PMCI MARCH 2019

way people fight is forever changing and it is up to you to meet
these changes and make a difference. Many lessons are learned
through history, and it is this type of study that enables us to push
forward and develop new skills to make things both easier, and
manageable, for the warrior that has to face the enemy.
Hitting a few training courses won’t cut it here. I’ve found
myself, a few times, in a sticky situation when my training has,
thankfully, taken over; however, there have been times when the
status quo has changed and I’ve had to start thinking for myself
rather than have my training think for me.
Take time to throw a spanner in the works when it comes
to training. Don’t just rely on skills and drills that other people
have invented. Think outside the box, use unorthodox positions
and thinking and improvise adapt and overcome any and all
possibilities should you ever find yourself in a firefight.
Research recent history of battles and skirmishes, find out
what has worked and what has failed during tactical situations
and learn from these. It’s not only firepower that you should
be researching. There has been a dramatic change in medical
procedures on the battlefield too. If you aren’t already qualified
then I strongly recommend that you put yourself forward and
sign up to a CMT course. Unfortunately, sometimes we have to
take lives in our line of work but our ultimate goal is to preserve
life, so qualifying as a CMT is just as important as learning how to
protect others with a firearm.
RANGE TIME
I live my life day to day with the late great Geoff Cooper in my
back pocket. His treat awareness pyramid has been with me
a long time and I find myself constantly looking, searching,
expecting things to happen. This is now something that I can’t
shake. It’s a part of my life. What I can’t do all the time is shoot.
This is where range time plays a massive part in our success
as a private contractor. It’s not always possible to hit the range,
time, finance, and travel, but there are other alternatives. Home
training is a great way forward. There are many aids to training
that you can accommodate. SIRT and Dry Fire Training Cards along
with the MantisX Firearms Training System have been a godsend
to me in the past. Even rubber training guns such as the ASP
brand have paid for themselves many times over.
Range time is also a good way of getting your kit admin
sorted out too. Train on the range with the kit you intend to use
at work. This can give you a great idea as to what works and what
needs to be sorted out before deployment. I just hate it when it
all kicks off and you realise “if only I had put this there and added
this to that, it would have made things a lot easier”. Too late on
the two way range. Range time is not only for keeping your hand
in with a firearm, it’s also time to experiment and work out how
to make things simple.
TEAM TRAINING
Every second I got to train, I did. Mostly it was on my own. A few
minutes here, an hour there, soon got me up to speed with what
I needed to know and do. It’s also important to train as a group,
especially if you are new to a team or someone else joins you.
Team training sessions are the time to iron out differences and
make sure that you are all singing from the same song sheet.
Don’t you just hate it when you give an order and the reply
comes back as “What?” instead of “Roger That”. Getting to know
your teammates is a vital part to mission success. One of the best
ways to get to know your teammates is to study them in a social
environment. You can get to know what the person is like not
just the Warrior. How they react to other situations other than in
a high stress environment.
I once had to spend several hours in a car with a colleague
that was very arrogant when we were moving but became very
irritated and jittery when we stopped at VCP’s and gas stops. All
talk and no action. Not what you want on a long trip. If I had
known how painful the journey was going to be I would have
ridden in another vehicle.
SKILLS & DRILLS
QUALIFIERS
Rangetime for me has always been fun. I know for some people
it can be laborious and a pain in the ass, but I have always found
it to be a challenge and a chance to not only push the boundaries
of my shooting but enhance my skill set. One way I have found
that helps my Firearms skills development is to shoot qualification
shoots from such agencies as F.B.I. C.I.A and A.T.F. to name but a
few. These standards have been set to enable respective agents
to meet the high level of skill excepted of them. It’s also a good
way to measure your own personal development.
Take time out of your day to push yourself harder,
not only physically but mentally too. Remember, work
hard fight easy.
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