WARRIOR TALK NEWS

Beating The Reaper!!! Volume 1: Trauma Medicine for the CCW Operator

Dr. John Meade

Director of Tactical Medicine

Suarez International

In 2010, I introduced a radically new class into the Suarez International curriculum: Trauma Medicine for the CCW Operator (TMCO). This class was designed to be a gunfighting class, not just a classroom first aid class like so many others teach. My idea was to teach how to respond to the potentially lethal encounter and be able to not only win the gunfight, but also avoid dying from wounds received during the fight. The class teaches both halves of the situation, the gunfight and the medical care, in an integrated fashion.

As obvious to me as it was that we needed the TMCO class, it was also obvious that we needed a book to accompany the class. While no book can replace the guided instruction of a class, having a text would be very helpful. The book could serve as material for preparation prior to the class, as notes so the student would be able to pay more attention during the class and as review material afterwards. The realist in me had to admit that everyone in the English-speaking world would not sign up for a TMCO class, so the book needed to be able to stand on its own, as well, and be able to provide lifesaving information for those who could not attend the class.

I am an experienced Emergency Medicine/Trauma doctor, and a member of a police SWAT team. I train SWAT medics, street paramedics and EMT’s, and oversee multiple EMS agencies. I decided that two brains were better than one for this project, however, and approached a friend who is an active duty Special Forces military combat medic to co-author the book with me. He has spent most of the last decade treating gunshot wounds and other traumatic injuries on overseas battlefields, and would be able to bring another set of experiences to the project.  Between the two of us, we bring a combination of civilian, military, law enforcement, hospital, and out-of-hospital perspectives.

The focus of this book is the same as the TMCO class: the “Average Joe” who finds himself suddenly in an unexpected violent encounter. This man certainly doesn’t consider himself to be a medically trained special operator. Instead, he is someone who realizes that, just as with his shooting skills, he needs to have skill to help save someone’s life, perhaps his own, in the aftermath of shooting or other traumatic event. We call that man the “CCW Operator”. He doesn’t have a team medic nearby. He must show the same self-reliance that got him through the initial incident.  The book, and the class, are infused with the same TCCC (Trauma Combat Casualty Care) principles that are now being taught to military medics. We believe that the skills and mindset needed by the average guy robbed at his local bank ATM machine are the same as those needed by the cop pinned down in an inner city apartment complex hallway, or a soldier caught in an ambush in Iraq.

 

The result of this joint effort is BEATING THE REAPER!! Volume 1: Trauma Medicine for the CCW Operator. It is available now exclusively at the One Source Tactical store. Topics in the book include tactics, hemorrhage control, shock, airway management, chest injuries and musculoskeletal injuries. We also discuss various pieces of medical gear that we strongly recommend, and other gear that we strongly recommend that you avoid.

 

We are already at work on Beating The Reaper: Volume Two. Volume 1 is appropriate to everyone, but especially addresses how to handle things when all you have is a pistol in a reactive gunfight. Volume 2 will focus on things that are more pertinent to teams, such as military, police, and even families that train together. Armor, more medical gear, and a higher level of medical treatment will be discussed.

Sign up for a Trauma Medicine class near you, and purchase the book now! I assure you that you won’t regret either one!

Bullets Don’t Work

By Suarez International Staff Instructor Craig S. Flaherty

You have been lied to for years. Ammunition manufactures, instructors and the gun culture in general have lied to you. When it comes down to an inter-personal violent encounter where handguns are used, the bullets fired from that handgun do not work. This not an exercise in the age old argument, 9mm vs. 45 ACP vs. .40 vs. take your pick. As an example I was once told an issued .40 S&W round issued to me was the “laser beam of death”. This particular round has done things such as bounce off a cheek bone and failed to penetrate to a depth to do any significant damage to the human body, to name just two.

Why is this; clothing, angle, temperature or medical science? I feel all these things have a role in these types of incidents. Let’s look at arguably one of the most investigated and documented incidents of the last quarter of century to see what we may see.  On April 11^th, 1986 that has been talked about and reported on since. 

In the 1980’s, there were a good deal of notorious violent crimes in Miami. Most of them, were linked to the cocaine trade. But of all the violent assaults that took place during Dade County’s most violent period, the most influential and notorious of them all did not involve high-profile drug cartels. It involved two middle-aged armed robbers and eight FBI agents. What began as another morning in Miami ended as, what was at the time, the bloodiest day in the history of the FBI.

 After several robberies, murders and assaults the culmination of the investigation began at about 9 AM on April 11, 1986, Special Agents noticed two men identified as Michael Platt and William Matix in a black Chevrolet Monte Carlo on South Dixie Highway. They moved in behind them and alerted the rest of the team that they were following the suspects. Sensing that they were being followed, the robbers turned from the freeway onto surface streets, behind the Dixie Belle shopping center. As the rest of the agents closed in on the suspects, another Special Agent  passed the Monte Carlo and saw Platt loading his Ruger Mini-14.

 Platt and Matix’s vehicle was forced into a large tree in a parking lot along a surface street. Immediately after crashing, Platt fired 13 rounds at the agents from his Mini-14, hitting two agents. Matix then leaned out of the Monte Carlo, presumably to try and overtake one of the FBI vehicles for a quick escape. Matix was immediately shot in the forearm. While back inside the car Matix was hit again, this time in the head and collarbone, The head shot, while accurate and often deadly, only managed to knock the robber unconscious.

Platt continued to shoot at the Agents as he got out of the Monte Carlo and began to advance on a FBI vehicle. During this charge he was shot four times, mostly in the legs and torso, and then another five times as he attempted to commandeer the FBI automobile. Platt was undeterred by the flurry of bullets hitting him as he made his assault, and upon arrival at Agents car, Platt shot them both, killing each instantly. He also shot several other agents in the process, providing cover as Matix somehow regained consciousness after being shot in the head. The two suspects crawled into the front of an FBI car and continued to receive gunshot wounds, and return fire, for another two minutes.

 Platt was shot in the feet as he exited the FBI vehicle again, presumably to fire more shots. While the wounds were not fatal, they did force Platt back into the vehicle. An Agent advanced on the FBI vehicle the contained Platt and Matix with a .357 magnum revolver, firing into the vehicle five times. Despite having both been shot in the head, chest and extremities, the wounds that finally stopped Platt and Matix were rounds that lodged in their spines during this final attack. Thus ending a nine minute shoot out.

 Autopsy reports showed that the suspects were hit 18 times by FBI bullets, incurring multiple injuries to “kill zones” like the head and chest. Following the incident reports showed that guns had functioned properly. Had the bullets done their jobs Platt would have lasted about 30 seconds after his first chest wound.

Hence my theory, “Bullets Don’t Work”. Now this very short account of the incident does not do it justice. I use it as a point of reference. Have we had weapon and ammunition improvements over the last twenty five years? Of course we have. Many variables impact why bullets do what they do. If you have ever been in one of my classes, you have heard me talk on this subject. Quite simply put. Bullets don’t work, but we are lucky. Ammunition manufactures do a great service. They include a couple “magic” bullets in every box. We as end users just have to find them.

As Gabe has proposed during courses for years, “Shoot them to the ground”. When you attend a course, you spend a very few precious hours with an instructor.  Some instructors will teach you two to the chest one to the head. In a training environment where saving ammunition and making drills easier for the instructor to control the class is part of the equation.  This may not be the best option for you when you are confronted with inter-personal violence that needs to be resolved with a handgun. If you have attended a Suarez International with course you will remember hearing “a burst to the chest and a couple to the head” your choice. When you are training and not under our direct supervision, it is my fervent hope as it is all Suarez International Instructors you remember all the lessons learned during the time we have together. Bullets don’t work and keep shooting good accurate shots until that magic bullet does its damage.

Optimizing Pocket Glocks

 

- Jon Payne Suarez International Tier 1 Staff Instructor

It’s no secret I like Glock pistols. I don’t buy into the whole “perfection” thing, but I have yet to find a more versatile, durable pistol made for killing bad guys and keeping good guys safe. Southeast Texas is dang near a tropical climate so I have no problem admitting I carry a Glock 26/27 when I don’t feel like carrying a gun, or as a backup to my carry pistol. Recently there have been a few threads on the Glock 26/27 on Warrior Talk and Texas Gun Talk. Here are my solutions into making the baby Glocks all they can be.

The Baby Glocks are easier to shoot, hold more ammo, are easier to carry spare ammo for, and are faster to reload than most other subcompact pistols/revolvers. The little Glocks are shoot-able as they come from the factory, but I don’t care for some of the factory options and they are easy to improve. Starting at the top, lose the factory plastic sights and opt for Warren Tactical Sights. On these little guns I like the tritium on the front with a plain black rear. I haven’t made up my mind on which I like more, the “carry” or the “competition” rear because they are both excellent. These sights provide for a nice sharp sight picture and with the tritium up front you have a great reference point for low light shooting. 

Be honest, you won’t use the three dot system to make a precise sight alignment/picture in low light anyway. Night sights just give extra input on where you’re pointed in low light. If you really want to go first class you can have TSD Combat Systems install a Trijicon RMR on your factory slide! The cool thing is the sight radius issue no longer matters and 100 yard shots is like eating lettuce, nothing to it. The con is the added size of the RMR limits where you can hide the pistol. Even with good sights and the ability to get a great sight picture, if you don’t have a manageable trigger you won’t get hits. 

The factory triggers aren’t bad, but I like a cleaner and smoother “break”. Improving the trigger pull on a Glock is so simple you can get yourself into a lot of trouble. There are many reading this that has heard me say, “Stay away from the 25 cent trigger job.”, and I mean it. All you need is a properly tuned Glock Factory 4.5 lb. connector, a Lightning Strike safety plunger, and the 1,000 round trigger job. Even without the 1,000 rounds the last two items will make a marked difference in the feel of your trigger. Next stop, the slide stop, uh…releases whatever. 

There is no need for an extended factory slide stop. It really doesn’t hurt, but I really haven’t found any benefits for me with them. I have had the sharp rear edge get caught in my shirt once, so it can happen, but I’m not too worried about it. Basically this is entirely up to you whether you use the standard or extended factory slide stop. What I won’t use here is after market slide stops. While the magazines can’t be improved, they can be safely altered without affecting reliability. 

First off, only use factory magazines. Second, always carry a spare magazine. It boggles my mind the number of people who will argue about carrying a spare mag. If you’re going through the trouble of packing a darn pistol, carry a spare magazine! Don’t be lazy, if things have gotten to the point where you have to use the pistol I don’t think you’ll wish you had less capacity or be glad you chose to go without a spare magazine. There are other problems that might require you to strip your mag out to get the gun back in the fight. Do you want to put the same mag in that may have been part of the cause of your problem, or replace it with a fresh one? Because I’m carrying a spare mag it’s not a bad thing it holds a little more ammo than the one in your gun, but be aware if you go “too big” it might cause problems.

I have seen Glock 26’s in classes using Glock 19 and Glock 17 mags hiccup when the shooter applied enough pressure through their grip. Did it happen every time? No, it didn’t, just enough times for me to see a pattern. I have added the Glock +2 extension to my spare Glock 26/27 mags. In the 26 you do get the two added rounds, in the 27 you only get one. For pocket carry or deep concealment I use the standard capacity mag with the +2 mag as my spare. I also have some of the Pearce Grip Extensions that add three rounds to the 26 and two rounds to the 27. So far they have worked out very well, and if they continue to do so I have no problem endorsing them. Again, I don’t use magazine extensions from the pocket for obvious reasons, but when using the Zack holster it really doesn’t matter and I use two +2 mags.

 If you own any Glock, especially a 26/27 you need a Zack period. Besides it being a minimalist holster that you can use with all your Glocks, it gives you a little extra piece of mind when transporting your Glocks in a range bag and it’s an extra little step to clear your mind when startled in the middle of the night. The cool thing is you can use any holster designed for your Glock 17/22 or Glock 19/23 when training with the 26/27. 

Running my Baby Glocks in the fashion I have described in this article all but guarantees me hits at 50 yards and makes me real dangerous at 100 yards! The Glock 26/27 when properly rigged up shoots just as accurately and just as reliably as their compact and full sized counterparts. I must add that Glock is not the only maker of a subcompact pistol that handles like its big brother. 

The XD series from Springfield is comparable in just about every way. There are more options for Glocks, but the XD is nothing to sneeze at. The same can be said for the S&W M&P series. An interesting note is TSD Combat Systems is getting geared up to mill XDs and M&Ps for the awesome Trijicon RMR. Unlike some make-believe fairy tale, TSD Combat Systems has opened a new market and the RMR on a combat pistol is a game changer. If you’ve ever thought you wanted more than a .38spl or a .380 ACP, look at the pocket Glock, it fills more roles than just a pocket pistol.

 

Scope Reticles 101 Chapter 2

    Previously we covered basic and illuminated style reticles. This time let’s look at the bullet drop compensator and ranging reticles. Both give the shooter more information than the basic reticles and some of these are illuminated as well.     First the bullet drop compensator style reticles (BDC). These scopes are designed to zero the weapon system at a specified distance and use the BDC to adjust for longer shots. These recticles can be caliber specific. The key point here is to read the manufactures directions on how to use the reticle. They will vary. Some scope builders group calibers into different classes based on velocity of the cartridge. This makes the reticle appeal to a broad market base. These work well on large targets. The variances in weather and caliber ballistics make it hard to hit a smaller target. The turrets on these scopes vary as well. Most are not numbered since they are designed to be set and left alone. Newer versions of the BDC have marks for wind corrections. These windage marks are set at 5 or 10 mph. This means the shooter must estimate the correction for wind values that are different than the set value. Remember the wind velocity and the direction/angle are important factors in making corrections. Some of these reticles have so many lines in the scope they are hard to read clearly. Making a quick shot or a fast follow up shot is difficult when you need to pause to comprehend all the different marks on the reticle. You can use the BDC reticle for ranging in a similar fashion as the duplex reticle. The shooter must practice ranging targets and build a data card for this method to work. This type of reticle is not as precise as the Mil-dot or MOA style.     Mil Radian scopes are based on the angular relationship of a circle and it’s radius. It was first used by artillery crews to aim the big guns over great distances. The term Mil dots was adapted since the mil radian is used and dots are placed on the crosshairs 1 mil-radian apart. The first scopes used perfectly round dots. The USMC version uses small ovals in place of the dots. Later versions use hash marks at each mil radian and some reticles have hash marks at 0.5 mil or even 0.2 mil.  A mil radian is approx. 3.6 inches at 100 yards or 36 inches at 1000 yards. Some manufactures are using minute of angle (MOA) instead of mils: 1 MOA is 1 inch at 100 and 10 inches at 1000. The scopes I have used were all graduated in 2 MOA not 1 MOA.  As a comparison at 500 yards 1 mil is 18 inches and 2 moa would be 10 inches. Most scope turrets are divided into segments of MOA. The most common is ¼ MOA per click, or ¼ inch at 100 yards.  This works very well when the reticle is in MOA also. Just recently scope manufactures offered scopes with turrets that are set in Mil radian adjustments. The most common is 1/10th mil radian. This computes to 0.36 inches per click of the turrets at 100 yards. Scopes with mil radian reticles and MOA turrets have to have the corrections converted to inches then to moa to make the corrections. If the turrets and reticle are in the same dimensions there is no conversion. The shooter simply reads the correction from the reticle and turns the dial.    Here is an example. The shooter misses a target by 1 mil as observed through the scope. They would just rotate the turret 10 clicks to make the correction. If the turrets were in MOA he must convert 1 mil to inches. At 200 yards that would be 7.2 inches, now the shooter must move the turret to correct for 7.2 inches. The 7.2 inches is converted to clicks by dividing 7.2 by ½ inch since 1 click is equal to ½” at 200 yards. The result is 14 clicks. 14x1/2 = 7. Since there are no half clicks on the scope we round off to the nearest whole number.
     Range estimation with a mil radian scope is easier than most other reticle types. Since we know the size of the target and the mil radian is obtained through the scope we can calculate the distance to the target. The formula is size of target in inches multiplied by 27.77. (This is a fixed number in the formula.) The result is divided by number of mils. This gives you the distance. The accuracy of this method depends on how accurate you read the mils from the scopes reticle. A 2/10ths of a mil misread will throw the range estimation off enough to miss the target. This is why most ranging should be done with the scope on the highest power setting. The MOA recticles are used the same way with the constant in the formula as 95.5.  Remember there are imported scopes that look like they have a mil dot reticle but reading the fine print reveals they are for reference only and aren’t true mil dots. It is easy to check by drawing a box on a piece of blank paper. Make it 7.2 inches tall and 3.6inches wide. Set it at 100 yards and observe it thru your scope it should be 2 mils tall and 1 mil wide. This same exercise will tell you on what power the scope should be for ranging. Front focal plane scopes should be accurate at any power while rear focal plane scopes normally must be set on the highest power to range a target. There are a few that must be set on 1 specific power setting to be accurate. Again, read the manufacturer’s directions.     Optics manufacturers are now making rifle scopes, binoculars and spotting scopes  with the same reticles. This is a great improvement for the shooter/ spotter team/ the spotter simply calls the correction directly from what he sees through the spotting scope. The shooter then holds off the correction and makes another shot. If time permits the shooter can dial in the correction to scope on the turrets that are matched to the scope reticle. An experienced shooter can adjust the turrets without looking at them     Horrus now has scopes with a mil-radian grid system just below the stadia lines in their scopes. Each mark is 0.2 mils apart. The idea behind this is to allow the shooter to count the marks to improve ranging. It also allows for instant wind correction for a miss or hold over for distance correction. I have only used the grid system a few times and it was confusing and time consuming. I need more practice on this reticle. The one drawback was the additional cost to have this reticle in the scope. Leupold offers this option in a few Mark 4 scope models.     In the past twenty years scope manufactures have combined features on scopes to give the shooters better choices. The new models really do combine the best features of illumination and cross hair reticles. Several companies offer illuminated recticles with BDC or Mil-dots. Trijicon has fixed power scopes with a fiber optic aiming point and a BDC below it. They also have a Mil dot scope with a fiber optic center dot. Leupold has the fire dot scopes and illuminated TMR reticle.     I used an illuminated TMR in 2-8x36 on a 20’ AR for the Mammoth Sniper challenge. One stage was on the side of a mountain under a full canopy of hardwoods on a rainy day. The targets were scattered through the woods downhill from the shooter. During the walk through I noticed how dark it was and how the trees and limbs looked black since they were wet. The targets were all steel and grey in color. I turned on the illuminated reticle and went 5 for 5 on that stage. It was my best stage of the match.     The new trend is to mount 2 optics on rifles, one variable power scope in the standard position and a red dot style at the 1 O/C position. This gives the shooter the option of making a long range shot or a CQB type shot with the same rifle by tilting the rifle to the left. I just learned of a new scope, designed for the military, that is 1.1-8 power. The only drawback I see is the $3800.00 price tag. You can shoot CQB with a magnified optic.  Shooting long range with a non-magnified red dot is nearly impossible.        Just remember under 200 yards the options are wide open. At 200 – 600 yards the choices become limited simply because you can’t hit what you can’t see. At distances over 600 yards the quality of glass and the turrets make a big difference if you want to hit what you see. Remember to practice with your weapon system and build your data book and range card. This will improve your shooting tremendously and you won’t have to relearn the dope from the previous training session.

Scott Vandiver

SI Staff Instructor Georgia

www.centerfiretraining.com

Are You A Minimalist?

J D Lester - Suarez International Staff Instructor 

Are you a minimalist? 

I concur with keeping things simple and I am a minimalist, though some might consider me a maxi-minimalist. What is a maxi-minimalist?

From Wikipedia: “The term “minimalist” is often applied colloquially to designate anything which is sparse or stripped to its essentials.” 

From FreeDictionary.com: “Minimalist; adjective sparse, simple, basic, plain, discreet, spartan, unadorned, unfussy.” 

Some people consider having one type of handgun, rifle or shotgun being minimalist in order to simplify training, ammunition, etc. 

Others consider themselves minimalists by owning only one gun: “This _______will do everything I need to do with a gun.”

 Some refuse to step into the current time period and add optics to their guns: “I only have iron sights on my guns, because I don’t want to worry about batteries or stuff breaking.“ 

Some that take pride in having the latest and greatest concealed carry gun don’t see a need to carry a second magazine: “If I can’t do it with (insert # of rounds here) ……., it can’t be done.” 

Some spend several hundred dollars on a pistol they are going to carry to defend themselves and their loved ones, and choose to carry it in a $14.99 holster with a plastic or metal clip to secure it to their belt or pants. 

I think their logic is flawed. The gun, holster, belt, spare magazine and mag pouch are all part of a system that is only as strong as its weakest link.

I agree with the minimalist approach to filling a particular niche, but I choose the best system I can afford. Because of this, my everyday carry pistol is a Glock 17 with a Trijicon RMR red dot sight. Having 18 bullets on board that I can put anywhere I want to, repeatedly, at ranges that most concealed carry pistoleros consider impossible with a handgun is a very good thing. If my battery goes down, I am in no worse shape than without the RMR, thanks to the co-witnessed iron backup sights. 

It is not carried in a cheap nylon holster that is uncomfortable, slow, likely to be deployed along with the gun, or cause the gun to self-deploy at an inopportune time. Instead,  I chose high quality kydex holsters that are comfortable,fast to access, and last for years. 

 I also have an additional 17 round Glock magazine on my belt, and carry several additional Glock-made magazines holding from 17 to 21 rounds off body, along with some other nice to have support gear. I think this keeps things minimal yet maximizes the potential of my everyday carry gun. Ergo, maxi-minimalist. 

We can see the same things when it comes to training. Sadly the firearms education for most people that carry a gun for personal defense ends after the CHP course.  

Here are some quotes from some minimalist on training that I have personally heard:

 “I got all my rounds on the target for the CHP shooting test. “ 

“Yeah I go to the range and shoot every now and then with a friend of mine….he’s a cop.“

 “I was trained on the .45 / M9/ M16 etc and always shot expert when I was in the Military.”

 “I shoot IPSC / IDPA matches to keep my skills up.” 

Finally, my all time favorite:

“If I draw my gun that will end that situation right there…I won’t have to shoot them.” 

Going to the firing range and shooting tiny little groups at a static target while standing stock still proves that, under ideal conditions, you can shoot tiny little groups in a controlled, static environment. Great for training for a bullseye match. Not great for training when the bullseye is on the spot you are occupying.

Taking every gun you own to the range 1 day every 3-4 months and shooting them all. What does this accomplish other than ensuring they function? 

Some definitions of minimalist suggest only the minimum effort be made.

I think that at the minimum we should concern ourselves with maximizing our efforts to fight and win and minimizing the non-essential to the success of our mission.

Know the capabilities and limitations of the gun and your shooting skills. This includes static positions for taking long shots, drawing and shooting while getting off the X, moving to and using cover, using the sights and point shooting. Doing this in the cold, the heat, and the rain is probably a good idea as the conditions the fight occurs in are not ours for the choosing. 

After attending an SI class and taking copious notes, you can practice those skills at your home range. Obviously, you can’t practice all of these in one practice session. Work on your weaknesses as well as your strengths.

Instead of throwing every pistol you own and several boxes of ammunition for each in your range bag, why not write down in a notebook what you want to work on with your carry gun and stick to that? 

If you can’t shoot on the move or draw and fire at your range invest in an airsoft pistol and work the movement piece at home. 

Having a training partner can benefit you, as they will see things that you can’t.

Having a training partner holding a video camera is even better. 

Don’t forget about dry fire training. It yields great dividends and cost only your time. 

Are you a minimalist? 

Which type of minimalist are you?

 

Not Without a Fight! Why Ladies' Fitness is Crucial for Self-Defense

Not Without A Fight - Why Ladies Fitness is Crucial for Self-defense

Corinna Coplin – Suarez International Instructor

 

 About two years ago, I realized that getting into my thirties I would have a harder time losing the weight I had accumulated in my twenties.

 I sat down with my husband at our annual goal setting session and talked over what we wanted to accomplish. I told him that I wanted to lose weight but most of all I wanted to get in better overall health - meaning better cardio, stamina and muscle tone.

In my classes I get ladies of all ages and shapes. When I get the questions about what else to do to be a better Warrior Lady here is what I answer: “ You need to increase your cardio and being able to stay in a fight, so the better the your fitness level the better for you!”

 My body will never be a very skinny one. I am a large chested, good bone structured German woman and as my grandma would say with “child-bearing friendly hips”.

I knew that starving myself to a certain weight was not the answer. I tried that once and ended up weakened physically with bone sticking out in odd places.  I had to change my life.  My eating, exercising habits and perspective on life.

 

In the following I will give you an idea of my fitness journey so far:

 At the beginning of 2010 I started with purchasing myself a pedometer (Omron) and watching what I was eating. I also wrote down each night how many steps I took or rather how many I did not. My goal was a baseline of 10,000 steps each day and that is sometimes easier said than done. With the pedometer I had no more excuses. Here it was, black-on-white, what I knew already but did not want to admit, that I was not moving enough.

As my husband always says the secret to weight loss is: “Eat less.  Move more.”

Watching what I was eating, doing, walking and some weight training, I was able to lose 10 pounds. Now, to some of you that might not seem like a lot but I was not planning to lose a bunch and then gain it all back if I fell back into my old routines so I was happy with the ten pounds.

In 2011, my husband and I wanted to take our fitness and overall health even a step further.

Not only did I watch my steps, we started talking daily walks. At the beginning we walked sometimes even twice a day for about 25-45 minutes each time. These were brisk walks at a pace of 3-4 miles per hour.  The terrain where we live allows up to switch up our tempo, uphill, downhill, streets and nature paths so that our bodies never got used to one motion.  Uneven terrain with rocks and varying footing helps to trick the body into staying active instead of getting neurologically complacent.  

We started our intensified program at the beginning of summer knowing full well that the heat will have us eat more fruits, vegetables and drink lots of water rather than indulging in breads, pastas and sweets. Don’t get me wrong, I love those things and they love me because if I am not watching it, they will stay forever.

 

Besides our intensified walking program, we changed our eating habits even further than already described. I found the free app “My Fitness Pal” for my phone and kept track of everything. http://www.myfitnesspal.com/tools

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

The app will ask you for your present weight and target weight and how long you want to take to reach that goal.  It will calculate how much calories you can consume for that to happen. You can enter all the foods that you eat, the liquids you drink and all the exercise you do. A lot of the exercises and foods are already pre-programmed. The main issue I had with any diet was eating in restaurants because it is hard to figure out calories there. This app has a ton of restaurant foods already pre-programmed, which makes it really simple to dine out.  Further, you can enter your own recipes and it will calculate the amount of calories per serving for you.

 

This app was exactly what I needed and has proven to be more helpful than I could have imagined. I can have my occasional sweet craving satisfied without feeling guilty or going overboard because I can track it.

The other beauty is that if you have a barcode on the food item you wish to eat, the app will let you scan it so no manual entry is needed and you save quite a bit of time. I still remember the look on my husband’s face the first time he caught me with the phone in the fridgeJ.  Just priceless!

 

Another app that is worth mentioning is the Nike Training Club, which will show you plenty of exercise. It is a big file size so might be better off on a computer than the phone.

 

We continued this program all year, watching what we ate, walked at least once a day, used kettle bells and weights and voilà: by the end of 2011 I had lost an additional 16 pounds!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

In my classes I will give my students specific hints on exercised that they can do to get in better fighting shape so I will share them here as well:

 

1. The wobble-Board: Great for core and balance training. Try your presentation from the holster from the wobble board without falling off.
2. Kettle-bells or free weights: Start small with more repetitions at the beginning. Strengthen your upper arms and shoulders to handle recoil and to handle an attacker.
3. Grip-Master: Great for strengthening the muscles in your fingers
4. Pilates: Great for strengthening your core muscles, hip and back muscles which will help you with ground fighting
5. Squats: Strengthen those leg muscles which will help you if you have to fight an attacker on the ground
6. Elliptical: Gentle on the knees and joints but great for your cardio
7. Punch Bag: Great for realizing that a 30 seconds fight of punches can be really long!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

As I stated in the beginning, this endeavor was not only to lose weight, but mainly to increase overall health and fitness. The weight loss is a nice bonus but the best part is how I feel. I hope that this article will get you motivated and off your chairs to train to be in better overall health and shape. Start slow and do not give up!

DISCUSS ARTICLE HERE!

 

 

There is no Ultimate Class

by Chris Upchurch, Suarez International Staff Instructor

A student made a very insightful comment at one of our Close Range Gunfighting classes. This student had gone through the progression of basic classes with S.I. He started with Defensive Pistol Skills, then took Point Shooting Gunfight Skills, and was following that up with CRG. He remarked that “When I started I thought CRG was the ultimate class. Now I realize that it’s just the beginning.”

I like to refer to Suarez International’s lower level classes as “foundational” rather than “basic”. When you refer to them as basic you get some folks who don’t want to do the basics, they want to do only high speed low drag stuff. This is like building a house without a foundation. As soon as you put some stress on it it’s going to collapse. Others think, “I live in a safe neighborhood, I only need the basics.” Building a foundation is great, but a foundation alone is not going to keep the rain off your head.

In Close Range Gunfighting we assume you’ve got those foundational skills and we start building on that foundation. The fundamental CRG skill is the ability to get off the X and shoot while moving dynamically. GOTX is not a universal response, but it works for many of the situations a citizen will find themselves in. We also cover some attitude and alertness, caveman style gunhandling, and the full after action assessment process, and give very brief introductions to shooting from cover, low light gunfighting, and ambidextrous shooting. We’ve added some walls and a roof to your foundation. They’ll do a decent job of keeping the rain out, but they are by no means the ultimate. After all, if we could make you a complete badass in two days, we would charge a lot more money.

If CRG isn’t the ultimate class, what is it? As Winston Churchill said in a very different context, “this is not the end. It is not even the beginning of the end. But it is, perhaps, the end of the beginning.” The best way to describe CRG is as the gateway to a much wider array of classes and skills. 

After taking CRG, the next step should be one of our force on force classes. In CRG we talk a lot about the dynamics of a fight and why we do certain things, but no matter how good the instructor is, there’s no substitute for experiencing it for yourself. You are much better off if the first time someone pulls a gun or a knife on you it’s an airsoft gun or NOK trainer. In a class like CRG, or any of our live-fire classes, there’s a limit to how fast and dynamic we can get using live weapons. In a FoF class we can go much further, because airsoft don’t carry the same safety concerns that real guns do.

The other real must-have course is 0-5 Feet Pistol Gunfighting. This covers the real up-close and personal, bad breath distance confrontations. Between this and the GOTX skillset we teach in other classes, you’ve got virtually all of the confrontations a citizen is likely to experience covered.

Once you’ve got your bases covered, what next? You can take those skills to the next level with our Advanced Close Range Gunfighting, Point Shooting Progressions and Advanced Point Shooting Progressions classes. You can also expand your skillset with classes that focus on specific skills like CQB: Fighting in Structures, Trauma Medicine for CCW, Active Shooter/Terrorist Interdiction, and low light classes. Finally, you can incorporate new tools into your self-defense repertoire. SI offers classes in defensive knife, shotgun, and a selection of rifle classes so extensive it would take an entire article to describe them all. There is no ultimate class because there’s no limit on how far you can take your skills. Nomatter how many classes you take, there's always something out there that can improve your potential as a warrior.

Discuss this article on Warriortalk.

Good Deals: Spaghetti, Tactical Gear and Training



 

By Alex Nieuwland, Suarez International Staff Instructor in South Carolina

 

As many are making their spending plans for the new year, I’d like to reflect on the search for the “Good Deal”. To quote gunsmith Mark Graham: “What made you think you were getting a $1000 battle rifle for $600?” I’d say ignorance and extrapolating from other experiences (like buying groceries) is the answer to that question, therefore this article.

 

When it comes to buying groceries, I’m a value shopper. Given the choice between spaghetti in a Mueller’s box and a Great Value box, I’ll take the Great Value box. Sure, the Muller’s spaghetti comes with a whole marketing spiel on the box extolling the natural origin and wholesomeness of the box’s contents, but that’s not what I’m buying. I’m buying spaghetti. The 25% premium I save by going with the Great Value brand represents more room in my ammo budget.

 

I’d like to define the true Good Deal as follows: Solving your problem for the smallest amount of money and aggravation. A solution that doesn’t solve your problem is NOT a Good Deal.

 

Great Value spaghetti is an excellent example of a Good Deal, because I happen to know that the only difference between Mueller’s and Great Value is the box. Both were made by AIPC in the same way from the same raw materials in the same plant. I’ve visited their plant in Columbia, SC and seen it with my own eyes: The ONLY difference is the box. As soon as I take the product out of the box, which I must do in order to cook it anyway, this difference disappears. By buying the Great Value spaghetti, I have therefore solved my problem (the need for spaghetti) for the smallest amount of money.

 

As you can see from this example, when it comes to buying groceries in American supermarkets today, you can be reasonably sure that even the “value” offerings are of a reasonable quality, and you risk little by trying them. When it comes to buying tactical gear and training, however, that is not the case. I have found that being a value shopper usually does not pay off.

 

I can speak from painful personal experience on this topic. When I bought my beautiful 16” FAL carbine, I had no idea of the risk I was taking by buying a rifle from this particular maker. Looking back, it’s clear that my $600 FAL was not a Good Deal, because it did not solve my need for a working battle rifle. Sure, it’s a battle rifle, it just doesn’t work acceptably. The maker’s warranty and customer service are even less than their prices. As it stands, they won’t even tell me which parts were American-made when they shipped the rifle so I can make an informed decision on what to do with it.

  

 

It’s the inconsistency of the “lower-tier” rifle makers like this one, and their refusal to stand behind their products that make them such a risky deal. By the time I'm done completely fixing it, my $600 FAL will have cost me more than $1000, plus a whole bunch of aggravation. I could have bought a $1,000 FAL from the get go, and been done with it.

 

I find myself in a similar situation with a small .380 pistol made by a relatively new manufacturer located in Florida. It was a jam-o-matic right out of the box, and I sent it to the manufacturer to be fixed. This was not entirely unexpected. It was, after all, a small .380 pistol that has not been in production very long. What was unexpected, was that it was still jamming just as badly when I got it back. I just sent it back to the manufacturer again. Even if they end up fixing or replacing their product, by the time I’m done with it, this pistol will have cost me more money and aggravation than my Glock 26 did, and the Glock 26 worked right out of the box. I’m not alone in my experience with this company. In other words, NOT a Good Deal to solve my need for a smaller gun.

 

Another example is the ammo can I have that is full of “308 Winchester Match Grade 168 gr boat tail hollow point (factory loaded)” sold by a reloading company from Georgia. It turns my bolt-action .308 into more of an area weapon than a precision weapon. At $0.64/round it sure costs less than Hornady A-Max (at $1.23/round), but the A-Max will hit whereas the supposedly match grade bullet from Georgia may randomly miss by about a foot at 200 yards. Comparing these two options, it’s clear to everyone that the A-Max is the Good Deal, right?

 

 

Net, we can see that there is definitely a difference between buying spaghetti, and buying tactical gear.

                                                                                  

Now, let’s compare these companies and their offerings to the Suarez family of companies, and see how they stack up.

 

Last year, One Source Tactical purged their inventory of “value” offerings, focusing on higher quality (but higher price) offerings instead. I applaud them for that move, because when it comes to tactical gear it’s sometimes hard to tell the difference between the “value” offering and the quality product until the “value” offering breaks or otherwise fails to live up to expectations. In this case, again, the higher quality (but higher price) offering is in fact the Good Deal because it solves your problem.

 

TSD Combat Systems is making high quality fighting gear for the well-informed, well-trained, warrior, and they stand behind their products. The Trijicon RMR sight I had TSD install on my primary Glock 19 has taken it to a whole new level. The CNC machines used by TSD guaranteed this to be a Good Deal. To get the most out of this high quality system, however, I still need to use high quality ammo.

 

As far as getting a Good Deal on your training goes, just go to Suarezinternational.com and sign up for the class that is closest to you and best solves your particular training need. Sure, you can get a day of training for less with other organizations, but their techniques either plain don’t work in a fight or don’t work as well as ours. On the other hand, you can pay more per day or travel to another school in a faraway state, and will still learn techniques that either plain don’t work in a fight or don’t work as well as ours. The proof is in the Force on Force training. I have trained at other places, and paid more per day, but it’s clear that SI training is the Good Deal when it comes to solving your training needs.

 

So, to sum it all up, if you’re getting all hot and bothered about a “sweet deal” on a lower-tier FAL, AK, AR, or G3 this year, consider the question from Mark Graham: “What makes you think you are getting a $1000 battle rifle for $600?”

 

If you’re considering signing up for a training course with Billy Bob and Mary Sue Tactical, whose heart is in the right place, but who  realistically couldn’t fight their way out of a paper bag and whose only teaching credentials are from an organization with shockingly low standards, consider this question: “What makes you think you are getting $400 worth of training for $250?”

 

If you’re considering signing up for a training course by former operators from Uncle Sugar’s Space Cowboys, consider this: “What does being a Space Cowboy have to do with your daily mission to protect you and yours, and what makes you think they are going to teach the really good Space Cowboy stuff to a pesky civilian like you, anyway?”

 

As you can see, there is a difference between buying spaghetti, and buying tactical gear and training.

 

 

Upcoming Suarez International courses in Columbia, South Carolina:

South Carolina Long Gun Long Weekend II (February 3-5, 2012)

          Dynamics of the Shotgun (February 3, 2012)
          Combat Rifle Marksmanship (February 4, 2012)
          Advanced Combat Rifle Marksmanship (February 5, 2012)
Combat Pistol Marksmanship (February 11, 2012)
Close Range Gunfighting (March 17-18)
0-5 Feet Pistol Gunfighting (April 14-15, 2012)

 

Join the discussion on Warriortalk here.

Hickok, Hardin, and how the dynamics of confrontation remain the same today.

From an early age I have always been intrigued by the Old West and western
movies and western culture. Most red blooded American boys grew up watching
westerns on TV and reading about the Old West in books. After all, the American
Culture is somewhat the Cowboy way. We fight for what is right. We put in a full
day's work. We don't let our friends down, and we keep our word when we give it.
We'll fight to right a wrong, but don't go looking for trouble.My heroes have
always been cowboys and I spent many an hour in my childhood with my toy six
shooters keeping my back yard free of rustlers and robbers.

As I got older I began getting into martial arts and specificly the
combative use of the gun. I practiced long and hard to develop my shooting
skills, but there is more to it than the hardware aspect. I looked for books to
read on mindset and technique and tactics and stories of shootings and what
worked and what didn't. What I realized was that even though the west was not
always as WILD as popular culture makes it out to have been, there were a fair
number of folks getting into a fair number of gunfights. Maybe we could learn
something from them? After all, if you learn from those that have done it, then
maybe looking back at some Old West gunfights might be a good place to go for
things that might help keep us alive today.

So What did I find? Well, I started reading everything I could get my hands
on. I soon found that there were a few individuals that were involved in
multiple gunfights and seemed to always come out on top. So the obvious question
was" why?". My research led me to find that the dynamics of the confrontations
are really no different than they are today.So if the dynamics are the same,
then we can look at what they did to survive their fights and apply that to ours
today.

I could go on for many pages using scores of historical gunfight examples
but I will keep this confined to a few examples of fights involving two
individuals. On one hand we have a famous lawman. A Civil War veteran and peace
officer who developed a reputation as the "Prince Of Pistoleers". This man was
James Butler Hickok, better known as "Wild Bill".The other was a man of
considerable skill with a pistol who was just as short tempered as he was fast
and accurate. This man was neither a lawman nor served in the army, but
developed his skill at arms on his own from regular practice and combined that
with a fierce will to win to become possibly the most dangerous man in the Old
West....John Wesley Hardin.

We'll look at Hickok first. In his famous gunfight with Dave Tutt July 21,
1865 in Springfield, Missouri they both met in the street "showdown" style. This
was actually not very common regardless of what TV westerns lead us to believe.
This fight stemmed from a watch won in a poker game,stoked by a rivalry over the
same woman and ended with a man lying dead.

Hickok had lost the watch to Tutt in a card game the previous night due to
the fact that Hickok was unable to pay a debt he owed. Tutt took the watch as
collateral. Tutt also went about town making a spectacle of wearing the watch
and telling all who would listen that Hickok could not pay his debt. Hickok
warned Tutt to cease and desist, but Tutt would not stop. So when they met in
the town square the next day the fight was on. Hickok told Tutt to take the
watch off, Tutt responded by pulling a pistol and firing. Hickok pulled his
pistol, took careful aim and fired, sending a bullet through Tutt's heart from a
distance of about 50 yards! Hickok immediately wheeled and pointed his pistol at
Tutt supporters to his rear and they decided discretion to be the better part of
valor and left.

So what is there to learn here? A non gun culture guy might say "Hickok was
a good shot" and they would be correct, but there is more here. Hickok was
reported to have aimed carefully while Tutt fired wildly at him. Hickok fired a
single decisive shot while his opponent fired wildly hitting nothing. So maybe
accurate shooting wins gunfights? This is what we teach in the long distance
shooting module of our Advanced Close Range Gunfighting class. And we see that
Hickok turned and did a 360 degree scan after his opponent was down. How many of
us practice this today in order to not be the victim of your opponent's possible
accomplices? This is a basic tenet of gunfighting and we drill it in depth in
our Close Range Gunfighting class.

Another gunfight Hickok was involved in was July 17,1870 while he was town
Marshal in Hays, Kansas. In this one the classic saloon brawl turns deadly.
Hickok had previously angered members of the 7th cavalry (Custer's command) by
roughing up and arresting one of their comrades.Three soldiers planned revenge
and approached him, jumped him in a barroom and came close to ending his life.
One jumped on his back another grabbed him by the arms as a third pulled a 1863
Remington Army issue pistol and stuck it to Hickok's head and pulled the
trigger.

The gun misfired and in the confusion Hickok was able to free his pistol
and shoot two of the soldiers and make his escape back to his hotel room where
he retrieved his rifle in case of further attack. Here we see a case where
multiple assailants end up in a grappling situation with their victim. The
victim has to access his weapon mid fight and shoot his way loose of the
villians. Fortunately the bad guys had a faulty weapon.

Does this sound very similar to what we see today with multiple
assailants. Not all fights are one on one affairs. Sometimes the bad guys bring
friends. And do you work on in-fight weapons access? Anyone can draw a gun from
an exposed holster on the range, but things get more difficult and desperate
when attacked by multiple opponents and you have to fend them off in order to
access your pistol. This is where something like our Zero To Five Feet Pistol
Gunfighting comes into play.

We also see here the intangible element of luck, as the misfire saved Wild
Bill. Sometimes luck is what saves you. Gunfights are dangerous
affairs.Sometimes luck is all that seperates survivors from losers. The last
item here is we see Wild Bill, faced with superior numbers did not stand and
shoot it out. He got clear and armed himself with a rifle in case of further
attack. The rifle has ALWAYS been a more effective tool than the pistol and
still is today. A reason we put so much emphasis on having a rifle handy and
knowing how to use it in our Rifle Gunfighting series of classes.

The final Hickok fight we will look at is the October 5, 1871 gunfight in
Abilene Kansas with Texas gambler/gunman Phil Coe. Phil Coe and Ben Thompson
(another gunman of some fame from Texas) owned the Bulls Head Saloon in Abilene
Kansas.There had never been any love lost between the three as Hickok was a
Union veteran and the two Texans were Confederates. The 6 years since the end of
the war had done little to make feelings any better about the war. Coe had once
bragged to Hickok that he could "kill a crow on the wing" with a pistol, as a
warning to Hickok. Hickok replied "Did the crow have a pistol? Was he shooting
back? I will be". The animosity just grew and grew.

The argument began over the sign in front of the Saloon depicting a bull
in a "indelicate" pose. Hickok ordered that part of the sign be painted over and
Coe said "no". Hickok requisitioned 2 painters to paint over the bull's
offending anatomy and Coe was infuriated. He began stirring up trouble for
Hickok among the texas cowhands in town and a general disturbance insued. That
night as the cowhands all but rioted in the street Coe stood in front of the
saloon firing his pistol. Hickok came up asking who was firing. Coe said he had
shot at a stray dog. Hickok demanded his pistol, and in a flash Coe fired at
Hickok. Hickok returned fire striking Coe in the stomach. Coe shot too quickly
and the bullet had gone between Hickok's legs striking the dirt. A fast miss is
no match for a solid hit. This is a basic concept that we convey in our
Defensive Pistol Skills classes.

As Hickok turned and did his 360 degree scan to insure he was not shot from
behind ,a man with a pistol ran toward him. Hickok aimed and fired. Suddenly he
realized he had just shot Mike Williams -his own deputy- who had heard the
shooting and came running to Hickok's aid.

From this we can learn a few more things. When we scan for other opponents
we need to look closely so we do not shoot without identifying the target first.
This can prevent a friendly fire incident from happening.The guy approaching
with a gun may very well also be wearing a badge. We can also apply the reverse
of this. It might not be a bad idea to present our gun "low profile" as we turn
and scan. That way we will be less likely to get shot by responding
officers. Again we see Hickok taking aim and making good center of mass hits.
Accurate shooting still stops opponents...unfortunately even friendlies
too.

We see most of Hickok's fights generally being line of duty affairs where
he is trying to either apprehend someone or disarm them. On the other hand the
majority of John Wesley Hardin's fights were a case of an argument turned
deadly, or him trying to keep from being apprehended.

John Wesley Hardin grew up in a very violent period in east Texas during
and just after the Civil War. Back then there was little order and what order
there was , was the occupation force of the union army and afterwards their
political appointees backed up by federal troops. This was during the lawless
days of reconstruction. Hardin grew up with gun in hand and a resolve to
survive. It would serve him well in the years to come. Whether Hardin was a
homicidal maniac or just a guy with a quick temper that gambled and drank is
open for debate, what is not open for debate is his skill with a pistol or his
fighting mindset.

We will now take a look at a couple of Wes Hardin's fights. His first
gunfight was at the age of 16 in November 1867. He had been visiting an uncle
and had gotten into a friendly wrestling match with an ex slave named Mage who
was employed there chopping cotton. Hardin and his cousin both wrestled Mage who
happened to be a very large man. Somewhere along the way Mage got angry and
threatened to kill the two boys. The next day as Hardin rode his old horse home
he was confronted on the road by the ex slave. Hardin says Mage charged him with
a large stick.Mage took hold of the reigns and tried to hit him with the stick.
Hardin drew his pistol and fired, but Mage kept coming. Hardin fired several
shots finally felling the attacker. Mage died later that month. We see pistols are not terribly powerful stoppers.

Here we see a large attacker with a contact weapon who requires more than
one or two rounds to stop. Isn't that what we work in Force on Force drills
today? Shoot until the threat is down. Hardin is believed to have been carrying
a Colt Dragoon. So even multiple rounds from a .44 didn't immediately stop this
enraged attacker. Something else to consider. Maybe placement is more important
than bore diameter? It is also interesting to note that after this Hardin was
more likely to shoot for the head. Many of his future victims were felled with a
bullet in the brain. This is why we teach a burst to the chest followed
immediately by a burst to the head if the assailant is still up. This is a basic
tenet of our Close Range Gunfighting curriculum.

We now skip ahead a few years to late 1870 and see Hardin travelling. The
hotel he has stopped in has a bar and a very attractive woman sits in there
apparently upset. Hardin approaches her and strikes up a conversation. She
claims to be having relationship problems and he tries to comfort her. She asks
if he'd like to go upstairs and apparently the prospect of a pretty and
vulnerable young woman was more than he could resist. Upon enterring the room
however there is a loud banging on the door. She says it is her boyfriend and he
will kill Hardin. The boyfriend enters and confronts Hardin, pistol pulled.
Hardin says he didn't know she was his girl and apologizes. The man asks Hardin
to hand over his money.Hardin agrees and says he does not want any trouble.
Hardin then drops the money at the man's feet . As he takes his eyes off
Hardin and bends down to pick up the cash, Hardin draws a pistol and fires a
round through the man's head. Turns out the man and woman had been running this
same scam for some time.

Here we see how not all bad guys are even guys and you can be rused into
really bad situations if you are not careful.Girls can be bad guys too! However
Hardin showed calm under duress and was able to use misdirection and a ruse of
his own to reclaim the initiative and shoot a man who had him held at gunpoint.
This "under the gun" situation is exactly the type situation we look to solve in
our Zero to Five Foot Pistol Gunfighting classes.

Next we will look at an incident in 1871 on a cattle drive to Abilene.
Hardin's herd has been getting mixed up with a mexican herd that was coming up
the trail behind them. An argument insued and Hardin was shot at by one of the
vaqueros. He rode back to his own camp and with his cousin, armed himself with a
pair of pistols. As the mexicans got closer Hardin and his cousin mounted their
horses and charged them. Hardin ended up killing 5 of the 6 vaqueros, his cousin
killing the other.This made Hardin a bit of a celebrity and word of this exploit
soon found its way to Abilene and Marshal Hickok.

Not exactly the best way to handle a livestock dispute these days, but if a
fight is imminent it is best to be on the offensive not the defensive. That is
something that Hardin was always prepared to do. He had no qualms about shooting
first when a fight became apparent. If we wait too long to act, we can dig
ourselves into a hole we cannot get out of. We all have to develop our "line in
the sand" where if it is crossed we are prepared to fight. Otherwise we end up
so far behind the curve that we can never catch up. That is why being able to
pick up on pre assault cues and see the fight coming is so important. Once you
know the fight is about to be on it is time to get proactive, not reactive!

The final one we will look at is the May 26,1874 killing of Brown County
Texas deputy Charles Webb. This was the shooting for which Hardin was convicted
and sent to prison in 1877. That day Hardin had spent his birthday gambling on
horse races and generally carousing and having a good time. That evening he was
approached by a deputy from another county while standing in front of a saloon.

He recognizes the man who approaches with one hand behind his back. Hardin
asks Webb if he has any "papers" on Hardin and Webb says no that he is not there
on business he was just there to enjoy a night on the town. Hardin asks him then
to join him for a drink and turns to walk toward the doors of the saloon.As Webb
approaches he points the pistol he was holding behind his back and fires hitting
Hardin in the side.At that moment one of Hardin's friends yells for Hardin to
"look out"! Hardin lunges sideways at the same moment drawing and firing from
probably a retention type position and shoots Webb in the face with his Smith
and Wesson .44 American.

Just looking at sheer dynamics and not getting bogged down in the
obvious questions surrounding the shooting of a law enforcement officer (even if
he was not on official police business and shot first from ambush), we have an
assailant with pistol already drawn employing a ruse to get close to the victim.
When the victim turns , leaving an opening, the assailant raises and fires his
pistol. The "victim" here got off the line of attack and was hit with a
peripheral hit instead of center of mass and was able to draw and return fire
from a "stanceless" retention position while getting out of the way and score a
headshot to end the altercation. This is very similar to what we teach with the
Pistol Inquartata technique . How similar is that to a mugging/murder attempt in
an alley in any city in America today? The ability to get off the "X", get your
gun into play and fire quickly is just as important today as it was back then.

While not all the scenarios are still something we would run into on a
daily basis (I doubt I'll ever get in a dispute over cattle) they all do share
characteristics of dynamics that we do still encounter in physical confrontation
today in 2011. Just as it was in 1869 accurate shooting still ends fights.Hits
to the chest and head stopped people then and tend to do the same today whereas
peripheral hits may or may not.

Sometimes you will not be able to just "Don't let them get close and shoot
well" like is taught in some places, but may have to physically fight off
multiple assailants in order to even access your weapon and shoot from
retention to make space to get away. Rifles are still best if they can be
accessed. When the shooting is over make sure no one is coming up behind you by
doing a 360 degree scan. And LOOK at who is coming not just glance and shoot if
someone is approaching! The life you save may be a brother officer or a family
member.

We also see where we need to be aware of our surroundings and don't be
quick to trust unknown contacts. They may just be employing a ruse to get close
enough to be able to overtake you. If the fight is on, then the fight is on! Get
proactive! You owe them no mercy.Get off the "X" and shoot them to the ground!
If you are hit, keep fighting! Handguns are still underpowered when compared to
long guns. Even if you get hit, odds are you will survive. But only if you keep
from getting hit multiple times. Finish the fight! And practice is essential.
Both Hickok and Hardin practiced with their armaments religiously. It is an
interesting side note that both men were eventually killed by ambush from
behind. They had developed the skill that made their killers so fearful of their
ability that they had to resort to shooting them from behind.

It is interesting to look back at where we came from. Sure we carry Glocks
and AKs today and not 1851 Navy Colts and Winchesters. We have smokeless powder
and 15 to 20 rd mags,instead of six shooters and big clouds of smoke when we
pull the trigger, but the software hasn't really changed much since Cain
and Abel. People still fight much the same.The dynamics of confrontation are
still the same.The badguys still get close to rob rape or pillage and often
bring friends. You still are less likely to get hit if you move. You still have
to hit the badguys in important places to reliably stop them. So maybe looking
back at where we came from will help keep us safe while we get to where we are
going.

The Floating Gun

If you’re going to take your point shooting skills as far as the fight needs them to be, you’ve got to have it.

Suarez International Instructor CR Williams

I see it over and over again, and I still do it myself (not as often as I did, but I still do). I see them at classes, on the range practicing, in groups, watching others work, and when working by myself. Once you know what to look for they’re pretty easy to spot. They’re like chronic or recurring illnesses.

Let's call them the 'Welded Hand Syndrome' and the 'Locked-In-Position Syndrome'.

Welded-Hand Syndrome is characterized by an unconscious but nonetheless strong and determined reluctance to release the support hand from the grip of the gun. The shooter beset by WHS acts as if his or her hands have been super-glued and duct-taped to the grip such that they are unable to let go and shoot with one hand despite the position they are in or the angle to the target they are engaging. They will twist and turn and step, bend and flex, and move the wrong way trying to keep their gun on the target, unaware that they are in the grip of the Welded-Hand Syndrome.

Related to and often seen in conjunction with Welded-Hand Syndrome is Locked-In-Position Syndrome. LIPS is characterized by the unthinking drive to keep a pre-set arm and upper-body shooting position under any and all circumstances and no matter where the target is or how they are moving (if they’re moving) whether it is appropriate to the circumstances or not.

WHS and LIPS do occur in isolation but will most often be observed appearing together. Both syndromes have the same three primary causes: A lack of experience or training, a history of training that is totally or almost totally devoted to the proactive gunfight, and the tendency we all have to want to remain ‘squared up’ to something or someone that is trying to kill us.

Diagnosis of either or both conditions involves observation of the shooter in question to answer these questions: Is the position and placement of the gun appropriate to what the shooter needs to be doing with it? Does the shooter appear to be ‘bound up’ or in an awkward position? Is the shooter moving more slowly and awkwardly than they should be or in a different direction than they intend or that is appropriate to the situation? If the answers are ‘No’, ‘Yes’ and ‘Yes’, then WHS or LIPS should be suspected. Further observation is then necessary to confirm the presence and severity of the conditions.

Examples of Welded-Hand Syndrome and Locked-In-Position Syndrome:

Moving from right to left while attempting to keep a two-hand grip and squared torso. I did not deliberately cross-step, it occurred naturally as a result of my conscious desire to keep the same grip and upper-body position. You will see this unconsciously with those suffering from WHS and LIPS. If I had continued out of camera range, I would end up walking backwards.

Here I am moving properly to about 1:00, but because I refuse to release the grip or alter extension I would end up doing two things: putting the gun in range of a still-standing opponent, and curving back into the target instead of properly flanking it like I would prefer to.

(Full-size versions of all photos available at: http://photobucket.com/FloatingGun)

Effects of these conditions range from being frustrated about your ability to easily get good hits on a target that’s other than directly in front of you to your being killed in a fight because you can’t maneuver properly, move too slowly, are unable to get the gun into line like you need to, or from ineffective use of cover that exposes too much of your body to incoming fire. Given the potential severity of the effects, serious thought should be given as to how to avoid falling victim to these conditions. Fortunately, effective treatments are available and are simple (not always easy, but simple)  to apply.

Treatments are both corrective and preventive and may need to be applied on an ongoing basis.

 Treatments are as follows:

Learning and practicing ambidextrous use of all weapons. (At the least, getting as near to full ambidexterity as is possible.)

Learning and practicing one-handed shooting (of the handgun).

Learning and practicing to be able to shoot accurately with the gun below the eye-line, in other than dead-ahead directions, and held at distances ranging from in contact with your body to full extension.

The aim of the treatments is to develop the ‘Floating Gun’. This is a state in which you will automatically and without much if any conscious thought put the gun at the level you need and extended to the distance required in any direction of the clock face as the situation and the target you are engaging dictate. Sometimes one-handed, sometimes not, sometimes in one hand, sometimes in the other, sometimes held far away and sometimes in contact with your body, high, low, in-between, getting hits where you need them as you move where you need to without binding, bending, or twisting unnaturally. Furthermore, that point, that extension, that position, that direction, can and will change the moment the situation changes and the moment your relationship to the target changes. As you turn, as you change direction, as you change levels or speed or distance, or as the target does, so does your gun. It goes where it needs to be so that it can do what you need it to do.

 

 

 

This is a simple illustration of letting the gun float. Beginning in arm's reach of the target, I displace left as I draw and fire the first shot at waist level with the gun close in. I will continue to fire as I bring the gun up to eye-level to first a close-in two-handed shooting position and then, as I cross the 'T' of the target and then turn to advance along a parallel track, move to a more standard two-hand position. (Because of restrictions necessitated by the camera view range, I maneuvered in a much smaller area than if I were running this as a full-speed drill.)

 

 

 

Another way to answer the same question is to switch hands. Beginning from the same position and with the same initial displacement, I move the gun from right to left and continue the engagement. For complete development, both options should be learned and practiced.

Note that, unlike in the first examples, I was able at all times to move normally and naturally and did not have to cross my feet or become awkwardly 'bound up' to get the hits.

To best develop and keep updated on the use of the Floating Gun concept, therapy under the guidance of a qualified Suarez International instructor is highly recommended. Formal courses of treatment include Point Shooting Gunfight Skills, Close Range Gunfighting, Point Shooting Progressions, Advanced Close Range Gunfighting, and Advanced Point Shooting Progressions. Ongoing practice and training and refresher training is advisable, as without re-emphasis of the concept, Welded-Hand and Locked-In Syndrome will often re-occur. It’s happened to me; don’t let it happen to you.

Don't forget to work on 'floating' the long-gun as well:

 

 

PSP graduates will recognize this as the parallel-track approach to evasion and counterattack. I use a rifle here to illustrate that the concept of 'floating' is not limited to handguns. Long Gun Point Shooting Progressions will teach you more about this and is recommended for those wishing to become more facile in the quick and sure handling of the rifle or shotgun.

(I’ll get a bit more serious now: I believe there are two fundamentals that should not change no matter what you’re doing with the gun, and one fundamental that almost never should but can sometimes. The two things that should not change are your grip (the way you grip, not the tension of the grip), whether one or two-handed, and the way you work the trigger; these should always be consistent. The one fundamental that should almost not change is eye-hand, or eye-weapon, alignment. Even if the gun is below your line of sight, it should as much as possible be aligned with the dominant/shooting-side eye in order to have the best chance of hitting the intended target. As long as these fundamentals are satisfied, then the gun should be allowed to ‘float’ to where it will best get the hits you need.

Being able to float the gun does more for you than just to enable you to make hits from any position in any direction in an emergency, though that would be more than enough to justify the acquisition of the capability. Where employed deliberately, ambidextrous and one-handed facility with the weapon specifically will give you tactical options you will not have otherwise. For all these reasons, having the ability to float the gun is an all but must-have skill to everyone that carries and a definite must-have skill for the serious student of the gunfight.)

Take the time, make the effort, get the skill, and learn the Floating Gun. You will not regret it.

You be safe out there. And if you can't be safe, float like a butterfly and hit like the Hammer of Thor.