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Archive for the ‘Training’ Category

Battle for Liberty Begins Tomorrow

Friday, October 28th, 2011

MilSim Event has once again set up a hell of ride for those of you into shooting the hell out of each other. They’ve once again staged an operation in Liberty Village at Camp Gruber, Oklahoma (just a few minutes out of Muskogee; Camp Gruber has an awesome MOUT facility, the same one that used to host the Bold Lightning Urban Warfare School). There’s something like 30 structures there, some nice rat-infested sewers to clear and a five story hotel that’s damn near a platoon sized objective (well, depending on the OPFOR of course). A little trivia: Camp Gruber used to be home to several divisions, and during WWII it held several thousand POWs from Rommel’s Afrika Korps. Until a few years ago it was home to the DEA’s “Narc Assault” Air Assault/STABO school, then the National Homeland Security Training Center (thousands of police, fire and military ran through exercises there). At one time it actually had a small MOUT area set up below a huge, emtpy underground cistern that almost nobody knows is still there.

Anyway, we digress. This is from their website:

Milsimevent.com Presents
Battle for LIBERTY
Part 1, The Cookson Hills Raid
Camp Gruber – Gore, Ok
October 29th 2011

The Battle for LIBERTY Milsim Series at the MOUT sites in the Camp Gruber training facility is here. Part 1, The Cookson Hills Raid will be the first of 5 in this annual series. Part 1 will set the stage for how the series will be fought, it will introduce you to a new style of MOUT game mechanics along with all the Areas of Operation, refined milsim rule sets what the game will demand from you, your squad, platoon and army…

Coalition forces will be deployed on a continuous 8 hour operation in an area of the Cookson hills where insurgency has more than set in. This is the breeding ground for the new wave in global terrorism. The mission has high known risks but the Brass needs a foothold in a town, codename MAC, just outside of the major urban area, codename CTF, where the insurgent populous has a strangle hold like no other in history. The CIA stays to the outskirts, never venturing in and the locals are scared to leave. There is no law and the rag tag local army is left alone unless they try to enforce laws. An entire SpecOp team went missing only a week earlier and now the Coalition forces will have to face the inevitable.

SCHEDULE:
October 29, SATURDAY
Gate Open 630am
Checkin 7am
Chrono 730am
Briefing 8am
Game on at 9am
Game off at 5 pm
Raffle at 530pm
MOUT Cleanup 6pm
Gate Closes 730pm

TEAMS:*
Coalition Forces:
Quick Reaction Force – QRF: DCU 3 color Desert
Expeditionary Force – EF: Tan Flightsuit
International Force – IF: Desert DPM, Tiger or Fleck
Plain Tan or Matching Camo covers on Helmets
(Entire Squad must match camo pattern & Headgear)
90 slots

Transitional National Army:
Transitional National Army – TNA: Woodland Only
Green Hats or Helmets
(Missmatching of headgear is OK)
40 slots

Insurgent Forces:
Nationalist Faction – Non Camo
Seperatist Faction – Non Camo
Non Camo = Non contractor, NON HSLD looks. Black clothes and Jeans preferred
No Helmets, A Shemagh Cover will be provided by MSE
(No matching or wearing of like team uniforms)
80 slots

CIA:
CIA Combat Operatives
Coyote pants, Black TRU top, Black Helmet
10 (Application Only)

Range Control:
CIA ADMIN & OKARNG
Coyote pants, Black top, RED Plate Carrier, RED hat for MSE Staff
ACU or Multicam for OKARNG

Uniform Note:
This is an active United States Military base that trains all service branches. Absolutely no ACU, Multicam and USMC MARPAT in Desert or Woodland. These are considered garrison and active duty uniforms and will not be worn by any milsim player during this event. Please honor our service men and women by complying. MSE and OKARNG has the right to refuse any player not in compliance.
*Strict uniform, hat, ammo, age, equipment and eyepro requirements apply to all players that enlist. Please read and Understand the requirements and standards that MSE set specific to each team and the overall game. Any color gear is allowed, no restrictions.

ENLISTMENT:
Enlistment OPENS September 23rd at NOON.
Enlistment CLOSES October 1st at NOON.
You have a two week window to enlist, first come first served. Payment with enlistment is the ONLY way to secure a slot. 225 Slot Cap. The slots will sell out quickly, be prepared to enlist on the 23rd.

THIS LINK WILL OPEN AT NOON on September 23rd

Standard Enlistment Fee:
$55 via Paypal, Link will open on September 23rd.

Range Rules:
US Army Rules and Regulations that MUST be followed:
No foreign Nationals
18 years + (Minors 13 to 17 years old require pre-approval)
Biodegradable BB’s Only. This is Mandatory.
NO HICAP or Winding Magazines. This is a Low or Midcap event.
Must have ID to enter the gate, State or federal issued ID; Drivers License, Passport, etc
Must be willing to submit SS for verification or background check if requested at anytime.
Littering is Prohibited, field strip all butts and pocket any trash you may generate or encounter in the AO.
No Fires or BBQ’s
This is a Federal Facility and we are guests, please act with respect and honor.

Bring:
Proper uniform, this is the OP where you will be asked to leave and come back only when you have fixed the issue. Not joking, milsim means looking the part.
Everything you need for a 8 hour continuous; Lunch, water, snacks…Nothing will be provided onsite. Real Restrooms are available on the MOUT facility. BIO BB’s

Parking:
No POV’s in the AO or MOUT Training Facility. All POV’s and passes will be approved through Range Control that morning. Parking will be as close as .5mi from the training facility. No tents, canopys are OK.

SWAG:
Custom Patch, Map and a raffle ticket for a modest raffle
A Specific Color pattern Shemagh will be provided to you if you are on the Insurgent side and is mandatory to wear in game.

AGE:
Under 18 with approvals. Ages 13 through 17 require special conditions to be met and written permission from the MSE Staff. MSE Welcomes and encourages the Father Son Battle Buddy System. Reference this link. CLICKY HERE We request that all minors apply.

AMENITIES:
United States Military Traning Facility with MOUT CTF, MOUT MAC, Land Nav200. Parking and Latrines on site

We here at MSE can’t be more excited about this new series and unfortunately all other MOUT experiences will be no match. You, the milsim player have a choice. We know you demand and expect more from a milsim game. We aim to provide you the Finest MILSIMs in the world with the Oklahoma Invasion series and now the Battle for LIBERTY series. Together we will push the limits of Milsim Operations on Urban Terrain setting the bar once again for our passion, our sport, our life…

We invite you to http://www.milsimevent.com/forums/ for the latest, updated daily information and banter. *You must be a registered member of our forum to participate in posting, thanks for your understanding.*

More information to follow; Recon pictures of MOUT Sites, Maps, Aerial photos and more…

Tags: MilSim
Posted in Airsoft, MilSim, Training | No Comments »

Legos for Grunts

Friday, October 28th, 2011

Here’s something just about anyone will have fun playing with it. Whether you need to occasionally change the interior layout of a training area to meet different instructional objectives or you just want to have the coolest, most bad ass back yard fort in the whole neighborhood, Combat Training Aids’ TacBlox are gonna be just your speed.

Theoretically you could use it as a faster way to build a target mock-up to do rehearsals before a mission, assuming you had time. Certainly more lifelike than a chalk or tape outline in a parking log, if not as quick to throw down.

Now, granted, they’re going to be somewhat more expensive than your average box of Legos, but they will certainly allow for some serious flexibility when you’re designing a threat area for room-clearing drills (or a very realistic MilSim battle). Essentially, they’re lightweight urethane foam versions of the ubiquitous cinder block (of which you’ve seen endless thousands, if you spent any time at all in a MOUT village).

They have full blocks, half blocks, and block caps so you can put together whatever sort of wall you want. As the manufacturers say, “Many situational training facilities offer separate buildings or permanent concrete maize to provide situational training scenarios. Unlike fixed wall training centers, TACBLOX™ walls provide unlimited floor to ceiling room configurations, increasing the trainers’ effectiveness…”

Oh, and if that isn’t cool enough, you can shoot them a lot before they wear out, without any ricochet issues. According to CTA, individual TACBLOX™ can take thousands of rounds shot through it before sacrificing its structural integrity.

Guess what’s going on my Christmas list?

Posted in Accessories, LEGO, Tools, Training | 1 Comment »

The Art of War (vs. the living AND the dead)

Tuesday, October 25th, 2011

Zombie Squad: Preparing the Populace for Destruction (not TFB's spelling, by the way).

Disclaimer: TFB is concerned with the propagation of zombie rhetoric and the ever increasing frequency of self-proclaimed zombie experts and zombie-fighting pundits. These self-proclaimed experts are publishing zombie defense manuals and video of undead suppression techniques of very dubious technical accuracy. The authors or alleged Subject Matter Experts frequently have no real operational experience. True, boots on the ground, real lessons-learned zombie fighting tactics by guys who’ve been there, done that, are hard to find. There are a few out there (JL Bourne, Robert Kirkman and certain classified elements of the Zombie Squad), but not enough. Fewer still are those who will offer insight on the ‘big picture’ necessities of preparing for the zombiepocalypse. Sure, you can clear the house of the walking dead. Can you plan the campaign that will clear them out of your entire town? What about all of western Missouri? (If nothing else, push them out west and let Kansas deal with them.) Amateurs talk tactics…professionals talk strategy and logistics.

So, if you’re serious about the art and science of warfighting, you should absolutely be familiar with Sun Tzu. (One would hope that name need go unexplained.) You should also have at least a passing knowledge of the substantially less existential Clausewitz and the martial aspects of the frequently self-righteous (and pedantic) Machiavelli. Doesn’t mean you have to agree with everything they say (for instance, you may think a lot of The Prince is bombastic) but it’s worth studying. Just like you should read about Gustavus Adolphus and Von Moltke.

So, anyway, you can get copies of the book in a number of places (including on line). Alternately, if you’re one of those who only read when you’re perched atop a porcelain throne, you can watch the video series Art of War.

Don’t get too worked up about the theatrics and contrived cool-guy serious voice…it’s a tv show, they have to sell advertisements, and remember to keep it all in context and perspective. If you don’t know have a clue what a Condottiere is, you may not grasp everything old Niccolò is trying to say, and if you don’t have at least some appreciation for Taoist spiritualism, you might not appreciate Sun Tzu…then again, that might just be the perfect reason to watch instead of read.

Especially if you can park your laptop in the bathroom.

Posted in Military, Survival, Training, Zombies | 1 Comment »

Exercise Of The Week – Box Jumps

Wednesday, July 13th, 2011

Yeah, that’s insane.

No, you’re not expected to jump that high when you first start.

Box Jumps are an excellent plyometric exercise that works heavily on the lower body. Because of the explosive power and muscle contraction requred from that part of the body you’ll build strength fairly quickly and see an increase in jumping ability i.e. height.

Now, I’ll be the first to admit my vertical isn’t great. I can’t use the standard boxes that are set up at the facility I use, even if its only by an inch or two. Instead, I stack a few weights up until they reach a slightly lower height and I’ve been working from there. That’s one of the best things about Box Jumps, though. They require no specialized equipment and can be done almost anywhere, at massive benefit.

Steps are as follows:

-Set up a box. If you don’t have a box handy, stack up a few weights, aerobics steps, or use a sturdy chair/bench. Work within your means and abilities.
-Stand in front of the box, feet shoulder-width apart.
-Jump on top of the box, planting both feet firmly on the surface.
-Hold for roughly a second, then jump down, bending your knees as you land.
-Repeat explosive movement as necessary.

If you’re finding your jumps too easy, don’t forget you can add more height, carry weights while you jump, and/or try other variants, like Box Jump Burpees, for a more gainful and intense exercise. I highly recommend trying Box Jumps out if you haven’t already.

Tags: For Your Health, Training
Posted in For Your Health, Training | 1 Comment »

Exercise Of The Week – The Burpee

Wednesday, July 6th, 2011

Having recently started CrossFit, I can safely say I’m getting a good workout every session. To celebrate this, each week I’d like to introduce one of the various exercises we… endure. And where better to start than the classic burpee?

Origins according to Wikipedia: According to the Oxford English Dictionary, the exercise was named in the 1930s for American psychologist Royal H. Burpee, who developed the Burpee test. Consisting of a series of the exercises performed in rapid succession, the test was meant to measure agility and coordination. It is not clear whether the exercise itself was invented by Burpee, or if his test merely popularized it.

I can’t personally confirm the statement above (it is Wikipedia, the encyclopedia anyone can edit after all), but I think it goes without saying that whoever developed the burpee was obviously more machine than man. For those not in the know: you start in a squat position, hands on the floor in front of you. Next, you kick your feet back to a pushup position, then immediately return to the squat position. From there, you leap into the air, as high as you can. Repeat as necessary.

Basically, done right burpees are one of the best, most exhausting exercises anyone can do. Plus, with all the variations available, such as one-handed burpees and pull-up burpees, there’s potentially no part of your body burpees can’t work out. Give them a shot if you haven’t already. The results may surprise you.

Tags: For Your Health, Training
Posted in For Your Health, Training | 2 Comments »

Where Is Zombie Cookie Monster Now?

Wednesday, June 1st, 2011

For those who forgot, I held the first ever ‘TFB Caption Contest’ and the winner was announced last month, the awesome fellow posing in the pic above, Mr. Shane Sasaki at a recent tactical shotgun class. Thanks for spreading the word of TFB and SSD, Shane! For everyone else, stay tuned, as you never know when I’ll pop up with something else cool to give away.

Tags: Contests, Training, Zombies
Posted in Contests, Training, Zombies | No Comments »

Major Flashbang Training Fail!

Friday, May 13th, 2011

Norwegian troops with G3 variant rifles were training when the throw man doesn’t quite make it with his flashbang. This is exactly the kind of thing training is for, and hey, they got a good laugh out of it. I know I did :).

Tags: Military, Training, WTF?
Posted in Military, Training, WTF? | 3 Comments »

BreachBangClear.com Shooting Drill Of The Month – May 2011 “Step Back Evil Anti-American Zombie Drill”

Tuesday, May 3rd, 2011

Mad Duo has decided to start a series of shooting drills, the first of which offers a target of a very Anti-American Zombie. This particular drill is available via PDF format on breachbangclear.com, and the collective [read: you] have been given full rights to use it for personal training applications. Remember proper firearms safety and handling while training, and that with zombies, headshots are always king. Have fun!

Major thanks to BreachBangClear.com for making this target and drill.

Tags: Mad Duo, Training, Zombies
Posted in Mad Duo, Training, Zombies | No Comments »

New Balance US574

Thursday, April 14th, 2011

Do you like New Balance running shoes, but never really found a pair quite to your liking, style wise? Luckily, New Balance now offers a full customizable version of their 574 running shoe via their website. Simply go through the options of the base, upper, heel, and accents to alter each individual part of the 574 color-wise. The viewer alters the shoe model in real-time, so you can see what your changes would look like on the final product. Plus, you can personalize your shoe with special embroidery on the heel, up to eight characters. Finally, each custom pair is made in the good old U.S.A.

Finally, I can have those deep red kicks that I’ve always wanted!:

visit shopnewbalance.com to get started with your own pair.

Tags: Shoes, Training
Posted in Shoes, Training | 1 Comment »

Redback One 2-Day Basic Carbine Course: AAR

Tuesday, April 5th, 2011

An Intro: I’ve had some previous experience with the M4 before, but this was the first class I took that was completely devoted to its operation. Even though it was only two days long, I still managed to pull a lot of useful information that I will definitely be using in the future. In any event, if you’re new to the carbine, or just want to polish up some skills, this is an excellent class to take.

The Instructor: Jason Falla has 6 years experience in the Australian commando regiment and a further six years in SASR. He has prior experience in counter terrorist operation, heavy weaponry, combat medicine, CQB, special reconnaissance and surveillance, and hostage rescue. In 2005, Jason relocated to the USA and worked for Blackwater for a period of 5 years as a firearms instructor before starting Redback One where he became the senior instructor and training advisor. His years of experience and mastery of the carbine really showed through his instruction.

The Weather: The first day was pretty chilly, and it stayed that way pretty much the entire day. The morning started cloudy with a light sprinkle, but thankfully this didn’t last. It definitely helped that we spend most of the day in the classroom, but more on that later. The second day was also fairly cold. It warmed up a bit as the day progressed, but a jacket was not unwelcome. Also, plenty of afternoon sun led to plenty of sunburn after the second day. What can I say? Blame my Nordic European ancestry.

My equipment: I used a Daniel Defense M4 with a DD forward grip, Magpul ACS stock, Blue Force Gear Vickers Combat Applications Sling, Surefire Scout Light with Manta Rails to hold the pressure switch, and an Aimpoint Patrol Rifle Optic. For my choice of magazines I used Magpul PMAGs. For the purposes of the exercises, each mag was filled to 28 rounds. I also used a Crye Precision Mag Clip for one of my mags, which I held on the left shoulder strap of my rig. My rig is a Tactical Tailor 2 piece MAV complete with an X Harness, both in MultiCam, of course.

Day 1:

We were in the classroom for about 7 hours (including the lunch break). That’s not to say it felt like wasted time. Actually, the lessons were quite informative, starting with the training objectives and leading into topics like M4 safety, characteristics of the M4 platform, the cycle of operation, how to field strip your rifle, shooting fundamentals, and zeroing. It’s definitely a great introduction for someone who’s new to the M4.

When 1500 rolled around, we did a bit of shooting. Mostly zeroing our sights from the 25m line.

After an hour and a half of zeroing and confirming our zero, we fired at low percentage targets from the high and low ready positions with follow through and post engagement exercises. That ended the day.

Day 2:

More classroom! But it was only 30 minutes long. And it was about ballistics. Having a good understanding of how the combination of your rifle and chosen ammunition affects a target is very important information. FYI, be on the lookout for Barnes Triple Shock. Best round ever [for now].

The shooting exercises, in order:

-Shooting at high and low percentage targets at 7 meters. A good warm up for the exercises to come.

-Shooting from the standing, kneeling, and prone shooting positions, and the pros and cons of each. We also worked a bit on alternative stances, such as rolling from prone.

-Tactical reloading. We went over this extensively.

-Cadence drills. Shots at 1 sec, 1/2 sec, and 1/4 sec from 7m. This is where stance and trigger control really come into play. This was also the last exercise before lunch.

-My personal favorite, the malfunction drills. We worked on failure to feed, unseated mags, failure to extract, double feeds, and the biggest malfunction of them all: bolt override. Mortar that rifle, soldier!

-Turning drills. Pivoting left and right towards the threat. About turns towards the threat. This also doubled as an exercise in shooting weak side dominant. You can’t always have your left foot forward, after all.

-Shooting on the move, specifically while moving forward. You sacrifice a stable shooting platform, so keeping good control is all the more important.

-Shooting from cover at steel. We devoted quite a few rounds to this, about one mag per cover. We practiced leaning from cover, shooting under cover, shooting above cover, ect. As predicted, some of the students took a few pieces of the cover off. Not a big deal in training, but it’s always important to remember when shooting that you’re optic has about a 2in. offset from your barrel.

-The final exercise of the day was a qualifier from the 50m line. 50 rounds, 5 points within the target, 3 points if the shots hit the body outside the target, same with headshots when the exercise called for them, 250 max score. The shots were made from various positions at various distances. We advanced to the 7m line. I managed a 210. Yea, me!

If you’re interested in attending this or other firearms classes, visit redbackone.com to view their available training schedule.

Also, thanks to Redback One’s facebook for many of the photos used in the article. You can view them and plenty more here.

Tags: Red Back One, Review, Training
Posted in Review, Training | 4 Comments »

AOTS Visits Blackheart International – Foreign Weaponry

Saturday, March 19th, 2011

Video Game – E3 2011 – AOTS Exclusive

AOTS correspondent Weston Scott spends his second day at Blackheart International firing their impressive selection of foreign weaponry, including such classics as the AK-74 SU and PKM machine gun. Pretty entertaining stuff, but I’d feel irresponsible if I didn’t point out the PPSH-41 is actually a SMG, not a rifle. Not a big issue, but then again anyone who has played any of the WWII Call of Duty’s would know this by heart, and since G4 is a channel for gamers…

Also, I really want one of those Saiga-12s. Anything that can shoot a creepy looking mannequin in half is a definite must-have.

Visit http://www.bhigear.com/ for the full selection of Blackheart International gear.

Tags: Blackheart International, Gun Pr0n, Television, Training
Posted in Gun Pr0n, Television, Training | No Comments »

Red Back One 2-Day Tactical Pistol Course

Tuesday, March 1st, 2011

I attended Red Back One’s 2-day tactical pistol course last Saturday and Sunday. Despite the limited class time, I did find an improvement in my fundamental skills and I learned a few new tricks along the way. Basic loading, malfunction, and shooting drills make up a majority of the class. However, being a tactical pistol course, it also includes advanced level skills such as how to properly shoot from multiple levels of cover. I found the class very informative, and am likely to use Red Back One for any future training courses. I highly recommend them. Also, the course overview recommends 800 rounds for the class. I recommend a minimum of 1200 rounds, since I came out empty, and I brought 1000.

Visit Red Back One to see all their available training classes.

Look for a more detailed after-action report of the class later this week.

Tags: Red Back One, Training
Posted in Training | No Comments »