There are always the same discussions around CQB online: Dynamic entry or slicing the room? Short or long gun? How fast do you need to be? And which approach actually works when?
What I always find interesting about Project Gecko are Eli's almost scientific and analytical debriefs. Instead of simply showing how a scenario played out, they take a close look afterwards: Where did the shots land? What angles did the shooter actually have? Which areas of a room are effectively “black spots” that I simply cannot cover from my position?
That is exactly the kind of content you get in the latest video. After a full Advanced CQB week, Ellie takes a look at the training site and uses the marking ammunition to show what actually happened during the different scenarios.
Image above: What do the angles of the marking ammunition tell us? What specific conclusions should be drawn for training? Why was the door hit even though the “path” was clear? Source: YouTube/ProjectGecko
And some of it gets pretty interesting. On doors and walls, you can trace hit groups and impacts, in some cases even the angles the shots came from and what difference proper footwork makes. Especially around door frames, tight angles and different body positions, you can see how quickly shots end up somewhere other than where you intended – or how close an operator actually came to taking a direct hit.
The question of exposed upper and lower body parts also comes up repeatedly. When you move around an angle, you automatically change your own exposure. At the same time, there are areas the opponent may only be able to see to a very limited extent.
CQB Often Looks Different in the Debrief
That is exactly why I find the debrief so interesting. During a scenario, everything happens within a matter of seconds. Afterwards, you can look at every single impact and ask yourself: Why did the shot land there, and what does that mean for me? The question of whether a fast entry actually makes sense in a particular situation can also be looked at from a completely different perspective this way.
Because that is what training is ultimately about: Not just running through procedures, but looking at what actually happened afterwards.
The full video covering the CQB debrief is now available on Project Gecko's YouTube channel: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=r12OBqL4u90
