IV. Volume
COP (C.O.P.
stands for “composure, op-
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portunity, and platform)
Now this cannot be removed entirely but it can be de-
May 2018
Edition
creased through the use of movement,
cover and
con-
cealment.
For any shooter to employ accurate fire he/she must All 3 of these are necessary to the component “opportuni-
have all three components.
ty”.
They must possess composure in the sense of stress miti- A moving target is more difficult to hit than a station-
gation.
ary target.
While running is always preferable to entering a gun Additionally, a target that resides behind the safety of
fight unarmed we must understand that abandoning the ballistically resistant cover also cannot be shot.
fight entirely allows the shooter to retain his composure
by not inducing stress on them.
Finally, removing the ability for the shooter to see a
target through the use of concealment also greatly de-
This is a basic concept that is often exemplified in force creases the shooter’s ability to accurately put rounds
on force training within the law enforcement and military on target.
training communities.
The final component is that of “platform” or the more fa-
Shooting is one thing, shooting against a foe who is intent miliar term stance.
on not letting you do so is an entirely different animal.
All weapon systems require the use of a stable shooting
Even among trained individuals, accuracy of fire is reduced platform in order to accurately operate.
by as much as 50% when external stressors are added in.
Whether competitive target shooting or tactical shooting
The “opportunity” within the COP acrostic refers to giving both disciplines training regimes highlight the effect that
the shooter an opportunity to place rounds on target.
an unstable platform can have on accuracy.
If a shooter does not have the opportunity to We mentioned above that introducing psychological ex-
shoot you, you can’t be shot.
ternal stressors can reduce accuracy by as much as 50%.
But imagine now the inclu-
sion of physical stressors as
well.
Grabbing the gun, wrestling
with the attacker, throwing
objects that force the attack-
ers physiological body alarm
response mechanism to en-
gage.
Even among highly trained
individuals the ability to
master one of these com-
ponents takes years and
mastering all 3 can take a
lifetime.
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