June 26 6 Day Combined Class is A GO! + Comment
The June 26 – July 1 6 Day Combined Combat Team Tactics / Combat Patrol Class is now a definite go. I have previously posted that we needed more students for this class. Sometimes classes just fall in the cracks, for whatever reason. This will be a smaller class, and I just emailed the students telling them to bring more ammo if they want, because as a smaller class they will get the opportunity to do more time on the lanes.
There are still spaces on the class and I will also now take bookings for split attendance, either Combat Team Tactics (June 26-28) or Combat Patrol (June 29-July 1) portions only. Summer Discounts still apply.
In this post from yesterday I commented on some changes to the MVT class scheduling. I also posited that I have a theory that some are put off from attendance at classes of the quality of those offered at MVT by fear of failure, primarily due to lack of physical fitness. Some of the student reviews may be reinforcing that. Why? Because one of the biggest take-aways from MVT classes is that your PT level can always be better, and that the better your tactical fitness is, the better you will perform.
However, it is true that the classes are not physically demanding, not physically excessive at all. You will be fatigued simply due to time on your feet, but if you have a basic level of PT (and the right mindset) you will be able to do these classes. And frankly, if you don’t have any PT at all, you need to take a long hard look in the mirror and wonder what you are doing.
Although the classes are the closest thing, tactically, that you will find to Ranger School outside of the military (and at MVT it is all live firing, for maximum training value), we do not restrict food and sleep or make you hump excessive distances. On the Combat Patrol class we are practicing primarily ‘actions on the objective’ and not focusing on long marches to get there (we even amended the night recce patrol to focus on action on the objective, rather than the night approach march, because navigation is not taught at the class). There is less sleep available on the 24 hour Tactical Phase of the Combat Patrol Class, due to occupying a patrol base, but it is not excessive and is managed.
If you are serious about training and preparation, you should be taking these classes. Check out the STUDENT REVIEWS for perspective. The flip side is that here at MVT we may be colliding with a societal issue: that of laziness, denial, and lack of PT in general.
It has always been my stated mission statement to provide training ‘in order to keep good folks alive.’ That is why I wrote the manual ‘Contact! A Tactical Manual for Post Collapse Survival.‘ That is why I then opened the training school, and later went full time to make myself more available. This training is designed for anyone, call yourself a prepper, survivalist or Patriot, who wishes to be better prepared to survive a coming collapse situation.
But I am getting feedback that not many people are training at all out there, across the board: “Sadly, I think it bodes very ill for the mentality of most people in the “Liberty Movement”. The pool of people who are serious enough to train more than 1-3 classes is very shallow and narrow.” This really concerns me, because this type of training is needed. You would be amazed by how many fairly confident ‘gun guys’ find their eyes wide open on the Combat team Tactics (CTT) Class: from weapon manipulation training on the square range, to engaging pop up electronic targets out in the woods as a tactical team. You can’t just do this by thinking about it: you will fail. You will not rise to the occasion, but to your lowest level of training (none, or false tacticool square range stuff?) and it is my observation that many people simply don’t know what they don’t know, and receive a huge benefit in their ability to protect their family by taking these classes.
So, how to make it work? I’ll work with you if you work with me.
I have made it clear in THIS POST that I am going to a general training plan of one open enrollment class per month, and then making myself available for private bookings, either at the MVT Training site in WV, or at your place if you have a suitable training area. There will be exceptions, when I run special classes, where there will be two open enrollment classes per month, etc.
If your training issue is truly cost, then talk to me about getting a group together and training them. My standard class fees are $200 per day per person, but I have worked with groups in the past and I am happy to do so again.
I do have to make it clear though that I am not going to mess about with training i.e. a little bit of square range here, a little bit of something else there. I have established the curriculum of the two basic classes, Combat Team Tactics and Combat Patrol, as sound progressions. That is why CTT forms the basis of the 6 day class and of the classes that I put on in Texas. We all arrive safely through the progression before we move onto other stuff. I am happy to discuss a tailored curriculum with you (CQB etc) but be aware that we have to hit the progression before we get to the higher speed stuff.
It is preferable to train at the MVT Facility in WV, simply because it is built for the task. However, if you have a group and you can’t get them all to Romney, then talk to me about coming to yours, just like I do for the Texas classes.
Here are some quotes from comments and emails I recently received in connection with this possible PT/Training issue:
Wow…
It is a sad commentary when people aren’t willing to get off the couch and train enough to get through three days of semi-strenuous physical activity.
I am 51, quickly approaching 52, and last year did the inaugural 5 day (when it was still 5 day) ctt/patrol class.
Leading up to that, I did some walking/rucking, running a few sprints, doing some core work, nothing major, and I made it through just fine. Granted, I was spent at the end of that five days. My calves swolled up like popeye’s forearms, and I was sore for a few days. But there was, for me anyway, a very strong sense of accomplishment.
I had no idea what to expect really when I showed up. One of the things we talked about in the AAR before we departed for home was how “scared(?)” I was the last few days leading up to that class. Could I do it? Would I be made to look bad? Would everyone else in class be running circles around me? But I stuffed that shit down and went anyway, and am damn glad I did.
I used to coach junior football. There were always a few kids who were afraid to get hit, afraid to put that shoulder down and make that solid tackle. I told them over and over that:
“Physical pain goes away. Injuries heal. But knowing that you didn’t do something because you were afraid will never leave you. It gnaws at your insides like a cancer, and reinforces all the bad self talk that so many of us have. You will remember the things you avoided because of fear your whole life. Don’t allow yourself to be haunted by the things you didn’t do because you were afraid”
This is true of all of us. If you do what you fear, that fear evaporates, and you are left stronger, knowing that when the bell rings, you will come out of your corner.
Perhaps more importantly, if you can’t tamp down that fear to go and “train” how in the hell do you ever hope to overcome should you find yourself in a real gun fight against a real enemy? Think about it.
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You are fighting parettos law. Most of the people who attend your training are likely self centered preppers. Say 40% aren’t. That leaves 60% who are going to sit on their pile of food and ammo and thump their chest till the day their door is getting kicked in. But 40%?
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I can only speak of my story, but my guess is many are still asleep as I was. I’m a military retiree, golden handcuff detainee in DC. Always conservative, often outspoken, but never really did anything to shake up the world. I dabbled in stocks/bonds/real estate a bit. So, I understood and was horrified when everything feel apart in September 2008. I finally swallowed the red pill and awoke to the real world. I marched and protested at ever TP event for years. We know where that got us…nowhere.
I’ve been “prepping” for years…or so I told myself. Started bow hunting. Planted a garden. Became an volunteer EMT. All good, but reality is I was overwhelmed with grief/fear/anger and just buried my head and became an internet warrior. My armory and supplies wouldn’t have gotten me through 30 days…but I told myself otherwise.
It took a meeting on Capital Hill back in April with a true conservative staffer to shake me out of my coma. After 20 yrs, he’s giving up. “Something evil had taken over,” he said. “No one wants to fix or stop what they know is coming.” Within a week I bought my AR, started truly prepping and found Max’s website.
In the last month, I’ve meet many fine folks getting ready who could all use the training. But they don’t really think they need tactical training and only see it as a III%er fantasy that we’ll have to fight the gov. They are wrong in my opinion. Threats to my family will come in all shapes, sizes and directions.
Keep doing what you are doing Max and I’ll see you in July.
P.S. – I’m 49 and looking forward to challenging myself in the summer heat. I won’t be in the best shape of my life, but it will be better than today.
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Well, this is a tough one. It needs to be hard so you get full training value, yet it needs to be entry-level so more folks can access it.
Although it certainly kicked my ass, I would say that to get through it is more mental than physical. You can do it if you really want to.
As to why these classes aren’t filling up, that’s a tough one as well. All this noise on line about the sit, but when it’s time to train, crickets.
I think it has something to do with the overlap of those who have the wherewithal to come out and train, and those that are physically (and mentally) able to do so.
I’m not seeing so many young studs doing this (why-your guess is as good as mine). I’m seeing older folks, who see a need for this type of training.
These guys may be scared off by the reviews that talk about how trashed you are afterwards. Seriously, if you are in reasonable physical shape, with no major impairments, you can do these classes. As I said, it depends on how bad you want it.
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It’s really disheartening to think the need for PT is scaring away potential enrollment. If the III out there are truly the III then doing a little PT shouldn’t scare them off. I don’t know about other forum members here, but protecting my family/tribe is worth a five to ten hours per week of training. What does this say about the movement other than it is a total joke. Saying there is a three percent society might be generous…it’s probably closer to .000003.
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Denial is strong. For those old enough not to fall into this trap, there is still the issue of not really thinking that this will actually happen. There are so many things to deal with in our daily lives, as it is, much less worry about something that may happen in the future. So priority is given to those things that need to be taken care of now, not something we hope and pray may never happen. Even though your primal instincts may be warning you something is very wrong, you remain stuck in place. (Forum Link)
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The CUTT – Getting it started, and keeping it going. Forum Post Link.
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I commented:
It’s a sorry state where we see this lack of intestinal fortitude. The flip side is the mental bluff people pull by convincing themselves they have trained by doing just some tacticool square range stuff, or some second rate ‘easy’ class or standard. It’s the mental gymnastics of denial.
Those who come to the Rifleman Challenge not only face a realistic standard, and get a lot of training out of it, but they demonstrate the courage to stand up and DO.
But are we right about PT? Or is it similar what I see in groups, where there is no sense of urgency, no feeling that training is needed, that it will “all be alright” and in effect a social club to talk about what’s wrong with society?
What do you think?