Tactical Training

10 Skills Every Operator Should Have: Part 1 (of 10) – The Stick Shift

by James G · 22 comments

in 10 Skills Every Operator Should Have, Security Contractors, Tactical Training

To Everyone under 25 – This is NOT an Xbox 360 Controller

*Note: I use the term “operator” loosely here

When the subject of “what are must-have operator skills” comes up most people spit out the obvious answers of guns, Ninja-fu and other shooter type tactical skills that first pops into mind when thinking about leaping out of a chopper in some 3rd world shit-hole.

But as much as being able to fire an AT-4 naked or reloading an AK with one arm blown off may be great skills for shooters, they are actually some of the least used skills unless you are some sort of Tier-1 SF or OGA guy.

When I first started in the Overseas Security Contracting biz back in the day I thought the only skills I needed to know was how to shoot, loot, chew on cigars and say cool catch lines like “Its gona’ be a long day”.

But after working in places like Iraq, Indonesia, Thailand and Kurdistan for the past decade I ended up using way more mundane skills like sewing my clothing than the exciting shit like strapping C4 under a bridge while wearing a black stocking cap.

So I put together a list of some of the less obvious skills that every operator should have, no matter if you are running the roads in Iraq or Afghanistan or surviving a natural disaster with your family, this is the shit you really need to know how to do.

Click Here to Keep Reading – 10 Skills Every Operator Should Have – Part 1 >>>

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COMMENTARY: Skill and Academic Based Tactical Training VS “Lets Have fun Training” WTF

by James G · 22 comments

in COMMENTARY, Tactical Training

I Like Sandwiches and Tactical Training

Why are people more interested in taking classes where they get to dress up in full kit as apposed to non-shooting classes (or with less shooting) where they will learn an actual skill? Now I understand that I come from a background where I pull triggers for a paycheck and work in the 3rd World as a job, so in my mind I am thinking “why take a class if I don’t learn how to do something, I only have a month off this year?”

One example is EP/PSD Courses – I have had several top EP/PSD Instructors tell me I am crazy to offer an EP/PSD course that only teaches Classroom based Academic training and does not have tons of shooting in it (despite the fact that the base EP/PSD skills are non-shooting skills), one buddy that is a Rock Star in the PSD/EP business said “Just add a day or two of shooting on your course and you will sell out – pander to people”

Click Here to Discuss, Skill and Academic Based Tactical Training VS “Lets Have fun Training” WTF >>>

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TACTICAL TRAINING: Maintain the Ability to Shoot With Iron Sights

by James G · 34 comments

in Civilian Contractors, Tactical Training

If you can’t remember the last time you saw this then its time to take the EOTECH off your rifle and hit the range

During some pre-deployment training I was going through for a gig some time ago I had to qualify at the range with a pistol and rifle along with a group of other guys.  None of the guys I was with were worried about not qualifying, they were all ex-‘this and that’s’ so doing a simple “loot and shoot” weapons qual was a ‘no biggie’ for them.

That is until we go to the range, and 30% of them flunked the rifle quals like a mo-fo, I am not talking about not qualifying by a few rounds – most of their targets looked like someone blasted it with a shotgun full of buckshot from the hip.

Even after retrying a couple of times less than half of them passed, the other half, took the “slow plane of shame” back home while waving bye-bye to a six-figure job. And the guys who passed on the first try didn’t do a hell of a lot better; about a quarter of them still had targets that looked like Helen Keller was shooting at it.

Like I said above, all of these guys were former military, law enforcement, contractors and a few greener guys with some solid weapons training under their belts.

So why did they do so miserably at the range?

Simple – Iron Sights

Click Here to Keep Reading Maintain the Ability to Shoot With Iron Sights >>>

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TACTICAL TRAINING: Train Like You Would Fight – Not How You Would Fight Zombies

by James G · 21 comments

in Tactical Training

I was chatting online with a buddy of mine yesterday about some of the firearm classes and training we’ve both done over the past year. As we were chatting we were sending each other pictures of ourselves while training (you know, the Ninja Action shots everyone takes).

The first thing I noticed was he was wearing a chest rig at the rifle class and a drop leg holster at the pistol course. The second thing I noticed was he was wearing the 5.11 tuxedo with knee and shin pads.

After looking at my pictures he asked me: “dude, why are you wearing a Hawaiian shirt, shorts, chucks and a concealable belly pistol holster – and are you carrying your spare mags for your M-4 in your back pocket? – you own tons of tactical gear, why didn’t you use it for that training?”

I said: “I was honing my stateside civilian gun skills, and that’s how I would fight with a pistol/rifle stateside as a private citizen – my tactical gear and Ninja clothing is for when I am training for overseas high risk work”

So in return I asked him: “why are you dressing up like a Navy SEAL in Afghanistan hunting Osama bin Laden when you train – don’t you work at a bank? – seriously dude if you ever end up using a gun you will probably be wearing Dockers, a golf shirt and wing tips”

His answer: “I never really thought about it that way”

Click Here to Keep Reading Train Like You Would Fight – Not How You Would Fight Zombies >>>

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TACTICAL TRAINING/H2H: 80% of Your Tactical Training Should be H2H

by James G · 21 comments

in H2H Fighting, Tactical Training

Keep dreaming dude – This will never be you

What is more likely to happen to you:

- Some insecure ass-hole hassles you on the street outside your office or in a bar and you are forced to go H2H with him?

- You get into an epic gunfight burning through half the AK mags in your chest rig?

Unless you are Military, a Civilian Contractor working in a hostile environment, LE, or employed in some sort of high risk profession the chances of you getting into a shoot-out where you use the high speed skills you learned at some tactical ninja school are about zero.

But the chances of some douchebag, “tough guy” or thug forcing you to defend yourself using H2H are damn high if not guaranteed to happen at some point in your life.

Click Here to Keep Reading 80% of Your Tactical Training Should be H2H >>>

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TACTICAL TRAINING: Active Listening – Listening for Meaning

by Papa C. · 13 comments

in Tactical Training

Sup’?

Active listening is a skill that can benefit anyone, all the time. The huge majority of most people’s day is spent interacting with others – what better way to improve our performance than by making sure we are truly paying attention to those interactions?

Active listening is not a difficult skill to acquire. It is not simply listening, but concentrating on the action of listening. Our culture has built multi-tasking into such an integral part of society that we never focus on one thing anymore. Texting, watching TV, and talking to your ex-girlfriend on Facebook all at the same time is a pretty common occurrence.

Active listening means focusing on only one thing – the conversation you’re having. There are four steps to effective active listening. I’ll use the example of a suicidal 911 caller.

Keep in mind the basic premise of communication – there is a sender, and a receiver. The sender is the one with the message, the receiver is the listener.

Keep Here to Keep Reading Active Listening – Listening for Meaning >>>

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TACTICAL TRAINING: If You Are Fat You Are Not a Warrior – And the “DVM From Fat Body to Not So Fat Body Diet”

by James G · 33 comments

in Tactical Training

I eat Twinkies for breakfast but I still think I am a warrior

Every time I see some fat ass at a training class, online, in uniform or working as a contractor I want to walk up to him and yell “STOP EATING”

The most annoying ones are the fat bodies who claim to be some sort of “bad-ass” or even worse – are actually working or teaching in a warrior related profession. And its not just the fact these guys are disgusting blobs of blubber, it’s the shitty tough guy attitude that just about every fat “warrior” has.

I remember a few years ago a buddy of mine asked me to take a knife fighting seminar with him because he paid for his wife to go and she backed out at the last minute. I figured “why not, its free” so after driving for 4 hours, paying for a hotel room and giving up my entire weekend I walked into the class to see this dude with a big fat belly standing there.

Now, my buddy knows how I am so as soon as he saw me looking at Mr. Chubby Knife Guy he said “Dude, please don’t say anything, he is a bit chubby but he knows his shit. So I bit my tongue for the sake of my buddy and went along with the program, and honestly the training wasn’t that bad until he started talking about discipline and warrior mindset stuff.

At that point I couldn’t control myself anymore so I asked “if you are a disciplined warrior than why are you so overweight?” Damn, the expression on his face looked like I called his mother a whore or something.

Anyway he went off on a rant about how he wasn’t really fat, had muscle underneath and could still kick ass and take names and all sorts of other insecure stuff fat people say when you call them out for being a buffet rapist.

Fo reals, how am I supposed to take some guy teaching a tactical course seriously if he doesn’t even have the discipline to stop bringing his hand to his fat fucking mouth?

Click Here to Read The DVM From Fat Body to Not So Fat Body Diet >>>

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