A sound training program relies on very basic principles.
Armed Citizen Response in Public Environments
I recently came across a video produced by ABC News a couple of years ago. This video documented what they called a “controlled study” and claimed conclusively that “concealed carry permit holders are fooling themselves if they think they will be able to react effectively to armed aggressors. Most CCW holders won’t even be able
Situational Awareness Training and Evaluating Human Behavior
On 23 September 2013, a 30-year-old man named Nikhom Thephakaysone was riding on a crowded commuter train in San Francisco. Surveillance video recorded the man drawing a large-frame pistol from his waistband or jacket pocket several times. He pointed the weapon across the aisle of the train directly at the man he would later shoot
Unintentional Discharges, Part 2
In part 1 of this article, I discussed some causes of unintentional discharges (UDs). Since that time, I have had the opportunity to develop and implement an exercise that incorporated some of those causes. I’d like to share the results with you. The exercise of choice was a force-on-force exercise, which is one of the
Shooting from Vehicles: Basic Techniques
I would like to cover some basic techniques for shooting from vehicles. The topic could fill much more space than I have here, so I intend to hit the highlights. We will leave for another day the topic of shooting from moving vehicles and concentrate only on stationary vehicles. There are several things you should
Unintentional Discharges: The Mutant Cousin Under the Basement Stairs
I would like to discuss something that, in firearms instructing circles, seems to be the metaphorical mutant cousin living under the basement stairs. It’s something that many instructors (and shooters) want to believe doesn’t exist. When it rears its ugly head every now and then, they belittle, blame and condemn, then force the little monster
Human Error in High-Stress Encounters
In my previous article, Psychological Principles of Combat Training, we looked at some basic human behaviors and how to design training and practice regimens that take advantage of those behaviors. I would like to continue in that same direction and look at basic response types and the underlying causes of human error in high-stress encounters.
Psychological Principles of Combat Training
What I hope to impart to the reader in the next 1490 (or so) words is a better understanding of some of the psychological principles that provide the framework for combat training techniques and tactics. I would like to begin by pointing out the difference between “complex” and “complicated.” If something is complex, it has