Simple is Fast and Simple Works
May/11/2017 09:02
Simple is Fast: Applying Ockham's Razor to Defensive Shooting by Jay Izienicki - Chief Instructor
Simplicity is the spice of life. Albert Einstein once said, “Everything should be kept as simple as possible, but not simpler.” In this article I would like to re-establish a 700 year old position that advocates for simplicity. My hope is that it will be embraced by new and advanced shooters alike once I explain “why” simple is better. This simplistic mindset should be used to evaluate the latest tactical gear, the uber cool and super sexy Johhny Shogun High Speed Draw and the tacti-cool Over the Shoulder and Around the Corner Operator Prone position that we see popping up everywhere on the internet.
The truth is, simple is better and simple isn’t sexy. But simple works – it is effective. The shortest distance between two points is a straight line – simple. In that critical defensive moment you will need everything to be simple and effective. Nobody is going to give a damn what you look like or what kind of pants or belt you are wearing when you are saving your life, a loved one or your partner. All you care about is that when the time comes you will get it done – fast and effective.
In today’s firearm’s industry we are seeing an explosion of many new “techniques” bearing the name of the person who developed it or having some super tacti-cool name placed on it so everyone will take notice. Most of this stuff is done so the personalities on the internet can stay relevant and sell more stuff, not necessarily teach you a better technique. All the things that look cool are not exactly the shortest distance between two points and likely don’t have a place in the reality of defensive shooting. Don’t confuse what looks cool with learning a defensive skill that will actually save your life. You have to be realistic and understand, there is a difference between what sells and gets likes on social media and what saves your life at the mall, on patrol, in your car or in your home.
People are going to great lengths to make it seem as though they have come up with some revolutionary technique that no one has ever seen. Well, they’re right in one aspect, we would never have expected to see “that” because there was no reason to do “that” in the first place. Like in the movie Jurassic Park, people have gotten so caught up with “if they could” they forgot to stop and ask “if they should.” If It’s not broke don’t fix it comes to mind.
When we examine these new “techniques” closely we find that there really are only small or insignificant tweaks or, worse yet, additional steps added to an already well established and simple technique. Adding another step or some subtle variation only adds potential problems to the well-established, battlefield proven techniques that have produced results, in major part, because of their simplicity. This is the potential problem with new, complex and untested techniques. Last I checked the draw has had the same 4 fundamental steps for decades and I can’t for the life of me figure out why anyone would want to add a fifth.
In today’s firearm’s industry we are seeing an explosion of many new “techniques” bearing the name of the person who developed it or having some super tacti-cool name placed on it so everyone will take notice. Most of this stuff is done so the personalities on the internet can stay relevant and sell more stuff, not necessarily teach you a better technique. All the things that look cool are not exactly the shortest distance between two points and likely don’t have a place in the reality of defensive shooting. Don’t confuse what looks cool with learning a defensive skill that will actually save your life. You have to be realistic and understand, there is a difference between what sells and gets likes on social media and what saves your life at the mall, on patrol, in your car or in your home.
People are going to great lengths to make it seem as though they have come up with some revolutionary technique that no one has ever seen (see above). Well, they’re right in one aspect, we would never have expected to see “that” because there was no reason to do “that” in the first place. Like in the movie Jurassic Park, people have gotten so caught up with “if they could” they forgot to stop and ask “if they should.” If It’s not broke don’t fix it comes to mind.
When we examine these new “techniques” closely we find that there really are only small or insignificant tweaks or, worse yet, additional steps added to an already well established and simple technique. Adding another step or some subtle variation only adds potential problems to the well-established, battlefield proven techniques that have produced results, in major part, because of their simplicity. This is the potential problem with new, complex and untested techniques. Last I checked the draw has had the same 4 fundamental steps for decades and I can’t for the life of me figure out why anyone would want to add a fifth.
What is this groundbreaking and time tested principle? Ockham’s Razor. Maybe you’ve heard of it before or maybe you think you know what it is. The reality is most people have no clue. Ockham’s Razor applies to almost all areas of our environment and represents the basis of our investigation of the universe. That’s pretty heavy, so what does it have to do with gun fighting? Fair question, let’s see.
The principle of Ockham’s Razor is explained like this, among competing hypotheses that predict equally well, the one with the fewest assumptions should be selected – the fewer the assumptions the better. The term razor refers to differentiating between the two hypotheses by shaving away unnecessary assumptions or steps.
William of Ockham stated it this way “it is futile to do with more things that which can be done with fewer.” Translation? When given two explanations for the same thing, the simpler one is usually the correct one. Simple is better.
Why? Simpler explanations are generally better than more complex ones because the more complex it is the more possible, and ultimately incorrect, steps there are. This reinforces the concept that the most direct route between two points is a straight line. The more off course you get, the more steps you add and the more turns you make create more potentially negative outcomes that are likely to come into play. If Ockham’s Razor applies to the working of the universe around us and has been relevant for over 700 years, why make things more complex and increase the likelihood of negative outcomes in a defensive encounter that lasts less than 3 seconds?
There is nothing wrong with simple, so why make it more difficult and for no reason other than the cool factor? Not only does this apply to your physical processes and training, but it also applies to your gear. Adding lights, lasers, grips, optics (batteries fail), bi-pods and every other accessory known to man on your weapon platform goes against what has been universally proven to be correct by Ockham’s Razor – simple is better. Keep doing the same things that are getting you positive results over and over again and stick with it. Don’t change just for the sake of change.
You don’t always need the latest gadgets or flashy techniques; you just need to win your confrontation with a criminal threat. Your objective is simplicity. Use Ockham’s Razor to shave off wasted movement and effort, streamline your technique and create the desired simple and effective results. Added steps create variables that increase the chance of a breakdown under pressure - our previous article covered this principle. Remember, that if you add new steps to your already established system or process and you have not practiced it perfectly, you are actually creating a roadblock in your action potential. This roadblock will either increase your time to perform it or you will fall to your lowest level of training on that system or in that process. Either way the end result is not good. Stay with what is simple.
We’ve covered a lot ground this time around. Hopefully you can now see that you shouldn’t change boats in the middle of the river. If it is working then stay the course. If you are under the supervision of a qualified instructor and they determine a glitch in your technique or process, a change may be necessary to perfect it. But ask “why” before accepting the change. If it doesn’t satisfy your desired outcome, don’t change. That is the constant student mentality and development over time you want and need. But changing for the sake of change itself is a foolish decision with dire consequences. William of Ockham recognized over 700 years ago that any new and more complex theory can still possibly be true but at the same time the simpler theory just has fewer alternatives to be false. Why bring more negative variables into your life for no reason.
Time is life in a gun fight, why mess with that?
Stay in the fight.