While it’s important to stay on your feet in a fight, a lot of things can go wrong when you’re attacked, such as being knocked to the ground. If this happened could you defend yourself? If you haven’t practiced drawing and shooting from the ground, it’s highly unlikely.

As with most new tactics it’s best to begin groundwork with an unloaded or dummy gun. Start by lying on your back and drawing from your standard holster. The location of your holster determines the motion needed to draw and aim. I’ve found that an ankle holster works well in this situation, as does a shoulder holster. However, drawing from a small-of-the-back holster in this position is near impossible, and that’s if you don’t hurt yourself when the gun smacks your vertebrae as you hit the ground.

Since I usually carry on my strong side, I practice by rolling to my weak side to allow my elbow to go back far enough to make the draw. From there I can fire one handed, roll back over to my front to stand or drop down to aim from the ground with both hands using my knees for support.

The actual firing from the ground is the hardest part to practice since many ranges are not set up for this type of training. Unfortunately, firing from the ground is extremely important because the position is so different from the stance that we’re used to firing from, and body parts (legs and knees) can get in the way if you’re not muzzle conscious. Since I don’t always have access to a range where I can fire from the ground, I often train in my living room with an unloaded handgun and a LaserLyte LT-Pro Pistol Laser Trainer, which allows me to know where I would hit if I was firing a loaded handgun.

Once you’ve mastered drawing and firing from your back, advance the training by starting on your feet and falling backwards, but be sure to use a mat.