On July 13, 2018, The Complete Combatant hosted Active Self Protection’s “Lessons Learned from Watching 15,000 Gun Fights” with John Correia.
John Correia of Active Self Protection (ASP) narrates videos of actual attacks and publishes them on ASP’s YouTube channel, providing valuable insight with lessons learned. Watching people rob, kidnap, assault, and murder each other, has led him to some conclusions, primarily what the average person needs to focus on during training. Patterns begin to emerge from these encounters, consequently forming a hierarchy of skill sets. The Pareto principle, which states, 20% of the inputs yield 80% of the results, is the main principle of John’s lessons. Training should cover core skills first, then the peripheral skills. The hectic pace of life makes finding time to practice a problem, therefore prioritizing what we practice is essential.
The lecture is an evidence based approach that focuses on the most important parts of self protection. It highlights the crucial lessons of the encounter and brings a visual clarity to the mistakes that are deadly to the good guys. At times, it is contrary to popular teachings, nevertheless, if we choose to ignore the data it may be at our own peril.
The Complete Combatant’s 1 day and 1.5 day course development is a direct reflection of information gathered from these accounts, subsequently many of the scenarios I run come from the Active Self Protection’s videos. When a student says “ it would never happen like this”, we can stop training and watch the video. Visualization is one of the keys to successfully developing plans and decisions in advance.
Granted, the videos show only one view of the incident (unless there are badge cams from multiple responding officers) but the basic patterns of violent attacks give us an idea what is important to focus on in our training. These videos provide real world examples of what can happen to any of us.
Entertaining and provocative, John blends truth and humor in his presentation , which is no easy matter with such heavy material. The golden age of video surveillance is upon us, cameras are everywhere, subsequently we can now have an evidence based approach to our training for self protection. To quote John C. Maxwell, “It’s said that a wise person learns from his mistakes. A wiser one learns from others’ mistakes. But the wisest person of all learns from other’s successes.” This a great presentation, full of actionable data, and I highly recommend it. Active Self Protection has made my life easier as an instructor, providing an endless supply of real life encounters. I am grateful to John and the crew at Active Self Protection for this invaluable resource and we look forward to hosting them again in 2019.
Check out Active Self Protection and “cover your ASP”.
Like this:
Like Loading...
Related
Published by The Complete Combatant, LLC
My name is Brian Hill and I am owner and head Coach at The Complete Combatant. I have over 35 years experience in training and instructional combative firearm techniques and Martial Arts. My expertise is primarily in the context of the armed citizen.
If you are your first responder, then you are responsible for a wide array of skill sets. Seeing, recognizing, and believing danger is the first task. Having a plan for avoidance, deselection and escalation is second. If these fail, the fight is on, and it must be won. The first time you have to use the different levels of force, and everything is on the line, should not be the first time you practice your non-lethal (mindset, verbal, walk away, flashlight, etc.), less then lethal (OC/pepper spray, Combatives, etc.) and lethal options (firearms, advanced Combatives, etc.).
One of the areas students can improve their self protection skills is through organization and efficiency in their approach to practice. Methodology, structure, and feedback are critical elements that are often overlooked, but provide the best options for improvement. Strategy, tactics, and techniques need to be practiced until they can be performed with unconscious competence. Equally as important is the client's mindset, and how they can strengthen their performance under pressure. Believe it or not, decisions are more important then techniques.
While I still teach, and occasionally use iron sights and shoot from strong side, I switched to the red dot sighting system/pistol optics many years ago because it has several benefits that just can't be ignored. The way we aim our firearm is an area that sees constant improvement. These sights offer a tremendous advantage in speed, accuracy, and application.
This RDC class will focus on the draw to first-round hits from concealment unless you have an open rig. We will work on proximal extension relative to the attacker, using the red dot to the most significant advantage at different distances, multiple hand positions that the armed citizen encounters during a fight, and stacking complex cognitive tasks under pressure. Biomechanics of movement and the neuroscience of the decisional process and training methodologies will be explored. If you shoot competitively or carry a pistol for personal protection you will benefit from this class.
The pistol mounted optic is excellent for quick and precise target acquisition, allowing a focus on the target. Transitions are greatly enhanced due to the simplicity of using the dot aligned on the target, as opposed to the three focal planes of iron sights. If you have vision issues, the dot may be the solution for you. I primarily carry in the appendix position which allows for a quicker draw, and improved weapon retention. Instruction in the proper draw stroke improves the use and safety of appendix carry, and in addition allows you to find the dot sooner.
I have specifically designed The Complete Combatant for our US citizens that "carry or want to". I have always seen a need for the varied disciplines of self protection to be combined. Proper strategy, escalation of force and employment of tools…is one complete subject. Making good decisions, thinking ahead, the proper use of non-lethal, less then lethal and lethal tools will help you to fight back more effectively. Being creative, tool cycling and adapting could save you or a loved one.
MEASURE. REFINE. PERFORM
Brian Hill
View all posts by The Complete Combatant, LLC
Brian's Blog 