it in one of his videos with and without a glove too to prove it can be done.
        I’m a lefty so when I do it aginst a right handed opponent im grabbing and pushing the pistol across his body away from mine.
        I have pretty fast reflexes and have practiced that exact move for probably 3-4 years. I don’t recommend anyone try it in self defense that hasn’t trained extensively doing it.
        Just saying it can be done and in my opinion it’s faster and a better move than grabbing the wrist like Bruce leeroy does in his video.

  15. It looks like that guy was born with the speed of a snake. Seems he may also have the brains of one

  18. I’m amazed there hasn’t been a single snarky insult from the tiresome TTAG gun snobs. That’s a PT92!!!! That’s a Taurus!!!! The guy never had to worry, because Taurus’ ALWAYS malfunction!!!! Every Single Time!!!

  19. November of 1999 I was carjacked at gunpoint while off duty. Dude came from behind a parked van as I exited my vehicle and was pointing a cocked ( on single action) revolver which turned out to be a S&W .45 Long Colt caliber. I’d received multiple hours of training on weapon retention and on disarming techniques, but the guy was holding the gun against his right hip as he pointed it. There was no way to get to it, so I offered it up and gave him my keys and wallet. I don’t think I would have tried to disarm him anyway. Looking at a loaded gun held by a bona fide bad guy looking like he’d like to kill you somehow just takes the Hollywood right out of you. After giving him my stuff he told me to run away, which I gladly did. Upon reaching a parked car about 15 yards away I was able to draw my Kimber Ultra Carry. I was lucky he hadn’t searched me or I would have had no choice but to fight and try to disarm him. After I ducked down behind the parked car, the situation was ended by six rounds as he was backing up in my truck, taking him completely by surprise. The best defense is being able to access a situation rapidly and respond accordingly.

    • “After I ducked down behind the parked car, the situation was ended by six rounds as he was backing up in my truck, taking him completely by surprise.”

      I think if you were a non-LEO you would have been in prison to this day.

      • For us armed civilians, that’s usually classified as murder.
        Plus, our insurance won’t cover the damage we caused to our own vehicle from shooting a guy in the back (he was backing up to get away)

        The state and “victim’s” family will say he was no longer a threat.

        Sad thing is, if us civilians had the same privileges of the law bending to our side, you’d have a lot less carjackings and a lot less car jackers…

      • In Texas it is legal to shoot someone fleeing the scene of an aggravated robbery. Which this was. Cop bash fail.

        • I did not know that about Texas, it’s hard to imagine that retreating and killing someone once you are a safe distance away is legal anywhere.

  22. Just have to agree with RF on something here- the average not-training-daily in dojo wannabe martial artist by watching YouTube is going to be misled by the assumption that you can move your whole arm/body, faster than the amped up bad-guy can move his trigger finger.

    Better plan to get off the X, while you are doing your kungfu mojo moves, just in case…

  23. A year or two ago, there was an article in the media and on the news about a man who was jumped by a mugger with a pistol and he disarmed him. The man asked not to have his picture taken because he works in private security. The mugger/thug made the mistake of pointing the gun up close to the man, who was thus able to execute a disarm. So such techniques can work given the circumstances are right.

  24. As someone who’s competed in MMA and grappling for the past decade I love these videos where the person attacking stands still and allows Billy Bad Ass to execute 10 “moves” on him. It’s the big lie that martial arts has been feeding us for decades and it’s why these boutique martial arts tend to fail miserably when put to the real test.

    • I used to spend a lot of time on bullshido.com

      There’s so much of that McDojo crap out there. So many people confident in their fighting abilities when they’ve never done any real contact training. Only like 50 percent speed and punching/kicking the air.

  25. In real life things don’t go as planned.

    By just grabbing for a hand OR the slide it is very likely YOU will cause the gun to fire. The most important thing to take away from this, is to stay in the fight! Fight back hard, as if your life depends on it. I am missing the tip of a finger that was over the ejection port of a 45 acp when I grabbed a slide. It may cause it to jam, but don’t think it will end there.

    I, also, have a scar on the palm of my hand from grabbing a knife blade that was headed for my belly. My responses was “violent” and relentless. So much so, that I broke the blade off the handle.

    A word of caution, or advice, if you grab the barrel of any firearm or someone grabs yours, it is “self-aiming” if you, or the BG just fall backwards. Also, pushing the barrel across your face, like he did in the video, is not the wisest move…

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