It’s always enlightening to see how someone else interprets your work. Here is an excellent article by my friend and graduate, Mike Wood, an astute analyst of gunfights and survival strategies. Thanks to another good friend, Greg Ellifretz, for bringing it to my attention.
Link is broken, Mas.
I refreshed the page just now.
It worked when I clicked on the word “article” in the link.
It didn’t work when I clicked on “here” or other parts of the highlighted link text.
Paul S,
Yes, that worked for me. I clicked only on the word “article” above.
When I made my comment, the hyperlinked text just pointed back to this page we’re on now. It has now been fixed.
Thanks, Mas!
I was unable to open the article from the above link.
Humm, hit a request for user name and password.
Tried the link, it’s asking me to log in at backwoodshome.com.
At least of the time of this comment, I think the link to the article is broken?
The pyramid in the box above makes sense to me, though I think the interesting part is that a lot of the available training focuses on Mental Awareness and Preparation, and then skips to Skills (executed independently of tactical considerations) and Equipment. Even in the better classes that do discuss tactics, coverage of that rather extensive subject is often minimized compared to the rest.
Try this https://www.backwoodshome.com/blogs/MassadAyoob/
Sorry, didn’t work. Please delete my comment. Thanks.
Try it again, folks, I think the Evil Princess of Podcasts, Pixels and Polymer Pistols may have fixed it…
Here is the link. https://revolverguy.com/the-priorities-of-survival/
Given that the best weapon you have is just the one that you carry in the moment, may it be a shot gun with slam-fire loaded selectively with buckshot and various slugs! An adversary wearing a face shield and a vest with a chicken plate may require nothing less. A 9mm submachine gun will not even measure up as well. An over-penetrating rifle in a crowd can be almost as unusable as the 9mm smg will be.
This article is excellent. In an ideal world, it would be required reading for every gun owner who cares about self-defense.
Sometimes I hear people say special forces soldiers armed with older weapons would still defeat amateurs armed with the latest & greatest. It would be fun to see experts go up against amateurs in a mock gun battle, using simunitions, or whatever those non-lethal rounds are called. But, handicap the experts by having them shoot with their non-dominant hands.
I used to ask football (American smash-mouth football, not soccer) enthusiasts who would win a game played by the best college team against the worst professional team. I was told the professional team would win.
Roger Willco, one way to improve the use of the non-dominant hand is to carry the handgun in a regular forward holster on the weak-hand side. Practice drawing and dry-firing frequently. Just be systematically safe about making sure that the handgun is not loaded, or the firing will not be so dry. Anyway, using snap camps helps yours truly insure a dry gun.
All hail the EP! Excellent article. Direct rebuttal to a recent bit the American Rifleman chose to publish extolling appendix carry where the foundation defensive skill was alleged to be a 1.5 second draw from concealment. Not hardly-at least in the real world.
The link is still messed up.
“Here is an” and “excellent” are each over
“https://www.backwoodshome.com/blogs/MassadAyoob/wp-admin/post.php?post=9021&action=edit”
which I think is the link for Mas to edit his blogpost (thus requires a login).
“article” is over
“https://revolverguy.com/the-priorities-of-survival/”
which is the piece by Mike Woods.
Two observations:
1. Back in the olden days of The High Road, Lee Lapin used to preach, “Mindset, Skillset, Toolset – IN THAT ORDER!”
2. There’s a concept in Aviation called “See & Avoid” that while it’s mainly referring to mid-air collisions and other air traffic, it would seem that a lot of it also goes to Mental Awareness/Mindset and thus is of use to us: If you have your “early-warning radar” on and scanning your environment reasonably regularly, you have a better chance of seeing it coming and either altering your own course to avoid it or discreetly moving into “apply skills” mode.
Avoid before you see. Internalize the advice in the Four Stupids
I just watched a great interview of a police officer named Nicolas Deem on Lee Weems’ youtube channel. He used a s&w 642 to shoot a violent tresspasser after his duty pistol was ripped out of his holster during a scuffle. There is also a video of it on impdtv youtube channel, which is operated by his employing agency. They discussed alot of aspects including the psychological motivators of the fight, duty and pocket holsters, snubs, the ammo used, the compromised sight picture he acquired, et cetera. Sorry i don’t do links well from my fone but I’m sure one of the others here should be able to find and post both videos. Oh and he does mention reading up on one of Mas’s books at some point in the video IIRC, Mr Weems’ channel has had some great interviews this year, including the american fighting revolver guys.
Also, Mas, you once picked up my personal carry 686 custom and put the cyclinder into 1 hole inside the A of the head of an idpa target with full house magnums. I cut off the the head of that target and use it as my bookmark. It was rough on the spine so i peeled off the front with an exacto and laminated it, same with the back so now i have 2.
Thanks, Louie. I know Nic and he’s a helluva good cop.