THE PODCAST
Elevating the conversation about all things tactical.
Shivworks ECQC
Earlier this year we had Craig Douglas on the show to talk a little about his expertise in the self-defense world. Craig runs a company called Shivworks, and their flagship course is called Extreme Close Quarters Concepts (ECQC). ECQC specializes in clinched/entangled or “0-5 feet” fights that often involve knives and guns. Jim went to ECQC and tonight we’re talking about his after-action report and lessons learned. Check out why ECQC is one of the best self-defense courses available.
The “Tactical” Personality
A lot of people think that being a “Type-A” has something to do with a hierarchy or “alpha dog,” but it turns out, that’s not it. We break down what Type A really means, and what traits we see in the Tactical type of person. These traits are important to understand, because a little might be good, but a lot can be really bad. They are also good to know from a leadership perspective, because if you work in a community full of “Type-As,” you know that can be, uh, difficult…
Kevin Briggs, The Guardian of the Golden Gate
Kevin Briggs is a retired California Highway Patrol Sergeant who has been called the Guardian of the Golden Gate for his reputation interacting with hundreds of people who wanted to commit suicide by jumping from the bridge. Kevin wrote a book about his experiences and has been featured on several major media outlets. We discuss communication strategies, some considerations to make regarding tactical interventions in a crisis, red flags that someone might kill themselves, things to say to someone in crisis, and 4 things to NOT say to someone who is thinking about killing themselves.
The Final Mission of Extortion 17
Ed Darack is an author and war reporter who has embedded with US forces in Afghanistan and written a couple books about it. Extortion 17 was a US Chinook helicopter that was shot down by a lucky hit by a Taliban fighter with an RPG. 38 US and Afghan personnel and a military working dog were killed in what became the largest single loss of Special Operations personnel in Afghanistan. Just so happens, Jim was deployed at the time of the incident and has personal connections with the story. In the aftermath, several rumors and conspiracy theories surfaced about the incident, and Ed wrote an article and then a book to get the story right and honor the memories of the personnel and crew who were killed that night.
Being Effective At Work
This might sound a little boring, but let’s face it: Trying to get stuff done when you’re dealing with your bosses is a skill of its own. Some people are better at it than others. We discuss some strategies for dealing with “obstructions” in the workplace. It’s not that you should backdoor everything and circumvent rules or procedure, its just that there are some ways to go about the system that might help you achieve your mission.
Problem Solving and Tactics Development
What is a tactic? How do we come up with them? The word tactical is one of those buzzwords we throw around, but what does it all mean? We are going to talk about how people apply creativity and problem solving in our professions. That involves several layers: We have to come up with ideas, we have to test them, we have to make sure they are grounded in reality, and ultimately it takes a team of people to make this process work. How do we go from “bar-napkin idea,” to “the way we do business?”
On Leadership, Vol. 1
Mike and Jim discuss the differences between a boss, manager, and leader, styles of leadership and how they affect a team or organization. We’ll cover things like establishing social norms and how close or distant leaders should develop their personal relationship with subordinates.
Andy Brown, Warnings Unheeded
We interviewed Andy Brown, the author of Warnings Unheeded, to discuss his role in stopping an active shooter with an AK47 by shooting him in the head from 68 yards away with his pistol. We cover the things that he credits with his success that day including dry fire practice, mental rehearsals, and personal responsibility, as well as the pre-attack indicators that several people observed before the attack. We also discuss a notorious B-52 crash that happened in preparation for an airshow at Fairchild shortly after.
Fight Club with Craig Douglas
Craig Douglas is a retired SWAT and undercover narcotics cop who started a company called Shivworks, specializing in close-range and entangled gunfighting and knife defense. His classes and training philosophies are legendary, and he joined us on the podcast to discuss some of those things. He also has courses dealing with solo building searches and fighting in a vehicle, which both present a pretty unique set of problems. Listen us to pick Craig’s brain about pressure-testing tactics and techniques, edged weapons, de-escalation, and the right time to draw or use a gun.
Timing, Tactics, and Patience
Whether you are organizing an air battle campaign or you are wrestling over a gun with a bad guy, there is a lot to be said about the element of time. Mike and Jim discuss how we have to account for the time variable in a conflict, and how staying disciplined, gaining initiative, and being patient are important factors to consider in terms of keeping up with the fight or shaping the outcome of any individual battle.
Leadership Vol. 2: Your (Shitty) Attitude is Contagious
You own the culture of your team.
There is more to leadership than rank or titles—and before you know it, you’re the guy or gal with just a few years on when you realize you’re not the rookie any more. We talk about capitalizing on good mentoring and working within your sphere of influence to build a foundation of resourcefulness that will keep you happy, your bosses happy, and set you up for success down the road and avoid toxic or cancerous working environments.
Short Talk: Killing People-Don’t Beat Around the Bush
A pet peeve of ours is when people talk about deadly force and say, “Do what you gotta do.” As instructors, using explicit language when teaching about lethal force is vital when there is a threshold that cannot be crossed. We have to help our students mentally prepare and morally reconcile lethal force so that they can be decisive when lives are at stake.
You can’t save them all: Dealing with mass casualty incidents
The medical treatment for trauma patients doesn’t change just because there are a lot of them. Managing large scenes is fundamentally a logistics problem and requires leadership, teamwork, and communication. We discuss ways you can learn to deal with triage, incident command, and scene management that doesn’t involve fancy medicine or bigger kits.
Short Talk: Less Lethal Training and Tools
In between a harsh word and hollow points we need a stepping stone of some kind, training or a tool for situations which lethal force isn’t called for. Mike and Jim talk advantages and disadvantages of OC Spray, Taser, and other less lethal tools.
“Don’t Shoot The Hostage:” How to deal with a person in crisis
Mike and Jim condense a 40 hour week of crisis intervention training into an hour discussion about tactics, dos, and don’ts related to talking to and otherwise dealing with someone who is suicidal or in crisis.
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