Random Thoughts

I get asked a lot, do you have a LE/Military background and have you ever had to shoot someone in self defense? The answer to those questions is NO.

Some people in this industry and students think if a instructor doesn't have a yes to any of those questions they shouldn't be a instructor or don't have the ability or knowledge to teach. I'm calling shenanigans on that.

Example: Has Chuck Liddells coach ever fought for the UFC championship belt? No, so how was he able to coach/teach Chuck and help him become a champion? He shared his knowledge and skills and made him a better warrior.

People get to caught up with certificates on someones wall or by special tshirts. A smart guy once wrote in his book, "I'm not impressed by tshirts anymore".

Tons of people have amazing backgrounds, but cant teach. It also goes back to the training you NEED compared to the background the instructor has. You wouldn't go to a Muay Thai guy to learn Judo. That doesn't mean the Muay Thai coach isn't good, he just isn't good in the context of what you're looking for.


Fitness (or lack of) in self defense with a firearm. The myth of being safe just because you have a gun with you. I could hand someone a gun and holster and say "carry this and now your safe." It just isn't the way it is. If your over weight and get winded walking to the car how safe/prepared are you to defend yourself in a critical incident? People tend to be ambushed (caught off guard).
Example you re over weight and not very athletic and you get ambushed by a guy who is really athletic and already has the advantage because you're reacting to him. He gets to you, your in a physical fight and you cant get to the gun. Not to mention the fact you haven't exercised in years and are out of shape.

Carrying a gun isn't the end all, be all to being safe. People spend all this time, effort and energy reading about self defense and new guns, buying the newest gun,ammo and etc. Spend a little money on a gym membership or a weekly self defense class and be better prepared to defend yourself besides just carrying a gun.

Taking self defense courses based on the skill sets you need. (Training in context)

Hey do you ever have an operators course?

Nope, are you an operator?

This comes back to training in context. I'm not an operator or a sniper, so why would I waste my time, effort, energy or my resources to take a class based on on those principals?

That being said if you're a civilian who CC you wont get much benefit out of a course where you are doing room clearing with a team.

If you're a civilian who carries concealed a majority of your time should be based on reacting to being ambushed, not clearing a room and etc. S;pend the time and resources learning and understanding what the body does during critical stress, so when it happens you don't just vapor lock in the startle flinch. Create a mental blueprint to that oh shit moment, where you are in a full blown startle flinch.

Let me guess you wont ever be ambushed because your always in color code red with pink stripes? I'm calling shenanigans, none of us are always clicked ON. We look at menus, we have our hands full of groceries, we turn our heads to check out an attractive female and etc.

So when you look for a course don't just think its a good course because a cop or military guy has taken it, or because a ex SWAT or military guy is teaching it. Attend a course that will teach you the skills you need in the context you will most likely need them.

Would you go to a heart surgeon for a tooth ache. Both are highly skilled, but have two different skill sets.

Kicking Sacred Cow's

This blog was brought forth by my buddies bitching about the training
industry, be it martial arts, the use of a firearm in self
defense training and any other it's always been done this
way industry.

A smart man once said  "people tend to get upset when you kick
sacred cows" (or something like that) dumb it down a little bit,
people can't handle change or evolution of tactics or training and fall
back on sensai, this SEAL team guy, this S.W.A.T team "said this" or
it's always been done this way or I have always done it this way.

GREAT things change, people evolve and people realize what they said
10 years ago is BS compared what they know now.

Now the industries above have a lot of dogma and no one wants to admit
what they said 6 months, a year, 2,3,5,10 years ago wasn't the
best......Well it was the best they knew "then". Just say hey I was
wrong, hey things changed, what I knew then I thought was the best.
But thing have EVOLVED and so have I.

This is the first entry, so I wont get into mine or my buddies who
train biggest pet peeves, "hey I will never flinch I'm a Martial arts
expert, or hey the color code of awareness is a story in the bible, or
how you need to index a magazine and/or look at a gun to reload it, and my favorite I've always done it this way."

I have plenty of time to write about those antiquated things.