Motivation Monday:
“An Ounce of Deterrence Is Worth a Pound of Lead”
And, I have to add in situational awareness and disengagement to deterrence.
Sun Tzu may have said it better, “The greatest victory is that which requires no battle.”
“If you learn “indoor” techniques, you will think narrowly and forget the true Way. Thus you will have difficulty in actual encounters.”
Miyamoto Musashi, “The Book of 5 Rings”
Thought for the day: Worth reading:
Funny thing when I was a young Jarhead, most of the SOF I saw were all skinny? Now they’re almost all big, stocky guys? I guess it’s more Capt Crunch and Creatine, than Marlboro’s and Jack Daniels nowadays.
I have a buddy who is an Army Ranger and Green Beret. A guy with multiple tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. Your typical SOF type, (at least in my experience) easy going, down to earth, smart as a tack and a one tough bastard, both inside and out. When he isn’t deployed, or deep in a training loop, I get him down here to be a guest speaker for my international leadership class. He’s a great speaker and the students love him. I love the fact that we get to hang out and catch up later over some chow and beer. As he’s still on active duty, I get to pick his 50 lb brain, especially on current ops, weapons and PT.
When it comes to PT we think a lot alike. More functional, than sports minded and definitely more outdoor, than gym stuff. He has shared a lot about his team’s PT routine and their other training. Much of it wasn’t a surprise, (other than the insane amount of live fire they do). But, one thing that surprised me on their PT program, was that they almost never do any long-distance running? In fact, he told me that they rarely ever run more than a ½ mile at once. The vast majority of their PT is combination workouts of short runs/sprints, functional movements with tires, sandbags, ammo cans and calisthenics. Intense, functional and in the dirt. Of course, as a matter of operational training, they do a bunch of humping with heavy packs, and on his own time he likes to lift weights. That shows, as he’s built like a linebacker at around 6’ 220lbs. Funny thing when I was a young Jarhead, most of the SOF I saw were all skinny? Now they’re almost all big, stocky guys? I guess it’s more Capt Crunch and Creatine, than Marlboro’s and Jack Daniels nowadays.
In any case I asked him, you guys don’t ever do any longer runs, 5-6 miles every once in a while? “Naw, almost never, some of the guys like to run, they do marathons and all that, but that’s their own thing. It doesn’t help us for what we need. What good is it to jog around in PT gear when in real life we’re carrying weapons, ammo, water, etc. and it’s all in full uniform and in the dirt? When we’re forward it’s humping hills, short dashes, climbing up, around and over crap, and always carrying gear (and sometimes people). We need to train here, for how we fight there. Besides, I hate all that long running, hurts my knees and it’s boring.” I was a typical response from him on any issue; Cut to the chase, let’s do what’s important and forget the bullshit.
Thinking back to my Marine infantry days, we did a lot of running. Many times we went over 10 miles at a pop and lot of it was pretty fast too, even in formation. It seemed that most times it was more of a manhood test than anything else, but I never questioned its value then, as it just seemed like a must do thing, to be in top condition. However, as I’ve grown older (and maybe a little wiser) I find less and less value in long running: just jogging along for mile after mile on the side of road. God knows I’ve done more than my share of it. Having run many marathons, triathlons and other road races, I’ve done training runs over 20 miles for those events. However, if your aim is to achieve a high level of all around “real world” conditioning, I think spending a lot of time on long runs is overrated and frankly probably counterproductive.
Besides being as what my buddy calls; “F’ing boring”, it yields little overall conditioning and can lead to repetitive motion injuries. Especially after you reach the level where you can easily run a 10k. Now I get the fact that it’s mindless and burns calories pretty well. I also get that many people don’t care about “functional fitness”. They just want something simple to keep in decent shape and maintain a good body weight. Running an hour everyday will do that, no doubt. However, if you’re in the military, a 1st Responder, or do have a desire for something better, you need to do more than just jog.
Not that running isn’t valuable, it’s extremely valuable and IMO necessary for conditioning. But, running will serve you better by mixing up the distance and intensity. Interval running that combines fast runs of up to a ¼ mile with jogging, or walking. Beach runs and hill sprints in different combinations and all of this made even better when combining it with some other movements. Besides, taxing and conditioning your body in a more realistic way, it’s almost impossible for this type of workout to become boring, as there is an endless variety of combinations you can dream up. I do at least one of these workouts a week and it’s never exactly the same way.
I shoot for an hour workout total, which is about 5 minutes of warm-up, 45 minutes of continuous running, calisthenics and functional stuff with tires, ammo cans and even some big rocks that are down near the beach here. In the end I probably run 2-3 miles total and all at fast clip, but never more than ¼ mile at once. I finish up with 10 minutes of stretching out and cooling down. A workout like this will hit every area of your body and builds strength, muscular endurance and aerobic fitness all at once. Certainly, much better overall than just jogging for the same amount of time and a whole lot less boring.
In the end, a lot of finding the right workouts for you is more about what you need (and want) vs. than what is just “mindless”. Mix up your running workouts and I’m sure you’ll see some good results. Besides if it works for SOF, I’m pretty sure it will work for the rest of us.
Is this how you train? The logic makes sense to me and I’ve noticed from personal experience that if I concentrate on intense short bursts, then my long distance stuff seems to drastically improve anyway. I think someone else mentioned earlier in this thread that what are most civilians going to face? And it’s more likely to be a 5/10 minute fight and sprint away than it is a long distance foot chase. But it’s nice to know the best guys in the world are also training roughly the same way
Yes, this is basically what I do. I also try to work in basic bodyweight and simple gymnastic moves when I am in a gym that has rings and elementary equipment. I am a big believer in loaded carries and have used everything from modern weights to humvee parts.
For me, it comes down to this: Are you fit enough to fight? Are you fit enough to support your team, regardless if you are military, first responder, or a parent protecting their children? and finally, are you fit enough to fight and save your own life?
Never lie to yourself, if you cannot honestly say “yes, i am fit enough”, then you have work to do.
Thought for the day: I am a firm believer in Pat Mac’s concept that you should be your own “agent in charge” of your security detail. You should be prepared to protect yourself, your family, your home. Everyone should take responsibility to train and learn how to handle threats from all sides.
Thou, I advocate all types of weapons training and believe very strongly that self defense is a human right, the chances of the a civilian engaging in lethal force is about 1%. You are much more likely to called on to perform elementary medical aid.
You can be an expert weapons master, multiple black belt holder, able to leap 20 feet in the air and swat flies, but, if you are in a vehicle accident and your wife is bleeding out from a punctured femoral artery, then all that bad ass shit is going to do you no good. Get some elementary training, if you are serious about being the agent in charge of your family. The article attached is worth reading:
Thought for the day: Concealed carry stats. If you don’t live in a communist state, consider getting the training and carry. Add another arrow to your survival quiver.
Concealed carry stats:
More so, the study shows that between 2012 and 2108 permits for women grew 111 percent faster than men and 20 percent faster for blacks than whites. Asians obtained permits 29 percent faster than whites.
Concealed Carry Permits Report Findings
Last year, despite the common perception that growth in the number of permit holders would stop after the 2016 election, the number of permits grew by about 890,000.
Outside the restrictive states of California and New York, about 8.63% of the adult population has a permit.
In fifteen states, more than 10% of adults have permits, up from just eleven last year.
Alabama has the highest rate — 22.1%. Indiana is second with 17.9%, and South Dakota is a close third with 17.2%.
Four states now have over 1 million permit holders: Florida, Georgia, Pennsylvania, and Texas.
Another 14 states have adopted constitutional carry in all or almost all of their state, meaning that a permit is no longer required. However, because of these constitutional carry states, the nationwide growth in permits does not paint a full picture of the overall increase in concealed carry.
Permits continued to grow much faster for women and minorities. Between 2012 and 2018, the percent of women with permits grew 111% faster for women and the percent of blacks with permits grew 20% faster than for whites. Permits for Asians grew 29% faster than for whites.
Concealed handgun permit holders are extremely law-abiding. In Florida and Texas, permit holders are convicted of misdemeanors and felonies at one-sixth of the rate at which police officers are convicted.
Bullet points pulled from CPRC press release.
Is that after charges are filed? I mean I’d hope permit holders get convicted less often in total, as they should be involved in violent conflict at 1/100th the rate of an active duty cop.
If that stat is after both cops and cc permit holders get charged that would suggest that DA’s, Judges and Juries go way easier on a guy that had a few classes than a professional officer.
Many states publish annual reports on permit-holder statistics. Number issued vs number suspended and revoked, reasons revoked, etc. Keep in mind that you don’t always need to be convicted of a crime to have your permit revoked. Allegations or arrest can sometimes be sufficient. All you need to do is look at the number of permits held vs the number of permits revoked to see that concealed carry permit holders commit crimes far, far below the national average of nearly any demographic slice. The Amish probably have us beat, but not many others.
Here’s the first one I found for the state of Michigan. It really gives a lot of insight into the lack of law-breaking behavior by a population that faces constant vilification by anti-gun media outlets.
Agreed. I hope those stats get even better with education and training for CC people.
I just found that stat about cc permit holders getting misdemeanors and felonies at a lower rate than cops odd. I can’t think of a situation where that’s an apt comparison unless we’re talking about after charges are filed.
Thought for the day:
Two fundamentals of fighting that have been around for thousands of years are:
1. Use deception.
2. Close distance before surprising and engaging your opponent.
Bad guys know these rules…and they use them.
While we’re practicing being in our lane at the range, squaring up to a target 10, 11, or 21 feet away and drawing and engaging from the holster, bad guys in real life approach from the side or behind and hide their true intent until they’re too close for you react when they finally expose their intent.
Don’t get me wrong…many bad guys are dumb as a box of rocks. And I thank God for them. They expose their intent from a distance or are dumbfounded when their “victim” turns the table on them.
But I don’t want the effectiveness of my training to depend on an attacker being from the shallow end of the gene pool. You want your training to reflect reality…not just a best case scenario.
It’s definitely OK to practice shooting at targets on a one-way range at set distances. It’s a great way to develop fundamental skills.
But make sure that you also practice responding to threats to your right side, left side, and behind you. What would you do if you were 2 feet away from someone who pulled a knife on you? Would you bet that he won’t stab you while you take 1-4 seconds to get a concealed gun into the fight? I wouldn’t. There’s no one right answer to this question, but there are definitely some wrong answers and there are some answers that are more effective than others.
I realize my last post didn’t attract any response, but here is one that police up here in Canada often get stuck with. We have set up a number of years ago a Special Investigations Unit. This is an arms length investigative body that investigates police anytime a person suffers harm in interactions with the police.
It was set up way back, at a time when some community members around places thought the police sometimes took liberties with how they treat people they deal with. there have been case in which officers who maybe shot a mentally ill person have eventually been on trial for murder, no small consideration when considering joining the force.
Recently, here:
An officer was administering Naloxone to a person who had overdosed on opiates, the person died, and hey what do you know the officer now has to go over the coals through the SIU process.
Might there be some fast track clearance when the officer was purely acting as a samaritan? An ambulance or fire fighter if they were doing it, or just I think the general public wouldn’t be getting the full horse treatment if the person died.
The problem is if there is the potential for someone to make money off of a particular incident. If there is, then there is a lawyer about to try.
I appreciate you posting and I always make time to read the articles. Thank you.
Thought for the day: One of the biggest obstacles to overcome in training.
Thought for the day: It never gets easier. You just get stronger.
Motivational Monday:
From a personal note, I entered the military at age 17. From the first, I was told I was too skinny, too weak and not enough “muscle” to make it through basic, in fact, I was told to quit on the first day and apply for some desk job at Walmart. I have never been blessed with natural athletic ability. The only thing that I have that could qualify for above average, would be hand/eye coordination. What little basic skills I have, came from very hard work and many failures. The one thing I did have was the determination to make myself into the man I wanted to be. Since those times, I have come a long way and still work every day to improve some area of skill, physical ability, and mental preparedness.
If you are out there today: training, struggling or trying to make a personal goal, then fuck the critic, work hard and know that when the shit has hit the fan, you have proved too yourself, that will step up and do your best.
My favorite quote in life, from Frank Herbert’s DUNE: Humiliation is a thing never forgotten.
From Warfighter Athletic:
No matter what you do in this life the fact of the matter there will always be critics who are going to shit on what you’re doing. . .
My advice for you even though it may not be easy, do not give these people the time of day. Do not entertain their thoughts and allow them to consume your energy that could be better spent. More often then not a critic is searching for their own relevance in this world. Their attack on you is nothing more than an insecurity inside them surfacing. .
Block out the external noise and keep doing you! If you feel like you’re getting judged you’re probably on the right track! Let your actions do the talking for you!
Thought for the day:
What becomes of us after we realize the thing we are pursuing now feels like it holds less value than the thing we left behind? We left a lover, a family, a career, some kind of opportunity back there and it cannot be reconstituted. It no longer exists. It expired and we are left with a tragedy. We had the brains, the body, the ability but lacked the foresight to see the worth we abandoned because we were resolved to pursue something else. We chased something for many years and over many miles in the belief that it would emancipate us but the truth is we misjudged how far it took us from where we were, where we could have been, and away from someone or something we loved. Fame, fortune, power…We’re left today with stories of knights who earnestly sought out the holy grail in the belief it would provide youth, sustenance, happiness or something else in infinite abundance but it was never found because it never existed. It remains elusive. I’ve little wisdom to dispense this evening. Each second offers opportunity. Many of us fear the future and regret the past. We let emotion paralyze us or make us hesitate. We’re pinned between two feelings and let action become a slur in time. We end up regretting not trying out for this, or not asking for that, or asking too little of ourselves and too little of others. Je ne regrette rien. Live your life so that you’ll have no regrets. God bless and good fortune to you warrior
Motivational Monday: If you are in the USA, enjoy your holiday and take a few moments to reflect on those serving abroad and to those serving as first responders.
Tactical Tuesday:
1. Know your cover!!! If you have it use it; if you don’t have to leave it then DON’T!
2. MEDICAL TRAINING/GEAR!
A perfect example as to why you need to carry it ON your persons and KNOW how to use it.
3. Before handling medical issues; make sure the threat is no longer a threat.
4. If the injured person just sustained a wound, in this case extremity hemorrhaging, TQ was applied, bleeding controlled, do NOT let the injured stand up and leave him/her unattended as they could fall, due to blood loss, and now you’re dealing with a possible head injury. -Train Smart-Train Hard-Stay Safe
Thought for the day:
#NIKE and the #NFL have drawn the line in the sand…
I will not waste my time watching overpaid unpatriotic millionaires who are disrespecting my brothers and sisters in Law Enforcement by kneeling during our National Anthem and our American Flag 
. So I will Boycott the NFL and instead enjoy my time with my friends and family! R.I.P. Capt John McKenna IV. Killed in action 8/16/06. –
Well said.
May Nike rot in hell.