Drill of the Week #11 - Outside 45 Degrees in Live Fire
Sometimes the simplest drills are the most valuable. That's never more true for the Defender when we consider the Plus 1 Rule (always one more threat, one more weapon, etc.).
That Plus 1 Rule leads to multiple targets and the transitions between them. In a previous drill, we worked Line of Sight with a lot of speed. Today, we're going to work the Outside 45 Degrees.
Remember that each of our Transitions are based upon what we see. In Line of Sight, both targets are clearly in your field of view. Inside 45 Degrees, only one target is clear and the other is at the edge of your field of view. With Outside 45 Degrees, only one target is in your field of view. The other is entirely outside of your vision.
This means that in an Outside 45 Degree Transition I must be cognizant of two factors, Identifying the threat/target and retaining the firearm through the transition. Check it out.
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.
Bill Rocks a Choice Drill
Nice!
Drill of the Week #10 - Natural Point of Aim to Improve Your Draw
We all have, from a very young age, a "natural point of aim."
This means that even a young child can look at an object with their eyes, and point a finger right at it without effort.
This Natural Point of Aim applies to our Defensive Shooting too. We have a natural direction that we want to point our bodies and our defensive tools, especially under stress.
This Drill of the Week will specifically focus on how to take your Natural Point of Aim and use it to help increase the accuracy and speed of target acquisition of your draw.
Check it out.
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.
Happy New Year
Well, Happy New Year SMTers!
My family and I were asleep as the calendar changed. Yep, awful exciting at the Dobo house!
As for SMT, we have a lot of exciting things coming in the new year:
- A calendar of events and seminars will be up soon. Some old favorites and some new ones, make sure to save your spots, or share the calendar with a friend that wanted to experience the SMT method.
- We have two new video projects coming out this year. One is a "first-time" handgun buyer's video, the other video I'm going to leave as a bit of a surprise, but I'm sure you'll like it.
- There will be more class times offered at Osseo Gun Club and hopefully a few other locations. Stay Tuned!
- There will be more Shadow Gunning, more Drills of the Week and more Training Blogs.
- We will be starting a Member's Page this year. There you'll be able to watch lots of instructional videos, schedule training meet ups with other members, and discuss defense on our SMT forum from firearms to knives to combatives to SA.
- SMT will also be reaching out on more social media platforms like Twitter, Facebook, and Instagram, so watch out for those and share us with others that might benefit from SMT's training.
SMT would love to feature more of you too. We'd love photos and videos of your training. We want to see those draws, scenarios, and dry fire practice.
I'd also like to make a personal request that you offer a session to a friend or family member. Help us grow the SMT family and help make America safe by training one person, one family, and one community at a time.
Happy New Year SMTers, I'm excited and honored to join you on this journey.
B
Drill of the Week #9 - Using the Staging Laser to build the perfect draw
If there's one thing that I see more than anything else in the "tactical" world of YouTube, it's the quest for the "perfect draw."
Every Tactical Tim seems to have one. Maybe they were a SEAL or a competitive shooter or a police officer, but everyone seems to have one and they are DESPERATE to show you how to do it too.
At DMT, draws are built upon two foundations. The first is that we are designing curriculum for the Citizen Defender. The second is that our draw is entirely based upon DEFENSIVE application.
A draw for the Citizen Defender has to take two considerations into account. The first is that the Citizen is behind the power curve. They are trying to catch up to the violent act that the Threat had engaged in. BUT, the Citizen Defender must always be concerned about the retention of the firearm. That retention exists in two forms: one is that the threat cannot easily take the firearm from the Citizen while in the holster and TWO that the Citizen is ALWAYS in the advantage position to draw the firearm against the Threat and retain it from him.
DMT does this in two ways. First, we have the Citizen carry the firearm in such a way that the Threat will be challenged to take it from him. Second, DMT teaches a draw that keeps the firearm as close to the Citizen as possible AND maintains Muzzle Alignment with the Threat as soon as possible.
The other foundation of the DMT draw is defensive application. That means the draw isn't designed for the most speed, though it is very fast (My current record from full concealed draw is three shots on target in 1.6 seconds at 21 feet). Instead, the DMT draw is designed for maximum Defensive Application. That means the Draw works:
No matter the Range of the Threat
Whether or not the Threat attempts to "block" the draw
Whether or not the Threat attempts to continue their "lethal" action
How you train that draw is rather straightforward. Here, check it out.
SMT Student Killing an Emergency Reload
Nice work Brenda!
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.
Drill of the Week #8 - Practicing Deterrence with a Shot Timer
Deterrence is the point at which Situational Awareness and defensive tactics come together.
Deterrence is the process of communicating to a threat, that you will not be a victim and that the risk in dealing with you is way more than the reward they might get in committing their crime. Deterrence has both physical and verbal actions that exist on a "use of force" continuum. From simply closing the line of communication to the threat - to bringing the full weight of the firearm to bare on the situation.
The thing with Deterrence is that you must practice. If you don't lay down the neural pathways for both verbal and physical actions, you won't have anything useful come out when you go under a Physiological Response to Stress.
It's hard to practice Deterrence in Live Fire, but it works great to practice it in Dry Fire.
Check it out.
Also, you can find the full lesson on Deterrence in the Concealed Carry Masters Course, available here.
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.
Drill of the Week #7 - Target Transitions
In defensive pistol work we have to consider the "Plus 1" rule.
That's one more threat.
One more weapon.
One more shot. Etc.
With one more threat, you may need to go from one target to another. Most will simply swing the firearm from target 1 to target 2, but that's not really the best idea.
How close is target 2 to target 1? Are you sure the thing you saw out of the corner of your eye is a threat? What if you can't see the second threat, but you know there is another threat, but not their range to you?
For SMT, each target transition is based upon what we can see and how close your threat is to you. So in this week's Drill of the Week, we're going to work all three of SMT's target transitions.
Drill of the Week #6 - Emergency Reloads
The Emergency Reload is one of the most widely practiced and yet horribly done Immediate Actions out there.
From pulling the firearm in too close, to overhand racking, it's awful watching vids on YouTube of people doing reloads that are slow or worse still, dangerous.
So let's keep this simple. This week's Drill of the Week is Emergency Reload. The body position is really important, don't move your primary arm as much as you'd want to and drop that slide in sight alignment with the SUPPORT hand thumb.
Anyway, check it out here.
Drill of the Week #5 - Hard Malfunctions
When the gun stops working, we need to get it working as fast as possible.
Those programmed actions that repair, or refresh the handgun are called Immediate Actions.
Most people who use handguns train two of the three Immediate Actions: the Emergency Reload and the Soft Malfunction, but the real challenge is the Hard Malfunction.
There are many situations that can cause the Hard Malfunction: double feeds, over-expanded casings, and stove pipes, but no matter which one we come across, the process to fix it is generally the same, and almost universally NOT practiced.
Check out this week's Drill of the Week and learn how you can practice the Hard Malfunction and learn to remediate that problem while maintaining 100% defense.
B
Lone Wolf Attacks...
Unless you've been hiding under a rock, you probably know that Ohio State was attacked today.
Currently, it looks like the killer tried to run people over with his car before getting out and attacking others with an edged weapon.
A few important things to learn from this event:
- Violent attacks can occur at any time and at any place. When you can't be in a Safe Environment - that's somewhere YOU control the access and there are no threats present - you need to be constantly scanning.
- Vehicle born attacks are becoming increasingly common. (Nice, France) This means that if you're on foot, you have to become hyper-vigilant of others in vehicles.
- Once the attack has begun, based on the best practices of defense, you have three choices: retreat, shelter in place, or attack, and depending upon your position in the heat of the event, all three are valid choices.
If you can retreat and save lives, do so, especially if you're less than aptly armed to handle the threat.
If you cannot retreat, but can barricade and defend a common space, do so. This is much easier to do than you would expect, and you have lots of opportunities in that defense to defeat your threat if they attack in your hardened position. You may also have lots more time for Law Enforcement Response in your defensive hold.
If you find yourself in a place where you are directly under assault, OR through your actions you may be able to disrupt, distract, or even defeat the threat, you may choose to attack. Remember that threats like we saw today, don't usually run off and commit suicide like the typical "active shooter," they will often fight to the bitter end.
This is where, SMTers, it's critical that our skills are current and sharp. A fast draw and good round placement could mean the difference between life and death for you or another.
So here's the conclusion, if you aren't coming to Thursday night classes, please do.
If you're not local to come into class, please pick up the Concealed Carry Masters Course and Home Defense Rifle so your firearm skills can continue to develop. If you can't do that, check out the Drill of the Week and practice a little bit at a time.
For you and your family, get Avoid-Deter-Defend, our situational awareness course so that you can identify threats quickly and take POSITIVE action for your defense as soon as possible.
Stay safe.
Drill of the Week #4
There are lots of places where the "rubber meets the road," in using a handgun for self defense.
Deterrence. Situational Awareness. Flowing through Retention Positions. But for the Draw, where the rubber meets the road is in Position 1 - Presentation Push/Pull, and it's honestly one of the hardest parts of the draw.
There are actually five pieces that make up the Draw, from Snatching the firearm from the holster to the last 4-6 inches of your Full Presentation, but there is no position most likely to stymie a handgun user than Position 1. Lots of things can go wrong.
Things like having the sights not aligned until the last second, crushing the handgun grip, flinching in the shot, winging the elbow, and on and on and on.
Trouble is, we as shooters tend to try and fix problems in total, rather than subdividing the entire action into its component parts. So for this Drill of the Week, we're just going to work on Position 1.
I know, I know, you're high speed and you should be working on that high speed super ninjary, but my suspicion is that you have one or more of the problems that I just listed above, and they're driving you mad. Trust me, working Position 1 WILL make your shooting better and more defensible in a real world encounter.
You can watch the video on the page or jump to the SMT Youtube Channel.
A couple of things to work on while you're practicing this drill:
- Keep the Shooting Platform (Gun-Wrist-Elbow) in alignment. You'll have better recoil management.
- Focus on the Vice Grip, the front and back strap of the handgrip. If you're crushing the sides, your bullets will go off course.
- Be VERY VERY disciplined about your trigger finger. Feel how the pressure slowly builds, keep the finger to the rear until YOU are ready to reset the trigger. Don't let your finger fly off of the trigger after the shot.
- Stay conscious of how your Primary Hand FOREARM feels in the presentation. If you're flinching, bullets diving down and opposite of your primary hand, the forearm is where the flinch originates muscularly.
As always, go slow, take your time, and be safe.
B
SMT is About You....
Back in the old facility, there were a lot of things that I didn't get right:
- The curriculum was divisive and didn't encourage teamwork and community.
- I didn't give you more ways to connect with each other and help make defensive training simply a part of your life.
- I locked myself away and squirreled over scripts and videos.
In short, I lost my mission. I was too focused on the things that were tangible - more gear I could try, movies I could make or classes I could develop or teach - instead of the intangible things - my mission as an Instructor, my values as a teacher, and my responsibilities to you.
Regularly I go through my YouTube page and put together a new video for the training blog or a content video for later use and the number one thing I see on the page...me. But you see, this is the problem with the firearms training world. It's more about me, the trainer, than it is about you, the member.
Float around YouTube for a while and see the thousands of Gun Ninjas that lurk in the darkness of the web. From guys with unbelievable backgrounds to nobodies with a lot of time on their hands, the Gun Ninja is a dime a dozen. Some of those Ninjas will be very impressive firearms handlers with great filming and editing teams and awesome graphics, and some Ninjas will only have a locked off camera shot to show you their skills, but either way, it's always the same. The Gun Ninja is there to show you how good he is at being a Ninja.
But have you ever noticed that we never get to see the quality of those the Gun Ninja has been training? Why is that? Is it because the Gun Ninja doesn't want you to see his students training? Is it because he and his ego are the only things that matter? Is it because high speed sexy gun-ninja-ry sells and video of real people doing amazing things with defensive firearms doesn't?
When we started Sealed Mindset Training, it was supposed to be about becoming THE most advanced training facility and system ever produced, but we found out that wasn't what happened. Instead we discovered that SMT was about people coming together in common purpose, to defend themselves and their loved ones, in a community of people who wanted to work hard, explore the boundaries of their ability, and bring their team mate along with them for the ride.
You guys are what makes SMT and I want the whole world to see what you've done and will continue to do. This isn't about me. It's about you.
Thanks for helping me remember my mission: to defend the nation by helping one person, one family, and one community at a time.
Drill of the Week #3
In the defensive world, we have to always keep in mind the "Plus 1" rule.
This means that there's always one more threat, one more weapon, one more way out, etc.
Looking for the "Plus 1" is hard. It takes time to lay down the Neural Pathways needed to keep searching for that second threat, or to break your Target Fixation(tunnel vision).
Engaging that Plus 1 Threat takes a firearms skill called Multiple Targets and Target Transitions, or what we call "MT&T" for short. There are three types of Target Transitions and each one is based upon what you can SEE and IDENTIFY in your field of vision.
In this week's Drill of the Week, I'll show you a really fun drill called the Fast Line of Sight Drill. The practical idea is that if you are confronted with two threats, both of whom are clearly in your field of view, how hard can you drive the handgun between those threats with effective fire? Well, with this drill, you get to find out!
Here's the big thing though, if your Shooting Fundamentals and Draw are bad, you won't do well at this drill. It's like we say at SMT, over and over and over: "Any advanced tactic is based upon the mastery of the fundamentals." This is one more drill that will prove that out. Check it out.
Drill of the Week #2
Well, it's that time of year in Minnesota.
The leaves have all fallen off of the trees, the ground is muddy and damp, and there's a brisk chill in that lovely fall air. But pretty soon we'll be thinking about that Jack Handey "Deep Thoughts" poem, from Saturday Night Live, entitled: "Winter."
To quote: "Winter.......sh*t it's cold!"
For us as defenders that means that our carry situation just changed, by a number of layers. Drawing from concealment under a t-shirt is one thing, start adding the sweater and winter coat and the whole game just changed. In this Drill of the Week, we'll be looking at our Concealed Draws while Meeting a Time Hack.
A Time Hack or Par Time is a span of time that we pre-determine from start to stop. With the Shot Timer, this is pretty easily achieved with the Par Time setting. When beep number one happens, you start and you need to be done by beep number two. Using that second beep as a maximum time threshold can add stress and give you a goal to work toward, but sometimes for us shooters, we start to spend to much time digging for every last tenth of a second instead of slowing down and focusing on the technique we're using to conduct that draw.
But if we look at the Par Time a little differently, we stop trying to compete with the Shot Timer, and instead partner with it. So check out this week's drill and remember, if you go to sealedmindsettraining.com and the PDF Downloads tab, you can get a PDF of this drill for use at your home range absolutely free.