Blog

I'm Back

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Tuesday, 22 November 2011 19:56

Okay, folks. I'm back.

If you're bothering to read this, I assume you're viewing it as a welcome development!

I accomplished my move to Texas with about as little fuss and bother as one can manage, which is to say, it was a major Charlie Foxtrot much of the time. But I've found my inventory of books and t-shirts, burned some new CD's (sorry, haven't got the fancy CD labels printed yet but that should happen soon), and have shipped all outstanding orders. Those of you who have been waiting for your orders: I've included a small token of my appreciation in the form of discounts for further orders, and if you want a free TAS anatomy t-shirt, just drop me an email and I'll send you one by snailmail.

New members/users who have signed up since summer, please be patient and I'll get you approved as soon as I can. Unfortunately my security software for the website was defeated by some new spamming technology, so I have literally hundreds of bogus members-only applications. I read and print and file every member application personally, and often request additional documentation before approval. WIth all these bogus apps coming in, I'm really behind on membership approval. So please bear with me.

I will post here on my blog when I've got the backlog cleared up. Hopefully later this week.

Now, let me explain what I mean when I say "I'm back".

First, it means that I'm recanting my quasi-decision to withdraw Tactical Anatomy training and publications from the marketplace. A number of good people have encouraged me to keep going. That wouldn't be enough in and of itself, but I've found that my work load here in Texas is "light" enough that I can actually put time and energy into running TAS training and publications. My former position in Wisconsin consisted of being a fulltime ER doc, plus being the Medical Director of my ER, plus leadership involvement (meetings, meetings, and more meetings) with my employer. This hardly left any time for the things I enjoy, and zero energy to get up and do those things.

So I'm back in the training biz. The Minnesota state SWAT training organization, SOTA, is hosting a SXRV class for SWAT/Patrol in March 2012. We are going to be using some state of the art computer simulations at this class using the updaed MILO system I partner-purchased recently. If you want to sign on for this program, contact SOTA board member Chris at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it for registration info. He tells me the SOTA website is having growing pains, so it's best to contact him directly. I'm still waiting to nail down dates for a combined SXRV and TTGSW class in Nashville TN next spring, so watch here for dates and details on that.

My webmaster has promised to tutor me (AGAIN...) on how to post upcoming training on this website so y'all's can find out what's coming up.

I've been in contact with a couple of gun/cop magazines I've written for in the past, so you should be seeing my articles out in the mainstream press again soon. My intention is to link new articles to this website so members can read them here in the Members Only area without purchasing the magazines in question; and since sometimes editors take out some of the more graphic stuff I send them (photos and text), I'll be able to put up the full content for members here.

Finally, I am working on a 2nd Edition of my book, which will be updated with training drills I've co-developed with trainers around the country, as well as updated and expanded section on the utility and practical use of computer simulators for your training programs. Oh, and most of the photos will be updated as well. No, I couldn't get Kim Kardashian to pose for the t-shirt drawings sequence, but I did as well as I could to reduce the need for "eye bleach" in the next edition (no offense intended to great photo and modelling work done by Steve Sager and Mike Larney in the first edition, guys!)

Stay safe, amigos.

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August Update

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Monday, 08 August 2011 18:30

Too much time has passed since my last entry. Sorry about that.

For reasons I can't explain, there has been a significant upsurge in website activity and interest in Tactical Anatomy classes in the past few weeks. We're looking at classes in Wisconsin and Minnesota this winter, and there may be options opening up in Georgia and Texas as well. Keep an eye on this webpage for updates.

My summer has been exceedingly busy with preparations for my move to Texas. I have most of my goods in a storage container as I wait for my final release from my contract here in Wisconsin in September, and in the meantime am living out of a few boxes and suitcases, so book shipments were suspended for about a month while I searched for an eventually found my inventory in the back of the (exceedingly hot and stuffy) steel storage/shipping container. I am now able to ship books again, and I apologize to all who had to wait excessively long for their orders.

We also just completed the 11th annual Wisconsin IDPA championship match, which I am sad to say was my last as Area Coordinator. I am really proud of the fantastic job the IDPA guys and gals in the Badger State have done once again, and look forward to coming back as an out-of-state competitor in the future. When I return next August, I won't have been hampered by moving considerations and will actually be able to practice enough to not embarass myself in the final standings!

A second edition of my book is in the works. I will be updating all the photos, and I have rewritten and expanded several chapters of the book, including a much larger section on computer simulations in TAS training. Those of you who may have taken TAS training in the past year or so, particularly the Deadly Force Decisions class I team-teach with longtime training partner David Maglio, are aware of how much we have shifted the emphasis in TAS classes to incorporate this phenomenal instructional tool. Having our own MILO system on had has made this technology much more practically useful, as I am no longer dependent on whatever equipment and software the host agency/tech college has on hand. And as it happens, the stronger relationship with IES (MILO's manufacturer) has led to a software development program in progress which is intended to develop a library of civilian/plainclothes CCW deadly force training scenarios for LEO and non-LEO training use. More on this development as we approach production.

We also have acquired a full set of SIMUNITION gear for advanced training in TAS concepts using state-of-the-art force-on-force gear. It has taken some time to get our scenarios and training parameters up and running, but at this time I'm comfortable with taking this training out of the back room and into the display window, as it were. David Maglio (SIMUNITION-certified instructor) has been instrumental in getting this instructional program whipped into final form.

As always, I am wide open to hearing from persons interested in hosting Tactical Anatomy training classes in their area. Given our equipment acquisitions, we are no longer limited to law enforcement academy and police agency facilities for training. Call me and let me know if you want to host a class!

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Tactical Priorities

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Tuesday, 05 April 2011 14:17

Dear Reader: I have been and apparently always will be a lousy updater of my blog. I am not a guy who foists his opinions on the world. I prefer to skulk under the radar, keep a low profile, work at my trade. Which is why I will never get rich as a trainer. And if you , as a reader of blogs, are looking for a guy to lead you to the Promised Land, just in case you hadn't noticed, I'm not your guy.

I'm a guy who deals in the deepest and darkest elements of society. Me, a part-time, some-time, SWAT medic/cop, trainer, and jack of all trades... I deal with the detritus of society that most folks don't have a clue about. The 72-hour detention nutcases. The fragments of what used to be a human being who can't swallow her food anymore, and at 0200 I'm supposed to solve the dilemma of her dying for her extended family.

But every now and then some ignoramus will draw me out, and like a moray eel, I tend to bite hard once I'm drawn out of my lair. The following is a post I uploaded yesterday on a website I hang out from time to time. It's pretty much my only internet hangout, mostly because bullshit is called pretty early, and there's sense of humor, and a sense of community. One of my favorite serious gunwriters, John Barsness, hangs out there too. Not that he, nor anybody else, gives a shit who I am or what I might represent.

I kind of like the egalitarian, no bullshit attitude at 24hourcampfire.com. Actually, I don't kind of like it. I REALLY like it. I like that bullshit gets called bullshit. I like that good people who actually shoot rifles, shotguns, and handguns go there. I like that bullshit gets called. I like it rough and ready. I like that I am just another one of the guys there.

So here's my post from yesterday. Take it for what you will.

First thing, I don't think NOBODY should EVER go unarmed, ever. An armed society is a polite society.

Second thing, the damn near LAST question you should be asking is what gun or what caliber you should be carrying.

Asking what gun or caliber to carry straight out of the gate is like asking whether to buy a DeWalt or a Makita or a Jet without having done more than drill one hole or cut one board, or worse, never done either!

The first question anyone should ask when they "suddenly" realize they live in a "dangerous environment" is, "Why the F*** didn't I realize I was in danger before this?" Because the answer to that question will give you a helluva lot more information, if seriously answered, than asking what kind of gun you should carry. I recognized in freakin' elementary school that this was a dog-eat-dog world, and the thin veneer of civilization that preserves the weak extended only as far as the playground door. I live in what a lot of my colleagues would consider a white-bread civilized town in the middle of flyover country, but I am aware 24/7 that mortal danger is only a heartbeat away. In the common parlance, I'm in Condition Yellow. Have been since I was a kid.

The first rule of self-defense is that the most powerful weapon you possess is your mind. Not your brain; your mind. We use the term "defensive mindset" a lot in civilian training. We use other adjectives in LE/SWAT training, but the bottom line is "mindset", as in, how have you set up your thinking, how have you prepared your mind for what might happen?

When it comes to personal defense against deadly threats, your mindset is the FIRST thing you have to address. Are you prepared to kill someone if they threaten you with deadly force? Yes?

Well, then. My question then is, HOW DO YOU KNOW THIS? Have you ever killed anything? A deer, a squirrel, a fish? If not, you've got a steep learning curve ahead of you. Have you ever seriously fought anyone who wanted to seriously hurt you? If not, you've got a steep learning curve ahead of you.

More important: have you ever obtained training in the use of your weapon(s) in deadly force situations? If not, how do you know you'll be able to utilize your weapon in such a situation? How do you know you won't be overwhelmed, disarmed, killed with your own weapon?

Do you see the operative question here? TRAINING is orders of magnitude more important that what weapon(s) you choose. Training in the use of your weapon is only the first step.

TRAINING in what to do before, during, and after a deadly force encounter is the key to survival. Can you get this training from surfing the 'net? NO!!! Can you get this from buying more guns than God gave a goat brains? NO!!

Before you EVER carry or keep a gun for self defense, you need appropriate training. Training in not only how to use your weapon(s), but when to use your weapon(s), and how to survive the legal aftermath!

I have taken training in these discipline from the best, not only in civilian circles, but also in LE and MIL arenas. I learned a LOOOOOONNNNNGGGGGG time ago that choice of weapon is at best secondary when it comes down to my survival. You might do the same, if you care to follow the path to enlightenment.

I give you two names: Clint Smith, and Massad Ayoob. There are others, but these are the two I've come to know and trust.Follow those names. (Pay the money. It will be less than the cost of a good handgun.) Get the training. After you've trained, you won't have to worry about what gun to carry. You will know beyond a shadow of a doubt.

Until then, you're wasting my time.

******

I gotta tell you folks, I'm really getting tired of Tactical Anatomy.

I'm tired of telling people what I freakin' KNOW they NEED to know to keep their people safe, and them not caring about it.

I'm tired of looking into glassy eyes and wondering if they're EVER gonna get it. As any of you who know me personally know, I have not made any personal profit from pushing Tactical Anatomy/Shooting With Xray Vision onto the stage. Lost money? Yep. Heck yep. (That's my old guy version of what my daughter says..."Hell, yeah!".... what can I say. I'm just a softspoken weenie.)

As it happens, I'm moving to Texas soon. And I'm not sure if Tactical Anatomy is going to survive this transition. I have better things to do with my time than try to convince law enforcement leaders that they need to train their people to shoot with authority. I've been preaching this message for a decade or more, and I'm not sure it's done any good. I'm not sure I want to keep butting my head against this wall.

Do cops need what I teach to get better at surviving gunfights? I think so. Do I want to keep making this cause the raison d'etre of my life? I'm not so sure.

But I'm not complaining, believe me! I feel blessed beyond words for the good things that have come out of this work of my experience and my life. The good people I've met, and the good things that have come on from this work. But I feel like I've either got to move up, or move on.

I'm going to be at ILEETA at the end of April this year, which I anticipate will be my last public appearance teaching my stuff. I have decided to let my IALEFI membership expire, and after that, we shall see. I spent 10 years pushing what I believed to be critical stuff for LEO survival. Now, I'm tired.

What say you?

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Tactical Anatomy 2011 Prospectus

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Wednesday, 19 January 2011 16:15

Greetings, friends. Once again I must apologize for the long hiatus since my last entry. The events behind this pause were genuinely pressing, so much so that I despaired of a return to any semblance of normalcy. Kind of like running a canoe through a long rapids on an unknown-to-me river as a young man, when I began to wonder if I would ever see calm water again. But just as the rapids eventually spilled into a long, smooth pool, life has abruptly calmed down around me, and I foresee a lot of good and productive times ahead.

First things first: to all of you who purchased books, T-shirts, and other materials in the past 3 months, I apologize for the delay and will ship your product as soon as possible, certainly by the end of January. Books are on backorder (again!), but more exasperating, my computer's hard drive crashed and the files that make up the CD that goes with the book were lost. Fortunately, my friend Joe at Ripon Technology was able to find and extract the lost files, and I am able to start burning CD's again. The thought of having to rewrite all 3 of those PowerPoint files again was depressing, to say the least.

Second things second: to all of you who applied for membership on this website, I also apologize for delay in approvals. Since every application is personally reviewed by me, it takes time to ensure that everyone who joins our member group is a bona fide Good Guy/Gal. And as above, time was precious hard to find in the last quarter of 2010. Most of you will be approved before the end of the present week, I expect. Again, thanks for your patience.

So, now: what news from Tactical Anatomy?

Training dollars are tight, and we had to cancel or cut back several classes in late 2010. At this point I have 3 tentative Shooting With Xray Vision seminars on the books, but nothing confirmed. We are hosting several outside trainers in Saukville, and continue to offer our Deadly Force Decisions class there. We will be offering at least one Tactical Treatment of Gunshot Wounds course for civilians this spring, so watch for the announcement. I will be speaking again this year at the annual ILEETA conference in Wheeling, IL, and anticipate at IALEFI this year as well.

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Live Oak Classes Canceled

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Wednesday, 13 October 2010 17:20

I regret to have to announce that the classes scheduled for Live Oak, FL, Oct 23-24 have been cancelled. We simply didn't have enough people register to justify the travel expenses.

This is something I hate having to do, but it is simply unavoidable. The training I offer under the Tactical Anatomy rubric isn't my bread-and-butter, but is rather something I do as a way of giving back to the community of law enforcement and defensive-minded citizens some of what I have received over the years in my own journey toward knowledge. As such, I really don't expect to make much of a profit. If I were to bill Tactical Anatomy Systems what I charge for my medical services, TAS would have been bankrupt long ago. But still, I have to meet the basic expenses of a training trip, and if I can't come at least close to that, I have no choice but to cancel the training.

To those of you who registered, my thanks. I will be issuing refund checks shortly. I have been in contact with Steve Denney at ProArms and we are considering the possibility of trying to schedule a class again in the spring. So keep an eye on the website so you can be apprised of new developments.

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