I’ve been active in the, “tactical training community,” for nearly 30 years now. I started training back in the early 1990’s and I’ve never stopped. I’ve had some slow-downs due to school, residency training and life-issues, but I’ve never had a training lay-off in that time period longer than 3 months. The focus of my training lately has shifted towards the hands-on Brazilian JiuJitsu/grappling/combatives arena, and that opens an entirely new can of fun worms.

So the other areas of study from the CIVILIAN DEFENDER concept, tend to get pushed to the back burner, and while not entirely neglected, they just don’t get hit as readily. And honestly, much of the firearms training industry rotates about the gear issue…that is, trying out the latest and greatest in technology (which generally isn’t new, or even novel, and harkens back to something that is decades or even a century old). But when you don’t get ga-ga for gear, and have a great appreciation for the SOFTWARE behind the gear utilization, you still get areas of interest. A few of the more esoteric concepts I’ve been actively experimenting with currently include the S&W 327PC in-fight weapons access issues and 0-5 foot application as the ultimate, “gun grappling,” revolver. Another is exploring Colonel Jeff Cooper’s hypothesis on the, “Scout Rifle,” concept, which, while the technology of today has far surpassed What Col. Cooper had available in the 1980’s, the mission is interesting to me. And I’ve been doing more and more with edged weapon utilization, mostly in the BJJ-integrated training ideology. And although I haven’t gone full ham on the red dot sighted pistol, I have one, and I plan to do some work with it under the qualified guidance of several thought leaders in the industry.

But like any of us, I get bored…I get bored with, “guns.” So I tend to hit the, “other,” areas more. I primarily teach medical subjects, both as my primary vocation as a college professor at a medical college, and in open-enrollment classes I teach on weekends to the general public. Dealing with bleeding is something I literally do everyday. I’m planning on adding some of the excellent material produced by Ed Monk on active shooter interdiction in my Hemorrhage Arrest Course. Thinking deeply about dealing with the problem of spree killers lately, which has heavily permeated the current news cycle, has renewed my interest in many areas of firearms training where my interest and enthusiasm has waned. Since I recently attended Tom Givens of RANGEMASTER Tactical Conference, I took several notes which gave rise to more questions that I need to pose to the respective teachers that inspired the thoughts, but also do more work on my own, through research and experimentation. There’s no time like the present, and while the public is busy largely believing in the mass hysteria that the media is heaping on everyday, there must be more done in terms of promoting facts, not hysteria. So now is the time to spread solid, fact-based information. I’ll add what value I can to the conversation and further try and cross-pollinate by disseminating good ideas from those who have them.

I don’t have a big presence in the industry. I have a small sphere of influence thanks to my friendship with a few of the big names. (As I’ve always joked, I occupy the rearmost table next to the restrooms in the corner of the swap meet…and most of the interest in my table is from people looking for the restroom). In my school, I have a larger influence since every student and resident has to come through my clinic to complete their educational program. And as a reserve police officer, I am part of a small department that I have the ability to lead through doing the right thing, being bold, and also demonstrating sound survival and rescue skills in real-life work. This brings me to a great quote:

The world is a strange place right now. The LAST thing that any of us need to be doing is taking a break. We can’t quit right now. Because in the face of mounting legislation, pandemic weirdness and the everyday hustle of life, it’s easy to get bored, distracted and fall into the groove of an apathetic routine. We CANNOT stop training and we CANNOT stop educating those who are receptive to our message (nobody is coming to help you, and it’s up to you to acquire and maintain the skills necessary to preserve your own life from existential threats). As Professor Paul Sharp of SHIVWORKS and SBG says, “EVERY DAY ON NO DAYS OFF.” Constant pressure, applied daily, leads to massive changes over time. So let’s keep on driving. And remember: