Tag: training

Training Realism

Posted by Mostly Genius – September 9, 2009

I just read this post The Calm in the Storm over at Low Tech Combat, and I have few criticisms.

Full force training. Certainly if we need to perform a skill under stress we should have some practice in that skill under stress. Ideally we would be training in as close as we can to “actual combat conditions,” but there are limits to how well we can simulate this environment, and more importantly the student needs some ability to perform the skills required before applying stress.

If you can’t do it under perfect conditions what chance do you have under combat conditions?

Relaxed Training. Is where you learn new skills. Ideally drilling parts of the skill in isolation and building to a complete technique. I can take a new shooter and scream “speed reload” at him until I am blue in the face and eventually the fumbling will accomplish getting the gun reloaded, but not in a timely or efficient fashion. This also holds true with combatives techniques. Until a technique has been rehearsed without resistance and time pressure it has very little hope of becoming consistent. If you can’t do it under perfect conditions what chance do you have under combat conditions?

Stressed in training, calm in reality. This an excellent goal, and from what I have observed: confident, successful, application of technique comes from first training the skill in a low stress environments and after achieving proficiency, then ratcheting up the realism. I completely agree that you ultimately have to progress to executing techniques in realistic scenarios under realistic stress if you want the best chance at executing successful techniques in the real world.

The Down-Range Video

Posted by Mostly Genius – June 20, 2009

So there has been a lot of discussion about this Tactical Response video that shows an instructor standing between two targets during a live fire exercise. James Yeager responds to the criticisms of his detractors. Below I will examine the major points of his response and justification for having an instructor taking photos in front of the firing line.

Evaluating Risk. Yeager explains that driving to the range is more dangerous than standing between the targets. While it is true that there is some risk associated with driving there is a benefit (transportation) that we deem to be worth the risk. I fail to see what the benefit is for the students (or the instructor) by having the instructor stand down range.

Stress Inoculation. Yeager explains that this practice better prepares students for ‘real world’ gunfight pressures. I certainly believe that if a skill is going to need to be performed under stress then some portion of the practice of that skill should be performed under stress. There are a lot of ways of inducing stress such as time pressure, distracting noise, testing, ambiguity, sleep deprivation, etc. None of these require putting somebody in the position taking a bullet should a student make a mistake or stumble. If the goal is to simulate a gunfight for stress inoculation purposes then why not have two parallel berms and have the instructor shoot at targets that are behind the students while they are on the firing line? If ‘realism’ trumps safety then wouldn’t that be a better drill?

Safest Training. I am not going to dispute the safety “record” of Yeager or his staff, but I fail to see a procedure or system that makes this training inherently safe, or at best any more safe than that of any other shooting school. A person getting shot during training is a big deal, and some of the larger training schools have had people get shot. Generally they shoot themselves holstering or drawing the gun and in rare circumstances a student will shoot someone else. If you have cycled through 50,000 or more students one of them is bound to be an idiot – regardless of how strict the range rules might be.

Makes People Safer. I am sure it makes people think and focus a lot more about keeping the gun on target, and where the muzzle is pointing when the instructor is a foot away from the target. The student that trips over his own feet is an open question as far as “safety” goes. Safety is a process, not an event.

Jabbering of Internet Commandos. Having discussed this video with some actual (non-internet) commandos they don’t see any utility in the increased risk of this particular training “method” because it doesn’t meet any particular training objective. I don’t think the risks are worth the benefits unless you are going to be shooting targets in close proximity to your teammates – and have gone through a slow progression building up to running the drill live.

I don’t believe this training accomplished anything other than stir up some controversy, and generate some potential marketing buzz. My overall impression (based solely on the videos) is that Tactical Response isn’t particularly concerned with safety, and that Yeager’s response was more of an attempt at justifying an unsafe act.

The Modified Farnam Drill

Posted by Mostly Genius – June 16, 2009

Named for John Farnam, this is probably the best general purpose defensive shooting drill that I have seen. This is a good benchmark for measuring your shooting performance and progress. You will need some inert/dummy cartridges, at least two magazines, and a shot timer. The total round count for this drills is eight live rounds and one dummy round. The setup is as follows.

In the Gun:

  • 1 live round in the chamber.
  • 5 live rounds in the magazine. (Some sources say 4 live rounds.)
  • 1 dummy round in the magazine. (Not the first or last round.

In the Reload:

  • At least three live rounds.

The drill is shot as follows:

  • On the buzzer draw and start shooting.
  • Perform immediate action when you encounter a malfunction.
  • Speed reload when you reach slide lock
  • Shoot twice more.

If you followed the directions correctly you will end up with two empty magazines (one on the ground, one in the gun) and one live round in the chamber.

The “standard” is shooting a 8.5″x11″ sheet of paper at 8 meters with a disqualification for a miss. Farnam expects his students to complete this in 18.25 seconds and his instructors to complete it in 12 seconds.

Now for the “modified” part of the drill:

  • Add one second to your total time for each miss. This allows you to capture your progress. It’s not perfect but it is kind of helpful to see improvements.
  • Change the distance. Both closer and farther away.
  • Reduce the size of the target.
  • Add a step of movement on the draw, immediate action, and reload.
  • Add verbal commands throughout the drill.

The people that seem to have the best success at this drill are the ones with the most efficient gun handling. Being able to quickly and precisely clear the malfunction and speed reload will give you more time to get your hits.

Garmin Forerunner 405

Posted by Mostly Genius – June 12, 2009

Normally I am pretty “old school” when it comes to my physical conditioning training, but I have a sudden need to get back into shape in a hurry and I am pulling out all the stops. I bought one of these on the recommendation of one my marathon runner friends.

This device lets you build workouts around distance, speed, or heart rate. It will automatically transfer workouts you design on your computer to the watch, and the results of the workout from the watch back to your computer. The GPS will map the route that you travelled and keep track of changes in elevation. Garmin even has a website where you can post your results. Normally I would say that I didn’t need this level of optimization in my workouts but I am seeing bigger gains in less time than the last time I had to push to get back into shape. It isn’t going to do much for your weight training, but for any kind of running, walking, hiking, or biking exercise this does a very good job of allowing to set goals and rate your progress.

As a watch it kind of sucks: It has about eight hours of GPS functionality and a couple of days of “stand by” (normal watch) mode so this is basically going to sit on the charger when you aren’t working out. Be sure to get the heart rate monitor strap as well. I didn’t think it was that big of a deal but it has really improved my performance.