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Old June 22, 2002, 12:03 PM   #1
Gomez
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Join Date: May 26, 2002
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What Do You Think About This?

The following is from Skip G., the guy behind the National Tactical Invitational. Do any of you participate in anything like this? Do you think this would be a worhtwhile endeaver?

Gomez

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STUDY GROUPS

Study is a zealous assiduous application of the mind to the acquisition of knowledge and skill. It is accomplished by training, reading, research, practice, detailed examination and analysis, and considered reflection. It is a personal journey that benefits from some amount of group work.

The advantage of a study group is the available talent, knowledge and skills spectrum. Each member can and should contribute. A tactical and survival studies group should be formed around a study director. The director should have a good founding in tactical training. He should have life experience that permits regular practice of environmental awareness, situational analysis and confrontational analysis. He should also be able to spot the special talents that others bring to the group. Police are not the only people who learn awareness and survival skills. The soft drink delivery route driver who works in very bad section has learned to recognize subtle clues that warn of impending danger. The director should be able to spot that special knowledge in the group and develop it. Both the group and the director must keep in mind that he functions as a director of studies - not a dictator and certainly not as a guru.

PRACTICAL EXERCISE

Each session of the study group should examine a limited defined subject. It should teach a specific lesson. The structure of the lesson is a three step process.

SPECIFIC SKILLS DRILL

The specific skill to be studied in a session must be well defined. A live fire s tage should be constructed to allow the tactician to demonstrate that he can perform that skill upon specific and immediate direction. This step establishes that the tactician knows the skill at a level of directed conscious competence.

TACTICAL SIMULATIONS - LIVE FIRE

The second step in the process examines the tactician's skills repertoire of undirected conscious competence. Develop a scenario that encourages the tactician to apply the defined skill by recognizing its need in an environment and its prompt application. The scenario is live fire, and should use reactive target systems.

TACTICAL SIMULATION - FORCE ON FORCE

The third component of the session involves tightly scripted role playing. No person who steps into this part of the study hall can have a weapon or weapon component on his person. The role players must be disciplined and tightly scripted. This secti on is not a game - and can not be used as a "gotcha". The tactician must be given a real opportunity to apply the skill that is being studied. The goal of this step is to allow the tactician to develop unconscious competence at the skill. A tactician can demonstrate that he is able to recognize the need of the skill and implement it in a dynamic interactive environment.

EXAMINATION, REFLECTION, ANALYSIS

Video tape tacticians as they proceed through the stages. An important part of the study session is an immediate group review of the individual performances. Individual and collective reflection and analysis will help imbed the studied skill in each of the group members.

FOR EXAMPLE

A study group lesson might involve immediate and explosive seeking available cover. Detailed study of incidents and conversations with violent criminals reveals that (1) anything can stop a handgun round and (2) your reaction to a threat must be immediate and explosive.

Set up the skill drill with IPSC targets. Have the tactician start at hand shake distance from the target. Place items of available cover in the environment. Indicate a threat. Have the tactician seek cover and engage the target. Keep the time very tight - three seconds. The purpose of the tight times is to replicate real world times, and reinforce the concept of explosiveness. Score the targets as neutralized using Rick Millers Paladin System.

Next, set up a scenario. Use 3-D reactive targets. (Delta / Redl or contact A.T.S.A.) If you have nothing else, try pepper poppers covered with Killer Ken by Simulaids. Set the target array so that as the tactician locates them he must immediately find and use cover.

Finally, set up a similar scenario using role players who have been scripted on the lesson goal. Detail search a study hall and all people in it. Remove all weapons, ammo, or their components. Anyone who steps out of the secured area is researched. Use Red Gun training weapons or paint ball guns. Allow a scripted dynamic interaction between the role players and the tactician. Record the tacticians reaction to the presented threat.

COMMUNICATE

Talk with other study groups. The Internet allows easy communication of information and lesson strategy. A.T.S.A. will list your group on our Web site so that others can find you.

Study hard, then test yourself. Come to the N.T.I.
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Old June 23, 2002, 12:39 PM   #2
Gomez
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GEEEEEZZZZ!!!!!!

I've posted this info in at least four different places and gotten almost no response. Been viewed several hundred times, but less than 10 responses.

I think this is a pretty solid structure for people to build their skills around. I realize that this sort of thing isn't really feasible for training organizations [cost would have to be kept low so that people can afford to participate on a monthly basis, and the amount of time and energy required to develop and run such a group would not be inconsiderable.] But for a group of training partners, this would seem to be a really good thing.

Am I way off base here, or what?
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--Kruger & Dunning
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Old June 23, 2002, 01:15 PM   #3
trapshooter
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Well, yeah, it's a good basis for training, in the sense you mean. I think the reason not too many have responded is because if something like this took off, pretty soon you might as well just send the minutes/results to the FBI and ATF, given the current climate. That's assuming some of the participants weren't members of those orgs. I don't think I'm being paranoid. If I was head of the nearest 'anti-terror' TF, I'd probably check in, just to see what was up, and who was taking part.

Before I get flamed, think about it. You have followed some folks for some time, and they go to one of these 'study groups'. SOP is check out the group, to see how many people show up that you were already interested in, if any, etc., etc.

Plus, there are several orgs that do this already, in one form or another, and believe me when I say that a ton of current LEO's attend, mostly for thier own edification and personal skill improvement, but possibly incidental to a potential investigation.

Besides, taken without the exercises, TFL is a 'study-group', in it's own way.

(edit for sp)
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Old June 23, 2002, 09:37 PM   #4
Gomez
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I hate to break it to you, but we are all part of a DSM [Deviant Social Movement]. If you are aware of training that"a ton of current LEO's attend, mostly for thier own edification and personal skill improvement, but possibly incidental to a potential investigation.", you must have a vastly different breed of cop in your neck of the woods. The number of cops who persue training on their own is infintesimal in my experience. As a matter of fact, I've been told that I am the "exception to the exception to the rule" being a cop who aggressively persues training.

By extension of your arguement, we should never take professional training because the gov't may be watching.
And we should never exercise free speech because the gov't could be listening.

I just can't buy that line of reasoning, sorry.
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