Singleton CQB: Shallow Entry Technique (Part 2 of 2)

This short article is taken from our Single-Person CQB Online Course and companion book. It provides step-by-step instructions for conducting one of the many techniques taught in the course: the “shallow entry” technique, also sometimes referred to as limited penetration. We have explained this technique in two articles. This article explains the second half of the technique. Click HERE to see the first article. We welcome your reactions, comments and ideas on our Facebook page and if you like the article, click below to check out our free preview of the Single Person CQB Online Course.

Review of Shallow Entry (Limited Penetration) Concept

A key difference between team operations and single-person operations is that as a single-person, there are many cases when you will not want to penetrate too far into a room. You may want to get into the room quickly to avoid greater exposure in a hallway, but you will want to stay close to the door so you can escape the way you came should more adversaries come at you from adjacent rooms.

The shallow entry techniques (sometimes called “limited penetration” techniques) are designed to prevent you from becoming over-committed or trapped deep in a target room. In single-person operations, it is often better to stay closer to a door so you can quickly move through it to avoid threats coming from either direction. Don’t commit too far into the room and cut off your own route of escape. However, still observe the rule of keeping several meters between you and the door to avoid getting hit by indiscriminate fire.

If there is a lot of furniture and uncleared dead space in the room, the shallow entry can make you vulnerable since you have not gone deep enough to see if anyone is hiding behind the furniture. In this situation, you might want to penetrate deeper and clear the entire room using the deep entry technique described later on.

It is also advisable to go on and complete the deep entry if you plan on staying in the room for any length of time. In general, the shallow entry is most useful if you want to quickly enter and clear the room to momentarily get out of an exposed area or hallway. Once you are ready to keep moving, you will exit the room and move along to clear the next room.

The shallow entry techniques call for a 180-degree kneeling pivot movement. If you have trouble conducting this movement it is possible to execute the shallow entry techniques without kneeling, though kneeling helps reduce your risk of getting shot by an adversary hiding in the corner of the room.

TECHNIQUE: Shallow Entry (Center-Fed, Open Door) Part 2 of 2

Refer to the numbered images below as you read the instructions for how to conduct the shallow entry technique. Note this is the second half of the technique. To see the first part of the technique click HERE. Also, for the sake of space in this article, the images have been condensed but they are larger in the full course/book.

STEP 6: Conduct Half-Sweep and Move Towards the Door

When we left off in the last article, you had already completed the sweep and were ready to move towards the door to conduct the shallow entry. First, conduct a half-sweep in the opposite direction you just moved until you are facing the open door. Then, move directly towards the door. Moving directly towards the door will give you the best observation into the room. You will also notice that as you get closer, more and more of the room will come into view as the angle of your vision widens. This means you will be exposing yourself to more of the room little-by-little as opposed to all at once. Stay alert for threats as you approach.

STEP 7: Quick-Look Opposite the Direction of Clear

As you approach the doorway begin to orient your weapon in the direction you are going to clear first. If the door opens inward, it is generally best to clear in the opposite direction of the door, unless you detect noise, movement or light coming from the opposite side. As you break the plane of the door, give a quick look over your shoulder in the direction opposite the direction you are clearing. Then look back in the direction your weapon is pointing and clear that corner. While it might not seem logical to look over your shoulder, away from the direction your weapon is pointing, repeated practice will show you that this move actually makes it easier to hit targets in each corner. If you do not get in the habit of looking over your shoulder when you enter the room, it is very easy to get “sucked in” and focus completely on the first corner and be slow to pivot and clear the opposite corner. Looking over the shoulder takes only a fraction of a second and gives you a quick snapshot of any adversaries in that corner, which makes it much easier for you to identify them and engage them after you turn. The movement is similar to quickly looking both ways before crossing the street or checking oncoming traffic before making a turn at an intersection.

STEP 8: Clear the Corner

After glancing over your shoulder, look back in the direction your weapon is pointing and clear that corner as you move into the room.

STEP 9: Kneeling Pivot

From here, pivot 180-degrees, turning towards the direction of the room and clear the opposite corner. If possible, drop to a knee or squat down while you conduct this movement. Dropping to a knee or squatting makes you more difficult to hit in the event that there is an adversary in the corner who was about to shoot you in the back as you entered the room. You would see this adversary when you glanced over your shoulder, coming into the room. That initial snapshot will make it easier to engage the adversary as you turn. Once you have cleared both corners, remain in the room and back away from the door slightly.

This completes the second half of the “shallow entry” technique. We hope you found the short article useful and once again we welcome your reactions, comments or suggestions on our Facebook page where we frequently hold constructive discussions on tactics with people from various tactical backgrounds and experience levels. Also, click below if you would like to check out the first two modules of our online course for free.