Lovato BJJ Seminar 10.18.21

 Got to attend a seminar with one of my favorite BJJ/MMA champions

Next Level Pistol 10.23.21

 Actually got to attend a shooting course as a student. Awesome course by my friend Mike Anderson

Pathfinder School Basic Survival Class 6.18-6.20.21

 

I recently returned from a trip to Southeastern Ohio where I attended the Pathfinder School Basic Survival Class. The owner and head instructor is a well known survival celebrity David Canterbury . I started out my little adventure by driving a little over 600 miles to Southeastern Ohio from my home in Iowa. I arrived the evening before and did a little last minute gear shakeout and packing in my hotel room.

The next morning I rendezvoused with the rest of the students at a gas station about 9 miles from my hotel. We where met there by Dave and his two other instructors Shawn Kelly who has a YouTube Channel called Corporals Corner and Paul Haack of Adaptable Survival also on YouTube. I believe originally there where 26 students. We all convoyed to the property where we would be conducting training for the next 2.5 days.  After we spent some time getting everyone parked we did a traditional gear dump in the parking lot. The instructors ensured everyone had the required items that had been on the precourse packing list. Once that was verified, we were told to place our camping gear in a separate trailer and put our packs on our back, Nothing was allowed to be taken to training that wasn't on the list with the exception of food that could be eaten on the go. We then walked about 400 meters to the training site. Classes themselves where conducted in an outdoor classroom and 4000 acres of woods and fields. 

    The first morning consisted of classroom instruction on the 10 C's of Survival: cutting tools,combustion devices,cover,containers,cordage,cotton bandanas,cargo tape,compass,cloth sail needle and candling devices.We went over each section in depth including redundancies and options within each category.We then went over a block on emergency medical care which I will address later. We also had a short class on water procurement. 

    We then went on about a 4 hour woods walk which got us familiar with the area and also introduced us to various types of tinder and fuel sources. Primarily birch bark,punkwood, fatwood( which I was first introduced to as "lighter knot" back in the 1980's) and the soon to be infamous "smalls". Smalls were dry, dead twigs and sticks no bigger than finger width and from fingertip to elbow. We were told to get a certain amount of each material and carry them along with us. For instance a "softball' size pile of birch bark or two softballs of punkwood. When to came to smalls we needed to fill up at least 3/4 of a 55 gallon 6 mil contractor bag. For reference that is a metric butt ton of smalls. 

    Upon our return we were shown how to "process" the fatwood into tinder, how to "rescue" a wet BIC lighter, how to make char for fire starting out of the punkwood and finally how to construct a firelay with the smalls and tinder. We then had to perform these tasks to the instructors satisfaction as a "deliverable", Deliverables were graded pass/fail and you were awarded points or more commonly deducted points when not done satisfactorily. 

    You could only miss 7 points the entire course. Those that met the standard would be "patched" Those that did not could stay but would only get a certificate of training. I struggled mightily getting my fire going and barely got my char going before we had to be back in the classroom. Once we returned to the classroom we had a debrief/question and answer period and instructions for the next day. We were then released to our camp area. We had instructions to be back in the classroom at 0730 and to have all our camping equipment back in the car as we would not be allowed to access our vehicles for the remainder of the course. We also had homework to finish our char, dry out any tinder, and hydrate before the next morning. We had three students drop out of training that evening due to heat injury or lack of motivation.

 

 

    That night a horrific thunderstorm blew through and kept me awake all night. I didn't get wet but I didn't get much sleep. I also discovered the brand new soles I had put on my boots prior to the course we coming unglued. I had to switch to my trail shoes for the remainder of the course which sucked as it caused me to slip a lot in the mud. The next morning I woke bright and early broke down my tent and took everything up to my vehicle, returning to the classroom with only the packing list items. 

    
     That morning the classroom consisted of some very basic land navigation training which consisted of azimuth and pace count only. We also had a class on emergency shelter building using our emergency tarps. We then were tasked with practicing building the shelters until lunch time. After lunch were put into two man teams to run a land navigation course. Each course had a color attached to it and was the traditional point to point style course. Once you found your point the colored tag would give you the azimuth to the subsequent point. We were given 90 minutes to run this course. In addition to running the land navigation during that 90 minutes we had to find enough tinder and smalls to construct a firelay hot enough to boil two canteens of water. We also had to make some tent stakes, and procure a few other items. Upon our return we would have 15 minutes to build 3 shelters and boil the water. This was a "practice" test for the final later in the day. 

    Myself and my partner struggled. We spent way to much time on the land navigation and didn't have enough time to gather fire material. Predictably when we returned we could only get 2 shelters up because we were screwing around with our fire and never got the water boiled. To top it all off we somehow missed one point on the navigation course so got a zero. We were down 4 points with the final test to go. 

Towards evening we were sent out for the final test. We had concocted a plan that played to our strengths. I was the better navigator and he was very good at spotting the colored markers. So I would shoot the azimuth and direct him forward. Generally we would spot the marker with little effort. We finished the land navigation portion in under 30 minutes. This gave us over an hour to gather the required material and a full bag of smalls. Once we got back to the classroom, he started the fire while I got the shelters going. Once I got to a point were I started to struggle we switched and then once again when he hit a rough patch. Using this team work we managed to accomplish the tasks assigned. We also got every land navigation point. We had passed the final test!!

    Our final requirement was to sleep overnight in a shelter we constructed. That was no factor as we set our dual shelter up in the dark and went to sleep. Some of the teams would have to retest in the morning but we did not. We woke up and once our shelter was approved we packed up and waited for our fellow classmates to finish up. Once everyone was done we had a class on signal devices and signalling. We then moved to the classroom and were presented with our patches and certificates . I headed home about 1030 on the third day. 

 The good:

1. I learned some very applicable skills that has made me rethink some of my EDC.

2. I refreshed my land navigation and knot tying skills and  identified some gaps.

3. I was happy they had a block on emergency trauma care but the curriculum needs some small updates as far as best trauma practices.

4. I got to spend time outdoors and meet some awesome people.

    The bad:

1. Communication was sometimes lacking. For example out group instructor told my team we didn't have to retest the land navigation, the next morning he said we did and when I inquired about the change he asked if we wanted to quit. Of course we didn't so we showed up to retest. He then asked us why we were there and hadn't we been listening. I just apologized for my confusion and walked to the classroom. 

2. If you are going to try and run a class in a Ranger School or boot camp style where folks pay hard earned money to attend you better make sure you are on top of your game. I have been belittled and harassed by the most elite members of our military both in Ranger School and Special Forces Selection and the Qualification Course. Its no longer a learning style I think is appropriate. Holding the standard puts enough stress on candidates. Treating them like morons isn't really effective. 

3. Some items given as homework were never even checked. If you assign work then check it. Especially if you require students to stay up late to complete. 

The ugly:

1. Motherfucking Ticks!!

2. Hot weather

3. Lack of caffeine giving me a headache all weekend

All in all I enjoyed the course. Because of my personal interaction with one of the cadre I don't think I will be back for the intermediate or advanced course. I am however very interested in other training on a similar skill set. If asked to recommend the course I would recommend with a caveat to take some things with a grain of salt

 

Two Person Armed Defense 5.17.2021

I have attended a class with Rob Pincus as part of his Personal Defense Network Tour every year since about 2015 except for the COVID debacle of 2020.  I have taken Intuitive Defensive Shooting, Intuitive Defensive Carbine and Advanced Pistol Handling multiple times. I have also attended Armed Defense Around Vehicles, Extreme Close Quarters Tactics, and Armed Home Defense Tactics. I am a Defensive Firearms Couch and Intuitive Defensive Shooting Instructor with his I.C.E Training company. However I had never attended or even seen the entirety of his Two Person Armed Defense curriculum. When he told me he wanted to teach it during his tour stop, here in Iowa, I was looking forward to attending.

The context of TPAD was to not turn students into mini two person SWAT teams but to help them use the 3 C of team tactics to better communicate with other responsible gun owners during the aftermath of a potential self defense situation.

The 3 C's

Coordination ( The plan)

Communication ( What you see, What you need)

Cooperation ( Finding work and filling in the gaps)

This was not a shooting class per se. We did start out the day doing some standard IDS drills so Rob could ascertain the base level of shooting competence of the class. The focus was on the processing of information and the communication piece post shooting. 

The advantage to having an additional person is obviously having someone else that is able to process information that you may not be able to do as an individual. We slowly ramped up the dynamic nature of the drills throughout the day. Slowly adding more and more complexity to the drills. The drills themselves were not complicated. Basic Move, Shoot and Communicate however the complexity went from individual engagement to team engagement, communication etc..

Ultimately the day ended on a very complex two team drill with multiple targets and multiple different ways the scenario could play out for either team. I thoroughly enjoyed the day and am looking forward to the next training day.

 

Gracie Survival Tactics Level 1 Instructor Re-Certification April 14- Jun 3 2021

 

In May 2019 I attended at Gracie Survival Instructor Development Camp in Omaha Nebraska. I wrote about it here https://mikemac356.blogspot.com/2019/06/gracie-survival-tactics-instructor.html . As 2021 rolled around it was time for me to re-certify. Due to Covid the option to re-certify online through video evaluation was offered.  This was a better option for me. 

As a recertification candidate I was tasked with performing 23 different techniques including variations as well as teaching those same techniques.

Myself and my training partner had to submit 5 different videos for grading purposes

1. Technical Proficiency Video

2. Freestyle Fight Simulation Video

3. Correction Strategies Video

4. Slice Presentation Video

5. Instructor Candidate background and Information Video

All videos were pass/fail except for the technical proficiency. You had to score a 90% for the technical proficiency video. We had 60 days to accomplish this task. Really though due to both of us working odd/rotating schedules we had about 30 days. 

We had multiple hours of technical practice both together and individually. Ultimately on the day we decided to film and upload videos we spent 9 hours in a garage filming,teaching, and working up a sweat. 

Once the videos were uploaded it took less than 48 hours to receive our results. We both passed and received recertification for another two years!! Not only was the turn around time quick but constructive criticism was thorough and complete. 

In my opinion this video option was much more difficult than the original camp. Taking the video recertification option really forced me to own the material because there was no option to hide in the crowd. I am looking forward to bringing this training option to both the officers and EMS providers at both public safety agencies I work at. 

ECQC 2:1 EVO 5.2.21

Recently I traveled to Wisconsin to attend my 10th( I think) Shivworks course and my second Extreme Close Quarters Concepts class with Craig Douglas. I've reviewed Craig's coursework before in previous posts. It is the standard for the entangled gunfight and how to deal with it. . I thought I would review my own performance during one of the evolutions this time. I am the subject of the evolution. I am wearing a red sweatshirt.

Bottom line up front I wasn't extremely happy with my performance here. I mean I got shot so that's not a win in anyone's book. As Craig often says "no one wears a cape". The first point always hammered home in these evolutions is it is imperative to avoid those situations entirely. Of course, Craig sets them up for the worst-case scenario. 

Let's break down the video:

The video starts off with an aggressive individual accusing me of taking inappropriate pictures. I try to maintain my distance and put a fence up with my hands between us. He kept encroaching on my space and backing me up as I tried to circle within the confines of the space we had. 

:54 

At this point in the video, he was close enough for me to push off his chest. I should have utilized an eye jab or perhaps OC spray to make some space here. 

1:05

As we became entangled I attempted a failed outside trip and then executed a successful lateral drop. I landed on top and moved to side control. I started trying to negotiate with my assailant and get him to calm down. I eventually put him in an Americana submission hold as I negotiated. I didn't know or notice that my firearm had fallen out of my holster during the scuffle. This was a brand new holster and the retention was obviously not adjusted tight enough. 

1:23 

Another individual enters and unknown to me picked up my dropped firearm. He started yelling at us to stop. In my mind I was hearing this but still trying to control the original assailant. I mistakenly tried to negotiate with both of them from a side control position. Perhaps if I would have gone to knee on belly things may not have escalated.

1:41

I get shot for the first time ( didn't notice at first) and go to mount. I try to negotiate with the gun man and keep control of the original assailant. 

2:07

I am shot multiple times

Lessons learned:

1. I was using this course to pressure test some gear. The holster retention failed. I actually count this as a win because it didn't happen in a real situation and can be fixed.

2. I got task fixated on the original attacker. When the second guy came into play I should have moved where I could see them both. It may have been appropriate just to stand up at that point. 

3. I thought I did a decent job of trying to deescalate both individuals while maintaining control but right, wrong, or indifferent the other human has a say. I got shot because I failed to maintain awareness of the big picture. 

There is a lot to mentally unpack in this video. I learned some things not to do and I think some things went well. This is one of several evolutions so much to ponder on from the weekend.

If you carry a firearm and aren't training and pressure testing like this occasionally and think everything will be fine, you are mistaken.

I look forward to the next evolution

Knife Control Concepts Instructor Development Feb- April 2021

Spent 8 weeks with Aaron Jannetti running through the standup Instructor Development Modules for his Knife Control Concepts Curriculum. This course was a great way to apply wrestling and BJJ to weapons based grappling.