maliciouslogistics
Plinker
I attended the Mindset Laboratory Firearm Combatives & Retention class on November 18, 2012. I had previously taken the Mindset Lab Intro to Force on Force and thought this course might be a good follow-up. This type of training is rare and I found it to be unique, and the techniques were well thought out and were presented very well. There were four students in the class including me. Shay led the class and Andy assisted in the FIST suit.
The course began promptly at 0900 at a warehouse near downtown Indianapolis. We started with a round of introductions and a short lecture and discussion about the purpose of the course and the mission of Mindset Lab. The course does not use live ammo or weapons so we disarmed, patted down and went to Pleasantville (kind of like a Hogan's ally inside of a warehouse).
We spent quite a while working on two pistol strike techniques and practiced that with pads. We learned how to defend ourselves as best as possible while striking an adversary in the chest and head with the two different techniques.
We learned three techniques for regaining control of the pistol if an adversary has a hold on it. These techniques were practiced repeatedly with a partner while Shay coached everyone. This foundational part of the course took some time and everyone practiced until the techniques were performed correctly.
We took a lunch onsite and had a fun discussion about gun forums like INGO.
We started right back up at 1300 and worked on retention from the holster. This was revealing. One of the most popular methods for in the holster retention seems to fail most of the time (a few of us tried this for kicks). Shay taught us the "Monkey Fist" technique which sounds like something should be marked NSFW but is putting the adversary's arm in a lock to prevent them from being able to pull the gun out and use it against you. None of us had trouble making this work except for one person with an appendix holster so Shay pointed out some ways to improve the technique in that situation.
We spent a short time working on rifle combatives and retention. We discussed sling issues and we practiced muzzle strikes, stance and taking advancing offensive steps during a fight.
The final exam for the class is two rounds of retention and combat with an opponent in a FIST suit. This part was much more challenging than I thought it would be. I run regularly and feel like I'm pretty fit but after a full minute of bashing Shay with a pistol, I was panting and had to sit down to catch my breath. I was really slowing down at the end of the one minute fight. I have some scrapes and a nice bruise on my hand but no real problems.
Here are a few things that I really liked:
-This is unique training that I don't think is offered by anyone else
-The training involved a limited number of techniques that are the most likely to work and we were able to become proficient with them in one day
-FIST suit fights were awesome and really revealed a lot about myself and my abilities
I would not hesitate to recommend this class. It is cheap, I didn't have to get on a plane to attend and it is taught by a professional instructor who teaches things that are genuinely useful. We talked a bit about how many courses will teach commando-type fantasy training because people like that. I think that would be a lot fun but it is not a replacement for training for the situations that are most likely to occur in our day to day lives.
I came away from force on force with a very bruised ego and I felt stupid and kind of helpless. Not so this time.
I gave it everything I had. I never gave up.
And I will never stop trying to improve myself.
The course began promptly at 0900 at a warehouse near downtown Indianapolis. We started with a round of introductions and a short lecture and discussion about the purpose of the course and the mission of Mindset Lab. The course does not use live ammo or weapons so we disarmed, patted down and went to Pleasantville (kind of like a Hogan's ally inside of a warehouse).
We spent quite a while working on two pistol strike techniques and practiced that with pads. We learned how to defend ourselves as best as possible while striking an adversary in the chest and head with the two different techniques.
We learned three techniques for regaining control of the pistol if an adversary has a hold on it. These techniques were practiced repeatedly with a partner while Shay coached everyone. This foundational part of the course took some time and everyone practiced until the techniques were performed correctly.
We took a lunch onsite and had a fun discussion about gun forums like INGO.
We started right back up at 1300 and worked on retention from the holster. This was revealing. One of the most popular methods for in the holster retention seems to fail most of the time (a few of us tried this for kicks). Shay taught us the "Monkey Fist" technique which sounds like something should be marked NSFW but is putting the adversary's arm in a lock to prevent them from being able to pull the gun out and use it against you. None of us had trouble making this work except for one person with an appendix holster so Shay pointed out some ways to improve the technique in that situation.
We spent a short time working on rifle combatives and retention. We discussed sling issues and we practiced muzzle strikes, stance and taking advancing offensive steps during a fight.
The final exam for the class is two rounds of retention and combat with an opponent in a FIST suit. This part was much more challenging than I thought it would be. I run regularly and feel like I'm pretty fit but after a full minute of bashing Shay with a pistol, I was panting and had to sit down to catch my breath. I was really slowing down at the end of the one minute fight. I have some scrapes and a nice bruise on my hand but no real problems.
Here are a few things that I really liked:
-This is unique training that I don't think is offered by anyone else
-The training involved a limited number of techniques that are the most likely to work and we were able to become proficient with them in one day
-FIST suit fights were awesome and really revealed a lot about myself and my abilities
I would not hesitate to recommend this class. It is cheap, I didn't have to get on a plane to attend and it is taught by a professional instructor who teaches things that are genuinely useful. We talked a bit about how many courses will teach commando-type fantasy training because people like that. I think that would be a lot fun but it is not a replacement for training for the situations that are most likely to occur in our day to day lives.
I came away from force on force with a very bruised ego and I felt stupid and kind of helpless. Not so this time.
I gave it everything I had. I never gave up.
And I will never stop trying to improve myself.
