There is not much I can do to help you with this, but, to say you are certainly a survivor. Because of my background, I have a few questions:
What did the authorites do? I dont know much about Sweden, one of the few countries I havent trained with, but, the local and state governments cannot be as corrupt as most Muslim nations. Did any investigative agency investigate your case?
Usually someone accused of raping kids, there has to be victims. Any victim come forward and accuse you?
How did these rich people get involved? and how did they know how to contact an organized crime group? Most “organized crime groups” have internal security better than most governments. Throwing you out of an airplane and have someone skilled enough to catch you doesn’t come cheap. Who was backing this?
If the authorities did nothing, have you went to the media? get your story out.
“mutiple armed attackers” is not a grappling situation, its a kill situation with weapons. period.
That is one hell of an experience. Hopefully, one of these days, your perps will rot in prison or better yet, the death penalty, however, being in Sweden, dont hold your breath.
at a couple of occasions local police sided with my aggressors. i contacted another police station and they registered and filed my errand, i doubt they ever even will put two rotten lingon-berries across for me. i have little faith in swedish police.
nope. to make this accusation clearer, the 2 persons that originally spread the rumors were bullying me and it was the second time that day i got bullied, the former bully posse had been greater and scarier and i was still pretty spooked from that, so when the 2 bullies came i cracked and just invented a story about me raping a woman, i thought the bullies would think i was cool like them and stop bullying me then, boy, i was wrong. after that there where no limit to the imagination these bullies and others would invent to tell a story that either would put them in the center of attention or justify mean things to do to me.
i think the criminal organisation saw this as a business case and behaved like this in a systematic way. i dont know how they sold it to rich people. at some occasions the criminals displaeyed me for the rich people to show that they got value for their money. but i have no idea of any names. i could give names of criminal organisations involved, but it is dangerous so i pass on that.
for the sake of my family i dont want to go public.
Love this thread. I found the Combat forum by accident a year ago and enjoy reading but this is what I was really looking for when I came to t-nation. I’m interested in how to appropriately balance tactical training. Idaho, I appreciate your hierarchy of skill-conditioning-strength. I wrestle with trying to find the right dosage of each so to speak on a weekly basis. Right now I’m strength training 3x, shooting 2x, and striking 2x. Ideally, I would like to streamline this into a six day schedule. I’m currently using all seven days and it’s doable but again I’d prefer a day off just to chill. But I can’t come up with, or at least feel confident in, a plan or schedule. How do you all do it considering priorities in tactical training, and do you have any recommendations for me? FYI I am not military or LEO, just a Christian family man. I do work in mental health, so I do believe some of my training has a vocational aspect. Any help would be appreciated. Thoughts?
Idaho, I have read several of your post before and I will definitely be following this thread. I feel we have similar backgrounds but worked in different AOR’s. That said, I don’t really consider myself a “tactical” guy. I am a pretty good medic though, and after teaching one of the advanced courses (West Coast), I have a better than average understanding of low-visibility operations.
Great thread Idaho. I’ll be following along. I don’t have the experience to add very much, but here’s my background as it pertains to taking steps to stop a motherfucker from ruining my day.
Age 0-26: Grew up in Indiana. Learned to play basketball and not be a huge pussy. Left Indiana and got a desk job, began process of becoming fat and weak. Aside from schoolyard scuffles, I lived a life completely free of violence, except for the time I got robbed at gunpoint during a bad situation I foolishly put myself in.
Age 26: I beat a very large, very strong, very angry man who spent 9 years in prison at basketball. He got angry and beat the everloving piss out of me, kicking me in the head for good measure after I was down. He got sent back to the can for 7 more years for that.
Age 26-28: Gave the matter some thought, decided I’m not a liberal after all. Started looking into firearms. Took an NRA pistol class.
Age 28-30: Got fatter and weaker. Eventually decided to follow-through on the whole gun-buying thing, but not before I took another class. I got my Maine Concealed Handgun License and a brand-new Generation 3 Glock 19.
Age 30-33: Continued the process of becoming less capable physically. Bought a few more guns and took more training.
Age 33-37: Decided fat and weak was a bad trajectory, made some adjustments and landed on less fat and way fucking stronger, but still too fat.
Age 37-Present. I started BJJ 3 or so months ago. I’m hooked. Really hooked. I want to learn how to fight against people who know how to fight.
I’ve also been a part-time neighborhood dive bar bouncer for the last year and a half, and I really enjoy that job. I’ve been hit a few times, but I’ve never hit anyone on the job. I like watching over that bar and doing my best to produce as many good outcomes as I can.
All things considered, this is pretty mild stuff compared to what soldiers and LEO’s have to deal with. What I’m beginning to realize is that getting better at fighting makes me better at most other things. That’s where my interests lie, and it sure would be nice if I never have to cross paths with another angry, violent and spiteful motherfucker ever again. If I do, I’ll be a bit more prepared than I was at age 26.
My respect for medics knows no bounds, I have seen them perform miracles and I have always found them to be much smarter than me. For example: Yesterday, another agent and I went to a bad area to do some work and we always have a medic with us. Well, the medic usually assigned to us is on leave, so another guy filled in. Since Afghans are on doper time, we were waiting for the CI to show up and started shooting the shit.
The guy looks at me and said, “I know you from Iraq” Since he was bearded up and dressed in man jamms, I did not recongize him. We started doing the “hey, I was here and I was there dance” and then he told me he was living in Nevada, teaching SWAT medics, volunteering on a local fire department runs (when on leave) and would soon graduate and obtain his Nurse Practitioner license. Jesus. You guys really know how to crush a man’s ego:)))
Good to have you and I cannot take credit for the skill-conditioning –strength hierarchy, I stole that from “Bagofbro" and “Robert A” several years ago. I have found it fits anything I am trying to do. I hope I can help, and will basically outline my training schedule. Now, we all have to work, so, you schedule may be different from mine.
Skill: Firearms skill / shooting is a very perishable skill, especially with a handgun. That said, unless you have access to a lot of money or ammo, shooting two times a week in the civilian world can get expensive, especially if you are paying range fees. If you have mastered the basics of trigger control, sight alignment, draw stroke, reloading, etc. then I would cut back on range time and start focusing on drills, both movement and static.
I start every day with this ALWAYS, ALWAYS, CHECK FOR AN EMPTY WEAPON). I use intense focus and dry fire only 10 times. I draw slowly, align the sights, and feel the trigger squeeze and break the shot, re-holster and do it again. I have a red dot on my bathroom wall that I focus to the point of excluding everything in the room. If I do it right, 10 times leaves me drained.
I am a firm believer in SAFE dry fire. At the end of the day, I will do the same with my M6, except will do a mag change after 5 shots. This is the same as doing katas in martial arts. We cant always be blasting on the range and it fact unless you are training for a IDPA, USPSA, or 3-Gun match, there is no need. This may save you some time and money.
I have found in my own training, that after a week shooting every day in a tactical house, your skills will get sloppy, quality training versus high volume. Quality wins. Start doing some drills outside you comfort zone, over the years, I have come to discard the static shooting on the square range for fundamentals only, movement, movement is the key to winning and staying alive.
I am including a link to the “El Presidente” course, a drill that everyone who carries a handgun should master. It is the baseline for each individual to assess their skills. The You tube video was made by Ken Hackathorn, one of the true legends of the gun( check his drills on youtube) Shoot it, see what you skill level is. For movement drills that are challenging and fun, check out Pat McNamara you tube videos, the kettle bell and 50 yard pistol shot is a bitch)
Strength and Conditioning: I have combined these two, because, I have changed up my training over the last year, I don’t run much anymore, maybe 5 miles a month to just check conditioning. I am not a personal trainer so, take this with a grain of salt.
I have been reading T-Nation for a long time and have probably used about 80 percent of their work outs at one time or the other. About two years ago, I asked CT what was his opinion on the best workout for SOF. He replied his Zombie A workout. I followed that for a long time, only I didn’t have access to a lot of the equipment. It worked though and I felt better than I had in a while.
I decided I would only work things that I felt would help me survive and be fit to fight. I cut out all unnecessary movements. In my opinion, tricep kickbacks are not going to help me exit a room with agility and speed.
My training now, has about half of the volume I used to do and my met-cons are helping me stay injury free and (I think) making me more “explosive” on movement. Depending on work assignments, I will train every day, but, the reason I do that , is like over the 4 of July holiday, three of us worked 36 hours straight, so, I know that type of work can come up at any time, so, you should take Sunday’s off. 6 days a week is enough unless you are training for some type of fight.
Here is what I concentrate on:
Sundays: heavy bag work and loaded carry’s with a 90 pound Rogue bag. I usually walk around this guard shack three times, drop the bag and shift shoulders. I do this for 20 minutes
Monday: 100 inverted pull ups and using a 24 in. box, “one legged step ups” holding two 45 pound plates, 50 reps to the left leg and 50 for the right. I found this exercise when I had to rehab my left knee, it really kicks my ass. I don’t the 100 reps at one time, usually 11 or 12 reps at a time. I write each reps session down until I get a hundred. Why a hundred? I don’t know, just feels right.
Tuesday: My heavy rep day. I am a big, big, believer in Landmine presses. ( T-Nation has an article by Ben Bruno I believe ) I use every variation, including the squats, I feel this has made me stronger and more explosive. My form as always been bad, so, this a perfect way for me to work my legs, as far as bench presses go, I consider them useless for tactical work and cut out that movement, the landmine press (IMHO) is much better for my work. I usually end up at the end of the workout, after all the variations , with around 250 reps.
Wednesday: 10 miles on a stationary bike, loaded carries around the parking lot with the two of the heaviest Kettlebells they have here, a 60 and 74 or something like that. I carry them until my grip goes, set them down, switch hands with the weights and do it again. 20 minutes or until my grip is dead, which doesn’t take long.
Thursday: bag work and then 30 minutes beating a tire with a sledgehammer.
Friday: Range day.
Saturday: Landmine press workout, loaded carries.
And that’s it. Maybe an hour or 1.5. a day. Now, I feel this works for me, any personal trainer reading this will probably have a stroke at the lack of planning.
"Mindset – stop talking about it and start living it".
I was sent this article this morning by Aaron Barruga. I encourage everyone on this thread to read it, at least twice. Thou, SF based, the author goes on to state how this applies to all professions, gyms, family, etc. Those of you on this thread will know what he is talking about or you wouldnt be here. Please read.
Awesome article. “A man’s reach should exceed his grasp.” so well put. I think we can all relate in that we are in the never ending pursuit of self improvement.
I just wanted to get some opinions on something I have been thinking about quite a lot recently. When I go for my defence force psych evaluation they ask a question similar to:
“you may be faced with severe injury or death when you serve, how do you feel about this?”
I have had one of these evaluations before and was turned away for a year as it had been less than 5 years since I had a recorded conviction. My answer back than was something to the effect of “I understand this and have given it thought. I am still willing to commit to the ADF.”
Pretty vague and wishy washy but the psych seemed happy enough. I may still give a simple answer like this again but I really have thought about it.
I like to think that I’m not afraid of death. It happens to all of us. IMO it is an irrational fear and I have made a note to stamp out irrational fear in myself. I don’t think I’m special and I am simply trying to better myself and spend what few years I do have alive, doing things that make me feel alive…
Do you guys have any thoughts about that question?
Having my background in psych and looking hard at the Marines for an amount of time, I kicked this idea around a lot (ultimately decided the armed forces were not for me) and would like to think that, if I were called upon, that I would be able to conquer that bit of fear, but the difference between our “ideal self” and our “real self” (what we think we would do in a situation and what we actually do in a situation) can sometimes be so far removed from one another that it is difficult to say.
Yes! I so agree! I have thought much about this as well. The only real way I can think to ‘strengthen’ this willpower is to say I will do something difficult and go ahead with it. Hopefully when the time comes these 2 ‘selfs’ won’t be too far apart. But I want the opportunity to see.
I have been loosely following the combat forums for awhile and have always enjoyed your posts @idaho. I don’t really have anything to contribute, but am just trying to learn. Thank you for the time you put into your posts.
Something I notice that my friends who carry overlook is ammo selection. Most have the same box of hollow points they bought with their pistol and have never shot a single round to function test, nor done any research on that round’s stopping power.
1 You’ve got to shoot your carry ammo of choice to make sure that it cycles reliably in your pistol. I had a box of 185 grain hollow points once upon a time that wouldn’t feed worth a damn through my 1911. It was my the ammo that was loaded in my pistol on my night stand for about 2 years.
2 If you aren’t doing ballistics research on your own, you should make sure that the ammo you have chosen performs well. The Lucky Gunner Ammo Tests are a fantastic resource. Some of the more affordable self defense ammo brands are some of the best performers.
It just kills me that guys act like they can’t afford to shoot a $20 box of ammo, but they could potentially have to rely on that ammo to protect themselves or their loved ones.
Fear is my old friend and I have learned that I am “in fear” of a lot of things, burning up in a helio crash is a big one with me and since I fly about three times a week, that little devil is always around. I fear being blind based on a guy I was with who was blinded in a IED, fear of being in a wheel chair, etc. Death is always there and because of that, ever present, I dont worry about it.
I do worry about the above examples, including being invalid in some hospital. I have learned that I will always fear something, so, I just put it away in a corner and say , "ok, how are you today?, fucking with me again are you?’ Then I do what I have to do. I spent about 16 months flying on a helio and destroying poppy fields, I faced that fear of burning up every day. IMHO, telling yourself you dont fear anything is just lying to yourself. I hope that made sense, but, you really brought up a good question.
Damn good comment. As I stated in the situational awareness article, most most men tend to over estimate their abilities. IMHO, one of the most important reasons to train is you will eventually have to come to terms with what you are and what you can do really do. Playing it safe on the couch, around people (who as article states) are mediocre will only reinforce their beliefs.
I like to use examples from my life to either grow from the experience or learn from it. two examples:
I was pretty good at point karate, won a few matches, etc. went a boxing gym and got fucking stomped. Seems like my “self” was not really real.
Flash forward 15 years. was sent to a training camp in West VA, had a reasonable belief that part of me was a “bad-ass”, found out I wasnt as good as I really thought, in fact, around this group I was barely “average”. reality check. That is one of the reasons I posted the article, try to surround yourself with people better that you.
Great post, you really hit the nail on the head. Agree with everything, worth reading several times.
Yes, you do. The purpose of this thread is for everyone, remember , the USG as been at war for 16 years, guys like me are a dime a dozen, you bring yourself to the table and thats enough.
