Moving forward or backward in a fight is fairly simple. Move forward by stepping out with the lead foot, landing on the heel and rolling to the toe. The same motion in reverse is used to move backward, toe to heel. Lateral motion is obtained by what is called “Big Step, Little Step.” Take a long step with the lead foot in the direction that you want to go and follow it with a shorter step from the opposite foot in a shuffling motion, making sure you don’t cross your feet. All movement, regardless of direction, should be conducted with the upper body slightly forward and the knees slightly bent.
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OMG not another "tactical walking" fad. Ever since the government ginned up the Glock and AR-15 fads by trying to ban them.(and the '90s Non-ASW "ban") "Tacticool" and all the silly assed dweeb bullshit IT spawned has dominated the American shooting world. This will not make you cool-it will not make you a better shooter-it will not make you "tactical". It WILL make you look like a ninja wannabe dork. Kinda Like putting ten pounds of sex toys on your Almost (a) Rifle this is another internet fad to be rabidly defended as the second coming by the fanboys.
Don't over-complicate things.
Running while moving is good to know. It's harder to hit a moving target, let alone a moving target shooting back at you. So it is a good skill to have.
But there's a very good chance you're never going to use it. Ever.
Training with "Toe to heel..." and "Big Step, Little Step" also just complicates matters to the point of being useless.
"All movement, regardless of direction, should be conducted with the upper body slightly forward and the knees slightly bent..."
How many steps have you taken in your life? How many steps have you taken with things in your hands or your arms?
Believe it or not, but I'm pretty sure everyone reading this knows how to walk.
It's no different with a rifle or a handgun in your hands.
Just walk. Aim, and shoot the gun. 'Nuff Said.
You know how to walk. You know how to shoot. So go ahead and walk and shoot.
It takes practice, yes.
Find a place to go shooting that will allow you to move around a bit, then walk, slowly at first, while firing your gun at a target and transitioning to/from you secondary, then pick up some speed, and get good at it.
That being said...
Moving and shooting on a flat surface, in the safety of a shooting range is totally different to what you may encounter in real life. What if you're up to your elbows in muck? What if you're going uphill? Downhill? What if the surface is icy and you (and others) are slipping causing bones to break, or causing lacerations to ones arms or legs, and you can't keep your footing?
When bullets start flying over your head, and things around you are going "BOOM!" you're going to forget all about "Toe to Heel" or "Big Step, Little Step" or anything else that is too complicated beyond:
"How do I live through this?" Everything else that does not support that one objective will be forgotten fast.
You're gonna be on your knees, or on your belly crawling in the dirt or in the mud, or in the ice or the snow, and the one thing on your mind will be: "Find the tallest, thickest piece of cover I can get to in the shortest amount of time, get that cover between me and the guy shooting at me, AND STAY THERE!"
Everything else will fly right out the window.
Look at combat footage from Iraq or Afghanistan. I haven't been able to find a single piece of footage of soldiers running and shooting at the same time. If they're running, then they're running to cover where they can shoot from.
It's always: Run to cover. Aim. Shoot. If the situation dictates, then run your ass off to another, nearby, cover for a new and perhaps better position. Aim. Shoot. Repeat as needed.
If you're actually in an situation where you can shoot while running, you're most likely the best target available to the bad guys already.
IDPA, USPSA and 3 Gun (if you want to use a long gun) are games where you can practice shooting on the move under the pressure of the clock.
Search online and you can probably find a match near you.
Here I am muddling through IDPA
Shoot while moving is a supersize version of shoot while breathing. You can learn to shoot during your breathing cycle easily enough, but the key consideration is practice, practice, practice. Gross motor skills trump fine motor skills under stress, with the caveat being that the more you practice correctly, the more some fine motor skill can be integrated into your combatives training. As has been said, once the first rounds go past, your motivation to not be standing up, goes up a few notches.
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