You are the First Responder - SMT Training Newsletter #13

Once again our fellow citizens were targeted in a violent mass murder attack, this time in the baggage claim of the Fort Lauderdale airport. Turns out this time the murderer is psychopath with serious mental issues, but from my perspective, that's really not the point.

What amazes me was that in a place that was packed with people, no one, not one single person, had the training and courage to tackle the murderer and beat him to death with his own firearm. After all of the violent mass murders that have happened with firearms across the globe, we as Americans are still somehow not getting the message that we are the first responders!

Now it's always easy for gun-jockeys like me to sit on the sidelines watching the footage of this event and say: "You should do this! Why didn't you do that!" and of course, it's terribly hard being in the moment.

But that's why I say that consistent training is so very important! It is the consistent practice that builds the neural pathways that will allow you to respond instantly to violent stimulus. An attack like this is one more reminder to do your Shadow Gunning, get some live fire in every week, and get to training sessions as often as you can. 

The Training Mindset - SMT Newsletter #12

The training mindset is something that everyone in the defensive world should work to cultivate. Unfortunately, few people really do.

This mindset is one that is first open to your own limitations. This could be limitations to your knowledge, experience, technical or tactical capacity, but whatever it is, seek to identify it and then look for opportunities to enhance it.

The training mindset is concerned with breaking down ego. Ego says, "I got this." even when you don't. There's a difference between "confident" and "egotistical." One is certain because of learn-practice-experience, the other is a leap to a conclusion based on ungrounded evidence, i.e., I can shoot a target, therefore if confronted by a lethal threat, I will absolutely be able to draw my firearm from concealment and engage the threat (even though I've never practiced draws in live fire, much less in a scenario!) See how one makes sense and the other is senseless?

The training mindset recognizes that training and preparation aren't simply "one off" events. Even if you only have five minutes to get your SIRT or shadow box your martial arts or combatives skills, the person with the training mindset will do it as often as they can.

SMT wants to help you cultivate the training mindset. That's why we've done the Drill of the Week, Shadow Gunning, and weekly training sessions and the SMTers that are giving a little every week to their training are growing fast. If you have a friend or colleague that is ready to join you in this journey, ask them to come to an SMT session, or show them the Shadow Gunning, or share the Drill of the Week. With your help, we can start to change the conversation about firearms training.

Merry Christmas SMTers - SMT Newsletter #9

Merry Christmas SMTers!

With two young boys at home, this is a special time of year for the Dobo Family, all of the anticipation of gifts and parties and desserts! (My boys have serious sweet tooths.)

Now all the gifts under the tree are pretty special, but I've had some amazing ones from the SMTers this year that have really been the best gifts of all. Let me share a few with you:

When I began trying to restart the SMT group, I was afraid that a lot of the team had gone their own way. That you wouldn't come back and start training with us again, but when I dropped the note that SMT would start training again, we filled up and filled up almost immediately. That was amazing and very humbling. In fact, we haven't had to cancel a class for lack of attendance yet. (More on this in a moment.)

The next surprise was the kindness and generosity of the Osseo Gun Club. There  aren't many ranges out there that would be willing to let a group like SMT come in and get started doing the skills and drills that you SMTers are capable of doing. But OGC's Chris and Jeanine not only said that they'd love to haveSMT there, but they were willing to let us train whatever skill we wanted on a range they generally reserve for Law Enforcement only. If you're still looking for a range to be a member of, would you consider joining Osseo Gun Club?

Another gift was how much the SMTers had kept up their skills during the time we weren't able to train together. For some, there wasn't hardly a change between the last session in the New Hope facility to OGC. For others, we just knocked the rust off and you were back in good form. The growth of those who have stepped into the Advanced Class has been amazing, and the dedication of those in the Foundations Class is something that is really unique among the SMT tribe. You come. You work hard. You grow and succeed. There are so many in the firearms industry that have to really work hard to make their case that the products are really impacting the safety of others. I don't have to work hard at all, you guys are all the evidence I need that SMT is making people safe, everywhere.

The last gift that I'd like to mention is the commitment you have shown to SMT and its mission. There have been not one, but several conversations between members and myself that all concluded in one way - no matter what, keep going. In running the class, I have had financial constraints, time constraints, and other issues, but that was not going to stop any of you and you've convinced me that it shouldn't stop me either. Several of you have pledged financial resources to ensure the continued success of SMT, others are chomping at the bit to become instructors to start your own team, and others are committed to coming to training whenever possible and bringing in new people to get started, or brining back old members from the New Hope facility. This is the kind of team that I'd always wanted to be a part of. Men and women of honor, integrity, and who are seeking the most from themselves and their teammates.

Well, after this long message, I must wrap it up. From SMT, we are so grateful for the gifts you've given us through the years. We call you friends, compatriots, and family. We want to wish you and your family, the merriest of Christmases and a blessed new year. There is so much to do, our work together to protect the nation - one person, one family, and one community at a time has only just begun.

Terrorists Strike Again, Merry Christmas - SMT Training Newsletter #8

Terrorists have struck again. Merry Christmas.

There really seems to be no safe place, but if you've attended even one of the Osseo Gun Club classes in the last few months and participated in the Situational Awareness lessons, you know this. A Safe Environment is one where YOU control the access and there are no threats present. 

I can only think of one place like that for me, my house.

The market in Germany? An art museum in Turkey? Dangerous Environments. You have no control of the access to either of those places and you have no idea who is around you. In the incident in Turkey, it's even worse as the terrorist turned out to be a Turkish police officer. (German photo - HT Reuters --- Turkish photo - HT Associated Press)

Situational Awareness really is the primary skill for self-defense. Identify that threat early and avoid conflict quickly, or start taking action.

What I haven't been able to see yet, and I would like to, is the minute or so prior to the assassination in Turkey. The cameras were right by the assassin. It would be fascinating to see if we could look at this man and establish any pre-contact cues in his demeanor or facial expressions.

As for Berlin, once again a large truck was used. Just like it was used in Nice, France earlier this year. In the middle east, terrorists would often pack these trucks with explosives and drive them into markets, religious buildings or military installations and blow them up, they're called a VBIED - Vehicle Born Improvised Explosive Device. So far, we haven't seen them in Europe....so far.

For us as Defenders, we need to keep an eye out for large trucks. Not only is this a good idea because truck drivers don't have a lot of visibility, but the use of a large truck for a mass casualty event is simple, cheap, and scary, everything a terrorist wants.

With the Turkish assassin, life gets a lot harder. First, unless we can see if there are any pre-contact cues, it would be his draw against your draw. (Another reason to get to class and get your draw times down.) If you knew he was a police officer (which is possible that those around him did), if a police officer draws his side arm, you aren't conditioned to start defending against that because for us in America, police officers are the good guys. Once that police officer kills an unarmed man in cold blood and turns on the crowd, well, now you're behind the power curve. He's got his firearm out and he's keyed up for a fight, and you're playing catch up. Tough.

That's the thing with irrational violence. As you and I are people who would never just shoot an innocent man in the back, when it happens around us, we're stunned and off balance. That's why it's critical to condition your defensive responses to an unconscious level. It's not good enough to "understand" that you're under attack, you have to respond to the attack. We've talked about this a lot, it's all about neural pathways and stimulus bridges.