The most important element of a self-defense situation is learning when you should, or shouldn’t, draw your handgun. The next most important element is the actual drawing of your gun.

Police and open-carry participants have an advantage over the concealed-carry crowd when it comes to drawing a handgun; there is nothing between them and their handguns to complicate the draw. Concealed-carry practitioners; however, must work their way around or through a concealment garment, such as a shirt, jacket or vest, and draw that gun through said garment.

Now with practice, drawing from concealment is not difficult. In fact, in most cases drawing from concealment only requires an extra motion or two. The problem lies in that no one wears the same clothes, or even type of clothes, every single day. Due to style, weather and other clothing factors, most of us wear a variety of different clothes. This means that the draw must change slightly depending on the type of cover garment and how the gun is carried.

Practice is the only way to ensure a fast, smooth draw when needed, and since cover garments change almost daily due to a variety of factors, practice should be conducted often, if not daily. Consider adding in a couple of minutes to your daily routine to practice drawing with an unloaded gun, and remember that slow is smooth and smooth is fast.