History of the Mozambique Drill

Gun, shooting and equipment discussions unrelated to CHL issues

Moderator: carlson1

User avatar

Topic author
Charles L. Cotton
Site Admin
Posts in topic: 3
Posts: 17787
Joined: Wed Dec 22, 2004 9:31 pm
Location: Friendswood, TX
Contact:

History of the Mozambique Drill

#1

Post by Charles L. Cotton »

Here's a link to an article some folks may find interesting. https://www.shootingillustrated.com/art ... 4.facebook

It discusses the origin of the Mozambique Drill (a/k/a Failure Drill). The drill has evolved to the point that the "assessment" phase after the two COM shots is greatly shortened or eliminated. As a result of the murder of Mark Wilson in Tyler in 2005, I now teach what I call the "no transition time" third shot. It is more of a mental change than a physical change, but it shortens the response to an existing threat.

Chas.

extremist
Senior Member
Posts in topic: 1
Posts: 709
Joined: Fri Dec 31, 2004 7:14 pm
Location: Keller, TX

Re: History of the Mozambique Drill

#2

Post by extremist »

The problem I see with the Mozambique/failure drill is that in competition shooting where it is frequently used, competitors shoot it as fast as they can, no pause for assessment, because it's a game and they do it as fast as they can, because they can and speed wins.

The good shooting schools still teach the "down to the ready, move off centerline, pause, assess, then head box shot".

Competition in this case could ingrain bad habits that cannot be justified in an actual shooting. You are saying you are teaching little to no pause. Are you worried about justifying? In the case where you can clearly see body armor, why even go for body shots? I don't have an answer, just asking.

My .02 fwiw.

James :fire
TX LTC Instructor, NRA Endowment Life Member, USPSA CRO
NRA Handgun/Rifle/Shotgun/Home Firearm Safety, Chief Range Safety Officer

LeonCarr
Senior Member
Posts in topic: 1
Posts: 483
Joined: Fri Dec 28, 2007 6:42 pm
Location: DFW

Re: History of the Mozambique Drill

#3

Post by LeonCarr »

I also see a lot of people who will Warp Speed Mr. Sulu all three rounds and all three rounds will be ineffective hits.

The first two will not be in the "A Zone" and the third round will either barely graze the head or miss the head completely.

If you shoot a bad guy twice in the chest and he still has the ability to inflict death or serious bodily injury on you, you absolutely positively want that third shot to be in the triangle formed by the eyes and nose.

The pause between chest shots and head shot will help you make better head shots. Think pop pop, pop instead of pop pop pop.

Just my .02,
LeonCarr
"Whitetail Deer are extinct because of rifles with telescopes mounted on them." - My 11th Grade English Teacher
User avatar

C-dub
Senior Member
Posts in topic: 1
Posts: 13532
Joined: Sat May 16, 2009 7:18 pm
Location: DFW

Re: History of the Mozambique Drill

#4

Post by C-dub »

I did not know the history behind this drill or the details presented here. I think an obvious way to get people to slow down to make that third shot would be to shrink the 0-down area on the target for that head shot. Make it an actual triangle inside of that circle for the head or the square like on IDPA targets. Everything else inside the head, but outside of the triangle is -1. If that doesn't start getting some separation and teaching/forcing folks to slow down for that third shot then increase the point loss.
I am not and have never been a LEO. My avatar is in honor of my friend, Dallas Police Sargent Michael Smith, who was murdered along with four other officers in Dallas on 7.7.2016.
NRA Patriot-Endowment Lifetime Member---------------------------------------------Si vis pacem, para bellum.................................................Patriot Guard Rider
User avatar

bblhd672
Senior Member
Posts in topic: 1
Posts: 4811
Joined: Mon Jun 06, 2016 10:43 am
Location: TX

Re: History of the Mozambique Drill

#5

Post by bblhd672 »

The left lies about everything. Truth is a liberal value, and truth is a conservative value, but it has never been a left-wing value. People on the left say whatever advances their immediate agenda. Power is their moral lodestar; therefore, truth is always subservient to it. - Dennis Prager

omegaman
Member
Posts in topic: 1
Posts: 89
Joined: Thu Jan 15, 2009 10:02 pm
Location: Corpus Christi

Re: History of the Mozambique Drill

#6

Post by omegaman »

and then there's this from Miami Vice...
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=fK0yLjVk0eM

RSX11
Member
Posts in topic: 1
Posts: 188
Joined: Fri Mar 11, 2016 5:26 pm

Re: History of the Mozambique Drill

#7

Post by RSX11 »

First place I heard about the Mozambique drill was on Magnum PI. A guest at the mansion was practicing it...in the bathtub, to Higgin's great chagrin. Season 2, episode 8, "Mad Buck Gibson".
User avatar

The Annoyed Man
Senior Member
Posts in topic: 3
Posts: 26790
Joined: Wed Jan 16, 2008 12:59 pm
Location: North Richland Hills, Texas
Contact:

Re: History of the Mozambique Drill

#8

Post by The Annoyed Man »

Charles, one thing that would concern me is that teaching the elimination of the assessment pause entirely changes a "shoot to stop" into a "shoot to kill".......or at least, it would seem to be to be hard to argue otherwise. It doesn't bother me from a moral perspective. If I MUST shoot somebody, I've already made the determination that, if they die, it's on them, not me. But I wonder if you could make the "shoot to stop" argument in a courtroom, if your answer to a prosecutor about your level of training is that you were trained to go ahead and deliver the kill shot without assessment.

In your experience as an attorney, would that be a concern for someone involved in a defensive shooting? What are your thoughts?
“Hard times create strong men. Strong men create good times. Good times create weak men. And, weak men create hard times.”

― G. Michael Hopf, "Those Who Remain"

#TINVOWOOT
User avatar

RoyGBiv
Senior Member
Posts in topic: 1
Posts: 9505
Joined: Wed Jan 05, 2011 11:41 am
Location: Fort Worth

Re: History of the Mozambique Drill

#9

Post by RoyGBiv »

Taking a pause between shot 2 and 3 never meant, to me, going to low ready. If I'm in a place where I've taken 2 shots at an assailant, I've got zero worries about covering their head while quickly assessing the need for another shot.
I am not a lawyer. This is NOT legal advice.!
Nothing tempers idealism quite like the cold bath of reality.... SQLGeek
User avatar

The Annoyed Man
Senior Member
Posts in topic: 3
Posts: 26790
Joined: Wed Jan 16, 2008 12:59 pm
Location: North Richland Hills, Texas
Contact:

Re: History of the Mozambique Drill

#10

Post by The Annoyed Man »

RoyGBiv wrote:Taking a pause between shot 2 and 3 never meant, to me, going to low ready. If I'm in a place where I've taken 2 shots at an assailant, I've got zero worries about covering their head while quickly assessing the need for another shot.
I have no problem with that. Heck, I have no problem with the old-school method. My point was entirely having to do with whether (or not) the old school method is more easily defensible in court than the new method, in the unfortunate circumstances of having to defend yourself in court if you're involved in a self-defense shooting where things proceed to an indictment. I took Charles's explanation to mean zero pause between 2nd and 3rd shots. Perhaps I was mistaken.
“Hard times create strong men. Strong men create good times. Good times create weak men. And, weak men create hard times.”

― G. Michael Hopf, "Those Who Remain"

#TINVOWOOT
User avatar

Topic author
Charles L. Cotton
Site Admin
Posts in topic: 3
Posts: 17787
Joined: Wed Dec 22, 2004 9:31 pm
Location: Friendswood, TX
Contact:

Re: History of the Mozambique Drill

#11

Post by Charles L. Cotton »

I'm not going into a detailed discussion of this issue in an open forum. If you want more detail, then come to one of my seminars. Some people are reading far more into my statement that is remotely warranted. I am not suggesting that one turn a self-defense shooting into an execution. What I am suggesting is that one should not plan a delay in their response to a deadly assault that far too often has resulted in the death of the intended victim.

If deadly force is justified pursuant to Chp. 9, Tex. Penal Code, then one is justified in using "force that is intended or known by the actor to cause, or in the manner of its use or intended use is capable of causing, death or serious bodily injury." TPC §9.32(a)(A) allows one to use deadly force only to "protect the actor against the other's use or attempted use of unlawful deadly force" or to prevent certain crimes. No where in the code or case law is there a duty to use less-than-lethal force before using deadly force. You could fire one and only one round to the head of your attacker and Texas law does not change. Some seem to suggest that one or more rounds fired to the chest is somehow not "force intended" to cause death. That's not factually correct or legally significant.

The key point is whether one reasonably believes there is a threat, as opposed to continuing to engage someone when the threat is over. TPC §9.32(a)(2) allows one to use deadly force "when and to the degree" you reasonably believe deadly force is immediately necessary. When the threat no longer exists, the justification to keep shooting also ceases to exist.

I expressly stated that "t is more of a mental change than a physical change, but it shortens the response." To make a head shot, one must slow down and if the attacker is still a threat, then the third shot is taken. Again, it's a mental change that keeps one from getting shot while "assessing." Some seem to argue that there needs to be a period of assessment to see if an attacker will continue to press the attack. What precisely are you waiting for, incoming fire?

I have taken many top tier classes from top tier instructors and nothing I have learned is inconsistent with what I have stated. All have warned about the loss of higher order thinking, but that's more than I will discuss here. That's all I will say in an open forum.

Chas.
User avatar

tbrown
Senior Member
Posts in topic: 1
Posts: 1685
Joined: Thu Mar 17, 2011 4:47 pm

Re: History of the Mozambique Drill

#12

Post by tbrown »

If his head is still where you last saw it, after two hits to center mass, it's a fairly safe bet the fight is still on.
sent to you from my safe space in the hill country

WTR
Banned
Posts in topic: 1
Posts: 1931
Joined: Mon Nov 16, 2015 10:41 pm

Re: History of the Mozambique Drill

#13

Post by WTR »

When I was tought a double tap back in the 70s, it was one to the throat area and one to the head. This was by the head of the "tactical" team at my local PD.......didn't go by SWAT yet.

Mxrdad
Senior Member
Posts in topic: 1
Posts: 547
Joined: Sat Sep 24, 2016 4:55 pm

Re: History of the Mozambique Drill

#14

Post by Mxrdad »

Charles, when is your next scheduled seminar? I want to attend and hopefully bring the son and DIL. Thanks
Just some guy's opinion.
Post Reply

Return to “General Gun, Shooting & Equipment Discussion”