Wheelgun Wednesday - So How About A Snubnose That's Supressed (Without An Attached Suppresssor), Fires Out Of The Bottom Chamber Of The Cylinder, And Has A Laser Sighting System That Is Mounted Where The Barrel Would Be On A Regular Revolverr

 And Yes, It actually EXISTS!!

 

 

 

 https://www.breachbangclear.com/stechkin-suppressed-revolver/

Sunday With Blackthorn - Today We discuss Point Shooting, Col. Charles Askin Style

Not only has Point Shooting been controversial in the shooting world with the adherents of aimed shooting, but there are different takes on the subject among those who actually espouse, train, and use it. 

And even among it's supporters, there are variations depending on which icon of the system you train with. Now there are a lot of people on Youtube who try to demonstrate it's usefulness, but unfortunately do a poor job. Accordingly, whether it be W.E. Fairbairn, Rex Applegate, or John McSweeney, there are subtle differences of nuance/detail between them.

Today however I'm presenting the style used by Col. Charles Askins. Between 1927 and 1971, he served as a Forest Ranger, US Border patrolman, and as a US Army officer in WW2, Korea and South Vietnam. He is known to have killed 27 men over the course of his Border Patrol and Military careers. Most of the shootings having taken place between 1927 and 1940 during his Border Patrol days. 

The article below is his personal take on Point Shooting.

https://www.americanrifleman.org/articles/2014/8/7/throwback-thursday-point-shooting/

 

Wednesday Training With Lee Morrison Of Urban Combatives

 Today Morrison discusses Tactics to give yourself the best position of advantage in a bad situation.

 

 

Sunday With Blackthorn - Today We Discuss How To Handle Road Rage Situations

 Today from the 411 Outdoors Youtube channel. Things today are bad on the streets and highways. The two videos below give some practical advice on what to do if you find yourself in an escalating situation.

 

Wheelgun Wednesday - Are Revolvers Obsolete?

 Hell No!!

HAPPY ST. PATRICKS DAY!!!!!!

 Do you know how to do the Irish Jig!!

 

 

Sunday With Blackthorn - 20 Ga For Home Defense

 20ga because.........I Hate Recoil!

Now having gotten that out of the way, I am a fan of shotguns for home defense. Despite what a lot of old timers told me when I said that i use 20ga for the recoil reduction "What are you talking about? 20ga shotguns are lighter which make recoil worse!"

Which was news to me because I've shot numerous 20ga shotties and for recoil I can definitively say that the recoil is not worse than a 12ga. The only time I found the recoil to be bad was when I used some 3" magnum loads. 

Which is why I use 2-3/4" #3 Buckshot, thank you very much.

But enough of my rambling, watch the video,and decide for yourself.

 

To Attach, Or Not To Attach

 In this video, Lee Morrison discusses the value of attaching to an assailant during an assault. 

 

 

Sunday With Blackthorn - David James On Defending A Choke In The Street

 The point of David James's video is that There are a lot of "cool" ways to defend a 2 handed Front Choke that work in the training environment, but can be lacking when you're out in public. 

 After you watch his take on a more practical approach, I will follow up with a video showing the technique referred to as the 'Cross-cut and Swing' as demonstrated by my old instructor Carl Cestari.

 

 

 

 

Blackthorn Blog Afternoon Special Update

 From the InsightCrime.org website.

What You Need to Know About the Criminal Groups the US Just Labeled ‘Terrorists’

by Parker Asmann and Victoria Dittmar 20 Feb 2025

The US government has officially designated several Latin American organized crime groups as terrorist organizations, but the move will do little to help attack these complex criminal networks.

US Secretary of State Marco Rubio announced February 20 that the Venezuelan mega-gang Tren de Aragua, the MS13 street gang, and the Sinaloa Cartel, Jalisco Cartel New Generation (Cartel Jalisco Nueva Generación – CJNG), Gulf Cartel, Northeast Cartel, Familia Michoacana, and United Cartels in Mexico would be declared “foreign terrorist organizations.”

The official designation stemmed from an executive order US President Donald Trump signed on his first day in office announcing his intention to make this decision.

“The Cartels have engaged in a campaign of violence and terror throughout the Western Hemisphere that has not only destabilized countries with significant importance for our national interests but also flooded the United States with deadly drugs, violent criminals, and vicious gangs,” Trump said at that time.

 

To read the rest of this article, click on the link: 

https://insightcrime.org/news/organized-crime-groups-thus-labeled-terrorist-organizations/

The Things People Do For Money

 2 Active duty US Army  soldiers and one former Army soldier have bee arrested for espionage by the FBI.

 https://mynorthwest.com/local/jblm-soldier-indictment/4058510

Two active-duty Joint Base Lewis-McChord soldiers and a former U.S. army soldier have been indicted in connection with conspiring to transmit national defense information, theft of government property and transferring sensitive military information, federal authorities announced Thursday.

A federal grand jury indicted Sergeant Jian Zhao on charges of espionage, bribery and theft of government property.

The indictment in the Western District of Washington alleges that from July 2024 until his arrest, Zhao conspired to obtain and transmit national defense information to individuals in China.

 

To read the rest of the article, use the link above.

Workout Wednesday - Randy Couture's Circuit Workout Routine

 

Sunday With Blackthorn - Today We Discuss "The First 5 Seconds"

 While this video is targeted at Seniors, I think it actually applies to anyone who becomes involved in  a potentially physical situation. 

 

Wheelgun Wednesday - Today We Discuss The Colt Navy Model 1851The Handgun That "Created" The First Gunfighters

 

 https://americanhandgunner.com/handguns/revolvers/the-first-gunfighters-sixgun/

Sunday With Blackthorn - Today Steve Tarani Discusses your "Go-To" Move

Your Go-To Move

When “go time” comes, there are many defensive options worthy of your consideration.

by Steve Tarani

  Original Link and copyright @ https://www.shootingillustrated.com/content/your-go-to-move/ 

 

When it comes to a self-defense situation, most shooters think “Well, I’ll just shoot him!” Others may consider their personal “go-to” move to be a martial arts technique such as a finger strike to the eyes, bare-knuckle punch to the throat or kick to the groin. Regardless of what you believe you may pull off in a self-defense scenario, what is the reality of such reactive measures applied in a real-world, violent, physical altercation?

In today’s hyper-litigious society, your primary objective should be to avoid any violent physical encounters. Even if you act lawfully in self-defense, although found criminally justified you may be pursued in civil court for damages, incurring exorbitant legal fees. To avoid any or all of this, the consummate situational-awareness practitioner tries to stay ahead of the proverbial action/reaction power curve by applying proactive measures and remaining on the lookout for the earliest warning signs of a potential or active threat.

However, if you don’t hear it, see it, and/or smell it coming and you find yourself standing in harm’s way, then you no longer have an opportunity to apply proactive measures and are relegated only to reactive measures in response to a violent physical altercation.

The most common response option is to dial 911 and hope that your call is answered in a timely manner. 

If you are unable to dial 911, then you are relegated to one of only three reactive measures—take flight, submit to your assailant(s) or fight your way out of the situation. 

Take flight—that is, get out of there—means to create as much physical space between yourself and the threat as possible and in a timely manner. The advantages of taking flight are that you are not engaged in physical combat which (mostly) guarantees you will not be injured. More space buys you less injury potential, more time and more opportunity to solve the problem.

Surrendering or freezing in place means that there’s no way out, no possibility of fighting your way out and it’s your best possible response option given your situation. Case in point is a protection detail we were on in South America some years ago. The persons we were protecting had hired us to run a security evaluation on their residence because of an incident that had occurred prior. Following is a brief event synopsis:

A vehicle with our client, his wife and kids inside was forced to the side of the road by another car, then a second car pulled up in front of them and a third behind them in such a configuration that the family was boxed in, eliminating their flight options. Five assailants from each of the three vehicles all dismounted their respective cars armed with rifles and pointed their muzzles directly at the driver and his family, eliminating their fight option. The only remaining—and the healthiest—response option was to freeze in place. Luckily for the family, it was only a robbery and although relieved of valuables, no one was physically injured in the process.

Fighting your way out of the situation means that, with regard to response options, you have made the tactical decision to fight your way out as opposed to take flight or surrender. 

Making this choice means you plan on using either your highly developed hand-to-hand combative skills or you have at least one weapon at your disposal and the proficiency to use it. Your decision to engage in extreme physical violence by deploying your hand-to-hand skills or weapon(s) such as a firearm or knife, even if you are completely successful, infers that you fully accept the personal risk (physical injury ranging from minor bruising to broken bones, to an unrecoverable injury, to loss of life,) and the criminal, civil and financial liabilities associated with such actions. 

It’s a serious decision, so it must be a serious situation. If it’s that serious a situation, then you’re probably going to need a failsafe response option with which you could entrust your life and the lives of those who may be with you. A common term for such a response option is your “go-to move.” 

Your go-to move options can range from non-lethal to lethal force. The most common non-lethal force options include empty hand (defensive tactics or martial arts), pepper spray, stun gun and the like.

Empty hand response refers to any physical technique where you use only your body while holding nothing in your hands in self-defense against one or more opponents. In the realm of empty hand response there are three sources from which technique may be drawn. The first, and most traditional, is the martial arts or martial sciences. 

As an example, you may hear common cultural references such as Chinese Martial Arts, Japanese Martial Arts, Korean Martial arts, Muay Thai (Thailand), Filipino Martial Arts (FMA), Brazilian Jiujitsu (BJJ) and the like. Another contemporary term most folks are familiar with is “mixed martial arts” (MMA) comprising excerpts from multiple martial-arts systems hailing from multiple origins combined to form a random study volume.

The term “Martial Science” refers to those martial-arts techniques utilized in practical application minus adorning traditional or “flowery” motion and pared down to their bare-basic “street level” or battlefield application. Examples of this would be those empty-hand systems adopted by the United States Marine Corps and the United States Army.

The focus of Marine Corps Martial Arts Program (MCMAP) is the personal development of each Marine in a team framework using a standardized, trainable and sustainable close-combat fighting system. All techniques are integrated with equipment, physical challenges and tactics found on the modern battlefield. The MCMAP is designed to increase the warfighting capabilities of individual Marines and units, enhance Marines’ self-confidence and esprit de corps and foster the warrior ethos in all Marines.  

The United States Army developed the Modern Army Combatives Program (MACP), which was designed to improve unit combat readiness by building soldiers’ personal courage, confidence and resiliency, as well as their situational responsiveness to close-quarters dangers in the operational environment. 

When it comes to law enforcement application of hand-to-hand combatives, the term “defensive tactics” is applied. Defensive tactics are those martial arts techniques which have been approved by a specific agency or department and further sanctioned by an accredited training entity such as a state Peace Officers Standards of Training. Such techniques have been signed off on by legal counsel and are mandatory per policy for use on duty. If you are a sworn peace officer and you employ something other than an approved agency or department issued defensive tactic while on duty, you could find yourself in hot water.

As a civilian considering use of a hand-to-hand technique, one must ask a few important questions: Have you completed the training in any one of these disciplines? If so, have you maintained your skills? All hand-to-hand skills are perishable and, like a second language or playing an instrument, must be periodically maintained. 

Have you ever trained to jam your fingers into someone’s eye socket? Or trained to punch someone in the throat with your bare knuckles? Have you experienced multiple repetitions kicking someone in the groin? Have you ever actually done it on either another human being, or even a training dummy or punching bag? If not, then you have no business designating that technique as your go-to move. Instead, get some training, apply that technique in training and maintain that skill with sustainment training. 

Another commonly accepted go-to-move is pepper spray. Sold in canisters of varying sizes, pepper sprays are derived from naturally occurring compound oleoresin capsicum (OC) found in peppers such as habanero and ghost peppers. If you plan to use pepper spray as your go-to, there are two important practical application aspects you should consider—legality and skill. 

Legally, you do need to check if you can own and operate it in your state or county. Skills-wise, have you completed the training necessary for rapid deployment, retention (not have it taken away from and/or used against you) and to not spray yourself? Even though you may be trained in fundamental usage, do you have the skills for safe handling, carry, access, rapid deployment and operation while under duress?

Stun guns are another non-lethal go-to option. If you research them, you will find a countless array of makes and models. The one used by most law enforcement is the Taser, because it can be applied at a distance starting at 15 feet, whereas a traditional stun gun requires direct contact with another human being, referred to as a “drive stun.” 

The Taser is available in versions for civilians. After checking for legality of ownership and use with your state and county laws, like any other tool, the stun gun requires both initial and sustainment training. 

The most common lethal-force options may include a firearm, edged or impact weapon baton) or a weapon of opportunity.

Most first-time gun owners think they can simply buy a gun and their shiny new firearm will ward off all evil just by the virtue of ownership. Nothing could be further from the truth. It’s like buying a piano and with zero musical training or background and expecting to be a concert pianist. 

A firearm, like any other life-saving tool, requires extensive training. It is your responsibility to learn appropriate safety, storage and maintenance along with combat-effective gun-handling and marksmanship skills.

As with any weapon, it is incumbent upon the prospective owner to check with state and local laws referencing ownership and restrictions such as overall capacity.

Edged weapons, such as your folding- or fixed-blade knife in accordance with state and local laws, may be carried on your person and with appropriate training and practice, be utilized as a defensive weapon should you reasonably perceive a situation where you may be in fear for your life or limb. An edged weapon can be a formidable defensive tool in the hands of an experienced person, as most bad guys would rather be shot than flayed open with a razor-sharp knife blade.

Impact weapons like clubs, walking sticks, canes or expandable batons can all be used effectively for self-defense. A walking cane is considered a medical device and is legal to carry on an airplane and in any country where a gun and/or knife may not.

Expandable batons, although legal in some states, are illegal in others. Again, you are advised to check with state and local laws to ensure legality of possession and use. 

Another lethal-force option is using a “weapon of opportunity,” a term applied to any technique not part of any system or formal program of instruction. Throwing a carpenter’s hammer, scalding-hot pot of coffee or a frying pan at someone to stop an active threat would be considered unconventional or usage of an “improvised weapon.”

Selecting your go-to move is such a critical, life-saving decision you want to make the right one. It doesn’t need to be just one, as some of the best practitioners in the industry recommend you have more than one. It is quite common for a trained expert to have the skills and tools ranging from bad-breath distance to all the way out beyond 200 yards. 

Purchasing gear, getting training and sustaining your skills requires time and commitment. The serious practitioner will train with their go-to moves anywhere from once a month to once a week. Those who use it for their job like the military and law enforcement are required to practice more often), as the probability of them using it on the job is considerably higher than that of a civilian. 

Regardless of your go-to move, check your local laws referencing gear purchase and usage, get some quality training, keep your performance skills up to par and utilize your situational awareness and other preventive measures so you may never need to use it.

Wednesday Workout - Using Improvised Tools Against An Edged Weapon Assault

 Note: While A short bat is used in the a large part of the demos, it is merely for representation purposes. It along with some short padded sticks are to take the place of a cane/walking stick, umbrellas (full sized or shorter, etc. ) 

 

 

Sunday With Blackthorn - Today We Review Chris Caracci's 'Shotgun CQB' For Home Defense Video

 Originally released in the Early 2000's, this video differed from most of the other 'Shotguns for Self Defense' videos at the time. Primarily because it does not include any material about handling, or maintaining your SG. It is strictly about proper use of a Shotgun for personal protection inside the home.

The reviewer was a member of Federal Law Enforcement that I knew through having attended numerous self defense seminars wit him. 'Mini Me 007' was the name he used at martial arts online forums.

While other self defense with a Shotgun videos have come out since the one this review covers, the Caracci video is still a relevant, well put together instructional program. 

Review Of Chris Caracci’s ‘Shotgun CQB’ Video
by Mini Me 007     Aug 25, 2007

Gents,
With the home firearms defense thread in the Firearms section approaching three pages, I decided to pull this video from the bookshelf and see what it has that can compliment what has already been mentioned.

The video, "Shotgun CQB," is a L.O.T.I Group Productions film, 1998, and features C.J. Caracci, U.S. Navy SEAL Team Six veteran.

I have viewed some of Caracci's other training videos, and hold him in high regard. This tape is approximately 90 minutes long. I have the VHS version (not sure if a DVD version is available). Production quality varies throughout - had some difficulty with video tracking, and the audio is fuzzy at times, but that does not prevent me from recommending this video.

This video is geared towards providing civilians with tactics and strategies for using defensive shotguns indoors, i.e., in your house, to protect yourself and your family.
Caracci recommends staying put in a safe room, such as your bedroom, and only leaving it if absolutely necessary, such as to retrieve your children. Caracci suggests that you keep a flashlight and cell phone in your bedroom for contingency against someone cutting power / phone lines. He also recommends a child intercom to communicate with your children. Caracci advocates something I've said here before regarding gunfights: Your number one priority is don't get hurt.

Thresholds
Caracci discusses transversing through thresholds [channelized areas intruders expect you to come through, such as hallways]. His advise here is to get through them as quickly as possible. He gives a very basic demo of cutting the pie, and recommends observing as much of a room as possible from outside it before entering it.

The video also discusses utilization of cover [something that stops projectiles] and concealment [things that you can hide behind]. In this section Caracci discusses shooting from behind barricades, both from the strong and weak sides. His demonstrations here are very good. While shooting weak side barricade, he advocates rotating the shotgun ninety degrees to its side, and sighting along the side of the barrel. This gives you minimum exposure to the bad guys

Use of lights. Caracci emphasizes that you must identify a threat before engaging, and this cannot be emphasized strongly enough. Caracci's preference here is a weapon mounted light that is mounted above the barrel, at a 45 degree angle on the shooting side.
He demonstrates how this compliments his roll-out barricade technique so as the light does not shine on the barricade, but shines out towards the threat area. Caracci also warns to move after shooting or illuminating an area.

As far as movement goes, Caracci instructs you to move from the waist down. This enables you to keep your weapon on target. Caracci says that you know the layout of your home better than anyone, and that you should take full advantage of this.

Shooting positions
Caracci demonstrates kneeling, prone, and reverse prone techniques. Reverse prone - you are on your back, with the shotgun pointing beyond your feet. His demonstration shows how you have more maneuverability to track an intruder moving laterally to you than when in conventional prone. He also demonstrates his "Immediate Danger Position," basically hip shooting position with strong hand against waist, below pectoral area.

Caracci demonstrates high barrel mount [looking for bad guys with barrel up, muzzle/front sight in view of dominant eye] and low barrel mount [muzzle near weak side shin]. Carracci effectively demonstrates how his Immediate Danger Position keeps the muzzle trained at the threat area, allowing you to shoot from the hip as soon as a threat is identified, even if you don't have time to bring the shotgun up to conventional shoulder position. He recommends keeping your elbow in for the conventional shoulder shooting position so that it does not extend beyond the barricade.

Caracci also recommends securing your firearms from unauthorized people such as children. He also discusses slings and ammunition pouches. His personal preference is to keep ammo on his body, as opposed to using slings with built in bandoliers, or receiver mounted side saddles, since these weigh down the weapon. He also instructs that by downloading the magazine tube by one round, you can insert another type of shotshell into the tube for use next, e.g. 00 buck in the tube, bad guy goes behind barricade, insert slug in magazine tube, work action, and shoot through barricade.

The final section of the video discusses an often overlooked topic....patterning your shotgun. This needs to be done with the shotgun you will use for home defense AND the ammunition you will use. While at the range, shoot at targets that are of the same distance you would potentially engage an intruder at. This will show you the spread pattern at typical engagement distances. You could then evaluated the targets and see how wide spread patterns would typically be, and whether the pattern is too wide too allow you to shoot.

Mini Me 007

Blackthorn Brings You The USAID Follies of 2025

 Here are a just few examples of more than just the frivolous waste of our tax dollars.

 https://saraacarter.com/so-much-for-foreign-aid-usaid-awarded-27-million-to-groups-helping-anti-police-anti-israel-protesters-avoid-jail-in-u-s/

 

 https://saraacarter.com/usaid-funded-palestinian-terror-supporting-organizations/

 

 https://saraacarter.com/report-usaid-package-found-at-hezbollah-location/

Workout Wednesday - Jim West On Down And Dirty Personal Protection

 I actually trained with Jim West Once about 10 years ago (Damn, does the time go... ) For anyone who doesn't know who he is, he is career military combat veteran and served with the 7th Special Forges Group for most of his time. 

And just so you know, the video covers more than just take-downs.  Also, only about the first 2:30 minutes of the video is of Jim West. The rest is a bunch of other guys showing their material. Feel, free to skip it.

 

Wisdom For Monday

 

Sunday With Blackthorn - Today We Check Out Some McSweeney Point Shooting

The guy in this video is named Greg, and his Youtube channel is called Lionquest. In this video he demonstrates the John McSweeney style of Point shooting. Now to be clear, W.E. Fairbairn had his version of Point Shooting, Rex Applegate had his slightly different take on it, and John McSweeney also had his style. The basic premise is the same for all of them, but the three men I just mentioned all had some slightly different nuances. 

I watched this video, liked it, and figured it would be a good to offer up the McSweeney version today. Also, after watching this guy I took a liking to his style. To be specific he describes himself as 'I'm not some Expert Martial Artist or Gun handler. I'm just an older guy trying to keep his edge as time passes by"

Sounds like my kind of guy.

From The Urban Combatives Netherlands Branch

 

Wheelgun Wednesday - Who Says Revolvers Suck?

 Once again, the detractors of Revolvers get their Comeuppance. And deservedly so!

Modern Firearms Tech vs Post WW2 Tech

 Youtube is being uncooperative today, so click on the link

https://youtube.com/shorts/PG2cpkuDVus?si=rp4IRBxM2UHldxYu

Sunday With Balckthorn - Pros And Cons Of The Hammer Fist From Urban Combatives

 Lee Morrison On the Hammer Fist strike. 

 

The Reactionary Zone Part 4

Reactionary Zones Part Four: The Closest Distance

Welcome to Worst-Case Scenario Land, Population: You.

by Shelley Hill  February 5, 2024

In the past three months; Shooting Illustrated has published three articles focusing on the Four Reactionary Zones.

Part 1 focused on the “Most” amount of time to react, act and respond to a threat. The Most distance is around 25 feet and beyond. We often say that “distance equals time” so this zone gives us the most distance or time, to make a really good first decision.

Part 2 focused on “Some” amount of time to react, act and respond to a threat. We consider 12-25 feet the Somezone. I personally think this is the hardest zone to manage because at 25 feet, you can usually just move with purpose to avoid a threat but as the threat moves closer to you, your decision to avoid needs to be made rather quickly.

Part 3 focused on the “Least” amount of time to react, act and respond to a threat. The Complete Combatant thinks of this zone ranging from 6-12 feet and in this zone, you have “just enough time” to make good first decisions if you are ready for the fight. If you have trained and practiced self preservation options, tool cycling and have pre-made decisions in place then you could be one step ahead of that bad dude.

Now it is time to talk about the final Reactionary Zone, “No” time. Talking about the facts encompassing the “No” time to react, act and respond zone can be very upsetting to some people. It is hard to comprehend that you don’t have time to understand what is happening, make a decision, act on the decision and fully respond to that decision, before the bad guy acts.

When The Supper Club Turns Into Fight Club

Scenario: You are in a fast food restaurant, you have received your food, and you are now looking for a small table to eat your lunch. You find the perfect spot, and right before you set down your tray, a man appears six feet from you. He says nothing but he is obviously angry, he is sweating, red faced, clenched jaw, tight fists, and is staring a hole through you. You are his target and violence is imminent: What do you do?

Before we go any further, let’s give some credit to EdwardHall, Edward is a cultural anthropologist that specialized in proxemics that are maintained by healthy, adult, middle-class Americans.

There are several “aspects” of proxemics. The one that Hall writes about is the distance maintained between people when they are communicating. Hall named his four distances: public, social, personal and intimate. We have named ours “Most amount of time to react,” “Some amount of time to react,” “Least amount of time to react” and “No amount of time to react.” In Reactionary Zones Part 4, we will be focusing on The Complete Combatant’s “No time to react” distance.

Per Hall, intimate distance is direct contact. This zone is very easy to explain. You can consider touching, hugging, comforting, football, wrestling and protecting all in this zone. Notice that Hall said “protecting.”

Because of Hall's framework, we know people can feel the pressure of whether that person belongs in a specific zone/space/distance.  In self-protection management, we can use his research to our advantage by measuring the violence options available to the bad person while measuring the options available to us to react, act and then respond. 

No Time To Lose

Now let’s switch gears from normal healthy adults, to criminals. The No choice Reactionary Zone, which is 6 feet and under from you to the bad guy and gives you no time to react. Not the most, not some, not the least, but no time. 

Let’s go over some important things to consider in the No time zone. As always, you want to make one good first decision and then immediately follow up with more good decisions.

First of all, I am not telling you not to react. I am explaining that in this zone there is no time to decipher body language, judge the distance, think about how you want to react, formulate an actual plan and then respond to it when the bad dude coming at you from 6 feet or less.

We call this distance the No choice zone because if they chose violence, you have no choice but to respond, and it will mostly likely be with a “hands on” aka “force on force” action because of the time restraints aka short distance.

• You have no choice but to “manage” him with words, and actions.
• Contextually, he has no right to be there. You are in danger, and this is a threat.
• With all the other thoughts filling our brain, we will not have time to accurately measure distance, which in turn, will measure the time available for us to react, act and respond.
• This is full-action time if the fight is upon us.
• Can you act first? If he is physical first, you may not get a turn to defend yourself.
• Do you have any past force on force training? Do you currently train in ground fighting like jiu jitsu? Now is the time to apply those skills.
• No training? Don’t worry, you will “learn on the job”. Never stop fighting. Never give up.

We have to look at ourselves and ask how did he get this close? Maybe we did not visually manage the space in the Most, Some or Least amount of time Reactionary Zones or we were attacked from behind or ambushed. Your goal is to earn the space to run away or to get to a “tool” to use so you can stop him from doing what he is doing.

Now back to the scenario. You set down your tray and, all of the sudden, a man appears six feet from you. He says nothing but he is obviously angry. He is sweating and red faced, with a clenched jaw and tight fists and is staring a hole through you. You are his target, and violence is imminent.

Thank goodness you understand that he is under the length of a twin mattress from you, you know that the average stride is 3 feet and that he can cover the distance to you in about half a second. He steps into you and swings at you, but, while screaming, you manage to swing your food tray with all your might and smack him hard in the side of the head. Food goes flying! He was NOT expecting that, so he steps back to regroup. You just bought yourself a bit of time so you step to the side and put the little table between you. These two explosive decisions buys you a bit more time to make more good decisions. He can no longer reach you easily; time is not in his side, so he takes off. You see, he was wrong; you were not an easy target. He was looking to score some cash with little effort from himself, and from you. You made his decision to assault you a bad one, so he has left you to look for another person that may be easier to assault and rob.

You now can take a deep breath. Please consider watching him run away. Which direction does he run? Does he get in a car? What is he is wearing? Now call 911, give them your location and give them as many correct details as you can. Let’s get this guy off the streets.

 

 

 

The Reactionary Zone Part 3

 

Reactionary Zones Part Three: Close Range Encounters

What to do when it's the wrong time to get up close and personal.

by Shelley Hill

In the past two months, Shooting Illustrated has published 2 articles focusing on understanding concept of Reactionary Zones.

Part 1 focused on the “MOST” amount of time to react, act and respond to a threat. The MOST distance is around 25 feet and beyond. We often say that “distance equals time” so this zone gives us the MOST distance or time, to make a really good first decision.

Part 2  focused on “SOME” amount of time to react, act and respond to a threat. We consider 12-25 feet the SOME zone. I personally think this is the hardest zone to manage because at 25 feet you can usually just move with purpose to avoid a threat but as the threat moves closer to you, your decision to avoid needs to be made pretty quickly.

Today is Part 3, which focuses on the last Reactionary Zone that truly gives you enough time to process what you are seeing, make a decision and then move into action to respond.

Scenario: It is a crisp January night, you have just had an outstanding dinner with some friends and it is now time to say goodbye. Everyone is getting bundled up, farewell hugs are given and everyone is extending well wishes as a new year begins. Everyone is parked in different areas of the lot but the parking area is still full of cars and it is very well lit so you are a bit careless. Just as you reach your vehicle, an apparent unarmed man jumps out from behind one of the cars that is parked close to you, aggressively asks for money and starts working his way toward you. What do you do?

When it comes to the concept of reactionary zones, there were many brilliant people that played a part. Edward T. Hall, was a large influence to me because of his research on the natural distance maintained between people when communicating.

Edward T. Hall is a cultural anthropologist who specialized in proxemics that are maintained by healthy, adult, middle-class Americans. He wrote a book called The Hidden Dimension that explains “proxemics” and the difference in “distance awareness” among many cultural groups.

There are several “aspects” of proxemics. The one that Hall writes about is the distance maintained between people when they are communicating. Hall named his four distances “Public,” “Social,” “Personal” and “Intimate.” The Complete Combatant has named those four Reactionary Zones “Most amount of time to react,” “Some amount of time to react,” “Least amount of time to react” and “No amount of time to react.” In Reactionary Zones Part 3, we will be focusing on The Complete Combatant’s “Least amount of time to react” distance. 

Per Hall, “personal” distance ranges from 1 foot to 4 feet. He considers this distance zone as long as arm’s length and explains how the subjects of personal interest can be discussed while physical contact, such as holding hands. It is also interesting to note that Hall did not spend large amounts of time talking about violence options in proxemics, but he does mention that topic in this zone, when you are close enough to hit another person in the nose.

Because of Hall's framework, we know people can feel the pressure of whether that person belongs in a specific zone/space/distance. In self-protection management, we can use his research to our advantage by measuring the violence options available to the bad person while measuring the options available to us to react, act and then respond.

Now let’s switch gears from normal healthy adults, to criminals. The Least Reactionary Zone, which is 6 to 12 feet from you to the bad guy, gives you the “Least amount of time to react.” Not the “Most,” not “Some,” but the “Least.”

There are some things to consider in the Least time to react distance.

• In this zone you have “just enough time” to make good first decisions if you are ready for the fight. If you have trained and practiced self-preservation options, tool cycling and have decisions in place before you needed them, then you could be one step ahead of that bad dude.
• You have the least amount of time to gather more information like look at his hands, any movement towards his waist, are his hands hidden, or is he targeting you?
• You have every right to try to “verbally manage” him, which means you speak to him directly if the event calls for such things. This is a verbal scale of escalation that helps you when managing potential threats.
• They have every right to be there or no right to be there, dependent on their actions, body language, etc.
• At this distance, you could be in immediate danger.
• If a bad guy is in shape, he can run and cover 12 feet in less than 1 second.
• The average stride is 3 feet. That means at 12 feet the bad guy can take 3 steps and grab you.
• Most quality pepper sprays can reach up to 12 feet.
• It can be very hard to gauge distances quickly and accurately so here is a quick measurement. Did you know that a twin mattress is 75 inches which is just a hair over 6 feet? That means imagine one twin for 6 feet and 2 twins for 12 feet.
• If you are in shape, you may have time to run away at 12 feet, but there is probably not enough space to decide, turn and run if they are closer to you.
• Putting an obstacle, or barrier in between you and the bad guy can give you time to get to a tool.
• Your decisions must be explosive and immediate.

Now back to the scenario. Just as you reach your vehicle, an apparent unarmed man jumps out from behind one of the cars that is parked close to you, aggressively asks for money and starts working his way towards you. You determine that he is much more than just an average panhandler and must be dealt with appropriately. Your guard may be down, but long ago, you made the decision to have your pepper spray in your dominant hand and a small flashlight in the other when you are alone at night. You have no problem handling these tools on a cold winter’s night because you have practiced deployment, aim and application with gloves on. You know that the cars in-between you will slow him down but there is still no time to ask or tell him to go away, so you move right into making him go away. You scream “GET AWAY FROM ME!” as you blind him with your flashlight to disorient, immediately follow up with pepper spray across the eyes to stop him in his tracks and then run safely back into the restaurant. You are the hero of your own story. You made decisions in advance, practiced verbal commands and different tools, you knew your pepper spray would reach up to 12 feet, and you understood how to use obstacles in your favor. Way to go!

The Reactionary Zone Part 2

 

Reactionary Zones Part Two: Some Time Is Better Than None

What happens when the problem is too close to avoid?

by Shelley Hill   copyright@stooting illustrated.com

 

       

 

Last month we dove into The Reactionary Zones Part 1, which focused on the “most” amount of time to react, act and respond to a threat. The most distance is around 25 feet and beyond. We often say that “distance equals time” so this zone gives us the most distance or time to make a really good first decision.

Scenario: It is the day after Thanksgiving and you have decided to “walk off” some of that turkey so you grab your coat and head out the door. You are on the sidewalk enjoying the fresh air, the cold on your face and then all of the sudden you catch movement out of the corner of your eye. You turn your head and see a group of 4 youths sitting on the hood of a neighbor’s car, and you know they are out of town for the holidays. They see you watching them, they are up to no good and they don’t like you looking at them, so one of them slides off the hood and starts walking towards YOU. What are your options?

The Space Between Us

Before we go any further, I would like to re-introduce you to Edward T. Hall.

Edward T. Hall is a cultural anthropologist that specialized in proxemics that are maintained by healthy, adult, middle-class Americans. He wrote a book called The Hidden Dimension that explains “proxemics” and the difference in “distance awareness” among many cultural groups.

There are several “aspects” of proxemics. The one that Hall writes about is the distance maintained between people when they are communicating. Hall named his four distances public, social, personal and intimate. The Complete Combatant has named their four Reactionary Zones “most amount of time to react,” “some amount of time to react,” “least amount of time to react” and “no amount of time to react.” In Reactionary Zones Part 2, we will be focusing on The Complete Combatant’s “some amount of time to react” distance.

Per Hall, social distances for normal healthy adults range from 4 to 12 feet. This distance fits perfectly for more formal business and social discourse. Discourse means “written or spoken communication” so at this range, it is very acceptable to make eye contact with a stranger for a few seconds, smile, nod at them, and even say hello.

Because of Hall's framework, we know people can feel the pressure of whether that person belongs in a specific zone/space/distance.  In self protection management, we can use his research to our advantage by measuring the violence options available to the bad person while measuring the options available to us to react, act and then respond. 

Some Time Is Not A Lot Of Time

Now let’s switch gears from normal healthy adults, to criminals. The “some” Reactionary Zone, which is 12 to 25 feet from you to the bad guy, gives you “some amount of time to react.” Not the most, but some.

In this zone you have some time to decide what to do like have pepper spray in hand, avoid, make contact, etc. You have some amount of time to gather more information like look at his hands, any movement towards his waist, are his hands hidden, is he targeting you? You have some amount of time to make this distance “come alive” by changing direction or just leaving the area. If that person changes their direction as well, then you now have an early warning sign and more good decisions must be made very quickly!

There are some things to consider in the “some time to react” distance.

• Around the further part of this zone, you don’t want to try to “manage” him. Meaning, you don’t want to yell at him or try to converse with him in any way.
• But if you are around the closer part if this zone, it is very reasonable to make eye contact with a stranger for a few seconds and nod at them. This says “I see you”.
• They have every right to be there….until they don’t.
• At this distance, you could be in immediate danger.
• If a bad guy is in shape, he can cover 25 feet in less than 2 seconds. He can cover 12 feet in less than 1 second.
• If you have a hard time gauging distances like me, ignore the numbers and let’s use an object to judge the distance. I hope one of these items resonates with you.

1. Four medium loveseats are 20 feet
2. Two average-sized kayaks are 20 feet
3. The most common rented U-Haul is 20 feet
4. Two basketball hoops stacked on top of each other is 20 feet
5. The most popular length bass boat to buy is 18 feet
6. Two treadmills are 16 feet
7. Two hockey goals are 12 feet
8. Two refrigerators are 12 feet

Now back to the scenario. You turn your head and see a group of 4 youths sitting on the hood of a car. At the same time you are judging distance and thinking that they seem “out of place”, you reach into your pocket for your pepper spray, all the while turning to run away. You must react, act and respond quickly. They do not chase you; they go back to trying to steal that car.

There is absolutely no benefit or positive outcome to engage with any of these kids. It is okay to run: Let’s not use your medical insurance because you thought stopping them was more important than your health.

You are now safe and sound in your home and the door is locked behind you. You call 911. You had some amount of time to make a good quick first decision…avoid! Now grab yourself a turkey sandwich, put your feet up and enjoy your day.

Understanding Reactionary Zones Part 1

 From Shooting Illustrated.com. The first in a 3 Part  series on 'Reactionary Zones', and the issues of time, speed and distance as they relate to your ability to perceive and react to a criminal assault.

 

Understanding Reactionary Zones

More room gives you more options when things get weird.

 copyright@Shootingillustrated.com

Scenario: It is a bright sunny day and you have just arrived at your local big-box discount store. The parking lot is pretty full, so you have no choice but to park around the middle of the lot, which is not as close to the door as you would prefer. You get out, lock the door and start walking towards the entrance when you notice someone leaning against the building right by the door. You think to yourself, that’s odd, they seem out of place. They are too far away to see facial details, but you can definitely tell they have zeroed in on you, their hips are facing you, you can’t see their hands, and there is no one else around.

Do you continue to walk towards the entrance, which means you are walking towards the threat? Do you turn and head towards the other entrance (you know this store has two entrances). Do you turn around; get back in your car, and leave?

Before we go any further, I would like to introduce you to Edward T. Hall.

Edward T. Hall is a cultural anthropologist that specialized in proxemics that are maintained by healthy, adult, middle-class Americans. He wrote a book called The Hidden Dimension that explains “proxemics” and the difference in “distance awareness” among many cultural groups.

There are several “aspects” of proxemics. The one that Hall writes about is the distance maintained between people when they are communicating. Hall named his four distances public, social, personal and intimate. The Complete Combatant has named their four Reactionary Zones “most amount of time to react,” “some amount of time to react,” “least amount of time to react” and “no amount of time to react.” In Reactionary Zones Part 1, we will be focusing on The Complete Combatant’s “most amount of time to react” distance.

Per Hall, public distances for normal healthy adults range from 15 to 25 feet. There is no physical contact and very little direct eye contact if at all possible. Public distances like shopping centers, airports, and city sidewalks are all designed to maintain this type of distance. Think about the last time you were in an airport. You have your carry-on luggage; you are walking toward your gate with only one goal in mind… ”I hope I have time to get a coffee before my flight”. Are you looking at every person you pass? Are you smiling and making eye contact or are you minding your own business and just working on going from point A to point B? My guess is that you are not stopping to speak to every person you see, in fact, you are probably avoiding eye contact all together. This is just fine. Public spaces are built wide open so you don’t have to engage.

Because of Hall's framework, we know people can feel the pressure of whether that person belongs in a specific zone/space/distance.  In self protection management, we can use his research to our advantage by measuring the violence options available to the bad person while measuring the options available to us to react, act and then respond.

Now let’s switch gears from normal healthy adults, to criminals. We call our furthest distance, which is 25 feet or beyond from you to the bad guy, “most amount of time to react.”

That means you have the most amount of time to react. You have the most amount of time for early warning decisions and decide if you want to walk away or pre-deploy pepper spray, flashlight, etc. You have the most amount of time to gather more information like look at his hands, any movement towards his waist, are his hands hidden, is he targeting you? You have the most amount of time to make this distance “come alive” by changing direction or just leaving the area. If that person changes their direction as well, then you now have an early warning sign and more good decisions must be made!

There are some things to consider in the most time to react distance.

• You don’t want to try to “manage” him. Meaning, you don’t want to yell at him or try to converse with him in any way.
• He has every right to be there…..until he doesn’t.
• Even if it is a sunny day, at that distance, you may not be able to clearly see his face and hands, but you may be able to understand his “body language”.
• At that distance, you are usually not in immediate danger.
• If the bad guy is in shape, he can cover 25 feet in less than two seconds.
• You can use a mid-sized car as a “distance guide”. The average length of a four door sedan is 15 feet. If you can image two sedans parallel parked then you can image 30 feet. That will work as the closest, 25 feet, distance in that zone.

Now back to your scenario. At the most time to react distance, and you see something that is “just not right”, then you should have time to get out of there. Don’t continue forward, which is bringing you closer to him. Don’t go in another entrance (unless you are asking a manager for assistance) because he will probably be waiting by your car when your return from shopping. Please just turn around (keeping an eye on him) and briskly walk back to your car and leave. You can go to another shopping center or return here at another time.

Sunday With Blackthorn - Footage From An Urban Combatives Class

 

Close Encounters In Parking Lots

 The following article is from Shooting Illustrated Magazine. Some practical points about avoiding a criminal confrontation. No Tacticool Bullshit, just some common sense that won't cost you a dime.

 https://www.shootingillustrated.com/content/dealing-with-a-dark-parking-lot/

 

Dealing With A Dark Parking Lot

For most people, "street crime" is actually "parking lot crime."

by Shelley Hill  on January 5, 2025  copyright@shootingillustrated.com

 

 Bad guys love parking lots because there is usually not a ton of foot traffic, people are distracted, there is low lighting, and every car can provide the perfect hidey hole to sit and wait for a vulnerable target. All they must do is pick a spot where they are not easily seen, crouch and be ready to pounce.

They also love parking-garage stairs and elevators. These are uncontrolled transitional spaces that can be a benefit to the bad guy. Criminals can be at arm’s lengths from you, and you don’t know it until it’s too late. These close quarters sever you from others, can remove the option for you to run, your screams can’t be heard and the short distances between you and the bad guy can limit your response time.

Below are a handful of things that a criminal focuses on when choosing a parking lot to commit a crime.

1. Stealing a car. Statistics show that 22 to 23 percent of all cars stolen were stolen from parking lots at night or when left unattended for long periods of time.
2. Breaking into a car and stealing what’s inside the vehicle. Break-ins are up 25 percent from previous years.
3. Simple vandalism
4. Carjacking your car immediately after you park, when you are getting out. They also will target you while you are getting back into your vehicle. Studies show that 19 percent of carjacking occurs in parking lots.
5. Target an individual for robbery, with or without physical assault.
6. Sexual assault. I am unable to find any stats on the percentage of people sexually assaulted in a parking lot, but I can tell you that every 68 seconds another person is sexually assaulted in the United States. I can also tell you that 1 out of every 6 women and 1 out of every 33 men have been a victim of attempted or completed rape in their lifetime.
7. This is a bit outside the box but 70 percent of all “hit and runs” involve parked cars and most of these are in parking lots.

Now that we know what can happen, let’s focus on how to avoid being one of these stats. It is easier than you think.

• Park in well-lit parking lots
• Park near the entrance
• Park on “main” levels to avoid elevators and stairs. You could also consider getting some exercise and only using the parking lot ramps to get you to your destination.
• Walk in the middle of the isle/ramp as opposed to hugging the right or left side on the aisle.
• Have your pepper spray, a flashlight or both in your hands as you move about
• Stay off your phone
• Don’t listen to music and remove any earbuds
• Are you with kids or another person that may need your attention? Have a talk with them about expected behavior and the end goal. Consider bringing another adult with you if you know you will have many distractions while in public. Two heads are better than one.
• Be aware of what is in front of you, beside you and behind you. You can do this by just scanning the area and really look and see with a purpose.
• Walk with determination. Keep your head up and look confident.
• Eye contact for three seconds with another person in the parking lot is acceptable. If you move from a casual glance to a 5-10 second stare, that could invite the bad dude to challenge you.
• Be aware of cars cruising around, passing one point over and over again. Cruising around is not normal behavior in a parking lot. If you see that same car more than once, avoid it.
• When walking around a car, pillar, corner, etc., walk wide around the corner to avoid the closer distance with an object that could be hiding a bad dude. The same rule applies to another person. Give them space.

Recently, I was visiting a family member at the hospital. I entered when it was daylight and exited when it was dark. I followed all the suggestions above (that applied) and was appalled at what I saw on my 75-yard walk to my car. I passed no less than 10 people coming and going and not one person was aware of anyone or anything. They were on their phones or had earbuds in. They were distracted, had their hands and arms packed with items and never looked around. I actually saw one person get out of their car and stand there for several minutes with their door open while they gabbed on the phone. I told my husband that I have never felt so safe in a parking lot before because I was deselected just by looking around. All the other people were vulnerable targets. It was criminal’s playground.

I am not asking you to live in fear or never get in an elevator, I am asking you to be proactive and think ahead. I have said this before and I will say it again, you do not choose when and where an assault will happen, the bad dude does. Let’s ruin his day and not the other way around.

Sunday With Blackthorn - Are You Carrying The Wrong Knife?

 Utility, work, personal protection..... There are multiple reasons you might have to to carry a knife. You' don't need a Bowie knife to open boxes, and a box cutter isn't ideal for self defense. The video below discusses whether you've picked the right tool for  the job you need it for.

 

 

An Article On A Subject About A Big Much Needed Change Within The US Military

 Yeah, I know guys, No Wheelguns Or Workouts today.  Don't worry though, we will return to our usual programming next week. As for today, this article from the DefenseOne.com website is more than a bit prescient considering the changes that will be occurring  at the Dept of Defense with the new administration coming in.  Give it a look.

 

  The Army Is Too Top-Heavy

By R.D. Hooker, Jr.  copyright@The DefenseOne.com Website
Surplus generals, swollen staffs, and excess headquarters
drain headcount and resources from warfighting units.

Original Link; https://www.defenseone.com/ideas/2024/12/army-too-top-heavy/401571/

With its many missions, the U.S. Army is hard-pressed to meet the requirements of the National Defense Strategy at its current authorized end strength. A major part of the problem is that the Army is awash in staffs, many of which did not exist during World War II, or even in the 1990s. After 9/11, the Army Staff grew by 60 percent, while headquarters and staffs Army-wide ballooned. All of these headquarters consume resources withheld from the warfighting Army. Nor can it be shown that Army functions are being executed more effectively or efficiently because multiple large headquarters have been created to run them.

A case in point is the Army Installation Management Command, or IMC, created in 2006 and chartered to “reduce bureaucracy, apply a uniform business structure to manage U.S. Army installations, sustain the environment and enhance the well-being of the military community.” IMC is headed by a lieutenant general, with a major general as deputy and brigadier general as chief of staff. IMC includes a workforce of 30,000 soldiers and 70,000 civilians. Formerly, Army installations were managed by garrison commanders reporting to local commanding generals, with an Assistant Secretary of the Army for Installation Management. In theory, centralizing the installation management function promised common standards and greater expertise. In practice, results have fallen far short, with the Army experiencing a “crisis” in installation management in recent years.

Another compelling example is the Army Acquisition Corps, created in 1989 and today employing 1,600 commissioned officers plus many more senior civilians. Since its creation, the Army has failed badly with major program acquisitions, squandering billions on programs like the Crusader Field Artillery System, the Future Combat System, the Ground Combat Vehicle, the RAH-66 Comanche helicopter and the XM1299 Extended Range Cannon Artillery system, among others. No major Army program has been successfully fielded since the 1980s, a trend described by one Secretary of the Army as a “tale of failure.”

In 2018, the Army doubled down by creating Futures Command, adding another large 4-star headquarters to supervise an existing, labyrinthine set of acquisition headquarters which includes the Army Futures and Concepts Center, the Army Combat Capabilities Development Command and its associated battle labs, the Army Research, Development and Engineering Command; and the Army Materiel Systems Analysis Activity, among others. Despite this massive infrastructure, the Army has not improved performance in this key sphere.

Growth in staff size and the proliferation of unneeded headquarters is accompanied by a strong tendency to “over-officer” the force, one factor in the explosion of personnel costs since 9/11. In 2024, one in six soldiers is a commissioned officer (a 21 percent increase since 2000). About one-third of the Army's personnel budget goes to officer pay and allowances. Between 1965 and 2018, the number of general and flag officers in the U.S. military as a percentage of the total force increased by 46 percent; of 4-stars by 114 percent; and of 3-stars by 149 percent. Such deliberate rank-inflation and over-staffing contributes to a bureaucratic culture that demands constant reporting from junior commanders, so much so that one authoritative Army War College study found a “suffocating amount of mandatory requirements” they are “literally unable to complete…forcing them to resort to dishonesty evasion.” Almost certainly, this environment contributes to an exodus of young officers who are frustrated by crushing administrative burdens they cannot reconcile with their duty to train their soldiers for war.

In short, the Army should shutter those organizations not deemed essential, reduce the officer-to-enlisted ratio, and streamline its bloated staffs. These measures will increase the number of billets available to operational units, decrease unnecessary reporting requirements on them, reduce personnel costs and increase the productivity and efficiency of those headquarters that remain. Leaner and flatter are watchwords in the private sector—and are clearly priorities for the incoming administration. America’s Army should adopt them as well.

Dr. Richard D. Hooker, Jr. is a Senior Fellow with The Atlantic Council and a Senior Associate with the Harvard Kennedy School Belfer Center. He previously served as The Theodore Roosevelt Chair in National Security Affairs at the National Defense University and as University Professor at NDU’s National War College

Sunday With Blackthorn - Today, A Little More Of Shawn Ryan And Ed Calderon

 Today, a continuation of Ed Calderon demonstrating another interesting skill. Now the overwhelming majority of us will probably never be taken hostage by kidnappers whether for monetary or political reasons. However, it's still pretty interesting to watch.

 

 

Shawn Ryan Interviews Ed Calderon

 Link  brought to my attention by  long time subscriber Jed Berg. 

 

 

What Defines Your Age As You Get Older

 

Workout Wednesday, Sort Of....

 Today our old buddy and occasional contributor Steve Forester returns with an article on the subject of Competition or Reality. For anybody new to the forum, Steve is a retired career Army Airborne NCO who's been around. 

 Competition And Reality 

And Who Should Do What And Why

 by Steve Forester

 Today's Topic is competition and reality. My thesis is they are much the same these days. Life intimates art, and art imitates life. Let me explain.

I watched a a pistol and carbine training video last night by a guy who was with the Central Intelligence Agency's SAD (Special Activities Division) during the recent mid-east conflicts.  Now conventional wisdom has it that these boys are supposed to be some of the best in the business so I was interested to see how he did things.

I was mildly surprised to see almost all the techniques were competition derived. He was a sport shooter and mentioned his carbine was set up for competition. Interesting.

It struck me in a blinding flash of the obvious just how competition has become THE belief system for combative activities. I guess after years of training in our pajamas and believing in mystical Asian martial arts, our illusions died with the advent of the UFC, which exposed much of tradition exactly for what it was- tradition.

The US military gobbed off of the popularity of MMA. The MACP (Modern Army Combative Program) was, at it's start, 100% sporting BJJ. After criticism of not meeting the criteria of "train like you intend to fight", it evolved into a BJJ based combative program. In large part, no doubt, due to the imminent realities of Mid-East combat.

Techniques evolved into training in full kit, and integrating weapons use,  including retention of the M4 and the transition to pistol and/or knife.  However, MACP never forgot it's base art, BJJ. Because the overwhelming belief system is that if you are not trained and tested against a fully resisting opponent, then one is reverting back to the TMA fantasy. We absolutely must get in there and roll around and "fight".

Firearms techniques are divided today (for those living under rocks) into Pre 9-11 methodology and Post 9-11. Pre 9-11 techniques and weaponry being before the WTC came down, and 9-11 weapons and techniques developed during the decade of combat in Iraq and Afghanistan afterwards. Without going deeply into it, todays firearm methods evolved much like unarmed combatives.  It is sport based that was modified for combat.

The SOCP (Special Operation Combatives Program) is probably the highest form of this evolution. Greg Thompson took the MACP (which is the official US Army H2H program) and evolved it into a use of force method for when you can't shoot and seamlessly transition back and forth. All done in kit and all "alive", meaning force on force testing. He developed unique training gear that provided realism while maintaining a degree of safety. He also developed the SOCP dagger which is a standard part of SF kit today, along with other kit.

Post Afghanistan, the SF community started changing yet again back into a more covert mission of singletons, and small groups of operators, deployed overseas. Sometimes in plain clothes and in countries that were unsafe and restricted weapons in the hands of foreigners. Greg did an excellent job during this transition also, coming up with programs that taught self-defense in hostile areas,  and covert 'spy skills'.

The program is currently called the SOCP- Low Visibility. The following of the program is from the SOCP website


"An extension of SOCP®, the SOCP-LV® course has been further customized to address discreet/covert and low visibility operating profiles and paradigms. This course expands the operator knowledge base and skill set with niche techniques purposely designed to overcome challenges associated with: plain clothes operations, minimalist weapon(s) concerns (including field expedient weapons), CQB MOD(s) and deviations, and myriad lone operator essential survival skills. SOCP®-LV (Low Visibility) is based on current feedback from Soldiers, Marines and Federal agents traveling all over the world".


Here is a You Tube video of the SOPC-LV to give you a break from my dry, verbose commentary:

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=mi_VnBL83i8&t=123s


The website has some other cool videos. On the knife defense video, Thomson states the MMA base for the program from about the :55 to the 1:12 mark. Notice the part where he says students must win and lose contests many, many times before they are even 50% ready for a real fight. Which leads me to my next point.

Do I think programs like the SOCP and SOCP-LV are good. Well, yes I do. Very good. But, think about who is taking these courses? The average person is a 28 year old Special Operations soldier who job is being proficient in combatives skills and physical fitness. When they attend courses like the SOCP-LV they do not pay out of pocket, or take vacation time. It is part of their job.

They are also some of the toughest and best of the best. A soldier in these units has passed numerous selections and tests. Heck, just being fit enough to meet the services' minimal physical standards is beyond most young people. These folks are the top .1 percentile of the best the country can offer.


My point? Glad you asked!

 My point is what about the remaining 99.9 percent of us? A civilian interested in self defense for example. Let's take a mythical guy (who is actually based on an acquaintance of mine) who is in his mid-60's and is in fair condition for his age. He has a CCW and carries regularly.  He has taken a basic handgun class involving safety, weapon/holster selection, carry methods, basic range marksmanship, and Use Of Force law. He goes to the range once a month and shoots a 50rd box of ammo.

Now, this guy wants to improve his skills even more (and he actually does). What is he to do? Now, this guy is light years ahead of most just having some physical capability and some training. But is he going to be physically and/or financially capable of taking a course where he is physically fighting people, rolling around, do force on force training? Is he going to spend years obtaining a BJJ and boxing base, then transition into these type skills.

I don't think so.

So where does that leave us? I think that leaves us with the WWII methods pioneered by Fairbairn & Sykes, and further modified for the street by my old Instructor Carl Cestari. We can do as Carl suggested in 2002 and 2003 at the seminars he gave, and get a BOB and start ingraining some basic strikes. Study how attacks happen and develop a plan to deal with them (also known as tactics). Start lifting weights or whatever form on physical conditioning you can do and/or prefer. Get Tough mentally. In Carl's words: "Grow some hard bark on your  ass". Toughen the body and natural weapons.

In addition, realize that unarmed combat is the bottom rung on the totem pole. Unarmed combat must be seamlessly integrated with self-defense weapons. And all that comes after a robust avoidance and deterrence strategy (prevention), and evasion & escape skills. Then, study things like travel security, vehicle operations, TAC-MED, etc.

These are things anyone can do to improve their personal security. Anyone can develop avoidance and awareness skills that will keep us more safe than 8 years of BJJ classes. And, all of this stuff is available out there to civilians and in books or on-line, or through DVD training.

The drawback is being willing to actually do it. Most people do not really want to train. Or, they just do not have the time to train. They are doing others things like earning a living and spending time with their families.

Carl knew this. That’s why he came up with short term and long term training. Short term was a a few weeks, or a few months at most, of the simplest and most efficient methods of close combat. Then, if the student quits training, they at least have something of benefit. As opposed to studying 3-4 months of BJJ which provides very little real life benefit.

I have an old article in which Carl talked about short-term, and "long -term" training. As with much of Carl's stuff, it took me years to fully understand, but short-term has a definite goal and a start and a stop point. Short-term is a good grasp of the fundamentals of unarmed combat, combined with weapon integration. And, a healthy dose of street smarts, and physical/mental toughening up. Could be done in 3-4 months if worked at daily, and have some natural talent. More realistic is 6-8 months.

It has taken me  24 years now and I'm still learning. I guess I must be really slow.  I have developed a good set of additional skills such as I mentioned before (avoidance and awareness, escape and evasion, travel security, etc.) However, for my close combat, I mainly train the material on Carl’s Old School DVD series, as well the close range pistol techniques of William Fairbairn. The essence of Fairbairn’s unarmed Close Combat is in the OS 1 and OS 2 videos, plus the OS Grabs and Holds Video. Additionally the OS Ground Fighting Video is a necessity today.

Most importantly is the fact that one can set up a BOB and a weight pile at home and do all the necessary training. As Carl often said, you can teach yourself close combat. No need to pay someone $200 a month.

While a good close combat instructor can help you through pitfalls and prevent going down rabbit holes, I now understand what Carl meant when he said you learn through your training. You teach yourself through your training. Your body will teach you the best techniques and ways to move - for you - instead of an instructor teaching by-rote what he does.

So, if you are a full time Special Operations type, the SOCP type programs are probably best. For the rest of us, basic close combat & self-defense is going to be the most we can hope for. I have been living this daily since 2017, and my first exposure to Carl was in 2001 - 24 years ago. And short-term is all I'm capable of.

Short term is not bad. In some ways better than long term if you go with the theory that less is more.

However, if a civilian really must experience SOCP, the Warrior Poet Society training group offers a two day civilian version for the low, low price of $750.

warriorpoetsupplyco.com/edc-combatives-force-on-force/


Myself, I think anyone would get more bang for the buck by doing as Carl suggested 20+ years ago:
1) Get the Old School DVD's

2) Get a BOB or at least a Heavy Bag

 3) Start to train hard

 4) Get a plan and develop some street smarts

 5) Lift weights/do a Bodyweight program/etc. to get strong

 5) Get Tough.

A better approach, IMO, than paying someone hundreds, or thousands of dollars, for perhaps little in return.