Instructors have taught the “Surprise Break” trigger break concept to shooters for years. This is the concept that the moment the round goes off, it should be a surprise to the shooter. A shooter who works on mastering his breathing, executes a proper trigger squeeze and holds the weapon properly should, according to the surprise break theory, have a round mysteriously go off and perfectly strike the target where the shooter is aiming at.
Unfortunately, not everyone understands the instructional context and intent of the surprise trigger break.
Surprise Trigger Break in Concept
In concept, the surprise break is a good idea. It focuses on eliminating recoil anticipation, which is a malady that affects many shooters. It is often difficult to untrain someone from doing this. A shooter who anticipates recoil will tend to force the barrel of the weapon down at the moment of firing, to try to compensate for recoil. This generally results in rounds impacting lower than the shooter intended.
The fix on the range is the surprise break. At the moment of surprise, every human shooting element (grip, breathing, sight picture) should be in perfect harmony. The bullet lands exactly where you intended it to go. Human error should not prevent the round from hitting the desired destination.
Here’s the problem. This is a training technique, not a gunfighting technique.
We train to fight. We don’t train to train. Nor do we train to train to fight…
The Person Behind the Trigger is the Most Important Factor
By the time a bullet leaves the barrel, there are many forces at work that affect its eventual destination. Arguably, internal ballistics (what happens to the round when it is still in the firearm after the primer has been struck) has more to do with where a round lands than does external ballistics (what the round does after it leaves the barrel of the weapon).
The primary effector of accurate round placement as it relates to internal ballistics is the person pulling the trigger. The most precise weapon system, equipped with the latest in state-of-the-art optics, coupled with match grade ammunition is ultimately most affected by human error. More so than wind, elevation, atmosphere, gravity, angles and so on. The person behind the gun is the most significant force in terms of being able to put accurate rounds downrange.
Poor sight alignment, mashing the trigger, improper grip, anticipating recoil. The list goes on and on of shooter mistakes that can affect accuracy. We do what we can to compensate for this. We train to solve these issues.
“Surprise Break” Doesn’t Really Work in a Gunfight
Waiting for the “surprise moment” when engaging an armed assailant(s) just isn’t realistic. If enemy rounds are kicking up dirt in close proximity to you, it is unlikely that you will reach a Zen-like moment of clarity, where you and the gun are one, you release half a breath, and then the round leaves the barrel unexpectantly, eliminating the threat. This technique may work at your neighborhood range, but not on the two-way range.
The physiological effects of being in an SYPIF (Shi**ing Your Pants In Fear) scenario will definitely negate the potential positive effects of the Surprise Break training technique. Tunnel vision, highly elevated heartbeat, degradation of basic motor skills, and massive adrenaline spikes will cause you to fire repeatedly and aggressively at the threat. You won’t have time to wait for the surprise…..The only surprise may be a warm spot in the front of your pants or a brown stain in the back. The surprises you really want to avoid are any new holes in your body that didn’t exist there when you were born.
The killing of another human being, to protect yourself or anyone else, should be a deliberate process. There should be no surprises involved. You’re trying to kill them before they kill you. It’s that simple. Generally, this needs to be done as quickly and efficiently as possible.
The Suprise Trigger Break Probably Won’t Hold Up in Court
And, from a legal standpoint, do you want to go court and defend your actions by saying you waited for the surprise when encountering a deadly threat? Even a mediocre defense attorney is going to easily attack that.
“So, you’re saying the gun went off in your hands?”
“If I understand you correctly, you were surprised when the gun fired? Like you didn’t intend for it to go off?”
SURPRISE! You are getting sued and you might be going to jail! Use of force experts who testify in court cases should be aware of this.
We train to fight, not train to train. The Surprise Break, albeit an effective training technique, needs to be left in your range bag when there is gunfighting that needs to be done. As a diagnostic, it can be used to modify or fix common human errors while trying to fire a weapon. However, don’t confuse a training technique with a gunfighting technique.
