Is someone disparaging the Guru? That's not a good idea.
I started my journey with handguns about the same time that the Colonel published his book, The Principles of Personal Defense. It was a bible, a handbook, a clarion of the Modern Technique. It is still relevant today, and the techniques that Cooper taught are still being taught worldwide.
Jeff Cooper was a forward-thinking person who espoused what was at the time, the very best he could offer, and he was not above reviewing other techniques and taking the good while discarding the frivolous. But, if we distill his writings and teachings, what he truly espoused was mindset. The mental activities that must occur before a fight to put one in the proper thinking for mayhem.
Are there better handguns than the 1911? We can debate that. Is the Weaver stance still relevant today? It's certainly a good tool to have in your tool box. Are there better tools available today? Well, science, technology, and man's understanding moves forward. The automotive world still stands on the breakthroughs that Henry Ford delivered. The world of physics still studies the theories of Newton. In every field of human endeavor, we stand on the shoulders of the people who came before us, and in the world of handguns and practical pistol-craft, we still stand on the shoulders of Jeff Cooper.
1 comment:
Guns and training evolve. What was the best of both in Wyatt Earp day was outdated when Frank Hammer was chasing down Bonnie and Clyde. What Jim Cirillo did in the 60’s was outdated when Jeff Cooper was in his prime training time in the 80’s. Jeff Coopers training and equipment are outdated today.
That doesn’t mean he wasn’t an amazing guy and didn’t do amazing things. Nor should a person speak ill of him. However respectfully saying that new technology is available and folks have figured out better ways to do things in the last 30-40 years isnt ‘disparaging’ Jeff Cooper.
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