the things worth believing in

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Photo: Crede Calhoun, http://visionqueststudios.com

Going with the family to Deep Creek Maryland for a bit.

Everything is at its Acme; especially the art of making one’s way in the world. There is more required nowadays to make a single wise man than formerly to make Seven Sages, and more is needed nowadays to deal with a single person than was required with a whole people in former times.

-Balthasar Gracian

Years ago I picked up a small “pocket book” with the intriguing title The Art of Worldly Wisdom. It was authored by Balthasar Gracian, a 17th Century Jesuit priest.

In 1637 Gracian wrote a collection of short maxims and titled it the “Oráculo Manual”. Part self-improvement manual, part strategic advice a la The Art of War, part political survival guide, the book is a collection of 300 paragraphs on various topics, giving advice and guidance on how to live fully, advance socially, and be a better person. Written in a very frank and modern style, The Art of Worldly Wisdom speaks to the twenty-first century as well as the seventeenth.

The entire translation of The Art of Worldly Wisdom can be found here.

Another book I recommend is Tiger McKee’s The Book of Two Guns. 

From the publishers website:

The Book of Two Guns is a collection of material gathered during ten years of intensive firearms training, both as student and instructor. The focus of the book is the 1911 pistol and the AR carbine, although a majority of the techniques included will work with any type weapon. The Book of Two Guns covers the mental aspects of fighting with firearms as well as the physical techniques. The “book” began life as a training diary, a record of one man’s Musha-Shugyo, or training pilgrimage, and so was handwritten and illustrated. The result is a work of art and a valuable training reference for the ultimate martial art – fighting with firearms. Tiger Mckee is Director of Shootrite Firearms Academy (est. 1995)

I found the book an interesting collection of basic techniques and tactical thought put together much like Bruce Lee’s Tao of Jeet Kune Do. Like the Tao, the book is hand illustrated and “hand written”. It  is pretty much a published collection of various notebooks the author produced while attending weaponcraft schools.

Don’t buy The Book of Two Guns expecting to find something “new” or some “secret technique” that you have never seen before. Buy it as a reference of the basic techniques and tactical thought of schools like Gunsite, Thunder Ranch, etc. as well as a source of quotations and references to other sources that will provide you with a path for further reading and research.

What I found thought provoking was the books subtitle, The Martial Art of the 1911 Pistol and AR Carbine. When one thinks about it, the carbine and pistol are to todays warrior what the Katana and Wakizashi were to the Samurai. As a matter of fact Wakizashi roughly translates as “side arm”. I have always wondered why it was that people who dressed in classic garb and swung swords around or shot ancient Japanese Bows were considered “martial artists” while people who develop their firearms skills seem to get pigeonholed as “gun nuts”, “rambo wannabes” or paranoids. The fact of the matter is that anybody who seriously trains firearms skills has as many techniques and issues to master as any classic martial art. This entails more than just going to the range and shooting up a few boxes of ammunition, or purchasing the latest gadgets and gear. Magpul’s Art of the Tactical Carbine series is an excellent example of how a serious student of firearms can approach firearms training as a “martial art”.

The Book of Two Guns can be purchased from the Shootrite website.

Magpul Dynamics has produced some great training videos promoting their concept of how to employ the tactical carbine. They teach a fast, compact, aggressive application of the Carbine as an close quarters combative tool. I really like their stuff. I have volume 1 and now it looks like I have to get volume 2.

Yet more dry-fire stuff. Here I am practicing some “up close and personal” situations where I cant push off or punch out. There are various schools of thought about the “elbow drive” vs. clinching vs. headlocks…I just try them all.

In this clip you can see me doing the elbow drive. This is for when the guy is swinging or grabbing at you. You cover your head with your arm and drive into the opponents throat area with your elbow, drawing into a retention position. Im also trying out a fairly new technique I have come across called “the helmet”. Its designed to survive that initial flurry of haymakers by covering the head area with the hands and elbows. Im also practicing drawing from a clinch and from a headlock position.

After practicing some basic draw and transition techniques, I like to move on to what I call “pushing and punching techniques”. They are pretty much “as described”. You can do some SPEAR strikes…simple shoves and step-back with lateral movement or throw some combinations. Sometimes I throw on my duty gear and a timer with the goal of throwing punches until the timer goes off; at which point I transition to the weapon.

As you can see in the attached video that the “bob bag” can be a handy tool in that it approximates a human torso. However, one of its drawbacks is that you cant push it too hard or you can knock it over. I place it close to a wall to prevent that, but a strong shove of kick will knock it down. That can be handy when training to transition to a mount and ground work, but it can be a hassle if you are trying to maintain some stand-up practice.

I am a big proponent of dry-fire training. For no expense you can practice almost every aspect of weaponcraft minus actually hitting a target. Without spending a cent on ammunition you can hone your draw stroke and work on trigger control. You can practice target transitions, weapon transitions, magazine changes, malfunction drills, movement, impact drills and myriad other skills that you would have a difficult time practicing “live” on most commercial ranges.

The most important thing to remember about dry-fire practice is safety. Make absolutely sure that your weapons are safe and clear. I recommend having NO live ammunition in your training area while dry-practicing. I use plastic training magazines in my handgun to prevent any accidents and to simulate the weight and feel of a loaded weapon. Another issue to keep in mind is a “safe-direction” just in case you fuck up. While you may not have a bunker to train in or a berm in your backyard, at least avoid pointing your firearm in the direction of your family room or kids bedrooms. My cinder-block garage walls may not stop much but its better than dry-wall and the shallow rise in my backyard is as close to a “berm” as I can get.

I mix my dry-fire training up. I have some small adhesive targets that I stick to the wall for fundamental, “muscle memory” repetitive drills. I draw and present, acquire the front sight and perform a compressed trigger squeeze. I mix in reloads, transitions from one target to the next, etc. I use this for honing basic skills and concentrating on proper technique; what I call “crawl” techniques.

In my garage I have a “bob bag” that I use for more dynamic, “in the hole”, movement based training , or what I like to call “walk” techniques. For this post I had my good friend Paul film one of my “bob” dry-fire workouts. The attached video illustrates some fundamental techniques I practice. The basic lateral “step and draw”, basic transition drill, transition with lateral movement and a “turn the corner surprise” drill that includes a muzzle strike. If there is enough interest I have a bunch of other footage of more combative “run” drills I do as well.

Excuse the messy garage..we recently hauled out the the two littleset youngsters room.

Paul Howe is a veteran Army Delta operator who was a member of the Delta squadron that was deployed to Somalia as part of Task Force Ranger in August 1993 where he participated in the Battle of Mogadishu. According to the “resume” on his website, MSG Howe has 20 Years experience in the U.S. Army with 10 years in special operations as an assault team leader, sniper and senior instructor. He’s conducted more than 40 successful combat raid missions and has participated in multiple high-risk protection missions for U.S. dignitaries. He also has three years of law enforcement experience. Anybody who has read “Blackhawk Down” knows who MSG Howe was and what he did. When a man like MSG Howe has something to say, I believe that we in “in the business” should pay attention.

And MSG Howe does have something to say. He has authored a book titled “Leadership and Training for the Fight”, a compact tome rich with tactical, leadership and combat skills information. Right at the beginning, MSG Howe says: “I have come to the conclusion that our society will not come to an end because of natural disaster or through a superior enemy, but rather through a lack of leadership and initiative on our part.” This passage nicely frames the axis of advance of his book which deals with combat and leadership issues at individual, team and organizational levels. It also covers leadership selection, mindset, planning and education. I highly reccommend this book for anybody who may have to lead (or be lead) “to the sound of the guns”.

The book is available from his Web site , www.combatshootingandtactics.com, which also has articles from MSG Howe that are worth reading.

“If we take the generally accepted definition of bravery as a quality which knows not fear, I have never seen a brave man.  All men are frightened. The more intelligent they are, the more they are frightened. The courageous man is the man who forces himself, in spite of his fear, to carry on. Discipline, pride, self-respect, self-confidence, and the love of glory are attributes which will make a man courageous even when he is afraid.”

-Gen. George S Patton “War as I Knew it”.