Some time back then, I went into a discussion with a friend who is a kung-fu master. Martial arts is taught as an exercise, a spectator sport and self a defense skill. I was questioning the usefulness of martial arts in self defense among modern weapons, like guns. This is one of the reasons that leads me into learning shooting. How useful can martial art be under gun point?

Since then I have learned more about shooting and combating handgun skills, now I realize how wrong I was. Even when you are in a standing off situation with another gunner, martial art skills prove to be extremely useful in winning the gun fight. Most handgun fights happen within a few feet, that is within the range of martial art striking distance. If the bad guy reach for his gun, even your are skillful shooter, you can’t beat him in reaching you gun. The best you can do is draw and fire slightly before he fires at you. The reaction time delays you enough from stopping him before he pulls the trigger. Mutual death is not the best way to win a gun fight. In a gun fight, the goal is not to shoot the bad guy, the goal is not to get shot. Shooting the bad guy is just a mean to archive the goal by disarming him. If the fight is within martial art striking distance, it is actually faster to reach for his gun instead of drawing your own gun. Once you push his muzzle way from pointing at you, you gain the valuable split second to draw your gun and fire at him.

Yes, martial arts is no match of a gun in a distance. However in real life combat situation when both sides have guns, martial arts will give you a tactical advantage that can help you win the gun fight.