Pistol Ground Fighting in Colorado - February 2018

[Brent Yamamoto]

Posting this again due to problems with the original thread...

February 16, 7-9pm
February 17 & 18, 9am-4pm

Parker, CO

This class will cover the fundamental principles of gunfighting on the ground. There are an infinite number of problems that can happen, but one doesn't need to be a grappling expert to prevail. One DOES need to understand the principles, and actually apply them in a live environment against resisting opponents. Trust me, you'll get some ground fighting experience in this class...and getting that experience will give you the tools you need if you ever end up on the ground with someone trying to pound your face into the pavement.

https://suarezinternational.com/pistol-ground-fighting-february-17-18-2018-parker-co/

(https://suarezinternational.com/pistol-ground-fighting-february-17-18-2018-parker-co/)

[TFA303]

Just recommended this class to a colleague in CO.

[Dorkface]

I will be there.

[Brent Yamamoto]

I'm sure Brent can give plenty of recommendations for preparation on the physical aspects of this class, but I wanted to give a suggestion on gun-handling side. Spend some time practicing clearing your garment and drawing with only one hand. You don't have to practice it on the ground, but that would probably be even more helpful. In the last PGF class, a lot of students had moments where they would just grab for their gun without clearing the garment, and end up needing to fire through their shirt. You want your one-handed draw to be something you can instantly do without thinking.

I somehow missed Eric's post - it's great advice. Obviously intended for those coming to class but it's a good reminder for everyone.

One thing we consistently saw in class was that the less experienced folks raced for their pistol and ended up screwing themselves up. Getting the pistol caught in clothing, or jammed between body parts...this is the worst place to be because now the bad guy knows you have a gun and it's now it's a fight over getting control of it.

This is one of those speed vs timing discussions. Getting the gun out fast is great BEFORE the guy gets a hold of you. But once he has you on the ground, going for the gun too soon is a mistake. You need to create space to access it, using your body to clear a path to draw and fire cleanly.

We'll cover it in class. Please spread the word.

https://suarezinternational.com/pistol-ground-fighting-february-17-18-2018-parker-co/

[Dorkface]

Parker is a southern burb of Denver and as such flying and out is easily accessible to the entire world as DIA is a main mountain west hub. Getting around is easy with many different options. I get the feeling this is going to be a class that will be a huge opportunity that no one will want to miss out on. Mr. Anthony mentioned in the other thread that if anyone has any questions about the area to get a hold of him or myself.

There's a good amount of WT people in the metro area too. I hope to see all of them there as well.

[Brent Yamamoto]

I was helping Gabe with one of his Complete Pistol Gunfighting classes. A portion of that class deals with ground problems...mainly it deals with getting up quickly after being knocked down, how to move and shoot before, during and after you get up. It's fairly basic stuff but it takes some practice. As students practiced the material, Gabe looked at me and said we could use a whole class on this material. And thus Pistol Ground Fighting was born.

We'll cover how to fall without killing yourself. We'll cover how to get up quickly and safely. We'll cover how to hit, shoot, and stab from the ground. I'll show you how to move (this part is HUGE), how to make space and draw your pistol. Most important is learning how to relax and think...on the ground while you're under pressure.

Have you guys seen the youtube vids of cops getting killed on the ground? Videos of guys getting pummeled by multiple assailants? Honestly I wish I could teach every decent person the material in this class. I think these are life-saving skills.

Send the class link to your friends...

https://suarezinternational.com/pistol-ground-fighting-february-17-18-2018-parker-co/

[Brent Yamamoto]

One month out.

This is an challenging class, yet one doesn't need advanced pistol skills to participate.

Basic pistol knowledge and gun-handling skills such as the draw and malfunction clearing (tap rack) are helpful, but one does not need to have been through other SI classes to participate. Marksmanship is not an issue at bad breath distance. Movement off the X, as taught in many of our other classes, is not necessary here (the assumption being that getting off the X is already too late by the time you hit the ground).

Likewise, hand to hand and grappling skills will be very helpful, but the class is formatted to address students with no prior skills in this area.

And for those who already have advanced skill in that area...trust me, we'll give you plenty to chew on as well.

I'd be interested in hearing from those students from the last PGF class, particularly those with no prior grappling experience...how did the skills in this class help you?

[steve_k]

The basic grappling covered in this class was great, especially since Brent had several of his dojo instructors, his advanced students helping out, and with Eric Tull as well. Shrimping and not allowing yourself to go flat on your back were probably two of the biggest things I took away, along with a lot of bruises. Shoot, I had to use shrimping after the class just to get in the seat of my car since I was so beat down.

I'm not in the best shape, but by no means the worst shape. But the better condition you are in, it will help you out in this class.

One thing I wish I had done before this class was to pick up a training knife. Several times while wrestling with Eric had pointed out that it would have been a good time to stab him in the a$$ if I had a blade on me. Since then I have picked up a Gang Unit and will buy or make a trainer for it.

This is also a great class to test out your gear in extreme conditions. You will find where your reloads will dig in to your back, stomach, side, along with how well your holster is secured to your belt and how accessible your gun, reloads, and other weapons are. Along with being able to secure said items in a scuffle. If you are using an extended mag release on your gun, take it off before this class if you would like to have access to all your ammo.

[Greg Nichols]

Sounds terrible, I hate ground fighting.

[Brent Yamamoto]

If you are using an extended mag release on your gun, take it off before this class if you would like to have access to all your ammo.

We lost track of how many times mags were dropped unintentionally. Yet another reminder of how they have no place on an EDC gun.

[Papa]

I didn't know what I didn't know.

I'm much more ready to react preemptively on the street. I have a higher awareness of how much time my street holster buys me. I know that my own gear--magazines, say, as well as firearms--can be used against me. And I'm looking to use an adverary's gear against him if he exposes it to me. Some old skills came back readily--such as grasping and firing a weapon upside down--and I have a new appreciation for how difficult it is to get a determined opponent the f*ck off me.
Besides technical issues like folder v. fixed and where to carry the BUG, my main takeaway was this: a reaffirmation of the ability to sustain injury, expand the triangle, stuff the pain inside, and win. And then to go back and do it again.

When you're old, clumsy and inclined to rash behavior, these are good things to learn and to know.

[Brent Yamamoto]

Less than a month out. Colorado members please get the word out.

Here is just a little taste:


https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=PdRIRFkCvTY

[Mr. Anthony]

Now that I'm back from five straight weeks of travel, one of my to-do items this week is to contact some more people about this.

[Brent Yamamoto]

Resurrecting the thread from the original Pistol Ground Fighting class here (http://www.warriortalk.com/showthread.php?133605-Pistol-Ground-Fighting/page2)...

There are some good lessons to take from it. Some things to think about for those taking the upcoming Colorado class.

[Brent Yamamoto]

Two weeks out...

[Dorkface]

For anyone coming from out of town be prepared for sunny and 60 degree weather or 10 degrees an snowy weather. This time of year weather is wacko and even a prediction the day before isn't a guarantee lol.

[Brent Yamamoto]

And remember that this class will be indoors. We'll be rocking and rolling regardless of what the weather does.

[Brent Yamamoto]

One week out...

[Mr. Anthony]

If you're on the fence you need to get on this one. This is gonna be fun!

Brent is probably singing this song in his head to the tune of 'Sound of Silence':

Hello Dorkface my old friend
I've come to punch you once again
Choke you out til youuu're sleeping
When you wake up you'll get anoooother beating

Take this blue gun and hit you square in your brain
And then your wang

This is the sounnnnd of violence

[Brent Yamamoto]

If you're on the fence you need to get on this one. This is gonna be fun!

Brent is probably singing this song in his head to the tune of 'Sound of Silence':

Hello Dorkface my old friend
I've come to punch you once again
Choke you out til youuu're sleeping
When you wake up you'll get anoooother beating

Take this blue gun and hit you square in your brain
And then your wang

This is the sounnnnd of violence

Ok that's some damn fine song-writing!

Freakishly accurate too. :firedevil:

In all seriousness, this is gonna be a lot of fun. Mr. Anthony and Dorkface are tremendously fun to train with - they are motivated students and dangerous fighters. They're the type of people that make you better just hanging out with them. We will also have some of the Jujutsu crew that joined us last time I was in Colorado, so you'll get some excellent experience with people who know how to roll.

And of course, little ol' me.

[Mr. Anthony]

Biggest selling point: the more people we have, the fewer times they'll get matched up to wrestle Dorkface.

The physics on that matchup are gonna suck for me.

[Dorkface]

I am strangly looking forward to being punched by Brent again. It builds character.

This is also only the second time this class has ever been held and we are in a fantastic place for any out of town people to easily get here. I know we have a lot of guys on wt here in the front range and metro area too. Theres almost no excuse for any of us becuase class is going to be inside right down the road over in Parker.

[Greg Nichols]

Biggest selling point: the more people we have, the fewer times they'll get matched up to wrestle Dorkface.

The physics on that matchup are gonna suck for me.

I don't think I'd mind. Though a really big guy can make you feel like you've been violated by a polar bear when grappling.

[Brent Yamamoto]

I don't think I'd mind. Though a really big guy can make you feel like you've been violated by a polar bear when grappling.

It depends on the polar bear.

[Dorkface]

Biggest selling point: the more people we have, the fewer times they'll get matched up to wrestle Dorkface.

The physics on that matchup are gonna suck for me.

Fear not! The ultimate goal of the class is to make everyone more dangerous and I want to be a good training partner and help you achive that goal.

[Brent Yamamoto]

Fear not! The ultimate goal of the class is to make everyone more dangerous and I want to be a good training partner and help you achive that goal.

This is part of why I really enjoy training with Dorkface. He "gets" it and is a great training partner. It's not about stroking the ego, it's not about winning all the time in training...it's about becoming better. It's about helping each other become more dangerous to your enemies, while at the same time avoiding injury to you and your training partners. There of course will be some bumps and bruises, but the plan is to avoid injury. Pain is ok, injury is not.

I picked up one of my favorite training lines from Gabe. Students were moving a little too fast, a little too aggressive for what we were trying to accomplish, and Gabe reset the mindset: "Remember that right now you are learning, not fighting."

I find that line comes up a lot in the dojo, and I expect it will come up a lot in this PGF class just like the last time.

Much of the class will be about training and improving specific attributes. We'll cover certain techniques of course, but ground fighting is very fluid and you can't teach a technique for everything. So a lot of the focus will be on improving those attributes that are useful for fighting in this realm. Structure, relaxation, mobility, timing...just to name a few.

It's useful sometimes to just grab your training partner and trash each other. But I find it's more useful to focus each drill on a specific attribute. It's not fighting, it's learning. Develop a particular attribute, then work on another. Help each other polish one aspect while you ignore the others for later.

So don't worry about Dorkface crushing you on day one. We'll save that for the end of day two.

[WinstonSmith]

Looking forward to the AAR. This is one I will eventually figure out how to schedule.

[Dorkface]

Looking forward to the AAR. This is one I will eventually figure out how to schedule.

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[Brent Yamamoto]

Working dummy gun that we will use for ground fighting. Front sight removed and a stock rear sight milled off to reduce sharp edges.

If I had thought of it sooner, Yondering could have milled me a dummy RMR. Next time I guess.

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[Papa]

That should save some hands and fingers. It's considered bad form to bleed on your training partners.

[Dorkface]

Almost time for the fun to begin...

[Brent Yamamoto]

Almost time for the fun to begin...

Yes. Looking forward to play time!

Something I was thinking about today...Pistol Ground Fighting is mainly focused on building ground fighting skills/attributes that will help you prevail in a lethal encounter that goes to the ground. The assumption is that shooting your bad guy is justified.

But what about those times where justification is grey? Articulation matters, of course. But another thing to consider is that if your ground skills are up to scratch, you may not need to shoot that person at all.

Now, I'm all for shooting bad guys that deserve it. And I think we can articulate that shooting was justified...but consider the possibility that you don't want to shoot the other person. While you may have ended up on the ground, you may feel that the other guy just isn't enough of a threat to deserve shooting.

If you have the skills that we teach in this class, lethal force may not be necessary because you can handle him without your pistol.

If you don't have these skills, you have no choice but to escalate to a higher level of force.

Wouldn't it be good to have the choice?

[Mr. Anthony]

Yes. Looking forward to play time!

Something I was thinking about today...Pistol Ground Fighting is mainly focused on building ground fighting skills/attributes that will help you prevail in a lethal encounter that goes to the ground. The assumption is that shooting your bad guy is justified.

But what about those times where justification is grey? Articulation matters, of course. But another thing to consider is that if your ground skills are up to scratch, you may not need to shoot that person at all.

Now, I'm all for shooting bad guys that deserve it. And I think we can articulate that shooting was justified...but consider the possibility that you don't want to shoot the other person. While you may have ended up on the ground, you may feel that the other guy just isn't enough of a threat to deserve shooting.

If you have the skills that we teach in this class, lethal force may not be necessary because you can handle him without your pistol.

If you don't have these skills, you have no choice but to escalate to a higher level of force.

Wouldn't it be good to have the choice?This is the big one with me. I know my ground ability is the biggest weakness in my fighting library. Being really strong and aggressive overcomes a lot of my shortcomings, but I don't know what I don't know here. And not everything is a lethal-force or gun problem. I tend to think I'll get more benefit out of this training than almost anything else--I know I can move and shoot and fight pretty well. But the ground is... different.

[Brent Yamamoto]

I know I can move and shoot and fight pretty well. But the ground is... different.

Fighting on the ground is a completely different environment than on your feet. Even if you're strong, if you're facing an skilled ground fighter it's like fighting a great white in his environment. Bad enough that he's big, strong and mean...but he owns the water in a way you never can.

In those terms, the goal of PGF is to teach you to swim...and shoot the shark in the face.

[Brent Yamamoto]

There was a great disturbance in the force today, as if millions of snowflakes suddenly cried out in terror and were silenced by the malevolent awesomeness.

Just me, Mr. Anthony and Dorkface meeting in Colorado. The place will never be the same.

[Dorkface]

Muwahahaha

[steve_k]

:popcorn:

[Dorkface]

Mat burns, soreness, aches, even my ears hurt. It was a good day.

[Papa]

I am envious.
Rock on.

[Ted Demosthenes]

Evidence please!!

[Mr. Anthony]

I'm gonna take a full-body shot of my bruises and mat burns after class tomorrow. Should be good.

[steve_k]

I'm gonna take a full-body shot of my bruises and mat burns after class tomorrow. Should be good.

Ha! Just found my bruise pics the other day... pretty good indeed. But I was unable to get a pic of the outline of Papas holster rig on my back.

Looking forward to pics and reviews of the class!

[Dorkface]

I had some bruises pop up over night. :thumbup:

So far the physicality is exactly what I was expecting. I dig it.

[CaneCorso]

... even my ears hurt..

Better drain them with a needle, or you’ll have “souvenirs.”

[Mr. Anthony]

I'm watching Brent get stitched up right now, so you know class was pretty awesome. https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180218/6b6ff9d1a634dfa5393d81e8f2cd975c.jpg

[Dorkface]

Luckily it was just a minor boo boo. Awesome is an understatement for class.

I just found a few more... memories from class in the shower lol.

[CaneCorso]

I'm watching Brent get stitched up right now, so you know class was pretty awesome.

Ai yi yi....Always the instructor that gets zipped in class...

[Papa]

I'm watching Brent get stitched up right now, so you know class was pretty awesome. https://uploads.tapatalk-cdn.com/20180218/6b6ff9d1a634dfa5393d81e8f2cd975c.jpg

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[steve_k]

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Papas do all firstaid kit. Proven reliable in the last ground fighting class.