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I have never participated in this drill so I have no experience here. I do have a question about it though based on personal experience.
As I understand the drill the assailant is about 21 feet away and can usually close on the good guy before the good guy can draw and fire. Is this basically correct?
OK. I had a confrontation years ago with a customer who objected to repossession of his major appliances. We were talking outside of his house in a workshed. Distance was about three feet. There was a tool box to his right a little in front of him with a row of bags of nails on top. The discussion was amicable when suddenly he grabbed a sledge hammer handle concealed on top of the tool chest behind the row of nail bags. The tool chest was about waist height. As he quickly raised the sledge overhead to cock for a strike, I slid off the line of attack by taking a large step with my right leg to my right rear oblique. Simultaneously with the step, I swept my sports coat with my strong hand and broke the thumbstrap. He had reached the top of his cocking swing at this point. He saw 1) that I had moved a step out of range and 2)that I was in the process of drawing a weapon. He released the hammer handle at the top of the swing. I backed up a few paces with my hand remaining on my pistol. The repossession proceeded with no further incidents.
The Tueller drill suggests that this guy should have beat my brains out. It didn't happen. I can't claim superior hand speed or superior hand/eye coordination. From martial art training I know I am well within average.
From other confrontations while I was still in repossessions I suspect I have higher octane adrenaline than the usual though. In real situations I have never had anyone manage to touch me if I saw them first. Not bragging or anything here, people, just trying to explain my experience to myself because it appears to contradict conventional wisdom.
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