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Using a Fire Extinguisher as a Weapon

Written by: Greg Ellifritz   A would-be victim of last month’s London Bridge terrorist stabbing attack used a fire extinguisher to distract/disorient the terrorist as another person stabbed the man with a narwhal tusk to end the attack.   Seeing the photo below got me thinking about how best to use a fire extinguisher as a […]

Posted on January 22, 2020 by Greg Ellifritz in Articles, Reader Questions
active killer, active shooter, impact weapons View Post

Head Shots and Bouncing Bullets

Written by: Greg Ellifritz   By now, you’ve likely seen the news article from a couple weeks ago.  An armed robber shot a compliant victim in the face.  The bullet ricocheted off the victim’s skull and hit the second robber, killing him.  Read about it HERE.   It may seem strange, but it happens all […]

Posted on January 21, 2020 by Greg Ellifritz in News and Tactical Advice
contact shots, extreme close range View Post

No One Is Coming To Save You

Written by: Greg Ellifritz   In the last few weeks my social media news feed has been deluged with videos of inept police officers who cannot fight.   Most citizens assume that the police officers who patrol their neighborhoods are competent fighters.  Those people couldn’t be more wrong.   Depending on the state, police officers […]

Posted on January 20, 2020 by Greg Ellifritz in Articles
Dave Spaulding, defensive tactics, police, police training View Post

Weekend Knowledge Dump- January 17, 2020

Knowledge to make your life better. If you have some free time, check out some of these links this weekend.   The Seeds of (unconventional) War Pay close attention to the recommendations ISG makes at the end of the article.     Castle Doctrine Fact vs. Fiction Massad Ayoob writes a very comprehensive piece on […]

Posted on January 17, 2020 by Greg Ellifritz in Weekend Knowledge Dump
active killer, Active Self Protection, active shooter, ankle holsters, Calibre Press, ccw, civilian gunfighter, class announcements, Close quarter shooting, Craig Douglas, drugs, Green Ops, ground fighting, Hock Hochheim, Integrated Skills Group, John Daub, John Farnam, LouAnn Hamblin, Massad Ayoob, Michael Bane, Morgan Atwood, No One Coming, pistoltraining.com, police, police training, self defense, shooting drills, shotguns, terrorism, Tinker Talks Guns, travel, weapon retention, women's self defense View Post

African Counter-Ambush Tactics

Written by: Greg Ellifritz   I recently returned from a two-week trip to South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Botswana.  The primary focus of the trip was going on safari to see all the legendary animals that inhabit the African plains.  On the trip I did 12 different safari outings, either on foot, by safari truck, or […]

Posted on January 15, 2020 by Greg Ellifritz in Articles
ambush, police, travel View Post

Texas Church Attack: Post-Shooting Procedures

Written by: Greg Ellifritz   I’ve read many tactical debriefs of the recent shooting incident at the West Freeway Church of Christ.   I have no plans to re-hash what has already been discussed in countless articles and videos.  There were lots of good things (a near-perfect head shot from an extended distance, no mistaken […]

Posted on January 13, 2020 by Greg Ellifritz in Articles
active killer, active shooter, church security, church shootings View Post

Weekend Knowledge Dump- January 10, 2020

Knowledge to make your life better. If you have some free time, check out some of these links this weekend.   Situational Awareness Skills: Teaching Kids Observation Skills Good suggestions for those of you who have young children.     Glock Guide: DIY Frame Disassembly For those of you who don’t know how to remove […]

Posted on January 10, 2020 by Greg Ellifritz in Weekend Knowledge Dump
.22, Active Self Protection, AR-15, church security, church shootings, edible plants, exercise, family safety, fitness, gelatin tests, John Daub, Mark Rippetoe, Massad Ayoob, Morgan Atwood, Operational Security, Organic Prepper, police, Recoil Magazine, revolvers, Rory Miller, situational awareness, survival, Terry Trahan, The Revolver Guy, Varg Freeborn View Post

January 2020 Classes

I have two classes in Central Ohio coming up at the end of the month.  The host is providing a discount if you register for both.  I hope to see some of you there.   For registration details, go to Personal Defense Systems website.  Class descriptions are as follows:       Knife Skills for […]

Posted on January 8, 2020 by Greg Ellifritz in What's New
class announcements View Post

My Best Writing- 2019

Written by: Greg Ellifritz   Last week, I posted an article linking to my most popular posts in 2019.  In that article, I discussed how my “most popular” articles were not the same as my “best” articles.     I liked many of the most popular articles (ranked by page view), but I think other […]

Posted on January 7, 2020 by Greg Ellifritz in What's New
View Post

Your Tactical Training Scenario: In-Hand Weapons Retention

Written by: Greg Ellifritz   Have you ever thought about what you would do if a criminal lunged for your gun as you were holding him at gunpoint?  That happened to a police officer last week with very serious consequences.  The cop and another citizen were both shot.  Read about the incident at the link […]

Posted on January 6, 2020 by Greg Ellifritz in Tactical Training Scenarios
extreme close range, weapon retention View Post

Back from Africa!

Written by: Greg Ellifritz   I recently returned from an epic two-week trip to South Africa, Zimbabwe, and Botswana.   I had previously been to Africa twice.  I went to Egypt in 2005.  I returned in 2008 to climb Kilimanjaro, visiting both Kenya and Tanzania.  I got really sick climbing Kili (high altitude cerebral edema) […]

Posted on January 5, 2020 by Greg Ellifritz in What's New
third world travel, travel View Post

Weekend Knowledge Dump- January 3, 2020

Knowledge to make your life better. If you have some free time, check out some of these links this weekend.   NO POLITICS Initial Analysis of Murders in White Settlement TX Church Last weekend’s church shooting in Texas has the internet abuzz.  There is quite a bit of bad information regarding the attack floating around […]

Posted on January 3, 2020 by Greg Ellifritz in Weekend Knowledge Dump
ACLDN, active killer, Active Self Protection, active shooter, and Deadly, ccw, Chris Cerino, Claude Werner, crime statistics, firearm maintenance, gelatin tests, ground fighting, history, Hock Hochheim, holsters, John Hearne, Justin Dyal, Legal, Pew Pew Tactical, police training, precision rifle, Rangemaster, shooting drills, shotguns, Silent, statistics, Swift, terroism, travel, women's carry View Post

Top 10 Most Popular Posts of 2019

Written by: Greg Ellifritz Seth Godin made a very powerful statement in a recent blog post. “My most popular blog posts this year…weren’t my best ones. As usual, the most popular music wasn’t the best recorded this year either. Same for the highest-grossing movies, restaurants and politicians doing fundraising. “Best” is rarely the same as […]

Posted on January 1, 2020 by Greg Ellifritz in Articles
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Church Security Resource Compilation

Written by: Greg Ellifritz   After Sunday’s active killer attack on a church in Texas, I thought some of you might be looking for resources to determine “best practice” recommendations for your house of worship.  Here are more than a dozen highly informative articles/videos  covering the topic:   Church Safety     On Active Shooters […]

Posted on December 30, 2019 by Greg Ellifritz in Articles
active killer, active shooter, Chris Hernandez, church security, church shootings, David Yamane, Gabe Suarez, Ken Hackathorn, Michael Bane, Recoil Magazine, Tom Givens View Post

The Best of What I Read- 2019

Written by: Greg Ellifritz   Compared to the average American, I read a massive number of books.  I try to read between around 10-15 books a month.  I accomplish this because I don’t have TV in my house and I carry a book wherever I go.  Whenever I have a few spare moments, I spend […]

Posted on December 30, 2019 by Greg Ellifritz in Book Reviews
Daniel Suarez, Malcolm Gladwell, Robert Greene, Ryan Holiday, Tom Givens, Varg Freeborn View Post

Weekend Knowledge Dump- December 27, 2019

Knowledge to make your life better. If you have some free time, check out some of these links this weekend.   What To Do if Someone Is Following You Quality tips and reference videos here.     The Spyderco Sharpmaker The Spyderco Sharpmaker is my favorite knife sharpener as well.     The Best Revolvers […]

Posted on December 27, 2019 by Greg Ellifritz in Weekend Knowledge Dump
active killer, Active Self Protection, active shooter, AK-47, Alexis Artwohl, ambush, crime statistics, firearms training, Integrated Skills Group, knives, Mark Manson, medical skills, police, police training, Recoil Magazine, revolvers, shooting drills, The Revolver Guy, women's self defense View Post

Shooting Drill- Dot Assessment Madness

Written by: Greg Ellifritz   I got this drill from Ballistic Radio’s Facebook page.   Dot Assessment Madness AKA D.A.M. Is a 55-round assessment fired on the excellent Langdon Tactical, Inc. target.   John Johnston describes the drill as follows:   “At 3 yards Start with no more than 15 rounds in the gun or […]

Posted on December 26, 2019 by Greg Ellifritz in Shooting Drills
Ballistic Radio, shooting drills View Post

The Springfield XD- A Polemic

Written by: Greg Ellifritz   A recent discussion on my Facebook page prompted me to write an article to explain why I really don’t care for the Springfield XD pistol.  I’ve seen hundreds of the guns go through my classes in the last decade.  I remain unimpressed.   The gun’s main selling point seems to […]

Posted on December 23, 2019 by Greg Ellifritz in Firearm Reviews
ccw, guest author, John Motil, Springfield Armory, Tactical Defense Institute, TDI View Post

Weekend Knowledge Dump- December 20, 2019

Knowledge to make your life better. If you have some free time, check out some of these links this weekend.   4 Qualities Your Concealed Carry Gun Must Have “Reliability is the single most important element in the selection of a personal defense weapon. The only justification for firing a weapon at a human being […]

Posted on December 20, 2019 by Greg Ellifritz in Weekend Knowledge Dump
Active Self Protection, art of manliness, Breach Bang Clear, ccw, Daniel Shaw, diet, health, Jack Donovan, Jerking the Trigger, knives, Legal, Massad Ayoob, medical skills, Nick Hughes, open carry, police training, Recoil Offgrid, shooting drills, Spotter Up, Survival Sullivan, The Suited Shootist, weapon retention View Post

Training vs. Experience

Written by: Greg Ellifritz Many of my students are serious practitioners of the art of self-protection.  They’ve graduated from numerous shooting schools and hold black belts in various martial arts systems.  Although they generally enjoy the training process in general, their ultimate goal is to become better fighters.  They are hoping that the skills they […]

Posted on December 18, 2019 by Greg Ellifritz in Articles
ccw, experience, FBI, force-on-force, police, TDI, training View Post
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