TSD HRT Ammo Gelatin Test

http://www.onesourcetactical.com/hrtammo9mm.aspx

KNIFE DUELING - VIABLE TRAINING OR WASTE OF TIME?

Some call it "dueling" and it is a big controversy in some circles. Let's discuss the points and arrive at our own conclusions.

Some trainers do no knife vs. knife because they feel it is unrealistic. They spit out the term "dueling" as if it were a gob of lung mucus. Methinks they just do not fully understand the knife or how its really employed in the real world.

Knife versus knife is important because it saves time and it trains both parties. The lines of attack are the same whether one party is armed with a knife, a stick, a broken bottle, or whatever. Other than bringing training equivalents of everything that is possible out on the street, training knife vs. knife develops the attributes needed to fight those things.

Too many trainers take a "defang the snake" concept to extremes. The knife is NOT A LESS LETHAL TOOL. Cut someone with a knife and the court will look at it as if you'd shot them. If you are not justified in shooting, you are not justified in cutting or stabbing. On the other hand if you face a man much larger and stronger and younger, or multiples, or a weapon, get the knife out and get to slashing. You need disparity of force to go for a weapon. You can't bring a knife out when some one your same size and age wants to punch you in the nose. Since few trainers have been in knife fights...let alone ANY fights, the dynamics of conflict are not understood.

On so-called "dueling". Let me draw a couple of pictures for you.

A thug grabs you in the street from behind. You use combative skills to pull free and notice he has a broken bottle in his hand. You create distance and get your steel out. This is dueling.

Three big guys are trying to beat you up. You click your Cold Steel in place and move out of their grasp. This is dueling.

Dueling is not a sparring match where only the hands are hit, its fighting. Its the force-on-force of the knife world. The man who only trains technical drills and flow drills is like the man who only does dry fire and live fire. He can get pretty good, but he'll never have the full picture.

Will you likely face a close range knife attack? Sure. Should you have something in place for such an eventuality? Abso-freaking-lutely!

Should you linger in the bad breath range when you do not need to, or train only for fighting in this range? Nope. That is like saying "I only shoot my pistol at 50 yards because if I can hit at 50, I can hit at 5", or the other side "I only train point shooting at 3 feet because I will NEVER need to shoot at anyone farther away". The real answer - both are wrong. You DO need both. Whether you have time or not, to have a complete package, you need both sides of the package.

As far as the hand sniping often seen at the initial phases of a knife encounter (regardless of what the other guy has) - Its a tool and nothing more.

It may lead to the BG dropping his weapon, exclaiming "You Cut Me", and running off. It may lead to him now hesitating, thereby allowing you to create space, and eventually disengage. Or with a dedicated man, where the previous options are not possible, get rid of his infantry (hands/knife) so you can attack the throat/body.

Some often heard comments -

Q). The concept of "saving time" in training is a poor one. I doubt it was seen in blade cultures.

A). Actually the FMA systems use blade vs. blade extensively. Same goes for European systems. The concept of training both students together has validity beyond what I can possibly give it, and has been done through the centuries with not only blade but other weapon systems as well.

Q). Saving time leads to corner cutting in the interest of efficiency. We soon end up with pairs of training partners circling a common center. There is no context to the attack, no need to access the weapon in a reactive mode. This of course means that there is no integration of combatives.

A). Not exactly. Again, I submit that drills like the flow drills used in FMA, and the limited sparring as used in some European systems, and other similar methods serve to develop attributes of the fighter. All of them are knife vs, knife by the way. The training intent and the curriculum will keep it from degenerating just as it does in keeping a force on force session from turning into a game.

Q). It falls short of scenario based instruction. And knife use in the real world does include environmental factors, surprise, reactionary gap and the like.

A). True, but where do you begin? Grab a day one student, stick a knife in his belt and send Mongo over to kick his a**?, or do you develop the skills first before going into scenario-based training? And then, what sort of scenario. Will it be a scenario set-up by an instructor to prove his favorite point, or will it be a fight that actually took place and is being replicated in training? Is the scenario based on liability-fearing academy nonsense, or on a civilian trying to escape a thug?

Q). The lines of attack are not the same with street improvised weapons, against which we might be using a knife, deal with far more arcing/slashing type motions and fewer stabs than we see in knife vs knife training.

I disagree. Actually I've seen both. I've seen a box cutter slash a throat "ear to ear", and I've seen a broken bottle almost remove a man's ear - both arcing attacks. I've also seen a screwdriver to the butt (resulting in death), and a spyderco military to the throat...both thrusts. I hate to generalize my adversary's likely attack. That is a shortcut that truly leads to disaster.

Other than developing a cadre of specialized trainers (one who always attacks with prison combatives, one who has mastered the street baseball bat, one who is a beer bottle wiz, etc.), the best way to develop skill, IMHO, is with weapon vs weapon training (that is knife vs knife). Then, if you've a mind, throw in a stick, a flex weapon, or even multiple bad guys coming at you.

In a close range knife attack (or bottle attack, or whatever) the dynamics will be surprise. If you saw it coming it would not likely be a close range attack and you'd have your weapon in hand. In a true surprise ambush up close, your initial response will probably be with combatives and not to immediately access your blade (or gun). After this -

You will either have created some distance to access the blade - in which case you are now, as some call it, "dueling" with the bottle wielder, or

You will not have been able to create space in which case you will be trading blow for blow (hopefully only yours are sticking). This is not a place I care to be.

Should you linger in the bad breath range when you do not need to, or train only for fighting in this range? Again, I don't think so. I think that anyone can get lucky up close, and because blood carries a lot more than stains these days, I want to create distance as soon as tactically possible. Same goes for ground fighting. I want to get up and move ASAP.

When you do this the BG will either quit or stay. If he stays with his broken bottle or tire chain, and you have your Spyderco, what will the dynamics of the fight be like? You probably will want to keep your distance. And since no bat, or tire iron, or chain or whatever moves as quick as a knife, the attributes you developed will stand you pretty well.

Gabe Suarez

One Source Tactical
Suarez International USA
Christian Warrior Ministries

Matthew 10:34 Think not that I am come to
send peace on earth: I came not to send peace,
but a sword.

FIELD RIFLE POSITIONS - STANDING

http://www.warriortalknews.com/2012/11/field-rifle-positions-standing.html

Rifle Optics

A very informative article by Lew Johnson, Suarez International Staff Instructor
http://www.warriortalknews.com/2012/11/rifle-optics.html

Book Of Five Rings - Modern Application

http://www.warriortalknews.com/2012/10/book-of-five-rings-modern-application.html#

THE SIG 556R out to 400 yards

Suarez International Group Of Companies  1 OCTOBER 2012

THE SIG 556R out to 400 yards  Mobile users see video.suarezinternational.com

Now it is possible to watch videos from Suarez International, a lot of videos for those who have an interest in combatives go to  video.suarezinternational.com

SIG 556R Update - Magazines

Mobile users see video.suarezinternational.com

Information Triage - The Second "O" in OODA

 

I recall the old days before computers in the police cars. We got real time information as it was happening relayed by the dispatchers. These "tactical air traffic controllers" would have the witness of the crime in progress on telling them what was up in one ear and they would be relaying it to us, moving us to our targets as it was happening.

Eventually, things moved toward the Mobile Digital Terminals and Computer Aided Dispatch and all of that changed. During the time of live dispatching, I or my team and I were able to respond to robberies in progress as a matter of course. Once the MDT/CAD system came on line, that stopped happening as the system was organized to gather the information, input it to the system, and then, and only then, send it out to the field.

The order of the information changed as well. In the past, one would get the crime, the location, descriptions, and then who was assigned. So the type of crime alerted everyone. The location got all thinking about where this was happening, likely approach avenues as well as escapes...and also those not otherwise engaged would roll that way as well. Descritions were third in importance as they often had predictable similarities.

Finally...of least importance was the responsible unit who would handle the scene...either investigatory or tactical. With CAD it was all farckled up with Assigned unit, the crime, descriptions and finally the location. No...don't ask me why it was not changed as I would have to go into the nocturnal activities of the patrol commander and the dispatch department head which would be distasteful...but I digress.

Information is constantly flowing your way and it is the ability to discern the important bits of information from the irrelevant that makes for quick tactical thinking. This is the Orient in OODA, and if you can snipe at those vital bits of info while ignoring those with little or no value, you will be a tactical monster and be able to pick out what is happening and kill the bad guy before others even have an idea that you are no longer in discussion with them.

"See what others cannot see... ...move when others are still sleeping."

Gabe Suarez

CQB - Shooting Through Walls

Undoubtedly an extremely controversial topic, we used to work it routinely when I was working SWAT. It involves the concept of shooting an adversary directly through an interior wall. The tactic has been used by bad guys many times.  Just do a search on Google for "shooting through walls". It is a viable special tactic and you must understand its advantages to you as well as how it may be used against you.

For example, your partner is moving into a room and takes fire at the door from the extreme left side of the room. Solution - bring up your rifle or pistol and shoot from the area adjacent to the door - to the extreme left area of the room at face/upper chest level, then lowering your muzzle to where a man may go if he takes a knee, bring your shots back toward the starting point.

Think of writing a long "C" with your shots.

I can see the Fudds wringing their hands in abject terror and worry. I do not write for them.  I write for you so that, when you get tested in a gunfight, you will have the tools to prevail. Do not get sidelined by the low standards of others.  What is needed -

1). Certainty that the adversary is in the room alone. The only thing worse than missing a shot on a bad guy is shooting a non-combatant. But lets think about that.  For the SWAT guy...your entire Team is behind you and your intell is that the bad guy is alone in the house.  Or for the homeowner...your entire family is behind you and the only other possible occupants in your house are hostiles.  In either case, you are good to go.  Hesitation kills. 

2). The ability to penetrate the interior wall. Many gun writers get orgasmic about limited penetration yet they miss the mark like a 3 year old at an airport restroom. You want penetration. This is easily done with anything anyone would care to carry on a sling or in a holster. Just stay away from all the low penetration stuff.

Note - Furniture may affect performance.

3). An understanding of human nature. When shots are fired, nobody is going to stand around in some goofy weaver stance or in any kind of position.  Look at the youtube footage of gunfights.  People will move.  It is very likely that the man who tries to kill you will run into a room...or at least run behind cover.  Understand that this will happen and plan to counter it.  The matter is not simply shooting through walls but also shooting through his cover.

More Intelligent Discussions On This Topic At WarriorTalk

Running the HK Platform

http://www.onesourcetactical.com/search.aspx?manufacturer=284

Just like we did with the AK, we will discuss running the HK platform. I will say that I have absolutely zero interest in gun games...if you want to speed load the HK just like the dude shooting in the track suit, let me stop you right there.  Buy a different rifle.  This rifle is for killing...not playing. My background with the HK systems parallels that of many of the SI staff. Many of us having come from the MP5 generation. I have attended more schools put on for and about the HK system than I can remember, and I carried either an MP5 or an HK53 into harm's way for years. The HK Legacy systems, as HK Corporate refers to them today, are by far the most robust and simplest system in the world, paralleling the simplicity of the Kalashnikov with the refinement that only a German company can put into play. It is one of the Big Four systems you will find around the world (The M16, the FAL, the AK-47, and the HK). Complaints that you hear about the HK parallel those you hear about the AK or the FAL or about anything not a customized M4 that does not break the delicate shooter's manicured fingernails. I have found in my travels that "ergonomics" is a myth and a cop-out for those too lazy to learn a new system. The HK is as easy to learn as anything else...and easier than most. The safety is even easier than that of the AK, and it is right under the thumb for those paranoid about an off-safe weapon. Ambidextrous safeties are available for those wanting such things as well. The charging of the weapon is the easiest and most direct I have ever worked with. Move the charging handle back and lock it in place. Insert the magazine. Slap the charging handle into battery. It is harsh, and direct...like a German waitress at a military beer hall. To fix a problem, charging handle back, magazine out, slap charging handle forward and back, and lock. Replace the magazine and slap the charging handle home again. In other words...unload it and reload it. The reload process is just as simple. The traditional way learned from the HK school and the SAS guys: Bolt-magazine-magazine- bolt. Lock the bolt back...change magazines...slap the bolt forward. For the simple-simon guys, it can be run just like your AK. Magazine, magazine, bolt...take your pick. Ok....cleaning is as simple as throwing it in a river, shaking it off and dropping some used engine oil in the rifle. If you want to care for the rifle more, disassembly is as easy as it gets and when you do you will see the refined but rugged engineering of the rifle. We experimented with our junior staff, well versed on the AK and the M16 systems. We gave them a rifle and a brief tutorial on its use. Then instructed them to strip and reassemble it, load it, shoot it, etc. There was virtually no learning curve...it was that simple. So simple an illiterate child soldier in Africa fighting over conflict diamonds can run one. Ruugedness? Well...I have fond memories of giving receiver smashes on steroided out, but unarmed gangmembers as we entered rooms in a drug raid. I recall a team mate dropping his MP5 five stories as we worked on rappel drills...without damaging the weapon beyond the cosmetic. I recall an HK53 being run over by a truck during a southern vacation once. Anything the AK can take, listen carefully, the HK systems can take. Soon, we will be doing an HK specific DVD with members of our staff.  The HK Rifle...the weapon the Kalashnikov should have been...if its makers gave a crap.

CQB TIPS

I subscribe to newsletters from Suarez International, there are a lot of good articles, most important it’s by no means political correct, some may find it offensive but I like their harsh criticism that is crucial for improving the ability to survive, his approach is similar to ours by the fact than Gabe Suarez has been an AMOK! teacher.

Suarez International Group Of Companies

CQB TIPS  First a definition.  "CQB" is an acronym for Close Quarters Battle.  It was coined by the British SAS as far as I know and formed a catch-all category to throw anything to do with fighting in or around buildings.  Since "fighting in and around buildings" is a mouthful by anyone's standards, I will use the British term. Some things to consider. The CQB area is sadly lacking in many a man's training.  Sure, he has been through a shoothouse...maybe even done a paintball game at some point...but there is a great deal more to consider.  Here are some of those things.  He who lays in wait has an immense advantage over he who goes to get him. That cannot be ignored. As well, the tenents of the application:  For the defender...patience and stealth.  The role of the defender is much like hunting from a blind.  But for the assaulter...surprise, speed, overwhelming violence, will mitigate the danger to them...but not eliminate it. If any of these is lost, the danger goes up dramatically. I will also say that a single operator clearing his home...a father moving to rescue a child from a home invader, or a protective agent moving his principal through and clear of a danger area are all doing different things than what a military assault, or a SWAT entry entails. There are similarities in concept...but vast differences in application. Paramount to success is having a clear understanding of mission.  Why are you doing what you are doing.  An understanding of that will dictate how you do it, as well as how much you risk in the application.  In short, the missions are as follows. 1).  Lay in wait - waith for the adversary come to you and then ambush him. 2).  Search and clear - Role reversal from the above.  The traditional clear the house scenario. 3).  Hunt and Kill - Think of a private citizen hostage rescue in the home directed at the home invaders actively hurting family members. 4).  Escape and Evade - In short, how to get out of a danger area under arms. All three are viable missions to consider and each has its own tactics.

How to Draw and Shoot While Engaged in Close-Range Combat: Close-Range G...

2 good sources for those interested in combat shooting.