THE PODCAST
Elevating the conversation about all things tactical.
Symphony of Terror
The Mumbai incident, perpetrated by a squad of ten terrorists who had been through a rigorous selection and training process, introduced multiple novel problems worth considering. What happens when there are multiple shooters at different scenes simultaneously? When they have access to serious arms, including grenades, possibly provided by a foreign actor? When they use structure fires as a weapon? When they have outside command-and-control monitoring the news and communicating with the shooters via cell phone? These and other complications inherent in an attack like this are examined in this episode.
A Scared Cop is a Dangerous Cop
The most notorious manifestation of this phenomenon is the “’Oh Sh*t!’ Bang”, where a scared or startled cop results in a lawful-but-awful shooting that might have been avoided by better stress management and more confidence in the officer’s physical skills. However, Mike also explains the many other places that the poorly managed limbic response can rear its ugly head: Bad communication in stressful situations, indecision or half-decisions that allow a developing situation to get much worse, and more.
Mandalay Bay Mass Shooting Debrief w/ SWAT Commander & Patrol Sergeant
The largest mass murder in the US since September 11th shook the country on October 1, 2017 at the Route 91 Country Music Festival, leaving 58 (now 60) people dead and countless others wounded. We sat down with retired LVMPD Lt. Will Huddler and Sgt. Ashton Packe to hear their stories and lessons learned.
Countering the Stalker
Stalking is a problem that often isn’t recognized until it’s well out of hand, and advice from friends and relatives is often limited to platitudes about restraining orders or buying a gun. Our hosts take a look at the nuts and bolts of the problem with an eye to strategy and the recognition that legal solutions can be frustratingly time consuming.
Training: The Good, The Bad & The Dangerous
In a crossover episode of Tactical Tangents, Mike sits down with Danimal of The Thin Brewed Line to talk about setting up a training program to keep officers alive on the streets…and in the training environment. In a dangerous profession, the danger shouldn’t be coming from inside the program!
The Big Ideas: What We’re All About
What are we doing here and why are we doing it? With an assist from Mike, Jim lays out the secret; the keys to the whole mission of Tactical Tangents. These are the key concepts to helping the Doers do things better in the tactical world, whether military, law enforcement, or general personal defense.
From Waco to Uvalde, and Combat Planning to Zombie Prepping, Jim walks us through the key ideas in the Tactical Tangents Podcast. We hit OODA Loops, Flight Safety, Shooting Training, Talent Selection, and Personal Resilience.
Instant Expertise (just add experience)
It’s easy to find yourself thrust into a position where others regard you as an ”expert”, but what really constitutes expertise? Do you have it? Can it be acquired? When will you feel like you have it? (And why feeling like an expert should be a warning sign…)
What makes an expert? Are you one? Do your friends or your employer consider you one? How does one go about seeking expertise? Relatedly, it’s a big and confusing internet out there and every day you are confronted with people who claim to be experts. Jim and Mike have some tips for separating the expert wheat from the poser chaff, especially when that purported expert is in the mirror.
A War Waged Against Dallas PD
A lone gunman killed 5 Dallas police officers and wounded several others in this 2016 attack following a series of contested officer involved shootings throughout the country. Lessons include ambush and counter-ambush tactics, the militarization of law enforcement, and use of a bomb robot rigged with explosives to subdue the attacker.
Short Talk: Safety Strategy: The Swiss Cheese Model
In this short episode, Jim introduces the idea of layering safety and security to “trap errors” and mitigate the risk of human error. We want to help you do dangerous jobs safely.
Teach Them Monsters Can Be Defeated: Rampage Murder Update Episode
School Shootings seem to be on the rise, is gun control the answer? How many red flags does someone have to show before you intervene? Let’s look at the evidence and learn from the recent cases like Parkland and Uvalde.
Growing into Solving Problems
Unlike the fixed mindset in which you’re dropped onto the planet as either Someone Who Can or Someone Who Can’t based on some immutable set of skills, a growth mindset is one in which you see yourself as an active participant, learning from each experience to better deal with the next one. Mike explains why one of these is not only better for dealing with the incident, but also dealing with the aftermath.
Spotting Zebras
Humans are excellent at pattern recognition…if they’ve gathered enough data to establish a baseline. Whether it’s noticing an abnormal heart rhythm, an unusual response to a squad car parked at an interdiction checkpoint, or the activity leading up to an ambush in some far-off deployment, being aware of what’s normal and what’s not can be a crucial skill.
The Power of Professionalism
There’s a high expectation of professionalism in the military and law enforcement worlds, but what does that mean? It’s easy to mistake the basics of bearing and rule-following as learned in early training for professionalism, but Mike and Jim point out that the professional is trusted to understand the situation well enough to take ownership of it, and the competence and expertise to make the hard decisions.
Accentuate the Positive
Positivity isn’t magic. You can’t optimism your way through a situation you aren’t ready for any more than you can mindset your way through a fight. Productive positivity, however, is never allowing yourself to say “this sucks” without adding “…and this is how I’m going to fix it.” Listen in as Jim offers his thoughts on a practical positive attitude.
Go Touch Grass
While “self care” is a term with a bit of a woo-woo feel to it, it’s necessary for people in high stress jobs to take time to depressurize, and getting out in nature is a great way to do it. Jim takes the time on deployments to plan his hikes for when he gets home; what’s your outdoor stress release?
No Results Found
The page you requested could not be found. Try refining your search, or use the navigation above to locate the post.
Dry Fire
WANNA SHOOT BETTER? There is no magic to becoming a great shooter—like most skills, it is mostly...
Not Much Has Changed…
WHAT'S CHANGED SINCE SEPTEMBER 11 2001? Prior to September 11th, 2001, the face of America’s...
The People Ideas Hardware Paradox
People, Ideas, Hardware. Right? Back in the day, a fighter pilot named John Boyd investigated why...
Why go to a trauma center?
TRAUMA CENTERS: LOAD AND GO! Several times in my career, I’ve had interactions with other police...
Should kids talk to Strangers?
STRANGER DANGER! WHY "NEVER TALK TO STRANGERS" IS WRONG At Tactical Tangents, one of our goals is...