Active Response Training
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • RSS
  • Home
  • Available Classes
  • Instructors
  • 2025 Classes
  • Recommended Reading
  • Contact
  • Class Reviews
  • Media

Teaching Tip- Shooting Demonstrations

Written by: Greg Ellifritz   If you are a shooting instructor, do you demonstrate your shooting drills in front of your class?  I strongly believe that you should.  If you disagree, you might want to check out an article I recently read:   Six Things You Should Know About How Your Brain Learns   The […]

Posted on February 1, 2017 by Greg Ellifritz in Teaching Tips
firearms training View Post

Weekend Knowledge Dump- January 27, 2017

Knowledge to make your life better.  If you have some free time, check out some of these links this weekend.   Small Of The Back Carry: Easy Concealment Or Injury Waiting To Happen? Carrying your gun in the small of your back is almost always a mistake.  In addition to the points mentioned in the […]

Posted on January 27, 2017 by Greg Ellifritz in Weekend Knowledge Dump
Active Self Protection, art of manliness, bombings, ccw, Gabe Suarez, holsters, ISIS, police, Short Barrel Shepherd, shotguns, terrorism, travel View Post

When Do School Shootings Occur?

Written by: Greg Ellifritz   Last week we had another school shooting.  When I read that the West Liberty High School shooter chose to initiate his attack before classes officially began for the day, it got me thinking.  It seemed that a lot of recent school attacks have been happening not during the school day, […]

Posted on January 25, 2017 by Greg Ellifritz in Articles
active killer, active shooter, school shootings View Post

SHOT Show 2017 Roundup

Written by: Greg Ellifritz If you have been vacationing off the planet, you may not realize that the world’s largest trade show for shooting enthusiasts was held in Las Vegas last week.  The Shooting, Hunting and Outdoor Trades (SHOT) show is the second largest trade show in Las Vegas every year.  70,000+ shooting industry professionals […]

Posted on January 23, 2017 by Greg Ellifritz in What's New
View Post

Weekend Knowledge Dump- January 20, 2017

Knowledge to make your life better.  If you have some free time, check out some of these links this weekend.   Skills And Drills For Saving Lives Ralph Mroz suggests some reasonable performance standards for the defensive shooter.     The Book of the Pistol and Revolver The full text of a 1917 book on […]

Posted on January 20, 2017 by Greg Ellifritz in Weekend Knowledge Dump
Active Self Protection, civilian gunfighter, Ernest Langdon, holsters, Karl Rehn, Max Velocity Tactical, Michael Bane, multiple attackers, Ralph Mroz, Recoil Magazine, robbery, Robert Young Pelton, scams, travel View Post

#Don’tDigTheRig- Part 7

Written by Greg Ellifritz   Concealed Nation has a regular feature on its website called #DIGTHERIG.  It consists of reader submitted photos about their individual chosen concealed carry weapon and holster choices.   A huge variety of guns and holsters are featured.  All are carried by someone.  Unfortunately, some of the choices are less than […]

Posted on January 18, 2017 by Greg Ellifritz in Gear Reviews
ccw, holsters View Post

Best Backpacking Gun?

Written by: Greg Ellifritz   I recently had a reader write me to ask my opinion about the best gun for hiking or backpacking:   “What do you recommend for concealed carry while backpacking? I usually backpack with a 1980’s era frame pack with metal hip bars and a strap that would preclude most usual […]

Posted on January 17, 2017 by Greg Ellifritz in Reader Questions
backpacking, ccw, hiking, revolver View Post

Weekend Knowledge Dump- January 13, 2017

Knowledge to make your life better.  If you have some free time, check out some of these links this weekend.     Brave Bystander Uses Environmental Tools to Stop Deranged Man Here is an interesting scenario.  How would you deal with a man at the gas pump trying to light a stream of gasoline on […]

Posted on January 13, 2017 by Greg Ellifritz in Weekend Knowledge Dump
Active Self Protection, Breach Bang Clear, Dave Spaulding, drugs, economic collapse, medical skills, Michael Janich, psychology, Rex Applegate, survival, travel View Post

Playing with some new Magazine Carriers…

Written by: Greg Ellifritz   I’ve carried a plain Jane CompTac single mag carrier for more than 10 years.  The mag pouch is comfortable, cheap, and durable.  It sticks out a little from the body, but my loose shirts usually conceal it pretty well.  I hadn’t had any reason to find a new mag carrier.  […]

Posted on January 11, 2017 by Greg Ellifritz in Gear Reviews
Andrew Bawidamann, concealed carry, magazines, Raven Concealment View Post

2016 Training Year in Review

Written by Greg Ellifritz Ever since I started training people in the fighting arts for a living, I have kept very meticulous records.  Not only is it important for potential future legal action, it’s a great marker for tracking progress and improvement.   Each year at this time, I do a review of what I […]

Posted on January 10, 2017 by Greg Ellifritz in What's New
View Post

Weekend Knowledge Dump- January 6, 2017

Knowledge to make your life better.  If you have some free time, check out some of these links this weekend.   Safety in Bear Country Interesting information from the Forest Service about bear defense.  If you are interested in the topic, you’ll also like this article on rifle penetration in large animals.  H/T to Practical […]

Posted on January 6, 2017 by Greg Ellifritz in Weekend Knowledge Dump
Active Self Protection, AR-15, Breach Bang Clear, ccw, cover, Dave Spaulding, Doom and Bloom, Ken Hackathorn, Legal, Marc MacYoung, medical skills, Paul Carlson, Primary and Secondary, Rangemaster, Spotter Up, terrorism, training, travel, Weapons Man View Post

Istanbul Active Killer Attack

Written by: Greg Ellifritz   On New Year’s Eve an Islamic terrorist attacked a nightclub in Istanbul, Turkey.  He fired 180 rounds with an AK-47.  Some sources stated he also threw hand grenades.  His attack resulted in 39 dead and more than 70 wounded.  The Turkish government has ordered a media blackout of the event […]

Posted on January 5, 2017 by Greg Ellifritz in Articles
active killer, active shooter, terrorism View Post

#Don’tDigTheRig- Part 6

Written by Greg Ellifritz   Concealed Nation has a regular feature on its website called #DIGTHERIG.  It consists of reader submitted photos about their individual chosen concealed carry weapon and holster choices.   A huge variety of guns and holsters are featured.  All are carried by someone.  Unfortunately, some of the choices are less than […]

Posted on January 3, 2017 by Greg Ellifritz in Gear Reviews
Concealed Nation, Fobus, holsters View Post

My Best Writing 2016

Written by: Greg Ellifritz   Last week, I posted an article linking to my most popular posts in 2016.  In that article, I discussed how my “most popular” articles where not the same as my “best articles.”  I liked many of the most popular articles (listed by page view), but I think other articles that […]

Posted on January 2, 2017 by Greg Ellifritz in What's New
View Post

Weekend Knowledge Dump- December 30, 2016

Knowledge to make your life better.  If you have some free time, check out some of these links this weekend.   Good Samaritan Checklist Think deeply before you involve yourself in someone else’s activity.  Things may not go according to plan.  Read this cautionary tale for an example of how intervention can go badly.   […]

Posted on December 30, 2016 by Greg Ellifritz in Weekend Knowledge Dump
Active Self Protection, ammunition, Buckeye Firearms, ccw, civilian gunfighter, computers, Dave Spaulding, fraud, Gabe Suarez, Grant Cunningham, Ken Hackathorn, Krebs on Security, Legal, Marcus Wynne, Matthew Allen, medical skills, Michael Bane, Paul Sharp, psychology, revolvers, Rob Pincus, Spotter Up, training, travel, verbalization View Post

Top 10 Most Popular Posts of 2016

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 […]

Posted on December 28, 2016 by Greg Ellifritz in What's New
View Post

Back from El Salvador!

Written by: Greg Ellifritz   I spent last week vacationing in El Salvador.  Most of you are questioning my sanity right now.  Why go to El Salvador?  The country has the highest murder rate in the world when comparing countries not involved in a civil wars.  It doesn’t get a lot of tourism.   I […]

Posted on December 27, 2016 by Greg Ellifritz in What's New
3rd world travel, travel, travel safety View Post

Training Announcement

No more police/security contract classes for Active Response Training.   I’ve decided not to conduct any more contract police/security classes in the future. To be honest, many of the cop classes I’ve taught over the last 18 years have been complete disappointments. Even though the cops I’m teaching have the potential to use the skills […]

Posted on December 24, 2016 by Greg Ellifritz in What's New
police, training View Post

Weekend Knowledge Dump- December 23, 2016

    Knowledge to make your life better.  If you have some free time, check out some of these links this weekend.   Setting up an AR15, end of 2016 edition VERY good advice about kitting out your AR-15 rifle.  I can’t say I disagree with any of these recommendations.     Get a Grip […]

Posted on December 23, 2016 by Greg Ellifritz in Weekend Knowledge Dump
Active Self Protection, Adaptive Defense Concepts, ambush, AR-15, drugs, fitness, Gabe Suarez, gelatin tests, ITS Tactical, Jeff Gonzales, kidnapping, medical skills, Paul Sharp, police, precision rifle, Prepared Gun Owners, shooting drills, shotguns, survival, third world travel View Post

The Little Black Book of Violence

Written by Greg Ellifritz   It may come as a shock to you, but it’s a fact.  Men and women are different.   If you are married or in a relationship with a member of the opposite sex, you know this.  Men think about things in a different way, process information differently, and are exposed […]

Posted on December 21, 2016 by Greg Ellifritz in Book Reviews
books, masculinity, psychology, self defense View Post
«‹6667686970›»

Do you want to subscribe to our newsletter?

Recent Posts

  • Weekend Knowledge Dump- August 8, 2025
  • Using Blanks in Scenario Training
  • Upcoming Classes- August and September 2025
  • Preventing Police Training Deaths
  • Weekend Knowledge Dump- August 1, 2025
Support Active Response Training on Patreon!
Become a patron at Patreon!

Most Shared Articles

Friends Don't Let Friends Open Carry

Shares: 23438

The Rayshard Brooks Shooting

Shares: 8172

How to Spot a Bad Guy- A Comprehensive Look at Body Language and Pre-Assault Indicators

Shares: 17293

Reporting "Social Distancing" Violations

Shares: 86131

The Serpa Compendium

Shares: 10358

© 2023 Active Response Training - Made with ♥ TheBlackBellCo
Privacy Policy