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Sources of Power

Written by: Greg Ellifritz     The ability to make fast decisions under stressful and time-pressed conditions is a critical component of winning a lethal force confrontation.  Unfortunately, it is also very hard to teach.  Research on decision making has traditionally been conducted in laboratories under calm conditions.  The implications derived from such studies don’t […]

Posted on September 20, 2022 by Greg Ellifritz in Book Reviews
book reviews, books View Post

The Sage Dynamics Eleanor Drill

I recently tried a drill that I think many of you will enjoy.  Click the link below for details.   Shooter Development — the Eleanor Drill by Sage Dynamics   You can download a printable version of the target at the link below. [gview file=”https://cdn.activeresponsetraining.net/wp-content/uploads/2022/07/06113420/Sage-Dynamics-Eleanor-Target.pdf”]       The drill is deceptively simple and is […]

Posted on September 19, 2022 by Greg Ellifritz in Shooting Drills
Gun Mag Warehouse, Sage Dynamics, shooting drills View Post

Weekend Knowledge Dump- September 16, 2022

Knowledge to make your life better.  If you have some free time, check out some of these links this weekend.   Pistol Malfunctions and Stoppages – Part 1 The skill set of reflexively and efficiently  clearing firearm malfunctions is very poor among gun owners without formal firearms training.     Visualizing the 2021 National Firearms […]

Posted on September 16, 2022 by Greg Ellifritz in Weekend Knowledge Dump
active killer, Active Self Protection, active shooter, American Cop, art of manliness, Caleb Causey, ccw, Concealed Nation, Ed Head, Erick Gelhaus, family safety, firearms training, GAT Daily, Gun Mag Warehouse, Ken Hackathorn, Krebs on Security, Lucky Gunner, Massad Ayoob, medical skills, pepper spray, Pew Pew Tactical, psychology, Recoil Magazine, revolvers, shooting drills, shotguns, situational, situational awareness, Spotter Up, statistics, survival, Tatiana Whitlock, The Revolver Guy, Tiro Tactico, weapon mounted lights View Post

Notes From Shotgun Class

    I taught a shotgun class last week at the always amazing Blackwing Shooting Center.   I had 15 students. Class was limited to bird shot due to range limitations. Students fired about 150 rounds of birdshot in the class. Key observations as per my best recollection:   – Three Holosun and one Crimson […]

Posted on September 15, 2022 by Greg Ellifritz in Gear Reviews, What's New
Blackwing Shooting Center, class reviews, shotguns, training classes View Post

Backup Guns vs Hideout Guns

Written by: Greg Ellifritz   I’ve seen some recent articles on the internet talking about citizens with CCW permits carrying more than one gun in public.  While I carry two pistols in uniform every day, I rarely carry a second pistol when I am off duty and on my own time.  I have nothing against […]

Posted on September 12, 2022 by Greg Ellifritz in Articles
backup gun, ccw View Post

Weekend Knowledge Dump- September 9, 2022

Knowledge to make your life better.  If you have some free time, check out some of these links this weekend.   Grandparent’s Guide to Safe BB Gun Backstops I think indoor target shooting with airsoft, BB. or pellet guns is a great way to introduce your kids and grand kids to the gun world.  This […]

Posted on September 9, 2022 by Greg Ellifritz in Weekend Knowledge Dump
Active Self Protection, American Cop, Ammoman School of Guns, Claude Werner, Doom and Bloom, firearms training, gelatin testing, Grant Cunningham, Gun Mag Warehouse, Gunsite, Jeff Gonzales, kidnapping, Legal, Massad Ayoob, medical skills, Michael Bane, Mountain Guerilla, Personal Defense World, Pro-Gun Millenial, revolvers, scams, shooting drills, Spotter Up, Steve Tarani, SWAT magazine, Tamara Keel, taser, The Firearms Blog View Post

Free Books- Part 258

Amazon has a tremendous number of FREE ebooks on their website.  You can find thousands of free kindle books on Amazon’s site every day.  These books can be downloaded to a Kindle reader or a free App on your phone or personal computer.  Even if you don’t have a Kindle, you can download a free […]

Posted on September 8, 2022 by Greg Ellifritz in Uncategorized
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Confronting the Mobile Killer

*After the recent Canada active stabbers and the shooter in Memphis yesterday, I think I need to re-post this one. -Greg   Anyone researching the tactics of active killers is quickly confronted with the fact that killers study police response tactics.  Being informed by their research, the killers adapt their own tactics in order to […]

Posted on September 8, 2022 by Greg Ellifritz in Articles
active killer, active shooter, police training, school shootings View Post

Avoiding Scam Artists at Home and Abroad

Written by: Greg Ellifritz “The bad guy can lure you to an isolated place. This is almost infinitely varied. Anything from offering a cheap, unlicensed cab to telling you that there is a beautiful shrine just down the alley that isn’t on the tourist maps. It’s hard to pass up. I have learned an incredible […]

Posted on September 6, 2022 by Greg Ellifritz in News and Tactical Advice
scams, travel View Post

“Rampage: The Social Roots of School Shootings”

Written by Greg Ellifritz I recently finished this very informative book on school shootings.  It was published in 2008, but somehow it escaped my notice until now.  The information contained within is timeless and just as relevant today as it was when it was published.  From the author’s description:   “In the last decade, school […]

Posted on September 5, 2022 by Greg Ellifritz in Book Reviews
active shooter, books, school shootings View Post

Weekend Knowledge Dump- September 2, 2022

Knowledge to make your life better.  If you have some free time, check out some of these links this weekend.   Physical Fitness — Does it Impact Our Shooting Fundamentals? Getting fitter improves your life expectancy across multiple domains.     Personal Safety Can Mean Seeming Rude “Even though it gets a bad rap, intuitive […]

Posted on September 2, 2022 by Greg Ellifritz in Weekend Knowledge Dump
1911, 2011, active killer, Active Self Protection, active shooter, Annette Evans, backup gun, ccw, Clint Smith, Demonstrated Concepts, dry fire, Ed Monk, exercise, fitness, GAT Daily, Gun Mag Warehouse, John Murphy, Massad Ayoob, medical skills, Michael Janich, On Her Own, Paul Martin, pepper spray, Pew Pew Tactical, Recoil Magazine, red dot sights, shooting drills, shotguns, survival View Post

“I’m in Fear for My Life!”

Written by Greg Ellifritz “I’m in fear for my life!”   I’ve heard this phrase pop up a couple of times in the last month.   The first time was during a close quarters shooting class I was teaching.  The students were working a weapon retention drill and I had instructed them to use loud, […]

Posted on August 31, 2022 by Greg Ellifritz in Articles
language, Legal View Post

Concealed Carry Manual

My friend Jeff Gonzales published a book titled Concealed Carry Manual. I think that it is the best gun-related book I’ve read in 2022.   I was honored when Jeff asked me to “blurb” the book.  This is what I wrote:   “I first trained with Jeff more than a decade ago and have followed […]

Posted on August 30, 2022 by Greg Ellifritz in Book Reviews, What's New
book reviews, ccw, holsters, Jeff Gonzales, Trident Concepts View Post

I Worry That Masks Are Coming Back

I’ve been traveling a lot lately and am seeing a gradual increase in public mask wearing across the country and worldwide.     I was in Colombia last month.  There were no mask requirements when I arrived.  In less than three weeks, masks were required in the airport and on all flights to and from […]

Posted on August 29, 2022 by Greg Ellifritz in Articles
Covid-19, travel View Post

Weekend Knowledge Dump- August 26, 2022

Knowledge to make your life better.  If you have some free time, check out some of these links this weekend.   So You Want to Buy a Can: The Intricacies of Suppressor Ownership What you need to know before buying a silencer.     THE STUPIDITY OF MAGAZINE CAPACITY LIMITS Mas shares his thoughts about […]

Posted on August 26, 2022 by Greg Ellifritz in Weekend Knowledge Dump
Active Self Protection, American Cop, ankle holsters, Annette Evans, Ballistic Radio, Caleb Causey, civilian gunfighter, drugs, edible wild plants, Erick Gelhaus, family safety, firearms training, force on force training, GAT Daily, Gun Mag Warehouse, history, John Boyd, John Hearne, Karl Rehn, Kevin Davis, Legal, Lucky Gunner, Massad Ayoob, medical skills, Michael Janich, On Her Own, OODA, Paul Martin, point shooting, police, psychology, Rex Applegate, Steve Tarani, suppressors, Tamara Keel, Tatiana Whitlock, The Firearms Blog, The New Rifleman, The Prepared, The Revolver Guy View Post

Free Books- Part 257

Amazon has a tremendous number of FREE ebooks on their website.  You can find thousands of free kindle books on Amazon’s site every day.  These books can be downloaded to a Kindle reader or a free App on your phone or personal computer.  Even if you don’t have a Kindle, you can download a free […]

Posted on August 25, 2022 by Greg Ellifritz in Uncategorized
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Your Tactical Training Scenario…Attacked While Doing Yard Work

Written by: Greg Ellifritz   Husband Shoots Naked Man Attacking His Wife On Lawnmower     Have you ever thought about what you would do if you were attacked while outside doing yardwork?  Most people working in their yards aren’t expecting criminal violence.  That makes them a good target for predatory criminals.   Read the […]

Posted on August 22, 2022 by Greg Ellifritz in Tactical Training Scenarios
robbery View Post

Weekend Knowledge Dump- August 19, 2022

Knowledge to make your life better.  If you have some free time, check out some of these links this weekend.   SELECTING AN ATTORNEY FOR A SELF-DEFENSE CASE You should be reading/watching/listening to every bit of content Mas produces.  For more Ayoob goodness read Strong-Side Draw Tactics from Open-Front Garments.     The Dangerous Lack […]

Posted on August 19, 2022 by Greg Ellifritz in Weekend Knowledge Dump
Active Self Protection, AK-47, ALICE, AR-15, Caleb Giddings, ccw, GAT Daily, gelatin testing, Gun Mag Warehouse, holsters, Legal, Lucky Gunner, Massad Ayoob, medical skills, PHLster, psychology, school safety, school shootings, shooting drills, shotguns, The Firearms Blog, The Suited Shootist, Women's Outdoor News View Post

Rastoff’s Challenge

Randy Harris posted this drill on the private Facebook page for certified Rangemaster instructors.  He called it “Rastoff’s Challenge” and described it as follows.   “Course of Fire is…. 4 rounds at 3 yards 6 rounds at 5 yards 6 rounds at 7 yards 4 rounds at 10 yards     No time limit . […]

Posted on August 18, 2022 by Greg Ellifritz in Shooting Drills
Rangemaster, shooting drills, snubnose View Post

Email Update Issues

I’ve been deluged with messages and comments from people who are angry they are not getting their free email site updates.   Here’s the deal…   I had a free email subscription service called Feedburner.  Once a day, Feedburner would send an email link to all my subscribers when I posted a new article on […]

Posted on August 16, 2022 by Greg Ellifritz in What's New
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Recent Posts

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