Thought for the day:
Victorious warriors win first then go to war, while defeated warriors go to war first and then seek to win” - Sun Tzu
Well, this is the first time I have ever seen one of these, certainly looks interesting and I can see some possibilities. Curious if anyone has ever used one and would like to know how the back help up.
However it works it certainly helped his forearm vascularity.
Former teammate of mine actually invented that thing. I’ve never used one, but I’ve never heard anything bad about one. I like the idea of it due to how securely it connects to the frame, and more accuracy on weight loading versus sandbags - not to mention, sandbags always leak and you never seem to get all of the sand out of your ruck.
@idaho. The leaders I respected the most were ones that I saw as decent human beings as well as skilled at their trades.
And minor rant: badges and tabs are indicators one is a great leader. Just that. Indicators. I’d still follow my old BN S3 into Hell and back even if he wasn’t dual tabbed (Sapper and Ranger). And by the same token I know a peer of mine who’s Ranger tabbed but I wouldn’t trust him to have the integrity to judge an 8th grade science fair.
Thanks, small world you know the inventor. I hope he is successful in his business venture. Maybe, he could loan you one for a “journalistic evaluation”.
I agree. That is actually what they are: indicators. Having said that, someone who has the drive and ambition to acquire the necessary certifications or training, demonstrates at least a starting foundation. But, as the British say, “proof is in the pudding, mate”.
Thought for the day:
I will not have an open net access for the next 5 or 6 days. Train Hard. Live Strong. Watch your 6.
Stay safe brother.
Happy Valentine’s Day brethren. Got you a card. Stay dangerous.
https://www.facebook.com/136340226832179/posts/634034870396043/?sfnsn=mo
Thought for the day: Being prepared, it didn’t just start.
Never walk away from your home ahead of your axe and sword.
You can’t feel a battle in your bones, or foresee a fight.”
— The Hávamál (Viking book of knowledge),
circa 1000 A.D.
So not exactly tactical… but situational awareness. Went to a funeral for an older fellow in my extended family. He was a nice guy that fostered dozens of troubled kids while he and his first wife were together.
One of his adopted sons was there, with 4 filled in teardrop tattoos under one eye.
My BIL who’s a CO explained to me a few years ago that if the teardrop is empty you merely helped in the murder or witnessed it. The filled in tat means you did the stabbing. So this guy either murdered 4 people, wanted other cons to THINK he murdered 4 people… or he’s an idiot who picked stupid tattoos.
So while we’re doing all the introductions I shake his hand and despite my best efforts to be 100% chill and nice he seems rather cagey and nervous and won’t make eye contact during the handshake. Could’ve been the new place/people or maybe he’s always like that. Whatever.
After the funeral service there’s a meal at the church. He sticks with his group, no problems. Not that there would be any. I just noticed where he was and left the guy alone. My dad talked with him a bit.
We had ten or so kids running around as well. At one point 3 of them were missing (running around the church) and this dude goes out for a smoke break. At this point, for about 90 seconds I lost track of him and 3 nieces and nephews.
Found the kids in the choir loft throwing old hymnals at each other. Busted them and told them to get back to the meal.
Don’t know why I assumed murderer = pervert. Obviously no fool would try anything with dozens of adults around where everyone knows his identity. Just set me on edge.
People fly all kinds of flags for all kinds of reasons. I don’t think there’s anything wrong in taking notice and paying extra attention if you’ve got reason to believe they can pose a threat. Trust your gut. Gang tats. Prison tats. Street gang attire. Biker club/biker gang attire. Tactical clothing. MMA gym attire. Some legit, some just posing. Some good people, some not. You usually can’t tell at a glance, but you can at least glean that they want to be noticed for whatever flag they’re flying.
I’ve even taken to accepting “friends” requests from people I otherwise wouldn’t who I’m only acquainted with from bouncing, just to see what kinds of flags they fly on social media. Lots of flags that scream “I’m a dumbass” and, in more pleasant cases, “check out my cleavage” or “I’m single and probably a fun date”.
I would have felt the same and done the same as you. Tear drop tats for the hard core gang banger is a badge of murder. Whether it was legit or not, it means you are in my sights. If I had a Nazi lightning bolt tatted on my neck, I would assume people would think I was in the Aryan Brotherhood.
Thought for the day: Wise words spoken.
For those interested. The Army’s new physical fitness assessment:
The Army has just begun implementing its new Army Combat Fitness Test (ACFT) which will replace the outdated Army Physical Fitness Test (APFT) sometime in 2020. The ACFT is gender- and age-neutral and will follow this pattern:
Three repetition deadlift (120-420 pounds depending on soldier).
Two minutes rest.
Standing power throw of a 10-pound medicine ball. Soldiers will have to toss the ball overhead and backwards. They will get one practice and two graded attempts.
Two minutes rest.
Hand-release push-ups. Soldiers will have to touch the floor with their chest and lift their hands between each repetition. They will have three minutes to perform as many repetitions as possible.
Two minutes rest.
Sprint/sled-drag/carry. Soldiers will have four minutes to complete five repetitions of 25-meter sprints out and 25-meter sprints back. Each attempt will vary, with either sprinting, sled-dragging, lateral shuffle, or a sprinting farmer’s walk with two 40-pound kettle bells.
Two minutes rest.
As many kip-ups as possible in two minutes.
Five minutes rest.
Two-mile run.
The ACFT is geared toward producing soldiers who would be effective in a combat environment.
_Originally published on NEWSREP
How would you run a morning PT session to train for that test?
While I get what you are asking, a proper ‘combat test’ would assess the physical skills known to improve combat survivability, and thus a proper pt program which is preparing soldiers for combat would cause them to score appropriately on the test without any specialized prep.
Having said that, pushups? Still? While my combat experience is somewhat limited and it was done from a moving boat, I have to question what pushups have to do with combat fitness. Of the vets in this thread, when have any of you had to push yourselves up off the ground 50+ times in a single engagement?
At least they are finally including a ‘version’ of pull ups, which are way more relevant than pushups.
I’ve read this thread since I’ve been on the site, but have never commented on it. Now with a wife and the thought of building my own family, “protecting” my family has been more on my mind.
For an average joe, what skills, tools, etc are needed to truly protect your family?
A few things I AM good at:
Things I am NOT good at:
I watch A LOT of movies like Jason Bourne, etc. I know it’s fiction (for the most part), but I think I would love to get to a point where I have “no fear” of any situation. How does one to get to this level? My assumption is that it is from YEARS of training and for an average joe it’s just not possible.
Any input would be appreciated. This realm is foreign to someone like me. I apologize if this question sounds stupid, but I am generally interested.
I don’t think training will alleviate any fear, if you have never been in a scrap. Or it has been since 4th grade… And fear aside, any dustup will cause an adrenaline rush, even with lots of experience.
That said, you should complement your situational awareness with some basic martial training. Footwork, throwing a straight punch, avoidance of being put on the ground, and some kind of weapon training into proficiency.
The weapon choice is, of course up to you. But fists only is definitely lacking.
These are all great. Most of keeping yourself and those under the mantle of your protection safe involves staying out of bad situations in the first place. In fact, that can be ALL of keeping yourself safe if you’re lucky enough to go through life without a violent person crossing your path.
I spent the entirety of my 20’s as a mild-mannered white collar worker who had never picked up a barbell, owned a gun, bounced in a bar or trained any serious combat art. I’m 38 now. Having dealt with a number of challenging and sometimes violent situations as a bouncer, it seems to me that the only way to inoculate yourself to violence is to experience violence.
Luckily, you don’t need to pick fights or be a bouncer to do that. Part of my ability to stay calm, measured and act accordingly when things get chippy was just on-the-job bouncing experience, but most came from training jiu jitsu under an instructor who prioritizes handling violence over sport competition. I’ve wrote about the differences between sport jiu jitsu and jiu jitsu as a true “martial” art at length, so I won’t re-hash it here. In a nutshell, focused training and hard sparring with a resisting opponent who will make you accustomed to functioning under pain, pressure and discomfort goes a long way towards making you more effective in real situations. Muay Thai, Boxing, Wrestling and Judo all generally fit this bill too.
There’s just no substitute to training. If you want to be a guy who can step up and handle a violent person without a weapon, you need to train something worthwhile. There’s no easy path to this, it takes a lot of time and even then there are no guarantees.
Others can speak to firearms better than I can, but the same principle applies. The more you train with focus and specific intent, the better you will become at the martial art of gun fighting. Like jiu jitsu, a person who trains combat-oriented drills and competition (like IDPA) will be much better off in a fight than someone who just shoots sporting clays. Sport training is fun and fulfilling and I’d take a great clay shooter over someone who’s never shot a gun in a fight, but it isn’t a substitute for martial arts. There are no easy paths to this either. I’m just a novice shooter, maybe 12,000 rounds downrange in the last 6 years. It takes a lot of time to get any good at it, and just like violence without weapons, there are no guarantees when the whistle blows and it’s on.
Violence and protecting yourself and others isn’t anything like the movies. It’s chaotic and messy and scary. If you think it is worthwhile, the best you can do is stack the odds in your favor through training and preparation.
On that note, home defense drills are worthwhile here too. Make sure your kids and spouse know what to do if there’s a stranger at the door or a stranger in the house. Have a plan. Just like you would with a fire.
Go sign up for a class of some kind. Get your bubble burst so you can appreciate just how bad you suck at something you’ve never done. Get lit up on the mats or see how good an unassuming dweeb can be with a pistol. It’s a good eye-opener.
@isdatnutty For the record, I can attest first-hand that being able to squat 405 for reps is an outstanding base of athleticism for jiu jitsu, especially stand-up work. All of that hip power you have can also make it really hard for anyone to hold you down. You’d be a beast if you stuck with it.