the things worth believing in

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For verse that doesn’t leave you feeling like a effeminate, eggheaded, effete, nobody did it better than Rudyard Kipling.

I went into a public-’ouse to get a pint o’ beer,
The publican ‘e up an’ sez, “We serve no red-coats here.”
The girls be’ind the bar they laughed an’ giggled fit to die,
I outs into the street again an’ to myself sez I:

O it’s Tommy this, an’ Tommy that, an’ “Tommy, go away”;
But it’s “Thank you, Mister Atkins”, when the band begins to play,
The band begins to play, my boys, the band begins to play,
O it’s “Thank you, Mister Atkins”, when the band begins to play.

I went into a theatre as sober as could be,
They gave a drunk civilian room, but ‘adn’t none for me;
They sent me to the gallery or round the music-’alls,
But when it comes to fightin’, Lord! they’ll shove me in the stalls!

For it’s Tommy this, an’ Tommy that, an’ “Tommy, wait outside”;
But it’s “Special train for Atkins” when the trooper’s on the tide,
The troopship’s on the tide, my boys, the troopship’s on the tide,
O it’s “Special train for Atkins” when the trooper’s on the tide.

Yes, makin’ mock o’ uniforms that guard you while you sleep
Is cheaper than them uniforms, an’ they’re starvation cheap;
An’ hustlin’ drunken soldiers when they’re goin’ large a bit
Is five times better business than paradin’ in full kit.

Then it’s Tommy this, an’ Tommy that, an’ “Tommy, ‘ow’s yer soul?”
But it’s “Thin red line of ‘eroes” when the drums begin to roll,
The drums begin to roll, my boys, the drums begin to roll,
O it’s “Thin red line of ‘eroes” when the drums begin to roll.

We aren’t no thin red ‘eroes, nor we aren’t no blackguards too,
But single men in barricks, most remarkable like you;
An’ if sometimes our conduck isn’t all your fancy paints,
Why, single men in barricks don’t grow into plaster saints;

While it’s Tommy this, an’ Tommy that, an’ “Tommy, fall be’ind”,
But it’s “Please to walk in front, sir”, when there’s trouble in the wind,
There’s trouble in the wind, my boys, there’s trouble in the wind,
O it’s “Please to walk in front, sir”, when there’s trouble in the wind.

You talk o’ better food for us, an’ schools, an’ fires, an’ all:
We’ll wait for extry rations if you treat us rational.
Don’t mess about the cook-room slops, but prove it to our face
The Widow’s Uniform is not the soldier-man’s disgrace.

For it’s Tommy this, an’ Tommy that, an’ “Chuck him out, the brute!”
But it’s “Saviour of ‘is country” when the guns begin to shoot;
An’ it’s Tommy this, an’ Tommy that, an’ anything you please;
An’ Tommy ain’t a bloomin’ fool — you bet that Tommy sees!

Amen.

Find more of Kipling’s work here.

We have already covered the basics of room clearing, so we all know that in an ideal situation each operator will move into a room by moving towards each corner of the wall closest to the door; then depending on the situation move up along the sides of the room to clear it of threats.

We have also noted that some rooms may be too small to be worth the risk of entering. In those cases, a “limited penetration” may be employed whereby the operator(s) clear the room from the doorway without entering.

Sometimes, the layout of a structure may present you with a situation where the room may be too small to preform a textbook clearing, yet require you to move through it. In those cases you may have to perform a “same side” entry whereby the operators enter to the same side of a room while covering their sectors of fire. This is a less than ideal situation due to the fact that the two of you will present a larger target confined to one area, and that it provides you with lesser coverage of fire, but this is a game of “the best option that you have” more often than not.

I just came across the blog of a brother LEO titled “The Modern Knight”. Where my site tends to lean towards the physical/technical; his discusses character, principles and lifestyle. Take a look.

Something I come across time and again in martial arts forums is the debate over the importance of physical fitness and conditioning in martial training.

Some of the arguments center on the technique vs “muscle” issue. This is the ”so an 80 yo person can’t be a proficient martial artist if they are not training like a MMA fighter?” tack. This person argues the “use their strength against them”…”it’s all about technique, not strength”…”a fight will be over in seconds”… “conditioning and self-defense are separate disciplines” party line. They believe that martial arts are more about leverage, target selection and technique than the individuals physical conditioning. You tend to see many “traditional arts” people in this camp, especially “non-sparring” arts.

In the other camp are the people who believe that a fit and strong person with martial training, perhaps not a “technician”, but with basic skills, will trump an out of shape fighter. Many people who think this practice the more “sporting” arts; MMA, Boxing, Thai etc.

Personally, I think that many of the people who “poo-poo” conditioning are perhaps looking to justify their lack of it. Or explain why they are not doing a conditioning program.  I think that it’s important for anybody who takes “combative training” seriously to be spending a significant portion of their training time on physical fitness. Yes, technique is important, but all physical activity will be faster, stronger and more efficient with a fitter body.

Granted, not all martial arts schools have the time or ability to condition their students AND train them in the art they practice. Some arts, simply based on what they do,  are a workout in themselves. But MANY arts do not present an opportunity for physical conditioning, as many practitioners stretching out the belly of their Gi’s can attest to. The “martial arts” as fitness sales gimmick is not always as advertised.

H2H fighting ability aside, I believe that fitness training is as much about developing “mental toughness” and “fighting spirit” as it is about the body. I wrote about this in a previous post called “Embrace the Suck“. If you are not pushing yourself past your limits in the dojo AND the gym, you are cheating yourself.

In addition, when it comes to the soldier, the LEO and anybody in a self-defense/survival scenario; there are MANY other physical tasks beyond fighting that need to be considered. Running from threats, chasing suspects, carrying packs, jumping fences, dragging/carrying wounded people and simply doing anything while wearing a ton of “guns n’ gear” require you to be physically fit. It also helps in avoiding injury while you are doing these things.

In closing, let me clarify that I AM NOT saying that if you are not as conditioned as a Olympic athlete that you are misguided in your training, but we can ALL focus on being as fit as we can for our age, our needs and our time allowed. Thats my opinion. What’s yours?

Just for the hell of it, I made a facebook fan page for my blog. If you are a facebook user please consider becoming a fan.

The Things Worth Believing In

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When you get pulled over and the officer seems “rude” or “short” with you, remember this.

Be safe out there!

I recently attended an entry-level wilderness search and rescue course taught by some State Forest Rangers. At one point in the class the discussion turned to gear and equipment and a Ranger spoke about starting fires. He mentioned a fire starting device I had never heard of before (which isn’t unusual, I’m no expert in the stuff), cotton balls impregnated with petroleum jelly. Here is a video:

Pretty impressive. The cotton, once prepared is even semi-waterproof and will light and burn after a soaking.

The Ranger suggested taking some large-bore drinking straws cut to size, melting one end closed over a flame, stuffing the cotton into it and then sealing the other end (be careful not to ignite the cotton). This gives you a longer term,individual use, waterproof storage container that keeps the cotton from drying out. When you need to use it you slice the straw open, fluff up the ball and light it.

If you are ever in a situation where you have to engage targets from within a room, a rule of thumb to remember is: avoid standing right at a window with your muzzle sticking out of it. Doing so makes you visible to anybody standing outside and that typically results in them paying your position more attention than will be healthy for you.

In general, it is better to stand away from the window and engage targets from the back of the room. Doing so helps conceal your position and makes it harder for those outside to hit you. If you have to engage targets below your line of sight you can move forward, fire, and then move back. And referring back to lesson #3, it is a good idea to displace to another room or building when possible. If you have the ability to move, it is almost always good to do so.

S-Slap the magazine to make sure it’s seated properly. (Sometimes you may feel the bolt close on a live round when you do this and you may just decide to try shooting again.)
P-Pull back the bolt.
O-Observe the chamber as you Pull. Look to see if a round is ejected or an empty casing. Look into the chamber to see if there is a round stuck in there or a double feed.
R-Release the bolt, letting it go forward.
T-Tap the forward assist on weapons that have them (this one may be omitted if yours doesn’t have one).
S-Shoot.

Here is a video example:

If the fight is up-close and personal you wont have time to bother with this. If you are within H2H range you may just consider going bayonet style on the guy with your long gun. If you have the reactionary gap and a secondary weapon, its time to go to it.

There are various methods to do this, each with its Pros and Cons.

1. If you are on a sling system, swing the carbine down and away with the weak hand while drawing pistol with the strong one. You can start shooting with one hand if you have to and then bring up the support when you can.

Pros:

• Fast
• Keeps the carbine on you so you can clear it and get it back into the fight when the immediate threat is taken care of.

Cons:

• Leaves the weapon attached to you and can be used as a “handle” to drag you by the BG.
• It can tie up your legs and hamper mobility.
• It can be harder to use the carbine as an impact weapon if needs be.

2. Drop the carbine and draw the handgun.

Pros:

• This means the carbine is unslung which makes it easier to change shoulders and fight with the carbine as an impact weapon.
• Slings can’t be used to drag you down.

Cons:

• You may have to move away from the tossed weapon. Odds of getting it back “up” are slim then.
• If you drop your weapon into mud, snow or sand it may just make clearing the malfunction later worse.

3. Hold the carbine to the chest with the weak hand and shoot one-handed with the strong.

Pros:

• Same as above but you add keeping the carbine with you to them.

Cons:

• Pretty obvious, you can only shoot one-handed and both hands are full.