Do you Train for Reality?

[KevinB]

So I went shooting with Todd and a few others yesterday.

I have had a few moments of clarity in the past few weeks. Because I learned to shoot in the Canadian Army, and all my training for years was geared to full duty gear, when I retired and was contracting - my training regime stayed the same.

1) After being retired for 9 years and out of security contracting for 5 years -- why am I still training/shooting in a Battle Belt and Vest/Plates? For some courses with work its a necessity - but stuff on my own makes about as much sense as selling ice in Antarctica...

2) I totally suck in draws and reloads from concealment.

Now looking at reality - I carry concealed pretty much 100% of the time unless I need to go into DC or MD for business.
My biggest concern is out with the family and an active shooter scenario occurs - so I probably thus should be training for draws from concealment.

I think Todd is renaming my rendition of the FAST drill as the SLOW - as he could have gone for coffee before I was done, admittedly I could have sped up a lot if the accuracy and/or concealment aspect was ignored.

So am I the only has been out there than has not made the transition to realistic training requirements?

[Dagga Boy]

Some of our best students are the military guys who are getting out and are trying to now shift their focus to individual use of force as a regular person living daily life in the US. It is a very different world. "Reality" is an ever changing thing throughout our lives. I was lucky that the transition from L/E to fat retired nobody was made easier by all the years of very dedicated off duty and undercover carry as well as domestic "contracting" that was all VERY low profile. Still, adjustments have been made and we should always be assessing what works in our own world.

[ToddG]

Here's the wilder question: why do guys who've NEVER been in the military, tactical LE job, or overseas armed contractor role have battle rigs and take them to classes instead of EDC gear?

The important thing in your case is that your fundamentals are solid. Tweaking techniques for soft gear won't take much time.

[Shellback]

I think it depends on what outcome you're seeking from training. I think some guys really like going out, wearing their battle gear, having fun, and shooting with a bunch of other like minded people. I think other people have a definite outcome they're pursuing. My sole motivation in training is to learn how to more effectively defend myself and my family should the need ever arise. In my opinion the best way to do that is to practice with what you would normally be sporting in your everyday life or profession.

I prefer to use my everyday CCW set up and regular street clothes for classes. For some high round classes, lots of draws, etc. it isn't nearly as convenient as running an OWB type holster, gun belt and various other doodads but it's definitely closer to my everyday reality. I run AIWB, draw from concealment, and rarely do I see people in classes who go that same route. This picture was taken at a PFC pistol class here in Vegas. 2 of the guys were police, utilizing their duty equipment, but everyone else was Joe Citizen as far as I know after introductions and chatting. I'm the only goof who forgot his khaki contractor pants and wore a flannel and jeans.

[IMG][/IMG]

[Chuck Haggard]

I go so far as to mix my gear in competition. Lately I use my duty gear at our local USPSA matches, shoot from my concealed carry gear at the IDPA matches.

I used to just train and compete from my duty gear, or my SWAT gear, but I realized that I am often in my off-duty gear as much or more.

I do note that many course are not really conducive to running your gun from something like a Summer Special under a T-shirt.

[LittleLebowski]

I've been shooting pistol and carbine classes in everyday clothing with all gear on my belt that holds up my pants since I got out of the Corps. Just makes sense and adds a challenge in of itself in not being able to hang tons of stuff on a "war" belt that you only use for classes.

Note the contrast

[abu fitna]

Here's the wilder question: why do guys who've NEVER been in the military, tactical LE job, or overseas armed contractor role have battle rigs and take them to classes instead of EDC gear?.

i have seen quite a few folks over the years as contracting changed from the 90's tracksuits or third world surplus gear with the markings cut out to civvy outdoor gear in the noughties, and now the purpose built high speed low drag design ethos that the cool kids are trying to copy. The impulse towards gear choice comes from the fact that most commercial clothing often tends to fail badly when running around doing the things we do as students of the gun.

After a couple times having something come apart at the wrong time, or getting frustrated at the workarounds that are shortcut by a piece of gear, many newer shooters will buy what they see other guys wearing even if they only use it in class.

Doesn't help their disconnect from how they will actually have to fight when it comes down to it anywhere short of widespread domestic disorder. But it takes a lot more experience and focus on performance factors to pick good edc gear from normal retail channels. And there isn't a lot of support for new folks that need to learn, while there are a dozen tacticool blogs marketing all the new shiny.

Even in the contractor world, the marketing thing can make life hard. It is always tempting to buy one more thing that might help, and slowly the baseline for signature and attrib slips as group dynamics play out.

Let's face it - most guys don't want to talk about clothing, and hate shopping. Having an answer handed to them is the easier thing, and if that triggers the tool user and honer instinct it is difficult to resist. It requires deliberate discussion and support to break a new guy out of it, and even then a new PC can be a guilty pleasure.

It is tough to have those kinds of conversations. Most guys - whether in the business or not - aren't natively the kind of hipster or metro sexual that has ever cared enough about what they wear and how that clothing is built to function. And even when you do talk about it, actually sorting gear out in size and profile for any given person and place is a real challenge. Sometimes, even the otherwise switched on guys will say kitten it and grab the battle rattle for class.

[Tamara]

Here's the wilder question: why do guys who've NEVER been in the military, tactical LE job, or overseas armed contractor role have battle rigs and take them to classes instead of EDC gear?

This I do not get.

I'll note one possible exception: Depending on where the course is being held and how the trainer runs his line, some way of having several mags on or about your person so that you don't have to go jogging back to the rear every five minutes might not be a bad idea, but I know that in the limited amount of long gun school I've been to, I've been running reloads with of the magazine in my left hip pocket, because that's where it's 99% likely to be should I ever be grabbing up the house gun in real life.

(I chickened out of rocking my big fluffy red bathrobe on TD3 of Awerbuck's class, although Louis was totally hip with the idea. August in Indiana is just not friendly to terrycloth overgarments...)

[GJM]

Here's the wilder question: why do guys who've NEVER been in the military, tactical LE job, or overseas armed contractor role have battle rigs and take them to classes instead of EDC gear?

You obviously know the answer -- little boys like to play army, and big boys, too.

Ever been to a Pat Rogers class ... in a t shirt?

I will say that in most of Alaska and occasionally in parts of the intermountain west, it is common to see people wearing exposed firearms, and nobody really cares how you carry your exposed firearm. A Safariland drop holster works quite well when hunting with a pack on, but even then, a battle rig would look major dorky.

[ToddG]

G -- To me, at least, that's 180 out from the issue here. If someone ACTUALLY WEARS THAT GEAR every day or even some reasonable amount of time, then it's his REAL GEAR. I'd never make fun of you for practicing with your hiking setup. But if I showed up with the same gear, knowing I'll never hike within 50mi of a bear...