Prepping priorities – Body Armor vs. Combatives Training w/video (Not kid safe)
Disclaimer: This posting details combatives which may not be suitable for children. Please monitor and preview material before allowing a child to read.
I have recently engaged in a healthy debate about the merits of body armor in your preps on www.ZombieHunters.org . The poster I am in opposition of does not have formal training and seems to believe that body armor should be placed before training (armed combatives and practical gunfighting) on a priorities table. I disagree. Here's why:
Creds - I am a former LEO and current supervisor and trainer of security professionals in Florida. Some courses of study I have training in or advise/train security for are close quarter combatives, situational awareness, and officer safety/officer survival. My opinions are based upon training and study in a professional environment.
I first have to say that the thread this debate started in was in specific address to armor for a zombie attack (not a joke, check it out) and has spun off into this "wild" tangent. I did not take much interest in weighing in on the topic until I read a statement that essentially said, "body armor can be used as mobile cover". This deserved a response.
Let me first start by saying bullet-proof vests (body armor) aren't exactly what the name would imply. There are multiple levels of resistant ability in vests and wearable armor but none are completely bullet-proof. Let me explain, the mechanic used by the vest is a tightly woven fabric which is layered multiple times to create a sort of lightweight, penetration resistant garment. Think of a linear path of travel with the vest in the way and a projectile is in motion. The projectile makes contact with the garment, its kinetic energy is moving forward, the vest absorbs some of this energy (theoretically enough to keep the projectile from penetrating) and the rest is dissipated over a larger area.
Sounds great, right? No holes in you! But not all is well. You see, the problem is the dissipation of the remaining kinetic energy. The more KE the projectile has the more surface area is needed for that KE to be absorbed, and as that energy is absorbed the projectile is still moving forward at a rapid pace and pushing the vest into contact with your body. At that point your body also becomes surface area in which to dissipate KE, which results in blunt force placed on the contacted areas.
That's right folks, a BPV (bullet-proof vest) does not make you superman and bullets do not deflect off of you, they are absorbed. This can lead to serious blunt force trauma, cardiac arrest, collapsed lungs, severe internal hemorrhaging, and cracked or fractured ribs. Some of these situations can be just as fatal as if the bullet hit soft flesh. Body armor is great and can save lives, I wear a level IIIA at work when needed and I am a very strong proponent of vest wear by all duty personnel, but wearable body armor is most certainly NOT mobile cover!
A good, fitted BPV can be purchased by civilians for around $500. Of course you can find some for less and quite a few for more, but I recommend as a minimum level IIIA and suggest you have a vest fitted to your body size/shape for comfort. That can cost a little extra but believe me, is worth it if armor is in your plans.
Now inversely, training - the first thing LEO's and security learn when in training to engage armed persons is to seek out and move to cover as quickly as possible. NOT to stand and engage because your armor should be enough. Why do we train this way? Because statistically speaking Officers who seek cover during an armed confrontation have a higher rate of survival than those who stand (and even engage) as static targets in open ground. We train to reduce ourselves as viable targets. If rounds moving downrange cannot make contact with us there is little need of armor. Please keep in mind the spirit of the debate here, not saying you shouldn't wear armor.
To demonstrate what I'm saying you can view many different in-dash cams of OIS on the internet. I am choosing not to embed or name these videos on my site for kid safe reasons but if you do watch them they should explain this fairly well.
Some of the commonalities in a lot these cases - Officers had low situational awareness, they became stunned from the adrenal dump or they stood static to engage as if shooting a paper target at the range, they did not use proper shooting fundamentals, and most importantly...they did not move and seek cover. It is considered taboo to say what I just said, to speak of the failures of the dead, but I believe as a trainer that it is important to find commonalities so we can address these issues in training. The most simplistic answer when asking why these failures occurred is lack of training.
You see, most LE and security agencies operate on ever-shrinking budgets and due to budget concerns are finding that training above qualification standards just doesn't fit in anymore. Its sad really, but due to this lack of training in-house more and more public safety professionals are turning to private training clinics which has opened up a wonderful new market to civilians that was once closed to the public or completely unaffordable. Now we have trainers within reasonable distances of anybody in CONUS with affordable clinics for all kinds of combatives. Most importantly they can train you to think under stress and instinctively seek out and move toward cover and when you advance a little, deliver fire while doing so.
Most of these clinics can be attended for around $400 for two very intense and educational days. Of course there are added expenses like ammo/gas/lodging if you choose, but it should be worth every penny. There are many different websites devoted to practical gunfighting but if you don't want to browse around with that serious of a crowd I recommend listening to this podcast - http://www.gunfightercast.com/wordpress/ . Tons of good info and part of Gun Rights Radio Network.
So what is the lesson here? Armor is not a substitute for proper tactical discipline and that both armor and training should be in somewhere in your preps. However, in my opinion, training comes first.
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Here's a video to show deformation due to KE transfer even though the bullet didn't penetrate. Imagine the clay is your chest. Scary.
Geocaching for situational awareness
Geocaching is a modern day treasure hunt where people will place a "cache" in an area, sometimes in the sticks, sometimes in a neighborhood, and sometimes requiring some stealth. Then they will post the location and a description of the cache on www.Geocaching.com where us seekers can get the info we need to find it. It's a great way to get outdoors, but a little added bonus for us prepper types, it's a fun way to increase our situational awareness. Fun for kids, too!
All you need to get started is computer/internet access and some decent mapping skills, however, it's much easier to navigate via a handheld GPS. Many phones now have GPS functions but make sure they will accept longitude and latitude input as this is how cache locations are recorded. Sign on to www.Geocaching.com and check for caches in any area you choose, there are plenty! In fact, you'll be surprised when you find so many near you. Record the info for the caches you want and head out on the hunt.
While out be careful to observe possible resources that might be of use to you now or post-event. There are plenty of times I end up saying, "oh, I didn't know there was a ________ here." I've found cool hole-in-the-wall shops, parks, gardens, clusters of fruit trees, new routes of travel, you name it. But I wouldn't have known unless I got out caching.
Think about your day, you travel the same roads while visiting the same places. Of course you would! You've found the most effective and efficient means of performing your daily tasks. You wouldn't have known about that hidden pond or that new fly-fishing shop because guess what (blasphemy!), not everything is on the internet.
Even if you don't consider Geocaching a valuable situation awareness tool, it's a fun way to get out with your family and explore your world. Log on and try one for yourself, you won't regret it. But be warned, its addicting!