Mike Seeklander on proper grip

Way of the Gun training class review

Chief Weem's report:

Move!

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=dDmLcoyV224&list=UUe9yHuiTE1ecyFV7uBiSSRA

William April

Here!

Zen and the art of hitting stuff

Interesting...

How to shoot faster Kyle DeFoor

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=tsO4KC-XmAI

Interesting read on self-defense

http://www.teddytactical.com/Redesign/Study/2006/02_StudyDay.html

Free videos

http://www.personaldefensenetwork.com/free-videos/

COL Cooper's color codes:

 Considering the principles of personal defense, we have long since come up with the Color Code. This has met with surprising success in debriefings throughout the world. The Color Code, as we preach it, runs white, yellow, orange, and red, and is a means of setting one’s mind into the proper condition when exercising lethal violence, and is not as easy as I had thought at first. 

There is a problem in that some students insist upon confusing the appropriate color with the amount of danger evident in the situation. As I have long taught, you are not in any color state because of the specific amount of danger you may be in, but rather in a mental state which enables you to take a difficult psychological step.

• White: Unaware and unprepared. If attacked in Condition White, the only thing that may save you is the inadequacy or ineptitude of your attacker. When confronted by something nasty, your reaction will probably be "Oh my God! This can't be happening to me."            
• Yellow: Relaxed alert. No specific threat situation. Your mindset is that "today could be the day I may have to defend myself". You are simply aware that the world is a potentially unfriendly place and that you are prepared to defend yourself, if necessary. You use your eyes and ears, and realize that "I may have to shoot today". You don't have to be armed in this state, but if you are armed you should be in Condition Yellow. You should always be in Yellow whenever you are in unfamiliar surroundings or among people you don't know. You can remain in Yellow for long periods, as long as you are able to "Watch your six." (In aviation 12 o'clock refers to the direction in front of the aircraft's nose. Six o'clock is the blind spot behind the pilot.) In Yellow, you are "taking in" surrounding information in a relaxed but alert manner, like a continuous 360 degree radar sweep.                                                                                                            
• Orange: Specific alert. Something is not quite right and has your attention. Your radar has picked up a specific alert. You shift your primary focus to determine if there is a threat (but you do not drop your six). Your mindset shifts to "I may have to shoot that person today", focusing on the specific target which has caused the escalation in alert status. In Condition Orange, you set a mental trigger: "If that person does "X", I will need to stop them". Your pistol usually remains holstered in this state. Staying in Orange can be a bit of a mental strain, but you can stay in it for as long as you need to. If the threat proves to be nothing, you shift back to Condition Yellow.
•  
• Red: Condition Red is fight. Your mental trigger (established back in Condition Orange) has been tripped. "If 'X' happens I will shoot that person" - 'X' has happened, the fight is on.

"In White you are unprepared and unready to take lethal action. If you are attacked in White you will probably die unless your adversary is totally inept.

In Yellow you bring yourself to the understanding that your life may be in danger and that you may have to do something about it.

In Orange you have determined upon a specific adversary and are prepared to take action which may result in his death, but you are not in a lethal mode.

In Red you are in a lethal mode and will shoot if circumstances warrant."

FBI qualification course of fire.

FBI POC 2009

Target- FBI QIT-99TCA target (short bottle) 2 points per hit inside Q area, fired from concealment.

3 yards, draw and fire 3 rounds dominant hand only, switch hands and fire 3 rounds non-dominant hand only in 8 seconds.

5 yards, draw and fire 3 rounds in 3 seconds. Repeat twice, total of 3 strings.

7 yards, draw and fire 4 rounds in 4 seconds. Repeat once, total of 2 strings.

7 yards, start with 1 round in chamber, empty mag in place. Draw and fire 1 round, Slide Lock reload and fire 5 additional rounds all in 8 seconds.

15 yards, from the ready on signal fire 3 rounds in 5 seconds. Repeat twice, total of 3 strings

25 yards, start with 8 rounds in the gun. Draw and fire 4 rounds standing Barricade, 4 rounds kneeling Barricade, reload and fire 4 rounds prone in 50 seconds.

50 rounds total, 2 points per hit, 100 points possible.

FBI agents must score 80 points to pass. FBI Instructors must score 90.

"My Gunfight" by Larry Correia

My Gunfight - "Thinking Outside Your Box"
by Larry Correia...well done.

"Thinking outside your box"

"...Assumptions are awesome when they're actually right, but they sure can hurt when you're wrong......"

by Larry Correia

I've been a concealed carry instructor for five years, I hang out with a bunch of gun nuts, and I've been around self-defense buffs for most of my adult life. In that time I've seen a recurring theme, and unfortunately it can be a dangerous one. Many of us have something in common.

I call it My Gunfight. We've imagined a scene, a violent encounter, in our head. And in this scene, we take decisive action and we prevail and save the day. Many of us have a mental fabrication of what My Gunfight is going to be like.

Most people who chose to carry a gun have done this. I have myself. It isn't anything to be ashamed of. In fact, it really helps develop a proper mindset to be able to realistically assess what kind of terrible things can happen to you and start laying some groundwork about how we want to respond.
The problem comes in when we make assumptions about My Gunfight.

Assumptions are awesome when they're actually right, but they sure can hurt when you're wrong.
I have had students tell me that they never practice at anything past conversational distance, because the average gunfight takes place at only seven feet. See, in Their Gunfight, the bad guy will be conveniently placed at a distance that they can actually hit stuff.

Sadly, there's no such thing as an average gunfight. The only thing they have in common is that they all suck. If you only prepare for a gunfight inside an elevator, it will be a bummer when the crazy guy starts shooting at you across the mall. I've had students tell me that if the assailant is that far away, then they wouldn't be justified in shooting. That's also a mistake. There are hundreds of reasons why you might need to shoot somebody out past conversational distance. And if you find yourself in a situation where you need to, you dang well better have practiced.

Another assumption I get from many students is that they will have plenty of time to draw their gun and get it into action. Oftentimes these folks want to carry with an empty chamber. There is a misconception that this is somehow safer, and besides in Their Gunfight, they'll have plenty of time, and both hands available, to get their pistol into action.

In real life, the bad guys may not be as compliant as the ones in Your Gunfight. In real life, the violence may occur so quickly that you do not have time to rack the slide. Or you may have one hand occupied holding the bad guy back from stabbing you in the head with a screwdriver. The point is, you won't know until it happens. Even best case scenario you've added a significant amount of time to your draw stroke (and if you've been in a fight to the death, you know that even a second is a significant amount of time), and one more chance to fumble and screw up.

During my regular class, I integrate a role-playing session. We go through several realistic scenarios with students and actors armed with rubber weapons. All of these scenarios are based on actual cases, and like real life, most of them tend to happen quickly.

Usually after going through the role-plays, nobody is tempted to carry chamber empty anymore. A fatal assumption was pointed out in Their Gunfight, and they adjust accordingly. If you're really worried about carrying with a loaded chamber, get a good, safe holster that keeps the gun secure and protects the trigger. If you still have a mental hang up, switch to a gun that has a heavier trigger or other safety devices. Anything is faster and safer than assuming you'll be in a position to rack a slide.
These are just a few examples of assumptions caused by My Gunfight.

One of my personal favorite students of all time was hung up, not only on carrying chamber empty, but he also had a belief that he would "easily" be able to neutralize the bad guy by shooting them in the leg. No, I kid you not. He brought this up repeatedly during class, even after I pointed out that it could be just as fatal only slower, the same lethal force in the eyes of the law, and with the added benefit of not being nearly as effective at incapacitating an actual threat. What did I know? I was only the guy he was paying to teach him this stuff.

During the role-play, he was lucky enough to get a scenario that I use to demonstrate the principles of a Tueller drill. Without going into too many details, I'm playing the part of an obviously dangerous threat, interrupted in the act of committing a forcible felony on a third person, with the ability and opportunity to cause him serious bodily harm, and I just happen to start twenty-one feet away with a rubber knife.

I charged. He went for his gun. Not only did he fail to rack the slide and shoot me in the leg like he had talked about, he managed to draw the gun, fumble, and actually tossed it across the room. I stabbed him a few times, and as a happy bonus, picked his gun up before I fled the scene.

His Gunfight had not taken into account things like speed, adrenalin, or confusion. Last I checked, he was carrying a chamber loaded Glock, in a good holster, and practicing a bunch.

That was an extreme example, but I think all of us need to watch out for the decisions we make based upon our assumptions. Be smart, be realistic, and don't be afraid to keep an open mind. Just because My Gunfight makes sense to me, doesn't mean that the world cares one bit.

-Larry Correia is an author, firearms instructor, and one of the owners of Fuzzy Bunny Movie Guns in Draper, Utah. FBMG is a gun store, specializing in self-defense needs, training, and full-line smithing.
Their online store is at www.fbmginc.com. His first novel, Monster Hunter International, will be released by Baen Books in June 2009. The author can be reached at larry@fbmginc.com

When do we reload?

Tom Givins article:

Are we training incorrectly?

Interestig article about electronic ear protection

EARS!

Interesting interview

Veteran Chicago cop talks about his gunfights.

Nice read on "Real Teaching".

Real Teaching

Tom Givens "Carry your gun!"

Carry Your Darned Gun!


Rangemaster students’ success rate (at least on events I know about) is 61/0/2 for 63 incidents. That’s 61 clear victories, zero losses and 2 forfeits. The two forfeits were people who died as a result of not being armed on The Big Day. Both were killed in separate street robberies. Essentially, both were executed for the contents of their pockets. They were not able to defend themselves because they chose not to be armed that day. They made a poor choice.


Of the 61 students who won, only 3 were injured, and all recovered from those injuries. They did not know they would need a gun that day, but they chose to be armed, anyway. Based on my interviews with the winners, I believe the two MOST important factors are:


1.    Having your damn gun on you when the event occurs, and
2.    Being willing to use it to save your life.


Everything else-- gun model, caliber, ammo choice and Yes, even amount of training, seems to be a distant third after these primary two. Three of the shooters in our group were trained to our instructor level, four or five more to what I would call competency, and the rest had only had an eight hour carry permit course.



One of the things we stress at ALL training levels is the need to actually carry the gun daily, as one simply cannot make an appointment for an emergency. An emergency, in this context, is a sudden, unforeseen crisis in which one’s life is in immediate mortal danger. The key words are “sudden, unforeseen”, so making carrying  a handgun a daily routine assures that it will be there when needed. I believe that because we stress this heavily, our students tend to be armed, and thus win when attacked.


I believe a big factor is the Bad Guy’s training, education and life experience. Most BG’s go through their entire careers without ever running into an armed citizen on the street. Only about 4% of the US population has some kind of carry permit, and I’d bet less than 1% of them actually carry on a routine, daily basis. So, when a Bad Guy confronts a citizen who is actually armed and produces his weapon, the resulting mental lag time for the Bad Guy allows even an untrained or minimally trained defender a golden opportunity. The one who starts the fight has an enormous advantage. In this context, the BG started the incident, but the student starts the fight.


This is not to say that more advanced training is not desirable. Several of my students have been in rather difficult extreme cases and still won. Fortunately, they had training beyond a permit course.

Rangemaster – Self-defense and firearms training for the real world http://www.rangemaster.com


http://www.rangemaster.com

reference

http://modernserviceweapons.com/?p=1574

Electronic ear pro discussion:

Huh?

Wisdom from Pat Rogers:

You don't have to be a good shooter to win a fight.

You have to be a good fighter.

And, make less mistakes than your opponent.

True dat.

Verbal judo article....

Here:

Interesting thought.....

Found elsewhere:

My father used to say that when you need a gun having ANY gun is so much better than not having a gun that deciding which gun is a nearly insignificant detail.

SYG explained

Andrew Branca

Sul from the horses mouth:

SUL:

OC w/Chuck Haggard

OC

Use of force...

Interesting use of force lecture

AAR Tom Givens's Combative Pistol II

After Action Review:

Combative Pistol II

Florence SC,  March 29 & 30 2014

Saturday morning in Florence SC, at a private range, the temperature was about 55 degrees and raining off and on.   Eighteen folks who wanted to improve their marksmanship, manipulation and tactics were assembled to be trained by Tom Givens and his wife, Lynn.   The first hour was filled with the usual filling out of paperwork while Tom explained what he was going to put us through.

BLUF (bottom line up front) –  this was a fast paced, constantly evaluated series of exercises graduated to both push the student and to help the student “eat the elephant” one bite at a time. 

 

In Tom’s usual forthright manner, he explained what he saw as consistent weak spots when working with students and promised a series of exercises to embed new skills, reinforce others and test what was taught.  As I experienced in 2012 (Combative Pistol I, IIRC), I was not disappointed.

In Tom’s initial lecture, he pointed out that the critical events for accurately firing a handgun in defense of self and others are sight alignment and trigger control, with most emphasis on trigger control.   While stance, grip and sight picture are important, they are fairly easy skills to acquire.  Tom’s emphasis for our training would be sight alignment and trigger control.

 Stacked right after sight alignment and trigger control was follow through. Once the shot is triggered, follow through becomes essential to stay in the fight as nobody knows when the fight is truly over.  Did the first shot work or do we need to keep delivering rapid shots till the threat ceases?  Several times students in the class fired the directed number of shots, got the hits and then promptly took themselves out of the fight by retracting or redirecting their pistols to an inappropriate position.  In simple math, if you fire two shots get a third sight picture, five shots, get a sixth sight picture, etc., etc.

Once the classroom portion was over (about an hour), if was off to the firing line where we pretty much stayed for the rest of the weekend. 

The initial conditions were wet and a bit muddy.   Over the course of the weekend, the rain ceased and by Sunday, it was clear and in the mid 60’s.  While the muddy conditions generated lots of reloads with retention that first morning, overall the weather was very nice and Sunday’s sunshine generated lots of sunburned folks.

Pro Tip – your drawstroke is your drawstroke and should be as fast as possible, regardless if your target is 2 feet away or 20 yards away.  Getting into the (bad) habit of adjusting your speed of presentation to the targets distance eats up your time for no good reason.

As the first series of exercises commenced, Tom was constantly up and down the line to evaluate the overall tenor of the students.  While individual adjustments were made, Tom was not shy about taking a pause and going over his recommended techniques when he observed folks doing something different or a specific technique poorly.  While each student was supposed to be prepared for a high level course, several folks initially struggled.  These folks got individual attention and progressed nicely.   My two line neighbors initially struggled and then with some coaching by Lynn, really came into their own.  By mid-day Sunday, both were hitting hard and fast and maintaining Tom’s 100% accuracy standards.

Pro Tip – Tom has a unique view of the reloading process.  In his studies of both his ever increasing number of student shootings (64 to date, IIRC) and FBI/DEA statistics, the “reload with retention” seems far, far down the list of training priorities.  Tom’s technique is to secure a loaded magazine, bring the loaded magazine up to the gun, jettison the depleted magazine and promptly ensure that the fresh magazine is locked in the magazine well.  Elapsed time that the pistol is empty was generally less that a split second.

By Saturday late afternoon, the class was clicking along nicely as folks got to chit-chatting among themselves during the breaks and everyone got up to speed on the firing line.

Again, there was an ebb and flow to the drills, the quick breaks and Tom’s impromptu lectures (“Step into my office”).  As we progressed, new skills were emphasized, time limits decreased or distances increased.  There were only a couple of instances where we adjourned to the classroom over the weekend and that was mainly to let Tom use video in order to drive home a point or two. 

In past AARs, I’ve attempted to describe the various drills that Tom orchestrates, but I’m not going to do that this time.  I’m concerned that I may not accurately describe the drill and that might lead to someone training to a false standard.  Tom has (as you would expect) a plethora of drills, modified drills and historical drills all attributed to who ever invented said drill.  The old phrase “drinking from a fire hose” applied in spades.

100% accuracy was the expected standard for every drill.  As Tom frequently pointed out, the first shot is the critical one and that missing shots eats up available time.  He had several drills that emphasized that some shots have to be delivered quickly, some carefully and some precisely.   So who determines the accuracy standard needed?  Why the bad guy of course!  If he’s close, it may require quickly, if he’s behind cover, it may be precisely.

Pro Tip – having plenty of magazines and an ability to carry extra ammo pays dividends.  Instead of constantly jamming magazines, one can hydrate, chit-chat, relax or do whatever keeps you firmly in the “receive” mode for class.

Tom runs a hot range.  This is not a match where you unload and show clear after a stage, instead it’s once you load up, ammunition management is your concern for the next 15 hours of class.  I have a portable tool chest that holds spare ammo, magazines, snacks and water.  On my person I had one magazine pouch, usually three loaded magazines in my hip pocket and extra ammo in a cargo pocket.  Only rarely did I have to jam magazines on the line.  Others were not so fortunate.

One thing I greatly appreciated was Tom’s emphasis on drills that used minimal ammunition expenditures.  That is a reflection of the current ammo shortage and he had several drills that used a minimal number of shots fired for maximum training value.

Pro Tip – when stapling up damp (or soon to be damp) targets, folding down the upper corners (to double thickness) really seemed to help.

Sunday afternoon, it actually became quite sunny and thermal gain an issue.  As Tom’s drills gained complexity and incorporated movement, it became obvious that the class was tracking right along.  Despite the flip-flop in weather, folks shot faster, reloaded quicker and really seemed to get the hang of things.  Sadly, the day drew to a close and we went into Tom’s culmination exercise.  

As I’ve previously noted, times were decreased, distances increased and targets reduced in order to maintain the pace.  Sunday afternoon, Tom added a new twist for some, in that each shooter was individually tested in front of their peers.  The culmination exercise tested every skill covered with a surprisingly small amount of ammo expended.  I’m happy to note that I passed with a decent time, while others who did not initially pass were re-tested.

I’ve not mentioned much about equipment as there was nothing much to mention.  I ran a Glock 19 in a Blade-Tech holster with zero issues and observed most of my fellow shooters had about the same.  Two Deputies ran 1911s in their duty gear and two guys ran HKs, one a P30 and a USP, IIRC.    As opposed to the 2012 class, we didn’t have any handguns go down hard or any mystery failures.  Round count for me was about 950 rounds down range.

Hope this gives folks some idea on what to expect from a class and Tom’s class in particular.  One thing I noted was that Tom had changed some TTPs based on his research and feedback since my last class with him.  The ability of an instructor to change as new information becomes available is a hallmark of someone I want to train with again.  Looking forward to his next class.

Tiger McKee on the Flash sight picture

From "The Tactical Wire".

http://www.thetacticalwire.com/

 

Skill Set: "Flash Sight Alignment"

by Tiger McKee

When you began learning how to shoot the use of the sights, focusing on the front sight to hold the sight picture steady while pressing the trigger, was stressed as the way to aim your firearm. For pure marksmanship this is essential. For defensive purposes, when time is critical, we need to develop the ability to put accurate hits on the threat efficiently, in the shortest amount of time possible. For this application the body is used to aim the weapon and the sights are used to quickly confirm the weapon is on target prior to pressing the trigger.

Jeff Cooper called this "Flash Alignment." According to Cooper the "firing stroke - from leather to line-up - aligns the pistol ..." The sights "are used to verify an alignment already achieved by means of a trained presentation," or the act of drawing the pistol. The same principle applies to the carbine. You look at the target, index your body, and bring the carbine up to obtain a cheekweld on the stock. Once the cheekweld is established you should have a sight picture, with only minor adjustments necessary depending on the accuracy required.

The skill to aim the pistol or carbine efficiently and accurately is based on proprioception, your body's ability to know where each of its parts are in relationship to each other. The brain uses proprioceptors in the muscles and joints and input from the inner ear - your sense of balance - to perform physical acts effectively and with balance.

To develop this skill, quickly drawing and immediately having a good sight picture, requires practice. Using a dummy or "blue" gun is best. You start from a good proper stance, visually focusing on your target on the point you want the shot to go. Close your eyes and draw the pistol, completely extending the hands and arms outward so that the sights intersect your line of vision, even though your eyes are closed. Once you've completed the presentation open your eyes to "see" where the sights are. If they're not on target then adjust your stance. Hold your position, holster, close your eyes and draw again. Eventually you should be able draw the pistol onto target with no adjustments required. The key is to ensure you bring the hands, pistol and sights up to intersect your line of sight, which is a natural action.

The same drill is done with the carbine. Starting from the low ready position you visually acquire the target. Close your eyes, bring the weapon up and hit your cheekweld. Open the eyes and see how close you are, adjusting the body position if necessary and repeating until when your eyes open you're on target. Once you've got it working from standing start practicing kneeling and other positions.

Aiming your firearm relies much more on body position and mechanics than use of the sights, especially for typical defensive distances. Just keep in mind the sight picture you need is dictated by distance and size of the target. With practice the sights simply confirm the weapon is on target and before pressing the trigger. It takes plenty of work, but the results are a good solid hit without any wasted time or motion.

Tiger McKee is director of Shootrite Firearms Academy, located in northern Alabama. He is the author of "The Book of Two Guns," writes for several firearms/tactical publications, and is featured on GunTalk's DVD, "Fighting With The 1911 - http://shootrite.org/dvd/dvd.html Website: www.shootrite.org

Deep thought...

Abraham Lincoln once said, “Give me six hours to chop a tree and I will spend the first four sharpening the axe.”

LARP....

http://thetalentcode.com/2014/03/10/your-best-training-session-ever/

Breakfast.....

http://imgur.com/gallery/iRSmRCg

99 drill

http://pistol-training.com/drills/99-drill

Kyle Defoor on kneeling/sitting with a long gun

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GfDwMcjcHH0

Interesting bit of thought about priorities...

This is from an excellent thread on Pistol-Forum.com:

I've heard several professors make jokes about active shooter type events and they laugh off the possibility of one happening where I attend school. It's probably worth a reminder that this is an entirely sane attitude. These sort of events are incredibly rare. We're all members of a subculture that likes to be prepared for a specific set of low-probably high-impact problems. People who don't are not necessarily wrong.


Even in our subculture, we probably spend too much time worrying about this sort of risk vs. other violent encounters. When I attended college in an urban center, the odds of an active shooter on campus was very small vs the regular armed robbery of students walking home at night.

Jason Falla & the 10-8 drills

Par time is 8 seconds per string.  Seems a bit slow to me.  More details HERE.

Kyle Defoor talks about training

Interview with Marty Hayes

Claude Werner interviews Marty Hayes.  Very interesting remarks about internalizing "running the gun" so that you can focus on problem solving.

http://www.examiner.com/article/firearms-trainer-interview-marty-hayes

Mnemonic for the 4 rules

LMFT
Loaded! Muzzle. Finger. Target.

Brilliant.