The Bulletproof Mind: Tactical Mindset for Armed Citizens

[goColt]

Is anyone going to the The Bulletproof Mind: Tactical Mindset for Armed Citizens seminar featuring Lt. Col. Dave Grossman (On Killing, On Combat, etc.) in Columbus, OH this weekend?

I am looking forward to it. I am meeting my brother who is also attending and lives in Columbus.

 

[goColt]

Well, I attended Lt. Col. Dave Grossman's: Bulletproof your mind! seminar yesterday.

It was fantastic. I cannot describe what a terrific experience it was. I can honestly say: It was life-changing.

Colonel Grossman is not only an authority on the study of killing (what to do before, during and after), a term he calls Killology but he is also a dynamic speaker.

His qualifications are impressive on their own:
- A former Airborne Ranger infantry officer and paratrooper
- Over 23 years experience in leading U.S. soldiers worldwide.
- He is on the road almost 300 days a year, training elite military and law enforcement organizations worldwide about the reality of combat.
- A West Point psychology professor, Professor of Military Science.
- [FONT=Verdana, Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif]His book On Killing(which I am currently reading) was nominated for a Pulitzer Prize; has been translated into Japanese, Korean, and German; is on the U.S. Marine Corps Commandant's required reading list; and is required reading at the FBI academy and numerous other academies and colleges.[/FONT]
- Read his Bio here.

During the seminar, he confirmed several things that I already knew but there was a huge amount of information that I have not heard anywhere else, or at least not from the same perceptive or the same context that he put it in. I am still processing it all.

The seminar is really too complex, diverse and vast to cover in any forum posting, but some of the things I will not forget:
- Denial is useless: It is the enemy. It kills once physically (the victim/victims) and once psychologically (the survivor/survivors). Chew it up and spit it out. It has no value. You need the Warrior Spirit.
- There are 3 types of people:

1) Sheep (98% of people)
2) Wolves (1% of people)
3) Sheep Dogs (1% of people). Guess which one you need to be. Only a predator can hunt and kill a predator.
​

- **** on golf: Have a hobby that helps your survivability. Of course shooting (especially defensive and competition) is the best but martial arts, hiking, running, cycling, etc. are all good as well.
- Don't worry so much about the bad guy who is RED with rage; worry about the one who is WHITE with rage...there is no rational thought going on in this guys mind. He is the most dangerous.
- They are coming to kill our children. This is something he very much stressed and his descriptions of what has been done in other countries is the most disturbing part of the seminar, especially for a father and husband such as myself. 9/11, Beslan, Ma'Alot, etc...they are all warning shots. The latest al Qaeda charter states that “children are noble targets” and Osama bin Laden himself has said that “Russia is a preview for what we will do to America.”
- Control Your Puppy: When confronted with a threat, you need to control your fear and fall back on your training. Put a leash on that puppy. This helps with any Post Traumatic Stress Disorder as well.
- Never give up, even when you are mortally wounded. With proper training of both body and the mind, you can over-come any wound, even a fatal one. And with today's medical technology, if you don't give up, that fatal wound may not be so fatal after all.
- He ended his seminar on killing with the subject of Love (love of family, love of friend and love of neighbor). The love a Sheep Dog has for the sheep. This is what separates the Sheep Dog from the Wolf. Something I never thought of.

Check out his website www.killology.com and his Facebook page You can sign up for his Sheep Dog tip of the day).

He also has several books that are available, including on Amazon.


I am so impressed by Colonel Grossman and his seminar I want to attend another one and want all of you to as well. So, I want to work to bring him to Central Indiana (I think he was in Indiana once a few years ago). I am going to contact Colonel Grossman as well as Buckeye Firearms Association and check to see what needs to be done to get him here. If you are interested DOING SOME WORK to bring Colonel Grossman to Central Indiana, PM me and we can work to make it happen.

 

[shooter1054]

Very interesting Chris. I look forward to hearing/seeing how this will be integrated into your classes. On a side note, I am still looking into gaining certification. The only class I've found is on a weekend I'm out of town.

 

[Soonerdoggy]

Yea Grossman is very interesting. You need his other books also.

Both www.CampbellPersonalDefense.com in Richmond, IN and Madduck TTC in West Elkton, Ohio are expressly authorized to teach Grossman's Bulletproof mind concepts.

 

[JollyGreen]

Sounds like something I would be very interested in going too.

 

[goColt]

Very interesting Chris. I look forward to hearing/seeing how this will be integrated into your classes. On a side note, I am still looking into gaining certification. The only class I've found is on a weekend I'm out of town.

Oh yeah. I definitely plan on using some of his ideas in my class. Which is another great thing about him. He said that anyone who wants to use his material is welcome to.

A couple other things I wanted to mention that I came away with:

- Train well, train often. I plan on taking this to heart myself and sign up for as much as I can afford. I also plan on getting certified in as many disciplines as I can so I can teach other NRA as well as other courses to help others with their training as well. As I have said before, this is what I am passionate about.

- He gave many statistics (74% I think) of cops/soldiers that are involved in violent confrontations often cannot recall about 25% of what happened. This often includes when and how they fired their firearm. Which means it was their training that they relied upon and not conscious thought.

- The USA (and Israel) has a three level, overlapping defense against threats, foreign and domestic:
1. The US military.
2. Law Enforcement.
3. Armed citizens. This is an invaluable asset and this right must be defended not only by the citizens but by the military and law enforcement.

It was cool to hear him say this as he walked around with a 1911 on his hip as he presented his seminar.

 

[Mike_Indy]

I'd like to, but I'll be out of town. I would like to attend one in the future. I tried last year in this area, but it was LEO only.

 

[the1kidd03]

The book and what he teaches does sound like some interesting reading. I will probably put it on my read list....plus being on the required reading list will give me some extra points.....but a number of the things you've mentioned is just common military (at least in the Corps) training/knowledge .....the "warrior spirit", the "train well/often" attitude...it's practically our "2nd motto".....we referred to it as "train HARD so combat seems easy"...an excuse/reason to put long hard hours into the field/range/training.................

but all together does seem like a book I'd like to read....I can justify it's cost more so than the classes......personally, a similar frame of mind is how I feel about most "trainers" I see in the civilian market.....I don't put much faith into instructors who advertise "NRA certified".....IMO this is a hidden way of saying "I don't have real world/combat experience, but I payed these guys to give me a weekend class/credential"....simply because anyone without any experience can pay a couple hundred bucks, take a class, and get "certified".... and a majority of military members I've known feel the same way.....not to bash the NRA or anything, but they are geared towards teaching civilian based basics...so if training is your passion I would suggest seeking far more in depth/serious training courses/credentials than the NRA....it'll make you MUCH more marketable IMO....especially to prior military who believe in "maintaining combat readiness"...which is many Marines.........or at least offer something nobody else does...the ability for skeptical students to attend your lessons without paying or participating to see if they think they might learn something different...in which case they can pay and reattend........majority of the classes locally I have had no interest in paying money to attend because they do not seem to offer anything I haven't already had extensive training in(at least by reading about their courses, viewing photos/videos, hearing reviews)

lol, my favorite is "self defense" instructors with an excessive pot belly and who are otherwise OBVIOUSLY out of shape...trying to teach people how to defend themselves ...as an instructor you must set the example and survivability in a conflict is going to have a huge contributing factor from one's physical endurance....i.e. if you get winded from some basic grappling/boxing fluid movement practices...chances are you're gonna get hurt in a real situation...not somebody I would want teaching anyone I care about

another thing to consider in training in regards to the "red/white rage" aspect...is that you don't know who you're dealing with...if he has something like antisocial personality disorder (ASPD) then he will present a reckless disregard for safety of himself or anyone else and does NOT feel remorse......this means he doesn't suffer from typical emotions....and can very calmly walk up to you and stab you, while feeling as though he is COMPLETELY justified in doing so (in his mind) and won't feel bad for doing it at any point in time....this is more common than some think because not everyone realize it is a disorder and don't get diagnosed.... it can be dangerous to have an opponent who doesn't feel fear and doesn't display "rage"...so you would never suspect anything before it's too late

 

[indianajoe]

- He ended his seminar on killing with the subject of Love (love of family, love of friend and love of neighbor). The love a Sheep Dog has for the sheep. This is what separates the Sheep Dog from the Wolf. Something I never thought of.

Thanks for the summary, Chris. The quote above made me think of another:

"I do not love the bright sword for its sharpness, nor the arrow for its swiftness, nor the warrior for his glory. I love only that which they defend."

J.R.R. Tolkien

 

[the1kidd03]

is that the same guy that made the "Lord of the Rings" saga??? lol

 

[Bill of Rights]

is that the same guy that made the "Lord of the Rings" saga??? lol

Yes.

 

[jeremy]

The book and what he teaches does sound like some interesting reading. I will probably put it on my read list....plus being on the required reading list will give me some extra points.....but a number of the things you've mentioned is just common military (at least in the Corps) training/knowledge .....the "warrior spirit", the "train well/often" attitude...it's practically our "2nd motto".....we referred to it as "train HARD so combat seems easy"...an excuse/reason to put long hard hours into the field/range/training.................

but all together does seem like a book I'd like to read....I can justify it's cost more so than the classes......personally, a similar frame of mind is how I feel about most "trainers" I see in the civilian market.....I don't put much faith into instructors who advertise "NRA certified".....IMO this is a hidden way of saying "I don't have real world/combat experience, but I payed these guys to give me a weekend class/credential"....simply because anyone without any experience can pay a couple hundred bucks, take a class, and get "certified".... and a majority of military members I've known feel the same way.....not to bash the NRA or anything, but they are geared towards teaching civilian based basics...so if training is your passion I would suggest seeking far more in depth/serious training courses/credentials than the NRA....it'll make you MUCH more marketable IMO....especially to prior military who believe in "maintaining combat readiness"...which is many Marines.........or at least offer something nobody else does...the ability for skeptical students to attend your lessons without paying or participating to see if they think they might learn something different...in which case they can pay and reattend........majority of the classes locally I have had no interest in paying money to attend because they do not seem to offer anything I haven't already had extensive training in(at least by reading about their courses, viewing photos/videos, hearing reviews)

lol, my favorite is "self defense" instructors with an excessive pot belly and who are otherwise OBVIOUSLY out of shape...trying to teach people how to defend themselves ...as an instructor you must set the example and survivability in a conflict is going to have a huge contributing factor from one's physical endurance....i.e. if you get winded from some basic grappling/boxing fluid movement practices...chances are you're gonna get hurt in a real situation...not somebody I would want teaching anyone I care about

another thing to consider in training in regards to the "red/white rage" aspect...is that you don't know who you're dealing with...if he has something like antisocial personality disorder (ASPD) then he will present a reckless disregard for safety of himself or anyone else and does NOT feel remorse......this means he doesn't suffer from typical emotions....and can very calmly walk up to you and stab you, while feeling as though he is COMPLETELY justified in doing so (in his mind) and won't feel bad for doing it at any point in time....this is more common than some think because not everyone realize it is a disorder and don't get diagnosed.... it can be dangerous to have an opponent who doesn't feel fear and doesn't display "rage"...so you would never suspect anything before it's too late

THIS!!!

 

[goColt]

One other thing that I wanted to mention is that they had a guest speaker who was a sheriff's deputy who took 4 hits from an AR-15 doing incredible amounts of damage to his body from which he is still recovering. That is not the whole story of course. After being struck these 4 times, one of which shattered his femur and caused him to collapse to the ground, he returned fire with his issued .40S&W handgun, hitting his attacker 4 times (I think) and dropping him to the ground. That's still not the whole story...he did this at 67 feet from his attacker!

The shot that finally dropped his attacker was the 16th and final round, leaving his slide locked back and him out of ammo. Due to the extensive damage done to his body, he was not able to get into his truck to get his own rifle.

His advice:
1. Situational awareness probably would have prevented the whole situation.
2. Carry extra mags on your person.
3. Have a bail-out-bag with even more mags/ammo, a medi-kit, etc.

It was really something to see and hear this office re-tell the encounter.


Col Grossman then followed up with another story of a female officer that was responding to a call from a mother who had left her children in the van in her garage while she took groceries into the house where she encountered multiple intruders. When the officer arrived, she went into the garage to get the children. One intruder approached from the front of the vehicle, using it for cover and another approached from the rear, again using the vehicle as cover. They shot the officer 10 times, only three rounds impacted her vest, the other 7 impacted her body. One round disabled her shooting arm and another impacted her pelvis causing her to collapse. She returned fire killing one attacker, did a weak-hand reload and killed the other attacker. When other officers arrived they arrested a third intruder who took off when the others were killed. The following year the officer was married and returned to duty. Truly incredible.

These were just two examples of the Bulletproof Mind that were presented at the seminar. The mental power over the body and training that kicks in regardless of conscious thought.

 

[mercop]

The COL is outstanding. Everyone should try to attend this.- George

 

[goColt]

thekidd03,
I had been thinking of how to respond to what you said. I am not sure if this is the right way or not but we'll see what the outcome is:

The book and what he teaches does sound like some interesting reading. I will probably put it on my read list....plus being on the required reading list will give me some extra points.....

What I have read so far in On Killing (about 1/2) vs. what was presented in the seminar, they are VERY different. There are many common topics but they are by no means the same. I have not read On Combat, so I cannot tell you what it is like yet.

...but a number of the things you've mentioned is just common military (at least in the Corps) training/knowledge .....the "warrior spirit", the "train well/often" attitude...it's practically our "2nd motto".....we referred to it as "train HARD so combat seems easy"...an excuse/reason to put long hard hours into the field/range/training.................

As I said, there was a lot I already knew but the way Col Grossman presents the material is quite unique in my opinion and VERY motivating.

but all together does seem like a book I'd like to read....I can justify it's cost more so than the classes......personally, a similar frame of mind is how I feel about most "trainers" I see in the civilian market.....I don't put much faith into instructors who advertise "NRA certified".....IMO this is a hidden way of saying "I don't have real world/combat experience, but I payed these guys to give me a weekend class/credential"....simply because anyone without any experience can pay a couple hundred bucks, take a class, and get "certified"....not to bash the NRA or anything, but they are geared towards teaching civilian based basics...

I personally do not hide anything when it comes to the courses I offer. As their titles suggests, the NRA courses are BASIC SHOOTING courses. You even said it yourself, "...they are geared towards teaching civilian based basics..." I do not advertise them nor does the NRA as anything but basic, so I think your statement is off-target. I have had many students come to me after a course, shake my hand and thank me for how much they learned. That is what counts, not whether they are tactical killing machines. Also, after the course is complete I tell them to pursue additional training and not just through me.

.....so if training is your passion I would suggest seeking far more in depth/serious training courses/credentials than the NRA....it'll make you MUCH more marketable IMO....especially to prior military who believe in "maintaining combat readiness"...which is many Marines.........

I completely agree. As I said in my OP, this seminar was a life-changing event that opened my eyes and confirmed to me that I need more training personally. Which is something I've known for a while but haven't done a lot about. This seminar gave me something that I was lacking: Initiative and a sense of urgency. I have taken, am taking, and will continue taking steps to begin to advance myself in my knowledge, skill and competency and will put it to good use for my personal well-being as well as in my offerings for training.

...majority of the classes locally I have had no interest in paying money to attend because they do not seem to offer anything I haven't already had extensive training in(at least by reading about their courses, viewing photos/videos, hearing reviews)

This is great to hear. I say that with all sincerity. I hope that you do find ways to learn what you don't already know. Learning/advancing is living...stagnation is death. BTW: Do you share what you know with others?

Anyway, I am moving forward with training, physical conditioning, mental preparedness and anything else that I can to advance myself in the area of building a Bulletproof Mind. I hope to have maybe inspired a few other to do so as well. I do intend to contact Col. Grossman to bring him to Indiana. I hope you will (and many others) attend and I hope you and I will be able to meet and get to know one another.

Sincerely,

Chris

 

[the1kidd03]

thekidd03,
I had been thinking of how to respond to what you said. I am not sure if this is the right way or not but we'll see what the outcome is:



What I have read so far in On Killing (about 1/2) vs. what was presented in the seminar, they are VERY different. There are many common topics but they are by no means the same. I have not read On Combat, so I cannot tell you what it is like yet.



As I said, there was a lot I already knew but the way Col Grossman presents the material is quite unique in my opinion and VERY motivating.



I personally do not hide anything when it comes to the courses I offer. As their titles suggests, the NRA courses are BASIC SHOOTING courses. You even said it yourself, "...they are geared towards teaching civilian based basics..." I do not advertise them nor does the NRA as anything but basic, so I think your statement is off-target. I have had many students come to me after a course, shake my hand and thank me for how much they learned. That is what counts, not whether they are tactical killing machines. Also, after the course is complete I tell them to pursue additional training and not just through me.



I completely agree. As I said in my OP, this seminar was a life-changing event that opened my eyes and confirmed to me that I need more training personally. Which is something I've known for a while but haven't done a lot about. This seminar gave me something that I was lacking: Initiative and a sense of urgency. I have taken, am taking, and will continue taking steps to begin to advance myself in my knowledge, skill and competency and will put it to good use for my personal well-being as well as in my offerings for training.



This is great to hear. I say that with all sincerity. I hope that you do find ways to learn what you don't already know. Learning/advancing is living...stagnation is death. BTW: Do you share what you know with others?

Anyway, I am moving forward with training, physical conditioning, mental preparedness and anything else that I can to advance myself in the area of building a Bulletproof Mind. I hope to have maybe inspired a few other to do so as well. I do intend to contact Col. Grossman to bring him to Indiana. I hope you will (and many others) attend and I hope you and I will be able to meet and get to know one another.

Sincerely,

Chris

the NRA level courses wasn't in reference to you, just see too many civilian trainers try to market their skills off of just those credentials and I just don't feel they are adequate to charge the rates some guys charge...I think learning to protect yourself shouldn't have to break you bank account......

my friend (also prior spec ops) and I regularly train with each other and study various martial arts techniques to develop new techniques, practice old, and just maintain combat readiness...as well as defense weapons of various kinds....we've considered offering classes but we are both recently returned students working on furthering our degrees, and just trying to find time between classes and work is difficult enough.....plus he just signed a new contract and waiting on orders.....but have been approached by several people at the gym inquiring if we offer classes..including some local agencies....just don't have a place to teach or time really.............

whatever training you go for, look for training that's not ALL static and puts you in a bit of an adrenaline situation because you will undoubtedly react far different than you think you would the first few times....and it's an EXCELLENT learning experience.....one demonstration my friend and i like doing for basic handgun defense is showing them the 21' rule at work with a rubber knife.....most (especially the ladies) are amazed at how fast things happen.....

in any case, none of what I said was meant to be an attack at you....just more of a rant wishing there was more relevant training beyond the basics available in the area and a little friendly advise from a potential customer who's more experienced than the average customer....especially on this forum, I know of a couple recent prior service guys who would agree.....although Shay's mindset lab seems like some good classes, more similar to some of what the military trains/teaches if you haven't seen his classes they might be well worth a look...his classes seem to be more of a "non-static" training environment................I just don't wish to pay hundreds of dollars on a class that I've already had such as flashlight combatives or OC spray defense(which SUX btw) ....and It's not really appropriate to ask to sit in on a class IMO

On Killing has been on the reading list for a while....I'm gonna have to check them out....the mentality you speak of that he teaches is a lot of what the corps preaches in its training including martial arts instructor programs in which they call it the "warrior ethos" and a couple other names

 

[the1kidd03]

and the biggest thing you can remember in training...is sort of our motto......"train HARD, so combat seems easy".......meaning basically work hard, break a sweat, practice drawing from a holster in many positions while a friend simulates attacking.....any sort of "crazy" scenario training such as this...is just going to sharpen your skills should you ever be put in the real situation.....when my wife started CC...first thing I taught her was one handed reloading and racking techniques because face it, as a female she is going to have to use another hand to push/fight off an attacker while drawing...at the least................anyways...just don't be afraid to train hard and set up "crazy" scenarios or unknown scenarios...such as an unknown number of rounds in a mag forcing a tactical reload or transition

 

[goColt]

...Madduck TTC in West Elkton, Ohio are expressly authorized to teach Grossman's Bulletproof mind concepts.

I took the NRA's Refuse To Be A Victim course from John "Madduck" and he is the one who put me on the the Colonel's seminar. I can't thank him enough. He is a very interesting guy as well. A great instructor with a lot of experience.

He was at the seminar as well. I think he said this is his 5th or 6th time attending and the Colonel specifically pointed him out during the seminar. That would be a great honor if it happened to me. Maybe one day.