Close Quarter Defense

Master Bob Smith of Smith Taekwondo Kaneohe

'Street-wise defense' skill building in unarmed defense and with knives

* emphasis on deployment of folding defense knife in stress engagements *

defense against knife attacks and firearms

joint locks and manipulations

these courses get physical!!

* one course tool highly recommended is Benchmade or Spyderco trainer knife *

These are available at Kaneohe Gun Shop for $55 to $60

other course tools (ASP / Ring's Mfg red / blue guns, polymer fixed knives) will be provided

Course descriptions and information posted online at:  tacticalsolutionsusa.com

Pictures and coverage of previous courses held here in Hawaii:

Close Quarter Defense Class held November 18, 2007

for more images from a June 2007 CQD class click here

conducted by MASTER BOB SMITH of SMITH TAEKWONDO

Have fun and build defense skills!  2008 scheduling includes quarterly classes starting in Feb '08

2 Day Kalashnikov Rifle - AK 47 Gunfighting held October 6 and 7, 2007

conducted by guest instructor GABE SUAREZ of SUAREZ INTERNATIONAL

After safety brief and course introduction, Gabe Suarez addresses the overview and characteristics of the AK.

Throughout this course (which compressed five-day course content into 2 fast-paced days) many accelerated

concepts were introduced and practiced. When dynamic movement (some 360 manoevers and using the AK

as a defensive tool in striking opponents) was drilled, thorough mag/chamber checks were always performed.

He also references real situational usage of the AK, including what proved to be a great confidence and stamina

builder for this course - performing pushups with the AK, balancing on the magazine. More on that in pics later.

ASP training redgun is at appendix carry location on his belt; great thoughts on that at:  www.warriortalk.com/

Conventional shooting involves focusing on front sight. Stress fire concept within closer ranges aligns front sight

 assembly on threat target to allow speed and still results in effective centered hits even if threat is now the focus.

Even loading the AK has a 'best answer': holding and indexing the mag with support hand, strong hand on grip,

insert mag, turn rifle ejection port towards right side, run bolt to rear and release, aquire sights and the target.

Sight-to-bore difference (similar to AR-15/M-16 rifles) reminder: approx 2 inches between sight line and bore.

What you wanted to hit or what you aimed at may well be some distance from where the bullets actually land.

Prone, sitting, squat, and standing position drills. All performed from both left and right shoulders.

What a great day!! Good company, actual training (not benched shooting!), and constant development of skills.

This is just 50 yards; add movement, firing from both left and right shoulders, and top it off with a reality check (what if the targets were actual threats) - and now the truth of needing to hit accurately becomes very apparent.

Getting off the X and moving immediately was the standard for all drills after initial sight-in check at distance.

Transfering rifle right and left shoulder while moving was drilled. Dynamics of balance and physical conditioning

is very much a forgotten goal in firearm courses, Gabe made everyone aware of it - and it is fun, believe me!

That was a subtle reminder of just how strong the AK rifle and magazine system is. Try that with other rifles....

Discussions on the AK system, magazines and ammunition produced very good ideas as to what is necessary.

Spare magazine load concept for this course was simply "carry what you need and realistically what you can"

and consider the tight spots you may be in (loads of mag change drills were done in some tough positions).

It is quickly discovered that bulging thigh or chest rigs for mags can get in the way during rough situations.

On the line, get into the position, - and more AK pushups . . .

Getting very close to ground may be necessary; how about loading from this position? Reload drills were also

conducted in kneeling, down on your stomach, on your back, with rifle indexed from right and left shoulders.

Working in pairs, advancing from one covered position to the next, strict muzzle discipline and paying attention

 to proper verbal communication had everyone stressed yet elated on this drill. Controlled cover fire was a must.

Close Quarters Defense Tactics held June 9th, 2007

Master Bob Smith of Smith Taekwondo addresses the class and presents the fighting mindset for the course.

Action starts right from the beginning with attacking and defending scenarios. Tueller Drills were also conducted.

Possible stalemates including fighting from the ground were tried and worked with by everyone.

Quite a number of defenses and techniques were practiced; much more than what could be posted here.

No martial arts background is needed for these classes, and sometimes it is better - to lessen the confusion.

Down and dirty techniques were experienced, including turning the blade against the aggressor himself.

Some painfully effective joint locks were shown, more to be covered in a Level 2 class!

Training 'Blue guns' are used for first stage demos and the training itself. Techniques covered front, side, rear.

Airsoft pistols are used in demonstrations where plastic BBs are indeed fired upon the disarming technique.

For preceedings before training continues with blue guns, students view the action behind protective window.

Here are some more long gun techniques to look forward to in future classes, along with more joint locks . . .

Master Smith will conduct more classes with a recurring schedule of levels 1, 2, 3 in Close Quarter Defense;

be ready for more in upcoming months! Each level will have prerequisites and grading criteria before advancing.

Precision Rifle Course with Chuck Taylor held May 6th and 7th, 2006

Chuck Taylor's Precision Rifle Course was held May 6th and 7th.

Chuck Taylor makes some points on the initial calibration of the riflescope. The first sight-in and zeroing is crucial for the long-range shooting and 'clicks' for elevation adjustments soon to be performed.

View thru the same optic at the 100 yard target for some firing drills. Drills were also timed!

"Holy crap that's far . . ." was the accurate comment. Throughout this course we used the same small target stands.

There was none of the typical 3 yard-wide bullseye high power rifle competition pull-down targets, just small targets.

View of 400 yard firing position, from the prone. Note how tiny the actual targets are (dots of white) just to the left of the base of elevation (top) turret of scope. These dots are just visible below the base of the white wall downrange.

View thru a 10 power optic at that 400 yard distance. Taylor Combat Targets are small! This is starting the real deal!

The view thru scope depicts an example of holding the crosshairs slightly up and to the left of the target.

After firing 5 to 10 carefully calculated rounds for group, we would drive up to check and paste targets.

After 300 yards, the bullet holes were getting really tough to confirm even with the better of the spotting scopes.

That's a Kestrel windspeed meter being held out the truck window. That device proved many wind estimates wrong.

The opening in the berm (center of pic) is where strong winds had a pronounced effect across the target line.

Left pic: Four rounds at the 400; the calculated click adjustments for elevation came out alright.

Right: At 500, gusting winds really came into the picture. Hold a bit more to the left, and a bit more up on the clicks.

Next string of fire at 500 yards with elevation correction, slight wind correction, under time pressure.

2 rounds on upper left is 173gr long range match, 7 rounds center and right is 168gr boat-tail hollow point match.

I held the slightest more over to the left for the two 173 grainers. Refer to the scope image - we're talking very slight.

It must be stated again, this is 500 yards!!

From the 600 yard firing line, and we had timed drills from this distance as well!

View thru 10 power scope at the targets 600 yards away - Chuck Taylor's standard combat silhouette target.

The smallest error in pressing the trigger can result in crosshair movement off the target, resulting in a miss.

A fine result of calculated and refined shooting - from 600 yards, accounting for elevation drop and strong wind drift!

Back to the 600 yard line to fire another group

Then its time to go downrange to verify targets

"Did you get 'em?"

This is 600 yards!!  Five rounds 168gr BTHP .308 circled and two of five rounds 55gr FMJ .223 (landed in the center!)

The other three of the .223 went just right of the target, called and spotted by the help of another shooter.

Thanks to the spotting, I could correct the fire and hold the slightest more left to land those two.

Stress drill #1

At the 200 yard line, we had a whole new concept of threat-hostage targets.

This is the view of the targets at 200 yards through a 10 power scope. Note that while a 20 power scope sounds good, it will magnify that much more all the heartbeats and muscle tremors of the shooter.

The results of holding a bit too left for the wind, and "playing it safe" on the hostage target. The right pic shows how it should look. For bullet hole recognition, the left pic is .308 and the right is .223. The drills for these targets were:

(1) Start with rifle chambered, safety on. On the whistle, 5 seconds to take safety off and fire 1 round. Repeat 5 X.

(2) Start rifle chambered, safety on. On the whistle, 5 sec to take safety off and fire 1 round at hostage target, 5 X.

(3) Rifle chambered, two rounds safety on. On whistle, 7 seconds to take safety off and fire 1 round each at hostage target and threat target. Remember, this is at 200 yards and there is wind to contend with along with the time stress.

Stress drill #2

Concentration and consistency are requirements of precision shooting, much more so when dealing with timed drills.

100 yard head target on right had a required 5 rounds total (1 in each dot) in 1 minute. Max gets 4 out of 5 in the drill.

This is Sunday day 2 near the end of the hot afternoon, very good considering the time limit and exhaustion.

Stress drill #3

There were also several demanding drills based on increased heart rate and timed fire. The 10 round, 10 sec drill:

Rifles are loaded and round chambered, safeties on. Shooter starts from standing, start whistle is blown,

and you have 10 seconds to get down to prone position and make the shot.

Repeat for 10 rounds. All shots must land in three inch circle. Successful results in pic above: I went for the gusto and used two different loads in the drill: 5 rounds of Federal 150gr FMJ and 5 rounds of Black Hills 168gr BTHP.

In debriefing, Chuck Taylor summed up the crucial points of the course and reinforced what really matters in precision rifle shooting and the equipment for it (and no surprise here) along with the proper mindset.

Equipment for the course: I used a Savage 10 FP straight out of the box, Ken Farrell one piece scope base,

Weaver scope rings, Bushnell Elite 3200 series 10x40 fixed power scope, and Harris 9-13" tilt leg notch bipod.

This course was a condensed shooting portion of the 7-day course from ASAA, firing from 100-600 yards.

This was a super opportunity to shoot long distance and see how one does with their long range rig!

Synopsis of the 7-day full version of the course is:

http://www.chucktaylorasaa.com/rifle.html 

*   *   *   *   *   *   *   *   *

Gabriel Suarez's Force-On-Force held July 23, 24, and 25 of 2005

A Force-On-Force course with Gabriel Suarez of www.suarezinternational.com is a must-take course. Concealed carry is the most serious responsibility one can place on themselves. The decision to carry (or thus use) a defensive handgun (even in your home) cannot be taken lightly in any way. Course content for these three days included what is found in the curriculum Mr. Suarez offers in his course lineup. Terroism Interdiction, Knife Fighting, and Close Range Gunfighting were the topics covered. Attendees of this course definitely learned far more than anticipated, and without having to fly to the continental US. Most valuable was being able to get involved in defense techniques culminating to a force-on-force training on day three. Once experiencing this level of training, all would agree how mandatory this should be for everyone who would even wish to carry a firearm (or knife or even pepper spray) for personal protection. To think otherwise is not only foolish, but presents a severe deficiency in mature thinking, as well as set one up for a losing court battle in the use of deadly force. That is, if one did not lose their life in the fight to begin with.  -   Daniel

Part I

One of the first sections of training involved knife carry positions, accessing one's knife,

understanding distance, opening and deploying the blade and administering cuts and thrusts.

Blur of activity during the sparring sessions with SoftStick and rubber training knives.

Close contact problem solving - knife attack. A strong mindset and will to win is the beginning to surviving.

In physical courses as this, one truly gets a reality check on how frightening close range situations can be,

as well as learn how to survive and prevail in a deadly encounter. Techniques need not be complicated.

Second stage of sparing. Close monitoring of bouts by Gabe Suarez ensured quality training.

Attendees switched between fight pairs frequently to get more varied training.

      Utilizing pommel of 'knife' to impact pressure point.      There are several solutions to serious predicaments.

Example of defendant with handgun, begins with the appearance of a possible stalemate . . .

. . . and what can bring it out of that situation. Airsoft guns were instrumental throughout the course of training.

Part II

The morning starts with a safety brief and review of higher skills learned previously.

This is the ultimate visual of Close Range Gunfighting -

Gabriel Suarez demonstrates a solution to a threat situation,

firing pairs and triples while increasing distance (reactionary gap),

continuing up center mass. "Be generous with the contents of your magazine."

Reminders of the sparring sessions from the previous day gave proper perspective of how fast an attacker's

momentum can push you off balance or drive a knife into you. Is 'two rounds and stop to assess' adequate?

Firing low (to eliminate the possibility of shooting your own blocking hand under stress) to begin,

then continue up the center up to the cranial cavity, if need be. This was refreshingly aggressive.

Assessing and scanning (360 degrees) would soon be worked into the drills.

The day consisted of demonstrations and dry rehearsals, and performing drills with live fire.

Movement was the most empasized skill to build, as one should move off the line of attack.

Movement left, right, forward, back, and angles in between while shooting is much tougher than staying put.

There is a balance to achieve between speed of shooting while moving and placement of shots.

This all became so important in the force-on-force segment - you would be up against a living role-player.

That person can think, move, react and attack unlike cardboard targets or even motorized targets.

During a break we discussed the operation and manual of arms of the AK-47.

Everyone loved getting familiar with the AK-47: sights, safety, magazine, and operation of bolt.

      The Suhl position (muzzle down, close retention position to body) is a technique to use when checking six.

  Presentation of the handgun from the blocking position (close proximity) is similar to Part 1's knife session.

Blue trainer guns from Rings Manufacturing [see inventory page] were also utililized for demonstration purposes.

      More topics discussed, techniques tried, and shots fired throughout the day.

      Great company and intensity of learning. All the while, it is extreme fun!

Multiple threat drills incorporating movement made for exciting shooting.

All drills became smoother, quicker, and more aggressive. Reloading, assessing and scanning are a given.

Part III

Force-On-Force with Airsoft pistols and Trainer knives / Soft Sticks are the final culmination of serious training.

This brings it full circle and only ensures that there is always more room to learn and improve on. These images from the course are the most serious reality check - the aggressor must be dealt with and this is where it just might be the applicable answer of "be generous with the contents of your magazine". Sure, often quoted is the customary "two to the body", assess, "one to the head"- yet that may not be enough or in time to save you.

As Mr. Suarez looks on, this is definitely not a desirable outcome. Shots fired at this point will not stop the attacker's knife as it continues the downward slash across your neck and arm; blood will flow from you and most likely you will not make it to any hospital to survive this attack. It wouldn't matter if you did hit your threat!

Totally undesirable also. Do you think the attacker's momentum will be stopped?

Do you think the defendant will even get his concealed handgun out in time? Uh, obvious answer is: NO

Starting to look better; the defender has got to move out of the way, and keep firing and hit the threat.

This is much smoother to accomplish now, as the previous day put emphasis on movement firing drills.

Here is a great image of the defendant moving off the line of attack. He was able to send four shots to the threat.

Mr. Suarez is smiling as the attacker yells something humorous. Who says hard core training can't be fun?

Absolutely bad news. Guns, knives, whatever - you'd rather not be cut/shot/etc AND end up on the ground.

Great training yet very grim at the same time. Remember, presentation of defendant's gun is from concealment!

And, being fast 'on the draw' is not enough; you'd have to HIT the threat AND MOVE off line as well!

No hiding behind the instructor!!

Okay, well maybe if it was the attacker's accomplice . . .

Here is the start of real nightmares: TWO aggressors.

Even when beginning with one aggressor making the first move, and then the second joins in, it is real tough.

You MUST move - otherwise you will end up being hit.

Super training, check out more at www.suarezinternational.com!

Watch for announcements of more courses held right here in Hawaii!

  Chuck Taylor's Carbine Course held June 4th and 5th of 2005

   There was perfect weather, often not a cloud in the sky. Hot? sure. However, with good company and great course curriculum, no one really cared - everyone was excited to learn and apply the skills covered in the two days in the sun. We had three pre-classes prior to the course and most certainly the class kept moving along at a good pace since all present had fundamentals and background knowledge in the firearms they brought. By lunch time under the interim cool of a tent, most attendees were not tired - no!- but instead were discussing techniques and rifle history along with the occasional funny story on both Saturday and Sunday. By the close of Sunday afternoon, the smiles said it all even amidst the groans of the two days catching up to those who found new muscle groups that got worked during drills and all-important repetitions of ready positions, movement, and firing positions.

Oh, and basically a carbine is a rifle that has a barrel length 18" or shorter. Examples: the AK, AR-15 with 16" barrel, Mini-14/30s, M-1 carbines, and so on.  The true terminology for heavy .30 cal rifles is a battle rifle. (FN-FAL, HK G3, M14, AR-10.)   An assault rifle is a lighter, handier full-automatic item like an AK-47 or an M-16 firing smaller cartridges that lend much better control in full-automatic fire.  

Mr. Taylor's website for the American Small Arms Academy is www.chucktaylorasaa.com          -   Daniel

Chuck Taylor addresses class before continuing on to the next drill.

Highly instrumental is the repetition of bringing the rifle from different ready positions up to the firing positions.

When it was time to shoot, it was the fire command and eruption of gunfire! At a 25 yard distance, timed drills were from various ready positions, then the fire command, and 1 or 2 rounds delivered on target in 2 seconds.

Dry drills and live drills lock muscle memory into the brain. Truthfully, it does take thousands of repetitions.

Drills consisted of repeating 10 times each per distance, per position. There was much more to follow!

Dry drills always preceeded the live exercises. Yes, position drills started to take their toll on some attendees. . .

At the 50 yard distance, timed drills began from standing, fire command, go kneeling, 1 or 2 rounds in 3 seconds

Firing 1 or 2 rounds is up to you; remember you are responsible for your bullets no matter what. Hit the target!

The up-close-and-personal response drill at 3 yards or less. Here one can see detail and size of target.

This usually commences from all-day patrol carry of the rifle or carbine. An emergency situation occurs, such as:

Contact front! Then level the rifle, press-press-press and immediately up to shoulder the rifle, asses and scan.

There was lots of ejected brass in rapid fashion during this drill.

There was also the wonderfully challenging 100, 200, and 300 yard shooting. Keep in mind all the distances and

position drills were TIMED. The position you chose to shoot from was ultimately up to you, but this is what the

  typical drills consisted of: (all from the standing ready - patrol, low, high ready - of your choice, command is given, then go into position and fire 1 round. Repeat 10 times. Yup, that is a lot of getting up and getting down.)

100 yards - go kneeling or sitting, 4 seconds.

200 yards - kneeling, sitting, or prone, 6 seconds.  300 yards - prone, 8 seconds.

Targets are same small human silhouette targets that you have been shooting at from the beginning of the course!

Barricades, small obstacles (openings in the board) were the last drills covered. Leaning out and being sure to

hit the target (remember it is the small camo silhouette between the large #2 and #3 marker!!) and not the cover in front was the prime objective!     Hitting the wood merely meant you get to initial the holes but realize that if it was hard cover you just may get ricochets - back in you! Know your chosen rifle's sight line is relative to barrel!

Time limit for these drills was 3 to 4 seconds; fire command, get your sight picture, fire one decisive shot.

Far tougher than many think. Good that it was a drill and not for real. There were some holes getting initialed.

We all agreed: Tom's red Roadmaster wagon, hot climate garb, and SKS was the ultimate among all at class!

  This was the best opportunity to put to test you and your equipment. It is the only way to find out for sure.

Limitations, shortcomings, system weight get realized real fast out here, not on a static firing line in the shade!