Jessica Hook: Training with Stoic Ventures

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