THE SCARABIN SHOOTING TECHNIQUE FOR LAW ENFORCEMENT SURVIVAL By Doug Scarabin

Let me begin by giving you a brief description of my background. I am a Lieutenant with the Florida Department Of Corrections. I have worked for the department for 13 years. I have competed in state pistol competitions as well as competed against Military Special Forces Teams. I have also competed in the Florida Police Olympics. I am a Florida Department Of Law Enforcement Firearms Instructor, as well as a Range master, Driving Instructor, General Instructor, and Defensive Tactics Instructor. I am also certified as an Electronic Incapacitation Device (Stun Gun) Instructor through Stun Tech. Technology. I hold a dual certification in Corrections and Law enforcement and am an auxillary Sheriffs Deputy. I have spent the last 13 years of my life, keeping some of the worst criminals in the world locked behind bars. I have learned many techniques throughout my career in law enforcement. One of the most valuable lessons I have learned is to never think you know everything and never close your mind to a new technique or idea. You could very well miss an opportunity to save your life or the life of a loved one by closing your mind to new ideas and having a know it all mindset. I have learned that playing the what if game will keep you on your toes and to always see the bad in every situation without becoming overly paranoid or completely depressing yourself. I have taught traditional methods in the Firearms Classes I have taught in the past. These methods are the only methods I am allowed to teach because I am obligated to teach what is in the F.D.L.E. manual while teaching Law Enforcement and corrections recruit classes. I have always been one to try new techniques, especially when it comes to protecting my life or the lives of my loved ones. I was on the river one night years ago with a friend of mine and we were frog gigging. My friend told me that if I would place the spotlight I was holding on top of my head it would take the glare off of everything and I would be able to see much better. I was surprised at how much better I could see without the glare that I had normally experienced from holding the light out in front of me. Fast forward to the present when I took that knowledge I gained all those years ago and utilized it in a new technique that I have dubbed (The Scarabin Technique). I fully believe in this technique and am going to submit it to the F.D.L.E. and ask them to approve it for use in future F.D.L.E. training classes. There are two techniques we presently teach (I will not name the techniques at this time but will give a brief description of the way they are used so you can compare for yourself). One technique has the shooter holding a light in the weak hand and passing it under the shooting hand and placing it backhand to backhand, with your left thumb or left middle finger depressing the on/off switch, depending on where the on/off switch is located on the flashlight. This position utilizes a weaver stance. The second technique has the shooter in an Isosceles stance, basically pointing the firearm straight out in front with the strong hand, and the weak hand holding the flashlight with the thumbs of both hands together. This only allows for a flashlight with the on/off button on the side of the flashlight. I have been shooting for many years and I personally find both of these techniques very hard to utilize compared to my technique. Before we get into the meat of my technique let me clear a few things up. Most people laugh when I initially show them this technique but I have proven time and time again that the Scarabin Technique is faster, safer, smoother, and allows more control options when utilizing force. Those of you in Law Enforcement understand that you need all the options you can when using force, especially when the cameras are rolling on you from the third floor balcony and the media gets done with their spin on how things went down, and edit out the part where the suspect tried to stab you 10 times. Everyday citizens have no idea what goes on in a prison or on the street with a violent individual and how fast your life can be taken away from you. I hope that this technique will give someone a second opportunity at life or the opportunity to save the life of someone else. If nothing else it will give you one more tool to put in your arsenal of self defense tactics.

O.K. Step 1. Begin by taking your stance. With this technique I prefer the Isosceles stance. Step 2. Draw your weapon and get on target, remembering not to put your finger on the trigger until ready to fire. Step 3. Draw your lighting device (flashlight) and place it on top of your head, with your middle finger or thumb on the on off switch, however your flashlight is designed. With not much practice at all, almost instantaneously as a matter of fact, your light beam will line up with wherever your face is pointing. As you rotate your head from side to side, you allow the flashlight to go along with your head. You will see that wherever you look, your light will be there. Step 4. Make sure that your weak hand elbow is not blocking your peripheral vision. You will not have to adjust much at all. That's it! Simple huh? Now we will go over why this technique works so well and we will discuss the pro's and cons of this technique.

Pros: 1.The light from your flashlight will not blind you as it will with other techniques. 2.The light will illuminate your front and rear sights as well as the target, giving you a clear picture of everything you need to succeed at hitting your "intended" target. 3. Your weak arm will be in the perfect position to give an overhand strike should you have the need to resort to less than deadly force. 4. Your weak arm as well as the flashlight placement will afford some protection to you in case you are struck in the top of the head from behind. 5. Extremely quick response time with flashlight at getting on target and remaining on target.

Cons: 1. You are limited to an Isosceles stance to a certain degree, but the weaver can still be utilized.

I find that the slight limitation of the weaver stance is that peripheral view is slightly limited but can be worked out with practice. The technique I have shown you needs little to no practice, depending on your skill level. These movements are natural and help you get on target ad stay on target with maximum efficiency. I have had people say that you are only shooting with one hand with this technique. I challenge you to see for yourself how much more accurate you are and also time yourself and see the speed difference. With other techniques you are merely interfering with your shooting abilities by having the weak hand pressed next to the shooting hand, in my opinion, it throws you off terribly. You will have people say that the light is just giving them something to shoot at. Any technique you use will give them something to shoot at and if you hold the light in front of your body they have a much bigger target to shoot at. Speed is the key here as you will get a shot off quicker than other techniques because you are not spending all night trying to find the target.....it's right where you are looking! I will leave you with this thought.....Try it for yourself! write down all the pro's and cons you come up with and then time yourself and look at the shot group on your target. I have found no other technique that even comes close to mine! Good luck and may God Bless You and Yours.

If I can be of further assistance feel free to e-mail me at dougscarabin@hughes.net or check out my website at www.kinardcountrystore.com

sincerely, Doug Scarabin

About the Author

I am a Lieutenant with the Florida Department Of Corrections. I have worked for the department for 13 years. I have competed in state pistol competitions as well as competed against Military Special Forces Teams. I have also competed in the Florida Police Olympics. I am a Florida Department Of Law Enforcement Firearms Instructor, as well as a Range master, Driving Instructor, General Instructor, and Defensive Tactics Instructor. I am also certifi