I just got back from a training trip in Brazil and there was a short, brutal reminder that the small details win in close-quarters work. We teach angles, minimizing exposure, and where to place yourself in the threshold so you have the tactical advantage. One officer who attended raised his hand and said, “This is exactly why this matters.” He’d seen another officer come around a corner wrong — the side of the gun and the arm were exposed — and get his hand cleaved clean off by a machete while the gun was still in his grip.
That’s the kind of thing that doesn’t feel theoretical once you’ve watched it happen.
Most people clear a corner by looking at the center of the room — the “middle of the picture.” That opens you up. When you stick your arm and the side of your weapon into the uncleared angle, the opponent can see and strike what you can’t. You’ve telegraphed yourself and given the ambush the advantage.
Pivot on the inside edge of the threshold and watch the edge, not the center. Your muzzle and head should move together so the only thing the uncleared angle ever sees is the end of the barrel — your eyes and sights tucked behind it. Ideally you and the threat see each other at the same moment. That gives you options: recover, drive in, or engage — but you aren’t arriving blind with your arm exposed.
This isn’t just a “tactical trick.” It’s about reducing exposure and increasing decision time. Whether you’re clearing rooms during a warrant, responding to an active threat, or training for worst-case scenarios, these small, repeatable habits save hands — and lives.
Watch the video above to see the demonstration and the common mistakes. Then train it until your body does the thinking.
Want deeper, guided practice? Check out our training resources and mission paths in the FSW library and app. Start building habits that hold up under stress.
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