Jessica Hook: December 2012

I recently spent a weekend training with none other than Triple Crown Grand Master, Taran Butler. He said he lived in Simi Valley. He should have said he lived in "Target Wonderland" ...a menagerie of steel, stages, and hidden hillside gongs. I would have come sooner. It's easy to find... just go through the spotting glass, make a left at every airsofter's wet dream, step over the film crew, and you're there. Can't miss it.

Day 1 - Pistol

We started out on a walled stage, and worked on accuracy while moving. I've always planted my feet to aim & shoot, so this was completely new for me. It was hard to break the habit of planting and setting up, even as Taran was bringing up my heels with, "Don't stop! Keep moving!" When running through the stage, proper target sequence, and footwork were key. I tried not to sacrifice accuracy for speed, but in doing so, I got a taste of how to game it.

When moving between steel bays, Taran had me practicing a low center of gravity, wide stance, and long steady strides to cover short distances ...instead of my natural bouncy shuffle. I cringe when I watch myself run in my videos. Do I really move like that? My whole life? Why didn't someone tell me I run like a flaming fawn sometimes... every time.

It must be funny watching a goofball like me hack through a stage like a Hutu rebel with a dull machete, and then be all like, "OK my turn." and BOOM. Surgeon Butler with his scalpel over here, eviscerates the stage like it's no big deal. The man is a finely tuned machine. I could barely keep up with him. I'm convinced he's got two cheetahs zipped up inside his belly that eat all his food for him, and slow him down so he doesn't accidentally break the sound barrier. All his double taps were perfect inch-group, straight A zone hits. 100% accuracy.
Skill Level: ASIAN.

Day 2 - Pistol, Rifle, & Steel

We practiced on plate racks, plate fields, and plated hills. Transitioning from either side, near and far, distances of 2 yards to 275 yards. This was my first opportunity to run'n gun with a rifle. Again I struggled with the fluidity of shooting while moving, but my targets were still toast so I was happy.

I brought Wifey (my custom Citizen Arms AR15) and was able to hit my marks with iron sights, but when in Wonderland... you drink the kool-aid. So I took the TTI TR-1 Ultralight AR15 with Trijicon Accupoint for a few spins and was more than impressed. The TI TR-1 is definitely something I could fall in love with! As a woman I'm always keen on weapon weight, and the TTI TR-1 is highly accurate, light, and maneuverable. Champions like Jessie Duff, Allie Barrett, and Taran use it to win their world titles. It's badass, to say the least.

Taran was an excellent instructor. I've never had as much individual attention & competition specific coaching. He was able to critique every movement I made, and humor me out of my comfort zone. I have a lot of work ahead of me. Particularly issues with my grip, and tracking my sights. Besides tightening the fundamentals, movement seems to be my next biggest challenge.

Before I left, I got to browse through the Taran Tactical Innovations workshop. TTI cooks up some serious customizations, and accessories. I've got my eye on that TTI custom Benelli M1 shotgun. Unf. It was like being a kid in candy store, and Christmas came early for me! Taran hooked up my M&P with TTI extended basepads. Depending on what type of mags you're competing with, you can max out at 23rounds +1 in the chamber for 9mm, or 20+1 of 40S&W. He also had my M&P grip stippled to perfection. And he hooked up Wifey with a PRI compensator. I'll be changing divisions, from Production to Limited, to try out the new basepads. I can't wait!

-Jess

www.tarantacticalinnovations.com/

Friends

Been stoked to do a lot of training recently, and I figured I'd start blogging about it, among other things. I've been a life long journal keeper... of sorts. I'm that type of person. There's a lot of paper in my house. And gun powder. If my house burns down, it wasn't arson. It was just a matter of time. You ever notice how on some class descriptions, on the list of things to bring is a "Note pad, and pen/pencil" ...and you're like, "Who brings a note pad to a gun fight?" ...I do.

So... Mike Lamb & Stoic Ventures. I most recently completed the Combat Carbine 2 & Intermediate Distance Carbine classes. This is my AAR... of sorts.

Day 1 - Combat Carbine 2

My biggest take aways from Carbine 2 were problem assessment, multitasking, transitioning between barriers, transitioning between weapons (carbine/pistol), and clearing malfunctions. With the help of a buddy who would load your magazines with dead brass, we fabricated malfunctions into most of the drills, as Mike was pounding into us "It's not how well you function when your weapon works, it's how you function when your weapon doesn't work." And to drive that point home he had us all moving laterally left & right-- if your carbine malfunctions, switch to pistol, and then if your pistol malfunctions what do you do? Which do you clear first?
It went something like this:

MOVE LEFT!
Fire. Fire. Fire.
Jam.
FIX IT! FIX IT! FIX IT!!!
Assess. Safety.
Go to secondary.
Fire. Fire. Fire.
Secondary jam.
Attempt to clear.
MOVE RIGHT!
Don't shoot your foot.
Don't shoot your neighbor.
Don't plow your neighbor.
Release magazine.
Rack Rack Rack.
MOVE LEFT!
Empty mag.
FEED IT! FEED IT! FEEEED IT!!!

Under pressure this quickly becomes a cripple's ballet, and I was Quasimodo.

I felt like I got the most out of clearing malfunctions. Seeing how comfortable I got with it from the beginning of the day, to the end of the day was empowering. I felt more connected with my weapon, like I could maintain it, and clear anything. Well... except for the brass over bolt malfunction that Mike cleared one-handed. Mike has clearly done a deal with the devil, for... legs for arms, and superior dexterity. If that ever happens to me, I'm gone like the wind. Bye Guys! I'm ~~OUT~~ not retreating! Im moving to a position of advantage in the rear!!!

>.>

Day 2 - Intermediate Distance Carbine Employment

Here we focused on accuracy & precision at distance, shot assessment, hold overs, various prone, kneeling, and barrier positions. I got familiar with bone support, and the different ways I can manipulate my own body to act as a brace, arms as buttresses, relaxing into a natural stillness. Breathing. My biggest take away was-- the most stable positions always involve dirt naps.

The first half of the day involved torrential rain and cotton spongebob pants. Not so ideal for carbine training, but VERY ideal for training the wimp in you to STFU. I was freezing my ass off. Teeth chattering. Bones rattling. Soaking wet. My mind started to knock on my heart with ideas like "Do you really want to do this? You'll never make it to the end. Just quit. Just go home." To which my heart responded, "Jetpack, Muthaf*cka!" So on I went, trying to trap my shots between shivers. As the cold was lowering my core temperature I started to loose my mental focus. It was taking all my fortitude to try to retain the info and constructive critique Mike was giving us, because all I could focus on was heat retention, and flexing my muscles groups to keep warm. My pecs were going full Chippendale.

My basic fundamentals were deteriorating, which made me think about how I'd deal if shit really did hit the fan. It's unlikely that I'll be sipping a mai tai on the beach, armed to the teeth, with barriers conveniently placed 10 feet apart, when Humanity goes tits up. Am I training hard enough? Will I be ready if the time and place for action chooses me? Cue deep thoughts.

Half way through the class the weather turned for the better, and I got a hold of my nerves again. I was able to borrow a dry change of clothes from my friend Kevin. As Mike so kindly pointed out, I was ready for my pre-Jenny-Craig photos. We finished the day shooting steel at 200 yards. The sound of that plinking was like sweet music to my ears.

I say, Mike Lamb is a great instructor, and Stoic Ventures is an awesome opportunity for anyone to train with him.

- Jess

www.stoicventures.com
Photos by: Kevin Mah : pointandshootmediaworks@gmail.com
Stoic Ventures: Combat CarbineTwo
Stoic Ventures: Intermediate Distance Carbine Employment