Gabe Suarez
member
- Joined
- May 4, 2003
- Messages
- 30
Interactive Training - The Next Step
Our focus at Suarez International is to develop the best and most reality-based training programs available today. I was blessed with the opportunity to test out many of my combative ideas against live dangerous armed adversaries during my time as a police officer and protective agent. These were hardened gang members, armed robbers, and even foreign former military operatives. In short, dedicated opponents. These confrontations taught me many things.
Many of these lessons are contained in our revolutionary course Close Range Gunfighting. This course focuses on fighting within the 5-7 yard envelope where most real fights occur, yet where very little training is ever done. In this course we go as far as is humanly (or safely) possible on a shooting range and with live fire weapons. Needless to say, there are some safety issues that although they can be pushed to the limit, cannot be ignored. These necessary limits leave a gap in the training of most gunfighting students (official or civilian).
Many innovative trainers have sought to bypass this gap with the creation of moving targets, 3D targets, or some manner of moving, bobbing, or weaving-type target. Although great fun to shoot, they serve little purpose. No “target†can ever replicate a moving, thinking, reacting human adversary.
Much the same can be said about the extremely popular “shoothousesâ€. The shoothouse was developed as an answer to the obvious limits of square range training. The problem with these training simulators is that they place the trainee shooting the same targets they were shooting on the square range. Moreover, the same safety restrictions, which are often unapplicable in a real gunfight, must still be adhered to.
The answer to these problems is Interactive Simulation Training. These are three big words that mean force-on-force training, with simulated ammo, against a live thinking and moving human training partner.
One of the greatest advantages to this sort fo training is that there is no need for a shooting range!
With ranges closing everyday due to overpopulation, or imaginary environmental notions, the ability to literally train anywhere and anytime is a great asset.
Another one is that by training against a human being, you receive a much more realistic perspective about true gunfighting that you can never get simply shooting simulated human beings in any training environment.
Learning to read how a human moves and reacts, as well as developing a mental picture of what another man looks like in your sight picture are invaluable training evolutions that will be much welcomed when and if you ever need to, as my friend Jeff Cooper says, “shoot for bloodâ€.
Now all simulated training weapons are NOT the same. At the bottom of the list are the many paintball type guns. Paintballers call them markers and not guns, specifically because few are patterned after realistic guns, and although they do have training value, the commonality of training developed with your real carry gun of the firing range will not necessarily transfer over to the so-called “markerâ€.
To address these issues, a company called Simmunitions developed an FX marking cartridge that allows a real gun to be fitted with a substitute barrel and made to fire paint projectiles. The paint bullets are propelled by a primer.
Although Simmunitions training looks great on paper there are severe issues here.
1). The company, in effect, passes on all liability to the end user vis a vis almost unattainable safety requirements. Most trainers who use black market simmunitions ignore these, but at their own risk.
2). Its very expensive. Not a big deal for the big agency, or deep pocket individual, but for the bottom of the food chain operator or civilian, its just too expensive. Some schools get by with buying this stuff on the sly (back door sales from a police agency are the norm).
The problem is that eventually, their supplier will “dry upâ€. Moreover, the cartridges used in these training guns have a shelf life. When that shelf life is expired, they are simply not safe for use (according to the simmunition company literature). Many training organizations use them anyway without thought to the trainees’ safety. What then?
3). Since real guns are used, the risk of a real bullet being introduced into the training environment still exists. In fact, I am aware of two separate incidents where officers were killed with what were supposed to be safe simmunitions guns. The liability, of course, was passed on to the end user and the Agency paid out big $$$.
4). The company requires trainees to wear so much protection that they look like they could go into an actual gunbattle and withstand live ammo! In fact, most trainees don’t realize they have been hit due to the excessive padding. This is a big draw back I believe, as trainees stop worrying about the possibility of being hit and begin using tactics that they'd never use if real bullets were incoming.
Finally, the company Simmunitions is decidedly anti-second ammendment in that they do not sell ANY of their products to the civilian market. As far as S.I. is concerned, we will not support ANY organization that is not fully and completely in favor of the American Freedom to own and carry guns.
Are there alternatives to simmuntions?? Certainly. One of the best is the Airsoft family of weapons. Suarez International is now using airsoft guns in all our interactive force on force training. Here's why.
Advantages of air soft over simmunitions:
1). Inexpensive. A gas (freon) operated airsoft glock, for exmple will cost you about $100. This will not buy you a conversion kit for simmunitions. Another $15 will buy you enough freon “green gas†and pellest to go through several day-long training sessions.
2). Since the airsoft gun is not an actual gun, the possibility of firing a real shot from one of these is nil. Moreover, the political b.s. of paperwork, etc. does not apply to these non-guns, so anyone can buy and train with them.
3). The nature of air soft allows the trainee to fire at his adversaries from a much closer distance than is allowed by simmuntions weapons. With some slight alterations, they may be used for true CQB interactive contact shooting training that is not possible with any other technology.
4). Cleaning up after a simmunitions hose-down can be an exasperating task. With airsoft, all you need is a vaccuum cleaner or a broom.
5). Due to the nature of airsoft, the only protective gear needed is a paintball style facemask, and some long sleeved shirt. Light gloves are also a good idea, as would be a protectiv cup. This minimal gear is a far cry from the knight’s armor required by simmunitions.
The one point of argument separating simmunitions and airsoft is that a simmunitions shot leaves a small mark of paint on the trainee whereas airsoft does not. Is this an issue or not?
I’ve run interactive training using both systems. Here is what I’ve seen.
The need for a paint mark is useful only for the trainee who chooses to argue the point after the scenario (aka, a Tactical Tantrum about not actually having been hit by his attacker). You know, the old “I got you – No you didn’t†thing. In Airsoft scenarios that are properly run, everyone knows if they were hit or not. Moreover, if you follow the "hierarchy of success" as described in our courses, the airsoft guns lose nothing to a marking gun.
When using simmunitions in accordance with the company’s policies and directives (to bypass them is a liability nightmare and unsafe by the company’s own admission) trainees are so padded up that they often don’t know they are hit, and thus there is little reaction. Secondly, the apprehension about being hit is gone since there is no accompanying discomfort. As a result, students often use incorrect tactics to “tag†their adversary before they are tagged (an expensive game of paintball). Thus they tend toward excessive risk taking and use of tactics that would not be chosen if the bullets were real.
On the contrary, I’ve found that when using airsoft and minimal protection (face mask, sweat shirt and gloves) the pellets sting enough to ellicit a true reaction from the trainees. Everyone knows if they were hit or not, its not a matter of argument. Additionally, the training session is intended to teach the trainee the reality of close combat (as much as a simulation allows). They themselves know if they’ve been hit, and THAT is the most important thing here.
In conclusion, I believe that it is essential for every serious student of gunfighting to buy and practice with an Airsoft replica of their carry gun.
This training can take the place of live fire range visits for those who live in areas with no places to shoot, as well as those living in areas with untenable weather, or untenable legal silliness about guns.
Also, these can be utilized to great effect for integrating tactics, combatives, and shooting in a way that was heretofore deemed impossible.
Models representing any pistol out there from a Glock to a 1911, and from Lugers to Pythons are available. My reccomendation is to buy one practice with it regularly in dynamic (not range type) drills and with interactive force on force training. It will take your gunfighting skills to new levels.
Our focus at Suarez International is to develop the best and most reality-based training programs available today. I was blessed with the opportunity to test out many of my combative ideas against live dangerous armed adversaries during my time as a police officer and protective agent. These were hardened gang members, armed robbers, and even foreign former military operatives. In short, dedicated opponents. These confrontations taught me many things.
Many of these lessons are contained in our revolutionary course Close Range Gunfighting. This course focuses on fighting within the 5-7 yard envelope where most real fights occur, yet where very little training is ever done. In this course we go as far as is humanly (or safely) possible on a shooting range and with live fire weapons. Needless to say, there are some safety issues that although they can be pushed to the limit, cannot be ignored. These necessary limits leave a gap in the training of most gunfighting students (official or civilian).
Many innovative trainers have sought to bypass this gap with the creation of moving targets, 3D targets, or some manner of moving, bobbing, or weaving-type target. Although great fun to shoot, they serve little purpose. No “target†can ever replicate a moving, thinking, reacting human adversary.
Much the same can be said about the extremely popular “shoothousesâ€. The shoothouse was developed as an answer to the obvious limits of square range training. The problem with these training simulators is that they place the trainee shooting the same targets they were shooting on the square range. Moreover, the same safety restrictions, which are often unapplicable in a real gunfight, must still be adhered to.
The answer to these problems is Interactive Simulation Training. These are three big words that mean force-on-force training, with simulated ammo, against a live thinking and moving human training partner.
One of the greatest advantages to this sort fo training is that there is no need for a shooting range!
With ranges closing everyday due to overpopulation, or imaginary environmental notions, the ability to literally train anywhere and anytime is a great asset.
Another one is that by training against a human being, you receive a much more realistic perspective about true gunfighting that you can never get simply shooting simulated human beings in any training environment.
Learning to read how a human moves and reacts, as well as developing a mental picture of what another man looks like in your sight picture are invaluable training evolutions that will be much welcomed when and if you ever need to, as my friend Jeff Cooper says, “shoot for bloodâ€.
Now all simulated training weapons are NOT the same. At the bottom of the list are the many paintball type guns. Paintballers call them markers and not guns, specifically because few are patterned after realistic guns, and although they do have training value, the commonality of training developed with your real carry gun of the firing range will not necessarily transfer over to the so-called “markerâ€.
To address these issues, a company called Simmunitions developed an FX marking cartridge that allows a real gun to be fitted with a substitute barrel and made to fire paint projectiles. The paint bullets are propelled by a primer.
Although Simmunitions training looks great on paper there are severe issues here.
1). The company, in effect, passes on all liability to the end user vis a vis almost unattainable safety requirements. Most trainers who use black market simmunitions ignore these, but at their own risk.
2). Its very expensive. Not a big deal for the big agency, or deep pocket individual, but for the bottom of the food chain operator or civilian, its just too expensive. Some schools get by with buying this stuff on the sly (back door sales from a police agency are the norm).
The problem is that eventually, their supplier will “dry upâ€. Moreover, the cartridges used in these training guns have a shelf life. When that shelf life is expired, they are simply not safe for use (according to the simmunition company literature). Many training organizations use them anyway without thought to the trainees’ safety. What then?
3). Since real guns are used, the risk of a real bullet being introduced into the training environment still exists. In fact, I am aware of two separate incidents where officers were killed with what were supposed to be safe simmunitions guns. The liability, of course, was passed on to the end user and the Agency paid out big $$$.
4). The company requires trainees to wear so much protection that they look like they could go into an actual gunbattle and withstand live ammo! In fact, most trainees don’t realize they have been hit due to the excessive padding. This is a big draw back I believe, as trainees stop worrying about the possibility of being hit and begin using tactics that they'd never use if real bullets were incoming.
Finally, the company Simmunitions is decidedly anti-second ammendment in that they do not sell ANY of their products to the civilian market. As far as S.I. is concerned, we will not support ANY organization that is not fully and completely in favor of the American Freedom to own and carry guns.
Are there alternatives to simmuntions?? Certainly. One of the best is the Airsoft family of weapons. Suarez International is now using airsoft guns in all our interactive force on force training. Here's why.
Advantages of air soft over simmunitions:
1). Inexpensive. A gas (freon) operated airsoft glock, for exmple will cost you about $100. This will not buy you a conversion kit for simmunitions. Another $15 will buy you enough freon “green gas†and pellest to go through several day-long training sessions.
2). Since the airsoft gun is not an actual gun, the possibility of firing a real shot from one of these is nil. Moreover, the political b.s. of paperwork, etc. does not apply to these non-guns, so anyone can buy and train with them.
3). The nature of air soft allows the trainee to fire at his adversaries from a much closer distance than is allowed by simmuntions weapons. With some slight alterations, they may be used for true CQB interactive contact shooting training that is not possible with any other technology.
4). Cleaning up after a simmunitions hose-down can be an exasperating task. With airsoft, all you need is a vaccuum cleaner or a broom.
5). Due to the nature of airsoft, the only protective gear needed is a paintball style facemask, and some long sleeved shirt. Light gloves are also a good idea, as would be a protectiv cup. This minimal gear is a far cry from the knight’s armor required by simmunitions.
The one point of argument separating simmunitions and airsoft is that a simmunitions shot leaves a small mark of paint on the trainee whereas airsoft does not. Is this an issue or not?
I’ve run interactive training using both systems. Here is what I’ve seen.
The need for a paint mark is useful only for the trainee who chooses to argue the point after the scenario (aka, a Tactical Tantrum about not actually having been hit by his attacker). You know, the old “I got you – No you didn’t†thing. In Airsoft scenarios that are properly run, everyone knows if they were hit or not. Moreover, if you follow the "hierarchy of success" as described in our courses, the airsoft guns lose nothing to a marking gun.
When using simmunitions in accordance with the company’s policies and directives (to bypass them is a liability nightmare and unsafe by the company’s own admission) trainees are so padded up that they often don’t know they are hit, and thus there is little reaction. Secondly, the apprehension about being hit is gone since there is no accompanying discomfort. As a result, students often use incorrect tactics to “tag†their adversary before they are tagged (an expensive game of paintball). Thus they tend toward excessive risk taking and use of tactics that would not be chosen if the bullets were real.
On the contrary, I’ve found that when using airsoft and minimal protection (face mask, sweat shirt and gloves) the pellets sting enough to ellicit a true reaction from the trainees. Everyone knows if they were hit or not, its not a matter of argument. Additionally, the training session is intended to teach the trainee the reality of close combat (as much as a simulation allows). They themselves know if they’ve been hit, and THAT is the most important thing here.
In conclusion, I believe that it is essential for every serious student of gunfighting to buy and practice with an Airsoft replica of their carry gun.
This training can take the place of live fire range visits for those who live in areas with no places to shoot, as well as those living in areas with untenable weather, or untenable legal silliness about guns.
Also, these can be utilized to great effect for integrating tactics, combatives, and shooting in a way that was heretofore deemed impossible.
Models representing any pistol out there from a Glock to a 1911, and from Lugers to Pythons are available. My reccomendation is to buy one practice with it regularly in dynamic (not range type) drills and with interactive force on force training. It will take your gunfighting skills to new levels.
Can I use that? That is funny.
