So you are a firearms enthusiast, or at the very least you are someone who purchased a firearm for self defense and are wise enough to know that purchasing isn’t enough….you have to TRAIN! Kudos to you for taking on that responsibility! So you get online or check out the local range to see what classes are offered and find course titles such as, “Tactical Pistol,” or “Tactical Carbine,” or “Defensive Shotgun” and the class is taught by someone that even John Rambo would be envious of. Sound familiar? Ever ask yourself what it is that you are actually learning???
In my earlier firearms years, I signed up for as many “Tactical” courses I could find. The classes were always challenging and a lot of fun. Who doesn’t like to run thru a field, work barricades, jump in/out of cars, crush hallways/doorways and deal with multiple threats? I mean, this is what I dreamed of as a kid, (by “kid” I mean ages 10 to current). And I do have a small edge over most, due to my business I’ve made close friends with SWAT Team guys, Military Spec Ops guys, and even world class competition shooters. All of which are highly trained individuals who have been kind enough to barter training with me…. I might teach them my edged weapons and they might work with me on my firearms skills. It has been an awesome exchange, but not necessarily applicable to civilian life.
Truth is that majority of the content that I have either learned from these guys, or the content that I see in the market right now have absolutely nothing to do with the civilian lifestyle. Many of the tactics/skills that are taught in today’s Tacti-Kewl courses were designed for a specific lifestyle and are taught to us by those who lived that lifestyle. Many times those tactics/skills were built around having a team, a line, a stack, extensive ballistic gear such as plate carriers, kevlar vests, helmets, etc. Even something as simple as the “Search and Asses” method that everyone does at the range now was designed in a manner in which you would have other operators covering assigned sectors…..doing it that way in civilian life will get you KILLED!
Don’t misunderstand what I am saying…I’m not saying that you shouldn’t or couldn’t learn from them…but also keep your lifestyle in mind. Taking the info that they give you, working it to a point that it becomes second nature and developing an adaptive and dynamic skill set is the right thing to do, just add in the element of YOUR lifestyle. Do you wear ballistic gear when you leave the house? Do you keep your carbine on you with a sidearm when you go to the mall? Is there ALWAYS a shooter next to you that you can call “LOADING” to and they understand that they have to cover your sector until you throw down the speed reload and green again? For some the answer will be yes, for most….the answer is simply no.
So for those who said no, start thinking about what those learned lessons have brought to you as a civilian shooter. Work skills that apply to you and design your own training platform to include things like drawing from the holster, or emergency reloads or malfunction clearing. For those of you who are teaching tactical courses….know who the audience is and teach them what is right for them, it may not be as “Call of Duty” as the market demands but the first time one of them has to fight for their life using their firearm you’ll feel better knowing that you gave them a skill that actually applies. There is a reason why all of my curriculum is divided into lifestyles “Civilian,” “Military,” “Security and LE,” and “Martial Artist.” There might be some common ground, but not all the same.
I’ll leave you with a quick story told to me by an LE friend. Just a few months ago a man was shot in the back as he was clearing his house after being awakened by some rattling at 2am. He got out of bed, started clearing the upstairs level room by room while “slicing the pie” at every door/corner as he was taught to do thru an unmentioned instructor. The “bad guy” shot him in the back as he was pie-ing a door then escaped the home yet to be caught, and no description. Bottom line… this victim was more of a victim to poor education first, then a victim to the assailant.
Train for you lifestyle folks….
Be Safe, Be Well
Nik Farooqui
