How Skilled is Your Attacker?

An interesting read here:

The first thing that the researchers learned is that our assumptions about criminals not training are wrong. Nearly 40% of the criminal attackers in this study had received FORMAL firearms training (mostly in the military). More than 80% of the criminal attackers regularly practiced with their firearms, with an average number of 23 Practice Sessions Per Year! They conducted these practice sessions in trash dumps, wooded areas, back yards and “street corners in known drug trafficking areas”. What that means is that the practice sessions were taking place in realistic environments, under conditions similar to those the attackers were likely to face in combat

Glock 17 2nd Generation - Retro Remodel

From our friend @ Bowie Tactical:

G-17 with frame textured and cut to G-19 length, milling for RDS (RM07) and BUIS done. More to do but getting closer!!!

TDI Active Shooter Training AAR

For a review of TDI's Active Shooter Training see:

A Review Of The Active Killer-Shooter Course at TDI

 

This class is also on the short list for me and the Mrs.As with anything taught @ TDI, I'm sure this class will be fantastic. Much thanks to John for posting this review

Getting Ready To Go Glock....

So about two years ago, I bought my wife a 4th Gen Glock 19 as she wanted something smaller, lighter, and higher capacity than her 1911. While @ TDI for Handguns I-III she discovered that the 4th Gen G19, even in it's "smallest" configuration was still to large for her. One of the instructors let her borrow a Bowie Tactical Concepts Signature Series Limited Edition Glock 19 (#11 of 50) and she really, really liked it. She decided that during our return to TDI for Partner Tactics that she would drop off her G19 for Dave to do his magic on.

While there I got to shoot some of David's other work, including the S&W M&P 9mm that may have been the cover gun for the 2011Custom Combat Handguns magazine....I know I'm a geek but that makes me kind of giddy...

I also got to shoot a Glock 17 that had been Bowie'd, no optic, no grip reduction but did have the grip texturing, good sights and probably the one of the best Glock triggers I've felt.

I've always been big on the wife and I having the same platform for carry, not to mention it will make the 33rd magazines in the glove box work for both of us...so I'm going to be going Glock.

I'm currently seeking a 3rd Generation Glock 17 to send in to Bowie for work, I'll detail the work later when I complete the work order.


Oh yeah, my HKP30S is still in Ohio awaiting some upgrades as well.

Three Days of Partner Tactics Training @ TDI...

We're home from Ohio and have lots of notes and other information to process, the AAR will be posted later this month.

STAND, MOVE, OR SEEK COVER…WHAT WORKS IN A GUNFIGHT

This article has been out floating around for a while but the topic came up recently and was a good time to bring this back into circulation.

STAND, MOVE, OR SEEK COVER…WHAT WORKS IN A GUNFIGHT
By: Greg Elefritz

As the full-time training officer and firearms instructor for my police department, I often have the opportunity to attend firearms training sessions from some of the best trainers in the world.  I have noticed that most of these trainers teach students to shoot their firearms while moving, with the premise being that a student is less likely to be struck by incoming fire if he/she is a moving target.  In addition to “shooting on the move”, almost all trainers advocate moving to cover in a gunfight, if said cover is nearby.  These two techniques make seem to be very logical.  Most people would agree that making yourself a moving target and seeking bullet-resistant cover could only help one’s chances of winning a gunfight.  Having an inquisitive mind, however, I’ve always wondered exactly how much of an advantage one could expect to gain over his opponent through the use of movement and cover.

To answer this question, I began an exhaustive search of hundreds of firearm tactics books and countless accounts of police-involved shootings looking for examples where utilizing movement or cover saved a person’s life during a gunfight.  During my search I found many instances where officers and civilians reported that they used cover and/or movement to help them win a firefight.  I also found quite a few articles and books extolling the perceived benefits of cover and movement.  I did not, however, find any concrete scientific evidence describing any quantifiable advantages of using movement or cover in a gunfight.  The question remained: Which is the best tactic to use in a gunfight…remain stationary, move, or seek cover?


Because I couldn’t find the type of information I wanted, I designed a scientific experiment to get my own data.  Besides training law enforcement officers, I also teach firearms skills at the Tactical Defense Institute (TDI), a shooting school in southern Ohio.  John Benner, the owner and chief instructor at TDI was very supportive of the idea of my experiment and was curious what the data might show.  He suggested that the ideal test subjects would be in his soon-to-be–held “final intensive scenario training” (FIST) class.  The students enrolled in this class were highly trained, all having graduated at least six levels (ten days) of TDI’s handgun curriculum.  Most had additional training from other shooting schools as well.  John graciously allowed me to perform my experiment during a segment of the two-day FIST course.


THE EXPERIMENT

The test I conducted was loosely based on some training drills created by Sam Faulkner, an innovative trainer recently retired from the Ohio Peace Officers Training Academy.  The experiment had three phases.  During each phase, one student faced another with a distance of fifteen feet separating them.  Each student was outfitted with safety gear and armed with a .38 caliber revolver loaded with two “Code Eagle” brand marking cartridges.  For those of you unfamiliar with this technology, the marking cartridge is a .38 paintball powered by a special primed plastic case.  It chambers in any .38 revolver without modification and shoots the paint ball at approximately 300 feet per second.  The rounds produce a sharp stinging sensation and a bright smear of red paint on the bodies of the people who are hit.  Obviously it is necessary to wear protective face shields when using these rounds in order to prevent eye injuries.  In prior training exercises I’ve found the Code Eagle rounds to be very valuable in gunfight simulations.  They are reasonably accurate, and produce quite a “pain penalty” to the person who is struck.  Anticipation of even the small amount of pain these projectiles generate causes considerable anxiety for most people.  This anxiety at least partially duplicates the stress reaction one is likely to experience in a gunfight.

 In the first phase of the experiment, shooters were given orders to fire their two rounds at each other as quickly as possible after a surprise start signal was given.  I instructed the students to remain stationary during the simulated gunfight.  Absolutely no movement of the feet was allowed.  Phase two was identical to the first phase, except that students were allowed free movement (forward, backward, or lateral) after I gave the surprise start signal.  In phase three, students started a step away from one of two fifty-five gallon steel drums.  These drums were to simulate cover.  On the start command, students were instructed to move to their steel drum and use it for cover while engaging their respective adversaries.


 THE RESULTS

A total of nineteen students participated in the experiment.  One hundred fourteen rounds were fired, with thirty-eight rounds fired per phase.  I tracked and compared hit percentages during all three phases, differentiating between hits on the torso and the more peripheral hits on the arms and legs.  The data are as follows:

 PHASE                                   HIT RATE                TORSO HITS
#1-STANDING                      85%                             51%
#2- MOVING                         47%                             11%
#3- USING COVER                26%                             6%

LESSONS LEARNED

 The students who participated in my study were as surprised by the results as I was.  We all expected that movement and the use of cover would reduce the hit rates of the rounds fired.  We were astonished, however, at how much difference moving and seeking cover made.  The difference in hit rates between standing and moving cannot be explained away by a lack of skills by the shooters.  Each shooter had extensively practiced shooting on the move, with most being able to hit a twelve-inch steel plate on demand any distance inside of fifty feet while moving.  Similarly, these students are adept at hitting a moving target while standing still.  The critical factor seemed to be the difficulty the shooter experienced in hitting a moving target while moving his own body at the same time.  This clearly identifies a need for additional training and highlights the critical importance of making yourself a moving target during a gunfight.  If highly trained shooters hit their opponents’ torsos with only eleven percent of rounds fired, imagine how much worse the average street thug with no training and minimal experience will perform under similar conditions!


 It is also clear that when students used cover they fared even better than they did while moving.  The hit rates would be far less than reported if several students didn’t break cover and retreat after running out of ammunition during the drill.  Most of the hits occurred when this happened.  Proper use of cover almost eliminated the chance of being hit.


One other critical statistic needs to be noted.  Thirteen percent of the hits across all phases of the experiment struck the hands or guns of the person at which they were fired.  This indicates a strong focus on the threat being directed against the shooter and a lack of attention to the front sight, creating some implications for future training.  These shooters are strongly indoctrinated in the use of their weapon sights for most shooting situations.  Even when shooting fast, they generally utilize a “flash” sight picture when shooting on targets.  Even with extensive practice, very few students reported seeing their sights in this experiment.  Not wanting to bring up the dreaded “point shooting versus sighted fire” debate in this forum, I’ll simply say that we as trainers need to do some more work.  We need to find a better solution to allow our students to hit their targets with a greater percentage of rounds during the stressful, fast-evolving nature of a gunfight.  Whatever that solution is, be it training in point shooting techniques, an enhanced sighted shooting curriculum, or stress-inoculating scenario-based training, it is our collective responsibility as trainers to find it.


It was interesting to note that some of the shooters in the above experiment shot with only one hand despite doing the majority of their training from a two-handed platform.  When asked why they had done this, most were unaware that they had fired one-handed.  Their bodies seemed to be on autopilot, self-selecting what was perceived to be the fastest way to get their guns on target. This fact, combined with the prevalence of hits on the hands or guns of the shooters indicates that we should focus much more of our time training one-hand shooting, hand transitions, and support-hand shooting techniques.  We should also emphasize the importance of carrying secondary weapons in case our primary gun becomes inoperative after taking a bullet.


Overall, this experiment generates more questions than it does answers.  I set two very critical limits in this experiment…a fifteen-foot separation distance and the firing of two rounds per shooter.  I chose the distance because a large percentage of law enforcement officers are killed while facing gunmen at this range or even closer.  For this study, it seemed an appropriate balance between a range that was so close that hits were virtually guaranteed and one that was too far for the Code Eagle projectiles to be effective.  It is likely that the results would be somewhat different if the ranges were altered.  Similarly, firing more or fewer rounds will probably change the results.  Who knows what to expect when variables such as multiple attackers are injected into the equation.  The true value of this experiment may not be the data obtained, but the experience given to the students.  They received a chance to see for themselves what techniques worked and which were not as successful. I do not expect anyone to alter their tactical doctrines or teaching styles as a result of this article.  I only encourage all trainers to examine the tactics they present to their students and be willing to put them to the test in a somewhat more chaotic environment than the traditional “square range”. It is only this type of thorough examination that will promote a greater understanding of tactical issues and, in the process, save our students’ lives.

HK P30S: Initial Thoughts

I've been wanting a P30S since HK announced their production two or three years ago, I like the idea of non-1911 pistols in 9mm that offer cocked and locked (C&L) carry, meaning that the chamber is loaded and there is a manual safety engaged.

I am a die-hard 1911 fan and have no illusions that I am done with 1911s by any means and the addition of this feature on  the P30 is very appealing as I can maintain familiarity with the drawing/firing process of a C&L platform. I've been very happy with the HK45 and the addition of the P30S will allow to to shoot more for less $$$, with the cost difference between 9mm and .45, I have the cost of the gun in just a few 1K ammo orders.

I've only got a couple hundred rounds through the gun so far, but plan on running the gun in this years trip to TDI's Partner Tactics Course (another advantage of the P30S is that we don't have to order two calibers of ammunition and can stick with 9mm as the wife will be running her Glock 19) as well as some other classes and of course, IDPA. As such, I'm not going to talk about two or three hundred "flawless rounds" as I should very well hope that a gun can go three hundred +/- rounds without hiccup.

So what I cam going to talk about is what I like/dislike about the P30S.

Some may be wondering why I chose the regular length P30S instead of the P30LS, well I'm  a big proponent of keeping varying carry platforms and methods as close together as possible, and my preferred carry holster is the Milt Sparks Versa-Max II which is/was not available for the P30L...so yes, I actually chose my gun in part due to holster availability but it beats buying a gun and then not being able to find a holster for it. I know without a doubt that I like the VMII, most of my primary carry guns have ridden in one so why change?

From left to right: Les Baer SRP, HK45, Nighthawk Talon-Recon, Glock 19

As for the P30, the first thing anyone will talk about is the grip. I do have to say that this is probably the most customizable handgun grip on the market with what comes from the manufacturer.

Stock Photo from HK USA Website, P30 LEM shown

Three different back straps, and three different side panels allow the user to "custom fit" the gun to their hand. I've got it set up with the large back strap and large right side panel and it almost mirrors the feel of my HK45 with the large back strap. The left side back strap is the medium and I may change it to the small to reduce friction on my side when worn IWB.  

A nice feature of the P30 family is that the decocker is not operated by a frame mounted lever like the USP line, it took the de-cocker location of the P2000 and is a button located to the left of the hammer. What this means to us that use the P30S is a C&L manner, is that we don't have to worry about de-cocking the hammer by mashing down too hard on the safety lever.

Stock Photo from HK USA Website: HK P30S

The safety lever is also metal, a step up when compared to the USP and HK45 as far as I'm concerned. However this does mean that over time the safety will show the same discoloration as the slide stop levers and turn kind of a goldish bronze. Not really  a big issue, but I may have the small parts Cerakoted if the wear gets too bad. Time will tell.

**Edited to add: I also like that there is a "detent ball" of sorts under the left side safety lever (will add pics later) that makes the safety much more positive in it's engagement than the the USP or HK45. One other issue, is that when carried C&L, there is a cavernous amount of open space for dirt, lint, etc. to build up in the hammer & sear components..

As much as I like the operation of the de-cocker, one issue I can see happening is that while drawing or re-holstering using the "thumb cap" method that the de-cocker may be actuated and one may end up with a double action first shot when expecting a single action first shot. This will be something that I watch for and will report back later with my findings.

The gun itself is just slightly larger than the Glock 19 which is pretty much the quintessential concealed carry gun, and for me this is good as the grip on the Glock 19 is just a hair too short for my liking and the P30 is just the right size. Despite having a sub 4" barrel, the pistol is quite accurate and like most guns, is more than accurate enough for defense and competition purposes. The one issue I have with the gun is HK's choice of sights, like the HK45, the P30S has the "luminous" sights and I personally find the three-dot arrangement too busy and will be replacing the rear sight in "6-8 weeks" with some newly produced 10-8 rear sights (not yet released but coming soon) to hopefully get a less busy sight picture.

The reset of the gun is a little longer than I'm used too, but by no means intolerable. A trip out for some action work may be in the gun's future, but as of right now I'm OK with it as is.

Additional Pictures:

De-cocker location, note "cavernous" space inside hammer channel area

Additional view of lint trap.

Metal safety levers, each pinned to hammer axle

Thumb safety, note discoloration and detent

An Alternate Look at Handgun Stopping Power

For those that haven't seen this yet, this is a pretty good read from Greg Ellifritz who readers of this blog should know from the TDI After Action Reviews posted elsewhere.

An Alternate Look at Handgun Stopping Power

Got Training?

A common theme I've seen on several gun forums is that some members wear their training resumes like a badge of honor for all to drool over in awe, it gets kind of old.

Now all that being said, while I will not fall over myself over one's training history, I will give them kudos for getting out and getting it done. Most permit holders in states that require training will seek out the bare minimum and call it good.

My wife was talking with a contractor working on our house and some how the topic of carry came up and the contractor revealed that he was a "carrier" and my wife informed him that we offer some intermediate classes etc. to which he replied "school's out" and went on talking that he didn't need any more training as he's "got his" and that's good enough... State mandated training is a check mark, not a bench mark and the bare minimum is probably not "good enough" if you think there's even the slightest chance you may have to use your firearm. In some states there is no training requirement and those that carry have no training what so ever.

I will not go into the argument regarding training requirements as there is a fine line in my opinion regarding sensible requirements and an actual infringement of one's rights regarding bearing arms etc.

Any way, a forum member recently asked where we find out about all these training classes etc.,  if you're looking for an intermediate to advanced class, here's a list to start with, start clicking and bookmarking:

APC Applied Protection Concepts, Inc. Training Specialists/Consultants
Defense Training International, Inc.
F.I.R.E. Institute
Gunsite
Dynamic Shooting Systems
Firearms Academy of Seattle
Grey Group Training
I.C.E. Training
InSights Training Center - Gun and Combat Training
Vickers Tactical
Langdon Tactical Inc.
LMS Defense
Massad Ayoob Group
Midwest Training Group
Pistol-training with Todd Green
Rangemaster
Sig Sauer Academy
Suarez International
Tactical Defense Institute
Thunder Ranch
U.S. Training Center
Viking Tactics

This is nowhere near a complete list of what's available, but it's a darn good start.

Finally...Tactical Defense Institute (TDI) Pistol II & III After Action Review

TDI Pistols II & III After Action Review. May 15th-16th 2011

Before I get into the review of the class, I want to talk a little more about what TDI is and who makes it that way. TDI is currently ran by John Benner who is the president and chief instructor of the Tactical Defense Institute. He is a 37-year veteran police Lieutenant and Vietnam Veteran and spent 25 years with the Hamilton County Police Association Regional SWAT Team, serving for 20 years as team Commander, he has received several prestigious awards including Contribution to Law Enforcement, Police Leadership and Officer of the Year. Mr. Benner is certified to instruct and a guest instructor for the Ohio Peace Officer’s Training Council (OPOTA). John is a member of and presenter for the International Association of Law Enforcement Firearms Instructors (IALEFI). John is the co-author of the nationally used CQPC Program.


Most of the doctrine at TDI has come from John’s lifetime of experiences, he’s basically been going into harms way while armed for his entire adult life and he’s still here to talk and teach about it, so I found it very wroth while to perk up my ears when he was speaking, regardless of the topic. John freely admits that most if not all things TDI is 49% him, and 51% his instructors, and they aren't slouches either.

Most of us have probably heard of or read content regarding Bowie Tactical Concepts, what we get a glimpse of on the website is Dave’s background as a SWAT officer. Dave Bowie has been an instructor at TDI for 18 years and has worked as a prosecutors office investigator, a deputy sheriff and has been on SWAT for 10 years as a team member then as team leader and has now commander for the past two and half years.

Dave also was a competitive shooter in USPSA and was a master class shooter until TDI got so busy that he could no longer attend matches. Dave is a NRA certified pistol and rifle instructor and has been a guest instructor for the Ohio peace officers training academy and for the international association of law enforcement firearms instructors and is also a member of the Ohio and national Tactical officers association.

One of TDIs assets  Greg Ellifritz, I was first introduced to Greg though my wife who attended the TDI Defensive Knife Course, through her reviews, and video of the class which can be viewed HERE.
Greg Ellifritz is a 16-year veteran police officer, spending the last 11 years as the fulltime tactical training officer for his central Ohio agency. In that position, he is responsible for developing and instructing all of the in-service training for a 57-officer police department. Prior to his training position, he served as patrol officer, bike patrol officer, precision marksman, and field training officer for his agency.

He has been an active instructor for the Tactical Defense Institute since 2001 and a lead instructor for TDI’s ground fighting, knife fighting, impact weapons, active shooter, and extreme close quarters shooting classes.

Greg holds instructor, master instructor, or armorer certifications in more than 75 different weapons systems, defensive tactics programs, and law enforcement specialty areas. In addition to these instructor certifications, Greg has trained with most of the leading firearms and edged weapons instructors in the country.

Greg has been an adjunct instructor for the Ohio Peace Officer’s Training Academy, teaching firearms, defensive tactics, bike patrol, knife defense and physical fitness topics. He has taught firearms and self defense classes at the national and international level through the International Association of Law Enforcement Firearms Instructors, The American Society of Law Enforcement Trainers and Ohio Association of Chiefs of Police. He has a Master’s degree in Public Policy and Management and has written for several publications including: ‘The Firearms Instructor”, “Ohio Police Chief”, “Combat Handguns”, “Concealed Carry Magazine” and “The Journal of the American Women’s Self Defense Association”.

What my wife and I both like about Greg is that despite the list above, he is very approachable and easy to dialogue with regarding almost any topic related to self-defense. On top of being a physical fitness instructor Greg is also an avid foreign traveler, which brings a unique perspective regarding improvised weapons of opportunity. Greg also teaches Field Emergency Medicine.


Another unique part of the TDI team is instructor Bill Posey, Bill has only been shooting for about four and half years but was directed to TDI early on and started in the right direction. After two years of intensive training at TDI, approximately 35 days in his first year, he obtained NRA instructor's certifications in Pistol, Home Firearm Safety, and Personal Protection in the Home. John Benner then invited Bill to join the staff at TDI as an adjunct, volunteer, instructor. Bill views his helping out at TDI as his "give-back" to the community of people interested in self defense and willing to obtain competent instruction. He is in his third year of instructing at TDI.

Bill has been a practicing trial lawyer since 1979, having litigated product liability and other cases in more than 35 states. As part of his responsibilities at TDI he gives the brief lecture on home insurance considerations and handles questions that may arise relating to personal liability in self-defense situations. Bill ran the "furtive movement" part of the Handgun 3, which will be covered in more detail later in this review.

Not all of TDI’s instructor cadre is SWAT Police or lawyers. Clay Smith’s day job is in the 401k business. His shooting background started young with his father who was a competitive trap shooter for most of his life, around the age of 18 he picked up an interest in handguns, and other firearms of a "defensive" which eventually led him into pistol competition sports including IDPA and USPSA and led him to seek out professional training. Clay began attending TDI in 1997 and began instructing there in 2003. Clay has also attended NRA Instructor Certification, Glock Armorer's Certification, training from Tactical Response in Tennessee, and Bob Vogel, and will also be attending the Roger's Shooting School in Georgia this year. Clay still shoots in competition at the local level when his schedule permits.


Two other instructors mentoring me while there were John Motil and Forest Sonewald. John is a retired Air Force Master Sergeant and Forset is a twenty year veteran of his police department in Northern Ohio and has served as their firearms instructor and as a SWAT team member. He's been teaching at TDI for around six years.

That is not even the entire list of instructors that were there during Pistols II and III, if you’ve ever felt that the staff at a shooting class was spread too thin and if you’ve ever been shooting well enough not to warrant the attention of an instructor as others need more help, you will NOT feel that way at TDI as there were 12 instructors in all including John Benner. With a class of around 24 you get a 2 : 1 Student to Instructor ratio which in this industry is outstanding! Not only will you get time with an instructor, you get time with 11 or 12 different instructors, that’s a lot of viewpoints that look at different things and give different feedback on your performance. When you look at the cost of training classes TDI is not that expensive and it is money well spent as you will get time with an instructor regardless of how well you’re doing and as outlined above the instructors are top notch.

Now we’re going talk about the class.

Really Digging the HK45...

After my trip to TDI I told myself I was going to not be as serious about competing in IDPA and not rush so much to get through the stages. I placed 4th overall in our June 5th match, 2nd place in CDP, and for the first time, match most accurate with 11pts down.  I've been division most accurate a time or three, but never the whole dang thing.

I've made some mods to the HK45, it is now a Variant 9/10, which means that is is no longer equipped with the decocker, a Variant 5/6 detent plate is what is needed to make the change, and can be ordered from HKParts.net. I also managed to snag a USP Compact ambi safety and was able to mate it to the HK45 with a little patience and an Exacto knife.

The gun now agrees with me all the more better as previously I was mashing down on the safety lever too much and would start to decock the gun and every now and then I'd fully decock it and I could feel the muzzle dip. The ambi safety is purely for IDPA and classes where we work off-hand shooting quite a lot. Some don't like it, some could take it or leave it, but I'm starting to prefer them.

Here's the HK45 wearing the USPc ambi safety.

And here are two pictures from a target @ TDI, range was only about 5 yards or so, but the drill was shooting one round free-style, one round strong-hand only, one round weak hand only, repeat for one magazine and it was right after I got done at the Live Fire House and was still a little amped up.  The goal is to have one hole. I need a little work, but over all I was pretty happy with the results of the second attempt. Both pictures are are 10 shot groups.

HK45-TDI-Accuracy Drill-1-10 shot group (inset @ bottom right is of actual target)

HK45-TDI-Accuracy Drill 2-10 shot group (Inset @ upper left is of actual target)

I'm finding I don't mind the factory sights as much as I though I would, but I need to replace at least the rear as I just can't stand the rear dots.


The after action review of TDIs Pistol II and III classes is almost done, I've never had a review take this long to write but it's been a hectic couple of weeks.

I spent the one weekend @ TDI, the following weekend was spent at the NRA PPOTH-I Course, and then Fri, Sat, & Sun of Memorial Day weekend I found myself at a NRA Training Counselor Workshop and am currently awaiting the paperwork to clear and be appointed and NRA Training Counselor....add into that IDPA, work, and being a dad & husband and it makes for a busy time.

Hopefully I will get the TDI review done Friday evening after setting up the classroom for Saturday's Iowa Defensive Pistol Class

Back From TDI...

Returned home from TDI later than I planned last night, will be reviewing notes and doing a little follow up work with a couple of the instructors prior to writing up the AAR for the class.

For now all I can say is that if you've ever thought about having to clear a room and what it entails, you need to go to TDI's Pistols II & III. The price(s) are exceptionally reasonable for the quality of training obtained, the instructor to student ratio is outstanding and the facility is superb.


Look for the full review in the next couple of days.

Oh, the HK45 and I performed very well, just shy of 1200rds down range, zero failures and great performance.

As Promised: TDI Defensive Knife After Action Review

As promised in Tactical Defense Institute Review Primer (See link for video) here is my wife's review of the course.

I have wanted to take a knife class for years. Just like I wanted to get quality gun training when I chose to start carrying a firearm for self-defense, it was a natural progression of my training to want quality knife training when I chose to carry a knife.
   
Through a series of force-on-force (FOF) scenarios and some research and careful thought I had chosen the Tactical Defense Institute (TDI) Law Enforcement knife made by Ka-Bar as the edged companion to my firearm for every-day carry. When I brought it home and showed my husband my newest acquisition he informed me that TDI was actually a training facility in Ohio that did defensive knife classes. I immediately became interested. After all, it made sense to take a class from the people who designed the knife I chose to carry.
   
It took another two plus years before I would be in a position, financially and logistically, to take a knife class and after hearing many wonderful things about TDI I finally signed up for their two day Defensive Knife class that took place on December fourth and fifth of this year.
   
The confirmation email I received said to bring any and all knives I wanted to train with but that if I had no knife it was not an issue as TDI would have several knives available for trial and plenty of trainers to work with. Even though I didn’t need to take my TDI trainer I stuck it, my Cold Steel Ti-Lite and my Ka-Bar TDI Law Enforcement knife in my suitcase and drove to southern Ohio for my class.
   
A look at the TDI website gives you a run down of the facility with multiple ranges, classrooms, force-on-force houses and everything else a defensive student could ask for.
   
In anticipation of getting lost (as I usually do) I left my hotel an hour and a half early to make what was reported to me to be only a half-hour long trip. The directions were not hard to follow and even though I arrived to class an hour early there was already instructors there with heaters cranked setting out equipment for the class.
   
The classroom was clean and neat with comfortable chairs, clean tables, a small kitchenette, two bathrooms, a case to display TDI products for sale, a large television and (blessedly) two heaters to combat the Ohio cold that had swept in for the weekend.
   
They weren’t kidding when they said they had plenty of knives and trainers. The table at the front of the class was covered with trainer knives and live knives that could be borrowed by students.
   
As the rest of the students arrived we mingled and got to know each other and it wasn’t a surprised to find that I would be the only woman in the class. I was delighted to find out that John Benner, the designer of the TDI knife, would be an assistant instructor for the class as I was eager to meet him after our wonderful chat on the phone when I had called to sign up for the class. When our head instructor, Greg Ellifritz, arrived with plenty of time to spare we all settled in, some finished paying for their class and it was time to start.
   
There was a ratio of three instructors for twelve students (I believe), which made for a very safe environment. With any kind of class featuring weapons safety is a main concern and when you have twelve people with knives working them and trying things they’ve never tried before it’s nice to know there’s more than one set of eyes making sure everyone is being responsible and safe. Two instructors walked around the perimeter of the class checking for safety and giving tips when needed as Greg taught. Even when we sparred or did our force-on-force there was someone there to check our pockets and waistbands to ensure we didn’t forget to remove any live weapons (which I had forgotten to do after lunch on the second day and the instructor caught it (thank goodness)). That, along with the continued safety reminders, made me feel very comfortable that no one was going to end up with a knife buried in their belly or their fingers chopped off.

Tactical Defense Institute Review Primer

My wife is on her way back from the Tactical Defense Institute (TDI) in Ohio and will be writing up review on their Defensive Knife class. In the meantime we can watch this clip from a force on force (FoF) scenario.

Disclaimer: When you have allowed your brain to be convinced the attack is real (which is the point of these exercises) you will say and do things that will later make you blush. Just saying