A viable solution to mass murder

Posted by adam on February 16, 2018
Posted in: Uncategorized. Leave a Comment

I have seen countless posts, articles, videos, tweets, and conversations over the last couple days regarding gun control and arming teachers.

I’m not even going to address gun control here, there is simply too much to say for this venue. The question I want to ask is: do we really want to arm teachers? If there are teachers who want to carry, and get trained up, go for it! Let them do it! Equip them and do it right. However, teachers are teachers, not defenders. They don’t have the mind-set, this is not what they do.

I have had conversations with SEVERAL educators over the years who say they don’t want to carry, cause they know they could not shoot someone, especially a student! I have a great deal of respect for this. They realize their limitations and mental capacity. I do not want someone who is not interested, passionate, and prepared to use their firearm to defend lives, even if that requires taking one, carrying around a gun. This responsibility is not for everyone, i get that.

Look at arming teachers in this way. Would we ask our mechanics to repair our roof? No, we employ a roofer! Our mechanic is good at working on our cars, that is where his interest, training, and passion lie.

I understand and appreciate the creative solutions to mass school killings. Again I say, if there are teachers out there that wish to/can carry a gun and are ready and willing to defend students, I would be honored to help get them trained up! Assuming that all teachers are ready and willing to carry guns is short-sighted and conceded.

If we want to incorporate teachers into a solution how about teaching them warning signs, things to look for, Casualty Care, etc. What about if we focus on prevention instead of response. The tactical training community has been abuzz with “active shooter” training for years, since Columbine really. This has been instrumental in better responses, but what is it doing for prevention!? Let’s back up a bit and learn why these people are trying to “out score” each other with body counts.

Lets quit focusing on guns as a solution, while they are the only viable response, they are not a solution, including taking them away. It is fun to train with guns, get out on the range, and learn tactics; but we are focusing post incident. We need to realize that there is more to personal safety than guns.

Guns are only a fraction of the answer here. We, as a tactical community, need to realize that guns are not for everyone and stop trying to cram it down their throats. If instead we help train in casualty care, mental preparedness, warning signs, etc we can stop this madness, as a collective whole. Then, IF it gets so far as to need a gun, we’ll be there. Let’s slow down and realize what others are willing contribute, come along beside them and raise them up.

“An ounce of prevention is worth a pound of cure” – Benjamin Franklin.

We have a saying in this industry: If what you are doing is not working, change what you’re doing. How about we take our own advice huh? Together we make a body, do not forsake your hand because it is not an eye. Guns are not for everyone, the tactical community should be first to understand this. If everyone wants to stop mass murder, let’s maximize our resources. Raise each part up to be its best, even if no guns are involved.

Stay Sharp

Adam

 

Law of Diminishing Returns

Posted by adam on April 27, 2017
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Have you ever seen a drag race on TV or in person? They are pretty cool; a car can go a quarter mile in about 10 seconds, often finishing at speeds above 130 mph! Many amateurs take a normal enough car with a good engine and make some modifications to the engine and body and can typically double their time down the track for several thousand dollars. Now, once all of the obvious things have been done and the “low hanging fruit” has been plucked, they run into a wall, a very expensive wall… This wall is called the law of diminishing returns.

For this context this law means this: Once the maximum-median effort has been put into a process, your return will lower while your cost increases. Using the car analogy: To get a 15 second car to 10 seconds may only take a few thousand dollars. However, to take that same car from 10 seconds to 9 seconds may take tens of thousands…

Applying this to the self defense realm, shooting a dime is cool but what is the real benefit, and is it worth the time and resources? Now, before you get your feathers all ruffled up, hear me out! To shoot a handgun close range and be combat effective is not terribly hard. It takes some time and good training, but it can be achieved within a relatively short amount of time, then it is just a matter of maintaining your skill set. Being combat effective is a good goal to aspire to. Anything beyond that is just flash in the pan, yeah I said it. Frankly, I don’t care if you can put a whole magazine in the same hole. Further still, I can support why that is even less effective than a 6-9 inch well placed group through a little thing called compound trauma.

If you measure your accuracy, success, and abilities in the self defense world using a bell curve you will better understand my point. The middle of the curve is also the pinnacle. If you, continue to push beyond the pinnacle, your return begins to go back down. Why bother? I mean unless you are a professional competitor, what is the point? Why would you not invest your time and resources in to something new or different? What have you gained in being able to shoot a dime sized group, but you have no ability to fight to your gun? If you have no physical skill set to get to your gun in a fight, the gun loses a huge advantage and may never become part of a fight when you need it most.

This applies to more than just guns. How about striking? You can train for years to become a professional level striker and be able to take on pros in the ring. However, is all that time and money worth it? Do you really need to be a professional level striker in order to win a street fight? Of course you will have the obvious advantage, but what are the chances that you will be fighting a golden glove, or a MMA pro on the street? Not very high. However, reaching the pinnacle of the bell curve and having a good solid hand to hand game will give you a massive advantage over the vast majority of people, especially thugs and criminals.

Look, I am not saying that you should not train to be accurate. If you hear that, you have missed my point and need to go back and start this article over. What I am saying is this: Do not get so focused on mastering one niche that you allow yourself to become weak in other areas. The one who is most balanced in their self defense ability will be the most effective.

What can we learn?

  • Train to be good, but not the best. If you spend too much time on one thing other areas will be weak.
  • It is advantageous to be combat effective in numerous areas than master in one.
  • Think of the bell curve when you train, reach the top, train to stay there, and find something else to work on.
  • Diversify your abilities. If you put all of your eggs in one basket, you are more likely to to lose them all.
  • If you have no physical ability to fight to your gun, your gun becomes less effective and may never come into the fight.

Stay Sharp,

Adam

Combat Effectiveness

Posted by adam on April 27, 2017
Posted in: Carrying a deadly weapon, Hand to Hand, Intermediate Weapons, Self Defense, Training, Uncategorized. Tagged: , , , , . Leave a Comment

Have you ever had a flat tire? It is pretty lousy, huh? No matter the kind of day we are having a flat tire always makes it worse. Thankfully a flat tire does not directly effect our engine performance, interior climate or comfort, radio, brake lights, etc. Even though the only thing effected is 25% of our tire ensemble the car becomes much less effective, almost worthless for transport. It is essentially taken it out of service, even if only temporarily.

Combat effectiveness can be defined in this context as: Any means or cause that provides one with an advantage in combat. The car has become less effective, without totally destroying it. Translate that analogy to a fight. If you break a guys hand, elbow, knee, or gouge an eye you have not destroyed the opponent, however, he has become much less effective in the fight. He cannot punch if his arm does not work, nor can he chase you if his knee bends the wrong way. Oh, and don’t forget breathing and eyesight, damage those and you have the upper hand!

If you damage more than one system, ie: eye, knee, and elbow, you have what is called compound trauma. This wreaks havoc on your opponent and gives you a marked advantage. Before we get carried away, let’s take a look at a few specific target points that can make one less effective in a fight.

  • Eyes – can’t see, can’t fight.
  • Throat – Can’t breathe, again, can’t fight.
  • Knee – Fairly fragile and hugely important, can’t walk on a knee that bends the wrong way.
  • Elbow – Like the knee but more fragile, bend it the wrong way and they can’t use their arm.
  • Hand – Break it and they can’t grip. That means no fist, knife, or gun for that hand.
  • Liver – I’ve seen guys black out over a good liver strike. It disrupts your system and your body does not like it.
  • Ears – Clap these bad boys hard and you cant stand up straight due to ruptured ear drums.

These are just a few of a long list of combat effective points on the human body. Some more effective than others, and some more potentially lethal than others. For example, punching someone in the throat is potentially lethal, whereas breaking an elbow is not likely to cause death. So, you need to understand the level of force you are using and apply it appropriately.

Pain. Pain is good, and can help you win a fight. But let me make one thing quite clear, pain is not sufficient to end most real fights. In fact someone who is under the influence of adrenaline, drugs, and/or alcohol is not likely to feel pain, and certainly not to the extent that you would like. That is precisely why you did not see a kick to the groin on the list above. While you can do some real damage to a fella this way, it is primarily pain. If however you lower that kick to the knee, he is likely to lose his immediate ability to walk. In a fight, your goal should be to prohibit the body’s ability to function, not inflict pain.

You can be combat effective without a gun. In a very large arsenal of tools a gun has a very important place, however, it is pretty limited in its use and ability. Hands/feet, sticks, pepper spray, contact weapons, etc. are all tools you can use to be highly combat effective. What is most important is that you learn and train. Then, you train and train some more. Never become complacent.

What can we learn?

  • You can be effective in combat or a fight without destroying your opponent entirely.
  • Learn the human body and what makes it work, then you will know how to shut it down.
  • Pain is not enough to end a fight,  you need to stop the body from working.
  • Know and understand what level of force you are using and apply it appropriately.
  • Never give up, and never stop learning

Stay Sharp,

Adam

Compound Trauma

Posted by adam on April 23, 2017
Posted in: Carrying a deadly weapon, Defense Mentality, Hand to Hand, Intermediate Weapons, Need to Know, No-Gun Defense, Self Defense, Training, Uncategorized. Tagged: , , , , , , , , . Leave a Comment

Let’s run a quick hypothetical. I give you a bounce house and a good knife. Then I tell you that your life depends on getting it deflated in under a minute. You can use the knife, but on to stab no slicing or cutting. How would you deflate that huge thing in under a minute? Would you stab the same place over and over, or would you make as many holes as possible all over? Yeah, I thought so.

Now, take that same theory and apply it to self defense. If your life depending on “deflating”  a threat as fast as possible, why do we so concern ourselves with shooting such a tight group as to make on hole? Hmm, interesting. Let me offer a quick disclaimer here: I am not advocating you do not train to proficiency. I am advocating that you train to be good, real good, then maintain that same ability over time.

Let’s take a closer in depth look at compound trauma. We will use guns and gun shot wounds (GSW) for our mechanism of injury here. If you shoot a bad guy one time, he has one injury. If you shoot him 5 times in the same spot, he has one big wound. But, if you shoot him 5 times (in a 6-9 inch group) different spots, he has 5 wounds. If you are shooting the chest, that kind of group could cover the heart, and both lung,  and maybe even the liver.

If you are looking to do serious damage to somebody, this is how you will achieve it. If all 5 rounds went into one lung, he has a major problem. However, that is quite survivable and he can even stay in the fight if he is determined, or under the influence. If however, you get the lungs, heart, and or liver, he cannot breathe and will likely collapse in just a few seconds due to loss of blood. There is no amount of determination of drugs that will keep him in the fight. The body will fail to function and that will be that.

Are you starting to see the effectiveness of compound trauma? Moving beyond the physical effects of it, we can take a peek at the psychological effects of compound trauma. One wound is bad enough, but when you have several different wounds and you are feeling the different effects of them, panic and maybe even shock will set it. This is good for you. If he can become focused on himself and not you, he suddenly becomes less interested in the fight and a lot more concerned with staying alive.

If this happens to you, being the good guy, you need to stay calm and do not panic. Finish the fight or die trying. Then start treatment. You can’t stop in the middle of a fight because of injury, that only gives them further advantage. You must press on and finish the fight. Once done there, you can use the first aid training you received to dress your wounds and call for help. It is of paramount importance that you do not give up mentally. There have been many cases of someone with a would that should have killed them survive because they refused to succumb to the injury. Stay strong and stay in the fight!

Compound trauma is not a topic often talked about or discussed, but I think it is important for you to understand. Not only for you own benefit if you experience it but also for inflicting it to use against a threat. Not just with guns either. You can combine and mix any combination of weapons and tools to inflict compound trauma, that is the beauty of it.

What can we learn?

  • Many holes are more effective than one when it comes to injury.
  • The body will stop working faster with several injuries as opposed to one.
  • Compound trauma works fast to shut the body down and keep it from functioning.
  • Train to be good and stay there! 6-9″ groups are very combat effective on the torso.
  • Get first aid training…

Stay Sharp,

Adam

Quitting and Perseverance

Posted by adam on April 12, 2017
Posted in: Defense Mentality, Self Defense, Training, Uncategorized. Tagged: , , , , , , . Leave a Comment

I went running the other day. To some that may be an everyday habit, I assure you, for me it is not. I don’t care to run unless it is perfect weather and I want to be outside, this was one of those days. I started out and was feeling pretty good a mile in, after mile two I was still feeling alright so I decided to go for a 3 mile! About a tenth of the way into the third mile I started feeling it… I felt like I hit a wall, my side started hurting, and everything went to pot. However! I refused to stop, I was determined to go a full three miles, or until my body failed. I was not going to let my mind stop me!

Quitting is an option for many, particularly in America. We have developed a society that encourages easy living and removal of hardships. While that is nice in many ways, it has softened us as a society. When things get hard we quit or change the rules. Guess where quitting is not an option, ever? Go ahead, take a minute and think about it before you read on. You think you got it? If you said self-defense, combat or some equivalent then you nailed it! If you are in a fight for your life, you better believe you opponent(s) is not going to just stop and walk away because you are tired or hurt. If you need a lesson on not quitting no matter what read Lone Survivor  by Marcus Luttrell or watch the movie.

Just because you are hurt, tired, or just don’t feel like it, stopping is not an option. A fight for your life typically only lasts a few seconds. In a fight 15 seconds feels like 15 years but the reality is it is only a short time. Training hard and as realistically as possible to create stress and elevated heart rate comes into its own here. Mimicking real life scenarios is great as long as you are careful to avoid the injury side of reality. This simulation assists in fixing the perceptual change that comes with high stress situations. Like most everything else, exposure can lead to desensitization. In this case, that is a good thing.

I have yet to experience anything so exhausting as fighting… It wears a body (and mind) out! It makes you want to quit because you can’t breathe, your heart rate is 150+ BPM, it hurts, and it can be scary. We must train in a controlled and safe environment in order to help us overcome this fear and desire to quite. We are hard-wired to run away from danger. Look at nature for this. The list of animals and insects that go right to combat before first retreating is rather short. I say regularly and will say it again here: If a fight can be avoided, avoid it, however, if you must fight with extreme violence and ferocity!

Don’t take my word for how important preserving is. Look up survival stories and decide for yourself the resounding theme of survivors: Perseverance. You will not read quotes of: “It just got so hard and I was hurting pretty bad, so I just stopped fighting, I quit, thankfully the guy trying to hurt me saw I was tired and walked away”. Nope! You will see this however: “I couldn’t breathe, and I thought I was dying, but I was not going to let this scumbag take me away from my family!”.

Perseverance is a resounding theme for success not only in this realm of self-defense but also in business, relationships, and life in general. The decision to not give up may be hard, it may hurt, but at the end of the day if it is worth fighting for, it is worth persevering for!

What can we learn?

  1. The second quitting becomes an option, it becomes an inevitability
  2. Don’t quit, like seriously, don’t quit, ever!
  3. It may hurt, it may be scary, we may not have asked for it, but we must persevere through it anyway.
  4. If it is worth fighting for, it is worth persevering for!
  5. Train, practice, learn, repeat!

Stay Sharp,

Adam

Domestic Overflow

Posted by adam on April 12, 2017
Posted in: Carrying a deadly weapon, Gun Free Zones, Mass Murder, School Shootings, Self Defense, Soft Targets. Tagged: , , , , . Leave a Comment

San Bernardino April 10, 2017: An estranged husband enters his separated wife’s school where she is a special needs teacher, goes to her classroom and immediately opens fire on her using a “large-caliber revolver*”. The wife was the intended target, sadly however, two young children were also injured, one of which later died at the hospital.

A few years back a town just down the road from where I live experienced a similar event. A woman who was in fear for her life from an abusive boyfriend ended the relationship. He went to her place of work ( a place he knew she would be) and shot her multiple times with a shotgun, her fears were justified. These events are truly tragic on multiple levels and yet, not that uncommon…

We are going to look at this from two angles. First from a avoiding a dangerous person angle, next a “how does this effect me” angle. It is hugely important that when dating and interacting with the What general populace that you are aware of some common and easily recognizable warning signs to a dangerous or potentially dangerous person. Disclaimer: Just because someone exhibits one or more of these behaviors, it does not mean that they are dangerous, they may just be nosy. Warning signs are just that, signs.  However, you can begin to see the image when you start putting puzzle pieces together.

One of the easiest and most recognizable signs is over inquisitiveness. If someone is asking too many questions, or out-of-place questions that should send red flags, especially if they are not offering any information themselves. For example: Where do you work, what time do you get off, do you carpool, do you live alone, etc. Those are obvious, but the smart ones are subtle in gathering this information. They may ask: What do you do? Oh, nice, a 9-5 Mon-Fri job huh? A subtle and innocuous way of gathering personal information they don’t need.

The other sign we are going to discuss is control. If someone is trying to control you in any way you need to pay close attention for other signs! While some control may be overt, this does not typically come until the relationship has some time on. Not letting you leave, controlling all of the money, controlling friends, etc are all overt. Some of the covert methods they use early on are harder to see, but there none the less. Try texting a friend in their presence ignore them, and laugh a lot. If they keep asking questions about who it is, what you are talking about, what’s so funny, or something along those lines, pay attention! All the more so if they seem serious or bothered at all by the test.

The second angle  is “how does this effect me?”. Well, read the opening story again. An 8-year-old that was not targeted was killed and another seriously wounded. Have you figured it out yet? Collateral damage… If you are in the area of a domestic event, you may be in danger. If a co-worker is separated from a potentially dangerous subject, take heed. The worst part is, you may not even know it. People all around us, including our coworkers and friends may not share those kinds of things with us. This is one reason I think you should take time to invest in your friends, but I digress.

This topic is two-fold and overlapping. Not only preventative but also reactionary. If you can recognize danger signs and avoid the threat, do it! Sometimes we find ourselves around those who did not see the warning signs, or walking through an area with a domestic event in progress. Either way we need to be prepared to protect ourselves in a proportionate way against the threat.

 

 

What can we learn?

  1. You do not have to be the target of an event to be a victim
  2. Domestic Overflow is real, and can be dangerous
  3. Work, recreation, public, etc are all venues that domestic overflow can happen
  4. Know what the warning signs are, and look for them, it is a passive process and simple
  5. What are you doing in the life of those around you to stay plugged in and help them
    • If you are taking care of a friend and “one-anothering” you will likely know something is going on and can help them through it, including help keep them safe.

Stay Sharp,

Adam

 

 

*Police One

Defense in a crowded environment

Posted by adam on January 18, 2017
Posted in: Carrying a deadly weapon, Defense Mentality, Hand to Hand, Intermediate Weapons, No-Gun Defense, Self Defense, Training, Uncategorized. Tagged: , , , , , , . Leave a Comment

Every now and again, I find myself watching, and trying to enjoy a good action flick. Then it happens… The antagonist (bad guy) sees the protagonist (hero) from across a busy lobby area, full of people. He pulls his gun and begins to shoot our hero as he runs away. Hero then turns around and begins to fire back, all while there are dozens of terrified bystanders running around screaming.

Ok, yes, that is indeed a movie, however, with today’s violent society who is to say that cannot happen for real? As a matter fact it would not take long for me to produce a dozen such incidents that have indeed happened. A murderer opens fire on a large crowd of people. Put yourself in such a situation, for just a minute. How would you respond?

Shooting into a crowd is an incredibly dangerous and complicated process. The best hostage rescue teams in the world train every day for years on shooting around people they don’t intend to kill. How much time have you spent doing this?… Yeah, me either… Some operations, if time allows, the teams will create a replica of the area, and train for days, weeks, or even months on executing a specific rescue mission.

While hostage rescue is a little different, it is more simplistic than shooting at a dynamic (moving) target around a lot of other moving people… My point here is: The best in the world would not flippantly take a shot like this, think twice before you do…

Let’s go beyond the typical scope here, and look at no gun incidents. How can you defend yourself if a gun is not warranted? Well, a non-lethal approach is obviously needed. What are our options? Depending on where you live and the laws you have the following open to you:

  • Pepper spray
  • Electronic Control Device (stun gun)
  • Air Horn / Whistle
  • Hands

Any of these can be used to defend yourself. Given the situation, different tools will be more applicable or effective. An air horn or whistle is great to alert the police that are 40 yards away, but, in the middle of getting punched, I would recommend a more hands on approach…

Some basic hand to hand skills and techniques will go a long way. You do not have to be a master martial artist to defend yourself against some addict looking for a hit. The appropriate amount force, applied properly can be enough to save your skin.

We will take a look at pepper spray in-depth another time, but let’s look at it briefly here. Pepper spray comes in many forms, shapes, brands, concentrations, etc.. However, they are all aerosols and the contents atomize upon release. One thing you need to be aware of, if you release it, you may get some too; especially if you are in a small area (car, room, etc.).

Pepper spray has a great ability to temporally “blind” the threat and cause panic, pain, and disorientation. It also works on animals such as dogs.

One benefit to having people around and having to defend yourself in a crowded area is: witnesses! Others will be able to substantiate your account of what happened. This will help law enforcement with their investigation.

Defending yourself or others in a crowded environment is not where you want to be. It stinks, no two ways about it. So, we have to have a plan going in and be wise about it! Know what is legal in your area before hand, and prepare yourself accordingly. Train and equip for defending yourself, especially without a gun, in a crowded environment. Consider the options for tools, and employ them!

What can we learn?

  • Shooting into a crowd = terrible idea
  • Lethal force is not always available, nor a good idea.
  • We are liable for all that we do, be careful and wise with your strategy.
  • Don’t always assume a gun is the best option.

Stay Sharp

Adam

 

Knowledge or Equipment?

Posted by adam on December 26, 2016
Posted in: Carrying a deadly weapon, Defense Mentality, Self Defense, Training, Uncategorized. Tagged: , , . Leave a Comment

One of my dreams is to hike a section of the Appalachian Trail. This trail about 2200 miles long running from Georgia to Maine, and takes several months to hike in its entirety. I have watched documentaries, read stories, looked at maps, etc. to get a feel for the experience. In my studies, I learned of a little shop at the top of a hill close to the southern trail head. A hiker would likely get to this shop within a couple of days. It is full of all kinds of random things, off the wall trinkets, obscure and expensive gadgets, and hiking equipment. It also is well stocked with the essential hiking equipment.

This store sells the essentials, and buys  the excess. Hikers very quickly learn what is important. Every ounce matters in the pack. Those who pack in unnecessary gear for an extended hike may be well-funded, but lack experience/knowledge. They learn quickly just how important knowledge is, and are willing to sacrifice equipment once they understand what they are doing.

We can circumvent the vast majority of this difficult and possibly costly learning curve by doing some homework, and learning from the pros how to do it right. This approach carries over to pretty much every aspect of our lives. Let’s take a look at how this applies to our personal safety.

Every now and again I have a student come in with a brand new $1000+ dollar handgun that has never been shot, because they have never shot a hand gun… They have the equipment, but no understanding of how the thing works, essentially rendering it a really nice paper weight (but, they came to learn!). On the other hand, I have had students come in with grandpa’s old revolver that has seen better days. And yet, they perform very well! They have trained, learned, and bothered to gain the knowledge necessary to get the best from any tool available.

There is an old song that goes by the name of “Touch of the Master’s Hand“. It says that even though something may appear worthless, in the right hands, it is priceless. This puts focus on knowledge and capability as opposed to gear and equipment. Some of the most capable “operators” I know use quality equipment, train with it extensively, and place knowledgeable above all else.

What knowledge is most valuable? A few key topics come to mind: Tactics, Weapons manipulation, Human functionality, and Your own limits.

  • Tactics: We must know how to move, where, and when with purpose and intent.
  •  Weapons Manipulation: If you don’t know how to handle your weapon proficiently under stress, you better get there!
  • Human Functionality: We need to know how our body acts under stress, as well as how a threat’s body reacts to injury and other input.
  • Our own limits: You cannot do what you cannot do. There are some physical limitations. Can you honestly say that you can take a head shot into a moving threat through an active and dynamic crowd in a mall? I can’t. I know that, if you are being honest you can’t either, not without hitting a bystander. That is just reality…

I am not saying you cannot have nice gear, far from it! We should invest in quality gear. However, consider getting a $800 gun and spend $1200 on training, as opposed to $2000 gun with no training. If you can do both $2k on a gun, and train, more power to you! Most of us however, must settle for good quality consumer grade tools and train, and train… and train some more.

Never feel like you need to compete with other people’s gear, more on that here. What they have may not work for you, shoot, it may not work at all! Sometimes I see some “tactical” gear and cringe due to its disastrous potential! Gear does not equal good. A 10 lb rifle may look cool, but is all but worthless when clearing rooms. Your goals and priorities must be weighed, measured, and considered when creating a strategy for your safety. Seek professional help if necessary, but please learn!

What can we learn?

  • What is more valuable, gear or knowledge? Without gear, knowledge is worthless, without knowledge, gear is.
  • Gear is not always good, nor is it always helpful.
  • Equipment can be good, but be selective.
  • Avoid becoming obsessed with equipment
  • Spend time and resources on training!
  • Knowledge will cost more time than anything else, it is worth the investment!
  • Knowledge is power!!

Stay Sharp

Adam

Techniques or Technique? What’s the difference anyway?

Posted by adam on November 18, 2016
Posted in: Defense Mentality, Hand to Hand, Intermediate Weapons, Self Defense, Training, Uncategorized. Tagged: , , , , . Leave a Comment

If someone grabs you just like this you need to: drop down, swing your right foot around, bring your left knee up, reach across with your right arm to the left side of their face, jerk it to the right while using your left hand to take their wallet. OK, that may be a little silly but, that is about right for some of the techniques I have encountered. Silly manifestations of a good idea gone awry.

Before we move on let’s take a minute to define and understand the difference between technique and techniques. When I say technique, I refer to the style, aptitude, and skill in a particular ability or skill set. For example: punching, kicking, knife defense, shooting, etc. These physical actions require a certain amount of knowledge, training, and ability. The more you know and the better you are able to apply the knowledge, the better your technique.

Techniques on the other hand are a set of moves that can be taught and learned quickly that allow one to counter or mitigate an attack. These are specific moves that require a specific action by another party to work. For example: If someone throws a right straight punch, there are several specific actions you can use to counter and attack. However, if it is a left punch, it won’t work… Are you starting to see the difference?

You see, the danger with techniques is that when something is not perfect on either side you get all confused and screwed up and the technique you are trying to apply doesn’t work. I am reminded of an old Andy Griffith episode where Barney keeps trying things with Andy, and Andy is “attacking him wrong” when Barney can’t seem to get it. Voice of experience speaking: when you try to apply a technique to someone who is not behaving just as you need, your thought process will get all jacked up and you will fumble through the movement and likely cause yourself to fail.

Please do not hear me saying that techniques are bad. I have obtained a vast repertoire of techniques over the years; however, I would not use most them in a fight. Why? In order for a technique to be effective the attack must be just so, you must have trained to an intense level for that technique. There are some though, that are responses to very common attacks that I have trained to high level in that I would use in a fight.

Techniques have their place in combat and training, however, I am a firm believer that technique will get you farther. If you know how to strike, take a hit, where to hit and when, you will be a phenomenal fighter. Once you understand and have mastered proper combat technique you will be able to react with remarkable speed, precision, and effectiveness.

Flexibility and adaptation of intentions is critical to survive a fight. In the military they have a saying: The best of plans won’t survive first contact. This means that no matter how much planning you do, when everything goes left, your plan will fall apart. If, however, you are prepared for a dynamic fight and ready and able to adapt your plan and attack, you are highly likely to win that fight…

 

What can we learn?

  • Techniques have their place, but you must use and train with caution
  • Technique takes a little longer to develop but, will take you farther than any techniques ever could
  • Learn and develop your technique over time. Start out with some basic a simple techniques and you will become well-rounded over time.
  • There is no substitute for training! No matter your approach, you must train!

Stay Sharp,

Adam

Classical Conditioning and the Pavlovian Response

Posted by adam on November 3, 2016
Posted in: Carrying a deadly weapon, Defense Mentality, Hand to Hand, Intermediate Weapons, No-Gun Defense, Self Defense, Training, Uncategorized. Leave a Comment

Ivan Pavlov was a popular Russian scientist in the late 1800’s through the early 1900’s; being awarded the Nobel prize in 1904. He began an experiment studying the salivary glands in dogs and how their saliva impacted the digestive process. Every time he would feed the dogs he would measure the saliva and perform other tests. His team began ringing a bell to signify feeding time before every feeding. After a short time the dogs began to associate the bell with food, after all, every time they heard the bell they got food. They discovered that when they rang the bell, the dogs’ salivary glands fired up, even without the presence of food.

The study produced not only the intended results, but it also produced one of the biggest psychological discoveries of the day, that is: Classical conditioning. We often refer to this as Pavlovian Response after it’s namesake. Classical Conditioning is one of two forms of learning, as we understand learning at this point. Classical conditioning is how we learn as a result of stimulus and actions. Operant Conditioning however is learning by consequences; for example we learn fire is hot shortly after we touch it…

We will focus on Classical Conditioning for the purpose of this writing. I can understand your confusion here. What in the world does saliva in dogs (gross) have to do with self-defense? Let me see if I can unpack this a little bit; but let’s back up a touch. We react to a lot of things, at all time, in everything we do. We have to act or react, and the point can even be made that reacting is an action, but I digress. In our reactions we have two categories: Good & Bad… When driving down the highway, and the semi on your left starts drifting into your lane you have to react right? Ok, so you have two ways to react: good or bad. Good: We carefully whip into the lane to our right away from the semi, and give the diver a polite but firm 10 second horn blow (we have strategically kept the lane to our right open in just such an emergency right?). Bad: We do not move, or worse move into the semi!

Why do we react in the way that we do in such situations? Well, there is a primal instinct to survive at play, but beyond that alone we have been conditioned to react in that way. In the example given above, you may react due to either/or/both Operant or Classical conditioning.

Classical conditioning for self-defense is important for several reasons, the biggest of these is: Survival stress reaction. During a survival stress situation, our brain goes into a primal mode and makes many actions and thought processes we take for granted difficult if not impossible. However, when we train ourselves to react to a situation we have conditioned ourselves to react without thinking about it. This may very well be the difference between life and death, or at least bodily injury.

This can be done with firearms, body, mind, and any other tools. This response takes is time, dedication, and proper practice and stimulus. If we want to train to draw our firearm the second a threat is presented, then we need to have a threat presented to us in a safe controlled manner. Yelling “threat” or “gun” to initiate a response is not going to get it alone. Auditory input is great; for example drawing to the sound of gunfire. However, you must incorporate visual stimuli into your training as well.

We can train ourselves to a Pavlovian response in a mind-boggling array of topics. What happens when you smell your favorite meal being cooked to perfection? Your mouth waters, you get hungry, and you just might smile. Why do we do this? Because we have been conditioned to know that smell is a sign of good things to come, in short order. Our body begins to prep itself for receiving food, in turn you get hungry(er). Congratulations, you have been conditioned!

Do not underestimate the power of your body and mind. I have made it a personal mission through my work at Strategic Defense Group to help you understand the awesome power and control we have through ourselves as given by our creator. Classical conditioning is an important facet of how we can overcome and survive.

What can we learn?

  • Ivan Pavlov put a name to something that has been designed into us from the dawn of time: Classical Conditioning
  • Classical conditioning is how we learn to react to stimuli.
  • Pavlovian response is important to self-defense due to how we react to survival stress situations
  • Take the time and effort to dedicated  training for Pavlovian response in some common self-defense areas ie: drawing your handgun from concealment.

Stay Sharp

Adam