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Final Preparations Have Been Made

Saturday, March 30th, 2013

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I’m all packed up and ready for the HSP Winter Problem Solver Course.

Recoil Target Pack Now Available

Tuesday, January 29th, 2013

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The Target Pack from Recoil magazine is now in stores. it includes a 16-page shooting guide, a two-sided “Going Hot” poster, and 10 targets.

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www.recoilweb.com

This article was originally featured on Soldier Systems Daily.

Morrison Industries, LTD – Training: Weeks 1 & 2

Monday, November 19th, 2012

Weeks one and two of my internship with Morrison Industries focused almost exclusively on introduction and preparation, most importantly undoing years of bad posture and technique. After an initial mobility assessment, this was accomplished through morning sessions of joint mobility drills, stretching, and squats, coupled with long walks or trips to the gym. Proper technique for exercises including deadlift, one and two-handed kettlebell swing, overhead press, Turkish getup, and different squat patterns and techniques were introduced. Additionally, I had some chiropractic and soft tissue work done, which helped to straighten my posture and improve my overall movement.

Other notable skills, techniques, or information I learned include proper breathing techniques, lateral, forward, and backward rolling, using foam rollers, physical culture history, Flowfit and sitting in seiza. I, of course, am still improving upon much of this, while still being introduced to further knowledge.

Like Morrison Industries, LTD on Facebook!
Also, check out the brand-new http://morrison-industries.com/

Morrison Industries, LTD – Training: Week 0

Monday, November 5th, 2012

Last Thursday, I braved two plane rides, a 3-and-a-half-hour layover in Atlanta, and two time zone changes to intern with Nathaniel Morrison of Morrison Industries, LTD for the next few months. The past few days has served as a sort of introduction/area familiarization along with some initial number crunching and testing to determine exactly where I am physically in addition to my medical history, dietary concerns, etc. The highlight of those days was definitely the trip up to Pike’s Peak. I got some great photos. I also suffered a bit of hypoxia on the summit, which was easily cured with some carbs and a steady decrease in elevation. In any event, the real training starts today, so expect a full report next Monday, along with more photos.

Like Morrison Industries, LTD on Facebook!
http://morrisonindustries.com/

Combat Mindset

Tuesday, May 29th, 2012

Some thoughts on Combat Mindset, from CRAFT International Training:

When I began my training many years ago, it was very much like a game of chess with strategy and tactics.  I believed that with enough training I could counter any move.  I would often see a move or tactic and immediately tell you what I could do to counter that move.  I truly did not understand the elements of violence.  I was basing all my training on people who had the same values and ethics or morality as myself.  I was only fighting to win and dominate.  I had not added the words destroy or kill.  I was not ready to say those words or introduce their meaning to my training.  I learned that the criminal has no fight within his/her moral compass to bring violence.  He/she will seek violence and I would always be fighting from a defensive position.  I had to change this.  I had to discover my violence and truth.  I had to be able to go where the predators go.

chess board

After, learning and understanding the nature of violence and Chaos, I no longer saw Chess as a game of strategy and tactics.  I no longer equated my training to chess.  Chess allowed an opponent in the game and you would work to defeat them.  I learned to never allow anyone in the game.  It all begins with behavior and understanding the nature of the predator.  The predator will take, cheat and dominate your tactics.  If your Defensive Tactics training leads you toward reactionary training, you will fail.

chess peices

Once an officer can fight and train under the combat mind, he must also understand his/her morality and descalate to the appropriate use of force.  It is the human element that makes you different from a criminal.
by Rigo Durazo,
Craft Director of Combative Training
Creator of TACFLOW

New e-magazines live for May

Tuesday, May 8th, 2012

The May SWAT Digest is live:

http://www.swatdigest.com/mag_may_2012.html

as is the new issue of Police Chief:

http://www.theiacp.org/About/WhatsNew/tabid/459/Default.aspx?id=1798&v=1

and lastly, the HALO Harbinger:

http://www.theiacp.org/About/WhatsNew/tabid/459/Default.aspx?id=1798&v=1

 

Good reads; should be something in there for everyone.

Legion Firearms bringing Dark Angel to Texas

Friday, March 9th, 2012

Legion Firearms is hosting Kerry Davis and his Sig Sauer Academy “Bullets & Bandages” course towards the end of March. There are a few slots remaining in the course, and Legion is offering a free billet in the class to the first person who enrolls three people in the course (class cost is normally $500 per billet) as well as a free Direct Action Response Kit (D.A.R.K.) in coyote tan. (Kit Up recently ran a brief overview of the D.A.R.K. if you’re interested.)

Contact Legion at [email protected] regarding your entries and their names to take advantage of the contest offer.

Kerry Davis, the progenitor of the D.A.R.K. and the chief Bullets and Bandages instructor has 21 years in trauma medicine and is a seasoned firearms instructor. He started out in the Air Force, was assigned to a specialty medic unit that worked with the 82ND ABN, went on to become a civilian paramedic and then to nursing school. He’s been a trauma/ER for approximately the last decade (tonight he talked to Soldier Systems Daily after a 14 hour day at the ER).

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“The Modern Warfare Experience”

Friday, March 2nd, 2012

G4S ITI along with Living Social will be hosting The Modern Warfare Experience. They advise, “This experience gives you a unique look at how our countries finest “War Fighters” are trained.” Enrollment begins March 13 @ 0500.

 

Hat tip to Laura Burgess Marketing.

Everybody can be a zipper suited sun god.

Friday, February 17th, 2012

“No matter how deep Tom Cruise sinks into Scientological insanity, or how pudgy and disconnected from reality Val Kilmer becomes, will there ever be a red blooded American male who wouldn’t put a full nelson on the chance to pilot a fighter jet, and play Maverick or Ice Man in a dogfight? Air Combat USA, and its fleet of SIAI Marchetti SF-260s, pin down dreams of aerial combat, while average Joes and their $1,395 make those dreams come true.

In its Basic Air Combat Maneuvers course, Air Combat USA turns everyone from programmers to stone masons to ballerinas into fighter pilots for a day. You and an instructor (but mainly you. Really.) will command a light attack jet through tense skies rife with enemies, duking it out during 5 to 6 dogfights that will demand precise flying, aerial acrobatics, heavy G forces, weapons lock…all the fun stuff leading up to, but excluding the part where someone gets hurt. And from takeoff to landing, the experience, and every Hot Shots Part Deux quote you utter, will be digitally recorded on 3 cockpit cameras for you to take home, sync with a deep cut of musical drama, and upload to YouTube like your man in the video…”

Read the whole story on Dude I want that.

SHOT Show 2012 – Defenses Tactiques Specialisees

Thursday, January 19th, 2012

DTS is one of the first companies who’s products I wrote about, so I had a personal obligation to see what they had to offer at this year’s SHOT Show. It turns out they’ve added more than a few new items to their line of training weaponry, including a butcher knife, kitchen knife, fireplace poker, and two color variants of a campfire hatchet, in brown and red. Additionally, they’ve finalized the design for the broken wine bottle from the prototype seen last year.

DTS Tools are designed to mimic many of the improvised weapons that LEOs can possibly face in the line of duty. They are built with a polymer insert designed to minimize impact and enhance safety and are surrounded by a lightweight, high quality, impact resistant rubber exterior, rated for temperatures ranging from -13F to 125F.

http://www.dts-inc.ca/

dtstools.ca – English site

Not-So-Gratuitous Girls With Guns

Monday, January 16th, 2012

There’s an organization based out of Chicago (though it has members across the country) called the Women’s Tactical Association.

Tactical Fanboy: the Women's Tactical Association Athena Logo

Women's Tactical: Athena Logo

Members are mostly (though not all) law enforcement officers and military personnel. What’s interesting about these ladies is that they are able to maintain their femininity without giving up the ass-kicking capability you’d expect of an organization that includes NPRC (National Patrol Rifle Competition) shooters, specialized LE units, drug task force officers, etc.

If you’re at SHOT this week, watch for the three attractive (but dangerous) females wearing WTA apparel and get one of these patches (it’s a female shooter silhouette, appropriately labeled the Athena logo). If you know a female who is serious about improving her skills and is less worried about breaking a nail than she is about reducing her reload time under fire, then steer her towards the WTA (they are also on Facebook).

Note: we’re not interested in any stupid or inappropriate comments. These ladies are professionals and are our friends. If you want to remark on the fact that they all seem to be pretty as well as tactically proficient, well and good. Keep it classy, be respectful and don’t show your ass. We’d treat your friends and your sister the same way.

Tactical Fanboy: A member of the Women's Tactical Association.

Star Wars Themed Target Range Posters

Saturday, January 14th, 2012

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Sneaky Studios has designed a line of Star Wars themed target range posters. Characters include the Rancor, Darth Vader, a Stormtrooper taking Princess Leia as a hostage, and of course the man himself, Boba Fett. Each poster is a high-quality digital print on 220gsm premium paper stock, is signed by the artist, and will run you $35 a piece, so you might not want to plug holes in the originals. Luckily, this is exactly what local print shops (or office supply stores) exist for, right?

http://www.sneakystudios.com/

Sneaky Studios’s Etsy Store

Thanks to red2alpha73 for the tip!

How Not To Throw A Hand Grenade

Wednesday, December 28th, 2011

Title says it all. According to the video source this is a Chinese Army exercise, which in all honestly doesn’t surprise me that much. To the instructor’s credit, he was pretty calm about the whole thing.

Real Steel: Learn to Field Strip a Glock

Monday, December 19th, 2011

Need to learn how to field strip a Glock? Ashley will show you. Below are the directions to do so, courtesy of Eye Handy.

 

Step 1

 

Remove the magazine to your gun and safely make sure there are no rounds in the chamber. Once Cleared, safely dry fire your gun.

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Zombie Targets and Real Steel Training for Cops and Military

Wednesday, December 14th, 2011

There are a lot of different zombie targets out there, as we’ve reported before. The ones from Zero Heavy are really good too.

Some of our favorites come from the same place as Zombie Ammo, mostly because the female victims on the hostage “shoot-don’t shoot” targets all have big boobs. Granted, some of the actual zombie targets are lush and buxom too…but since they’re rotting and trying to eat you, it’s not as appealing.

Zombie Targets are good for training for the zombie apocalypse and any TEOTWAWKI and SHTF type scenario.

The poor, hapless victim on this target definitely deserves saving.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Busty female zombie shoot/no-shoot targets for the zombie apocalypse and TEOTWAWKI/SHTF training are a Good Thing.

Sexual harassment is bad enough. Being groped and possibly eaten by a zombie is entirely worse.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In any case, the point of this is that some police agencies and (so we hear) military units with a sense of humor are using zombie scenarios for training (like in this story over on BOLO Report). If you are doing anything similar, or are part of an “official” organization doing something similar, we’d love to hear from you and see some pictures.

Navy SEAL Instruction – Shooting From Concealment

Tuesday, December 13th, 2011

Check out this video of former SEAL and owner of Trident Fitness Rich Graham as he demonstrates how to shoot from a position of concealment from the back of a truck bed. The targets he’s shooting at are three StrikeMark SM-1 Auto-Reset Target Systems.

StrikeMark

Trident Fitness

A Very Zombie Christmas

Sunday, December 11th, 2011

…as if the holidays weren’t stressful enough!

Is that a drunk staggering for the mistletoe, or a zombie?

Zombies can ruin the mistletoe, even on the most festive occasions.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

We like Team Unicorn.

 

 

On a more serious note: Real Steel

Tuesday, December 6th, 2011

The BOLO Report, a blog catering to “law enforcement, military and high threat security professionals” just ran a piece on your weak hand draw, if you’re injured or impeded in some way. The article was written by one of the BOLO Report contributors who is a LEO and a competitive shooter, originally for the Women’s Tactical Association. If you’re someone who runs real steel, or has a CCW, or is one of our readership in the noble profession of arms, you might want to check it out.

Tactical Fanboy Gift Idea #141: Sure Shots Gear

Monday, November 28th, 2011

Like to shoot? Like girls? Like girls who like to shoot? Perhaps you’re a girl that likes to shoot? In the interest of open-mindedness, maybe you just like to dress like a girl who likes to shoot. Anyway, you should go look at the store recently set up by the Austin Sure Shots, an all-female shooting league in the Lone Star State. Yes, there are some shirts and hoodies in there suitable for males. You might also check them out, if you’re a female shooter in Texas. They train in a couple different locations, once a week, and they do more than just spend time on the range. They do IDPA, rifle work, tactical drills and concealed carry stuff, plus bring in SMEs (Subject Matter Experts) on things like post-shooting psychology, legal issues pursuant to shooting in self-defense, etc.

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Sara Ahrens OffBeat: Corner Shot

Sunday, November 27th, 2011

If you watch Top Shot at all, you probably remember Sara Ahrens. She is a patrol sergeant with the Rockford (IL) Police Department and appeared on Top Shot Season 3. Recently she had occasion to try out the “Corner-Shot”, an oft-maligned and largely piece of kit. Here opinion is below. It’s interesting that she very politely points out where someone showed a lack of understanding towards the specificity and niche use of the Corner Shot. Was it truly a lack of understanding? Yes, it certainly was. You can be really good at something and still be ignorant of others. Many of us have been shooters, some in Tier One, high end units. We absolutely respect that, but that doesn’t make any of us the grand master of tactics. Blithely disdaining a piece of equipment, or a TTP, without taking into account the context in which it is intended to be used, is just foolish.

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Weapon Manipulation: Compensating for Recoil

Saturday, November 19th, 2011

Dalton Fury Leadership Secrets #10 Is Out

Saturday, November 5th, 2011

Maybe you’ve read his book, maybe not (if not, you should fix that). The former Delta commander, OIC of the first efforts to track down UBL right after 9/11, frequently posts updates about his upcoming work of fiction on his Facebook page, and once in a while he releases his “Leadership Secrets”. They’re worth reading, and by and large can apply to the civilian world as well as that of the military. Here’s the most recent one:

DF Leadership Secret #10: You Can’t Determine Your Own Success.

The men and women you lead determine this for you. If they are successful, then you are successful. Your stake holders will recognize it; your commanding officer will recognize it.

Just prior to taking command of an infantry rifle company a former battalion commander of mine sent me a personal note – “Now is the time to pay back all the people that got you where you are now, by ensuring their success”.  I kept the note under the glass on my desk at work and read it literally every day.

Years later I was in a musky safe house with a couple other special operators in a bombed-out Balkan slum when I received a message to call my boss. I reached him on the satellite phone within the hour and he passed on that I had been selected for promotion below-the-zone, essentially ahead of 95% of my peers, to the next rank. I was shocked, totally humbled, and quite embarrassed actually. I hung up the phone and tried to play it off with the guys around me, but they didn’t fool easily.

So, there I was, a fairly new Delta officer, the boss of a classified real-world mission, with the unenvious task of having to tell my men – who I barely knew at the time – that I was some hot-shot officer that some Department of the Army board decided needed to be promoted earlier than most of the other guys.

At that moment, with an early 90s era life-size poster of teeny-bopper Brittany Spears hanging on the wall, the only thing I could do was laugh at the absurdity of the situation, admit that the board members must have made a big mistake, and try to refocus the conversation back to the mission. But inside, I intuitively knew that my former battalion commander had been spot on. I mentally checked off the countless soldiers and sergeants, peer officers, and the talented and caring superiors I was so fortunate enough to have served with, to have learned from, and to have ultimately benefited from. Incidentally, I don’t recall any of those earlier influences and great Americans being former Tier I operators…which says a ton about the modern day American soldier.

Operators in Iraq: Courtesy Dalton Fury.

The website for his new fiction novel, on sale in just a couple of months, is called Black Site. You can also pick up Kill Bin Laden in stores or on line. Here’s a review of Dalton Fury’s non-fiction account of the early days after 9/11 from just a few months back.

Vehicle Counterambush: Fighting Drill for the Zombiepocalypse

Thursday, November 3rd, 2011

Training for the worst case scenario…that’s the way to prevail. Not just to survive (which obviously is important) but to win. Rob Pincus is a longtime firearms and tactics trainer many of you might be familiar with. He’s the host of SWAT Magazine TV, a prolific writer, author of both Combat Focus Evolution 2010 and the Training Log Book and one of the busiest instructors we know of. He’s come up with quite a few drills some of our friends use on the range themselves, but this one may be the coolest one yet – and just in the nick of time. Everyone preparing for the impending zompiepocalypse, from Ohio cops to 5.11 Tactical, are undoubtedly relaxing now that Halloween is past. As though somehow the end of the world will happily coincide with a convenient undead-friendly holiday. Complacency kills, whether you’re a cop on the street, the gunner on top of an up-armored or the leader of a zombie eradication team.

Check out this drill, and if your rangemaster has a sense of humor try it yourself. Truth be told, you could probably make the argument that it simulates having to engage from inside a heavy, rioting crowd…but zombies are a more likely threat.

Stay in the Fight: Covert Prep for the Zombiepocalypse?

Monday, October 31st, 2011

Soldier Systems Daily just ran an article about SGM (Ret) Kyle Lamb’s new book Stay in the Fight (a handgun oriented sequel to Green Eyes Black Rifles). It’s a great read, good for shooters over every background and skill level, and the author is definitely someone who can opine with authority about pretty much anything he wants when it comes to tactics, doorkickery and shooting. After all, this is a man who ran with Special Forces teams from Mogadishu to Mosul and everywhere in between. If you’ve never watched any of his Viking Tactics training videos, you really need to.

However, Tactical Fanboy has been doing some undercover, secret squirrel type investigative digging, and it appears, on the surface at least, the author may have had an ulterior motive in mind…perhaps he was privy to classified documents or real-time intel the rest of us weren’t allowed to see, but it may just be that SGM (Ret) Lamb was trying to get the country ready to fight in the zombiepocalypse.

Yes, the zombiepocalypse. Silly Halloween conspiracy theory? Possibly. Look at this picture then, captured from an unknown operator’s helmet cam:

SGM (Ret) Lamb, author of STAY IN THE FIGHT and GREEN EYES BLACK RIFLES conducting risky live fire training vs. the walking dead...you'll fight like you train.

Still think it’s hokum? What about the news from a few months back that Dan Costa was stepping down as CEO of 5.11 Tactical, allegedly to work on his various charitable endeavors (especially one for at risk youth)? Perhaps he wasn’t stepping aside for that at all. PERHAPS he needed to focus all his attention on preparing some sort of zombiepocalyptic survival redoubt for his family and those of his employees?

Still dubious? Check out this picture, snapped by one of our eeeee-light team of tactical bloggers:

Kyle Lamb and Dave Rhoden Surrounded...Publicity stunt for Halloween or Prepping for the Zombiepocalyptic End Times? You be the judge.

Now, unless we’re way off our mark, that’s SGM Lamb and one of his cronies, a 5.11 Tactical guy named Dave R. (we’ll hold his last name in confidence until we can confirm the authenticity of the photo). As you can see, SGM Lamb is jocked up for a fight and Dave appears to be drawing a side-arm. The idea that the author would bring Dave along on a training or even operational mission isn’t that far-fetched. Dave has some tactical background, is a good shooter, is fit and renowned for his hearing (makes him a great scout). He’s actually an honorary Lance Corporal in the nation of Val Verde, where he once spent a summer lost in the jungle until rescued by none other than Col. John Matrix. He may or may not have once operated as a private contractor in Vulgaria. Speculation is discouraged and all official records have been buried.

Plus, if SGM Lamb got in a tight spot, he could always just kneecap him. It’s just effective use of distraction tactics.

We’ll report more on this story as we get further intelligence. In the meantime, check out the books and the videos. It’s worth your time.

Happy Halloween.

Weapon Safety: Your Trigger Finger

Sunday, October 30th, 2011

Trigger finger…it’s pretty damn important, as TFB readers prob’ly know. Not talking about tenosynovitis, though that probably sucks to have. One of the most famous cinematic examples of the proper employment of your primary safety (and make no mistake, your trigger finger IS your primary safety, along with properly trained muscle memory) was that scene in Blackhawk Down where Hoot says “this is my safety” and wiggles his trigger finger.

Edit: as Kyle just pointed out, another great cinematic example of the importance of trigger finger was that poor kid in the car in ‘Pulp Fiction’.

It never ceases to amaze me how many people are unaware of this simple, fundamental rule. Hollywood spends millions of dollars on gear and special effects, but they can’t hire any local E-2 grunt to tell them to keep their damn finger out of the trigger guard.

Oh well. If we’re going to look at an example of someone illustrating what not to do, she might as well be smokin’ hawt.