Active Response Training
  • Facebook
  • Twitter
  • RSS
  • Home
  • Available Classes
  • Instructors
  • 2025-2026 Classes
  • Recommended Reading
  • Contact
  • Class Reviews
  • Media

Final 2024 Classes

My post knee surgery recovery has been slow (as was expected) but right now, I can stand without pain and walk fairly well with a brace and cane.  My leg is still locked straight in a steel brace for another month, but I have enough mobility that I can teach my regularly-scheduled classes.  Here’s what […]

Posted on September 23, 2024 by Greg Ellifritz in What's New
View Post

Weekend Knowledge Dump- September 20, 2024

Knowledge to make your life better. If you have some free time, check out some of these links this weekend.   Can Exercise Simulate a Gunfight? I think it’s very important to train when you are physically stressed by exercise.  With that said, heart rate increases from exercise are extremely different from heart rate increases […]

Posted on September 20, 2024 by Greg Ellifritz in Weekend Knowledge Dump
Active Self Protection, ammunition, Athlon Outdoors, ccw, Everyday Marksman, exercise, firearms training, GAT Daily, gun digest, John Farnam, Karl Rehn, Kevin Creighton, malfunctions, Mart Hayes, medical skills, medicinal plants, Mike Seeklander, Mike Treat, Recoil Magazine, robbery, shooting drills, Steve Moses, Survival Sullivan, survivalblog, That Weems Guy, The Revolver Guy, tourniquets View Post

Distracting Questions

    In order for a criminal to get close enough to commit his crime, he has to appear non-threatening.  If he appears dangerous, his “prey” are likely to spot him earlier and either run away or call for help.  Hence, the criminal will close the distance, often using the pretense of asking a question […]

Posted on September 16, 2024 by Greg Ellifritz in News and Tactical Advice
resistance strategies, robbery, self defense, verbalization View Post

Weekend Knowledge Dump- September 13, 2024

Knowledge to make your life better. If you have some free time, check out some of these links this weekend.   Pros & Cons Of Fanny Pack Concealed Carry I carry in a fanny pack almost exclusively at the gym as well as when I walk, hike, run, or cycle.  It is a very useful […]

Posted on September 13, 2024 by Greg Ellifritz in Uncategorized
10mm, active killer, active shooter, Alex Ooley, Area Ocho, Bryce Towsley, Caleb Causey, ccw, Charles Askins, Chris Cypert, Claude Werner, Dave Spaulding, Dennis Tueller, gun digest, holsters, Kevin Creighton, Lone Star Medics, Lucky Gunner, Massad Ayoob, medical skills, psychology, reloads, school shootings, shotguns, statistics, Swift Silent Deadly, The Armory Life, The Firearms Blog, The Havok Journal, William Aprill View Post

Real-Life Disparity of Force Case

I’ve seen a recent bout of “never talk to the police” advice on my Facebook news feed.  I’ve written about my advice regarding speaking to the police after a defensive firearm use before.  In this article, I want to describe a real-life  incident to which I responded as a police officer.  A young CCW carrier […]

Posted on September 10, 2024 by Greg Ellifritz in News and Tactical Advice
ccw View Post

Weekend Knowledge Dump- September 6, 2024

Knowledge to make your life better. If you have some free time, check out some of these links this weekend.   Self-Defense and the Law: Is Shooting Long-Distance in Defense Defensible in Court? Massad Ayoob talks about the realities of taking longer shots in a gunfight.     An Innovative Take on Mental Awareness In […]

Posted on September 6, 2024 by Greg Ellifritz in Uncategorized
active killer, Active Self Protection, active shooter, AR-15, ccw, Claude Werner, drugs, Dustin Soloman, Erick Gelhaus, firearms training, flashlights, Grant Cunningham, Handwaving Freakoutery, history, holsters, John Hearne, John Holschen, John Murphy, Karl Rehn, Lucky Gunner, Massad Ayoob, optics, Paul Markel, PHLster, police, psychology, red dot sights, revolvers, school shootings, Tamara Keel, The Revolver Guy, Wim Demeere View Post

Free Books- Part 304

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 5, 2024 by Greg Ellifritz in Uncategorized
View Post

Knee Surgery Update

*There are a couple of post-surgery incision photos in this article.  They aren’t bloody and I don’t think they are too bad, but if you have a weak constitution, maybe you should skip this article.  Fair warning. -Greg     A few weeks ago, I took a big fall while hiking and seriously damaged my […]

Posted on September 1, 2024 by Greg Ellifritz in Uncategorized
View Post

Weekend Knowledge Dump- August 30, 2024

Knowledge to make your life better. If you have some free time, check out some of these links this weekend.   Some thoughts on the legendary 125gr. .357 Magnum Darryl and Bryan are putting out some free content on their normally-paywalled American Fighting Revolver website.  While this article is free, if you like revolvers, their […]

Posted on August 30, 2024 by Greg Ellifritz in Weekend Knowledge Dump
active killer, Active Self Protection, active shooter, American Fighting Revolver, AR-15, Calibre Press, ccw, crime statistics, Darryl Bolke, Doom and Bloom, Economic Collpse Blog, Erick Gelhaus, firearms training, Grant Cunningham, ground fighting, Gun Mag Warehouse, history, Hock Hochheim, home invasion, Jeff Cooper, Jeff Gonzales, Karl Rehn, low light shooting, Marcus Wynne, Matthew Bracken, medical skills, Melody Lauer, Mike Boyle, Paul Martin, Rangemaster, shooting drills, suicide by cop, survival, Uncle Zo, USA Carry, Winning Mind Training View Post

The Role of Wonder in Teaching and Training

    One of my favorite authors/teachers is David Deida, the author of The Way of the Superior Man.     As I am recovering from last week’s knee surgery, I’ve been reading and listening to some of Deida’s material I find inspiring.  I listened to one of his audio lectures yesterday. He started out […]

Posted on August 27, 2024 by Greg Ellifritz in Articles
David Deida, firearms training, psychology View Post

Weekend Knowledge Dump- August 23, 2024

Knowledge to make your life better. If you have some free time, check out some of these links this weekend.   The thin line between safety and tragedy: Muzzle control in policing I’m glad this topic is receiving some attention.  I fear, however, if we become too dogmatic or too “safe” we will be endangering […]

Posted on August 23, 2024 by Greg Ellifritz in Weekend Knowledge Dump
Active Self Protection, American Cop, American Handgunner, Cecil Burch, Chris Cypert, crime statistics, crowd violence, Erick Gelhaus, fanny packs, firearms training, GAT Daily, GreyBeard Actual, ground fighting, Guns America, holsters, Jeff Gonzales, Jim Shanahan, knives, Lucky Gunner, medical skills, Rangemaster, Recoil Offgrid, revolvers, shooting drills, shotguns, survival, The Armory Life, The Survival Mom, Uncle Zo, Wim Demeere View Post

Free Books- Part 303

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 22, 2024 by Greg Ellifritz in Uncategorized
View Post

Shoot Better in 15 Minutes

I know the title of this article sounds a bit like “click bait,” but it really isn’t.    Would you believe me if I told you that I could significantly improve your shooting performance in less than 15 minutes while firing 30 total rounds?  Read more about my methodology and give these training drills a […]

Posted on August 19, 2024 by Greg Ellifritz in Shooting Drills
Commander Zero, LouAnn Hamblin, LouKa Tactical, Rangemaster, shooting drills, Spencer Keepers, Tom Givens View Post

Weekend Knowledge Dump- August 16, 2024

Knowledge to make your life better. If you have some free time, check out some of these links this weekend.   Rifle Tips for Fighting Around a Car Taking a rifle-based vehicle defense class wouldn’t be my first training priority as an armed citizen, but I think it’s useful to know and practice a few […]

Posted on August 16, 2024 by Greg Ellifritz in Weekend Knowledge Dump
active killer, Active Self Protection, active shooter, American Handgunner, Ammoland, Cheapest Destinations, Claude Werner, Clint Smith, crime stats, Dr. David Yamane, Firearms News, firearms training, gelatin testing, gun digest, Gun Snobbery, Guns Magazine, Havok Journal, Jonathan Willis, Karl Rehn, Kyle Lamb, medical skills, Paul Martin, police, police training, Rich Grassi, Richard Mann, robbery, school shootings, shooting drills, Tactical Shit, Tamara Keel, Tatiana Whitlock, The Shooting Wire, The Survival Mom, travel, vehicle tactics View Post

Knee Injury Update and Class Cancellations

Hello folks. Quick update on my knee…     For those of you who missed the details of my fall last week, check out Survival Lessons from a Wilderness Fall.     I had my orthopedic appointment today. I have a torn quadriceps tendon and likely some additional structural damage inside my knee that will […]

Posted on August 13, 2024 by Greg Ellifritz in What's New
View Post

Weekend Knowledge Dump- August 9, 2024

Knowledge to make your life better. If you have some free time, check out some of these links this weekend.   Level 4 Plates: Body Armor Buyer’s Guide An excellent review of plate body armor options.     Shelley Hill: Recognizing Types of Smiles to Trust Being able to effectively “read” facial expressions is a […]

Posted on August 9, 2024 by Greg Ellifritz in Weekend Knowledge Dump
ACLDN, active killer, active shooter, American Handgunner, Claude Werner, Craig Douglas, dry fire, Dustin Salomon, Erick Gelhaus, firearms training, Gabe White, gun digest, Guns Magazine, Kelly McCann, laser sights, Legal, magazines, Massad Ayoob, optics, pepper spray, Recoil Magazine, Rich Grassi, Shelley Hill, shooting drills, shotguns, Steve Tarani, The Revolver Guy, The Shooting Wire, Uncle Zo View Post

Survival Lessons from a Wilderness Fall

I fell while hiking down a small mountain last week.  I was fairly seriously injured, stranded in an area with no cell coverage, and ended up needing an EMS rescue to get me to the hospital.  After cogitating about the incident for a week, I have some lessons learned  to share so that the rest […]

Posted on August 8, 2024 by Greg Ellifritz in Articles
medical skills, survival View Post

Free Books- Part 302

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 8, 2024 by Greg Ellifritz in Uncategorized
View Post

Active Killer Advice Compendium

Written by Greg Ellifritz   A lot of folks write to me wanting to know what tactics and strategies will help them prevail should they be present during an active killer attack in a public place.   I’ve been writing about the topic for almost two decades.  Other folks have been studying the problem for […]

Posted on August 6, 2024 by Greg Ellifritz in Articles
active killer, active shooter, Breach Bang Clear, Caleb Giddings, Chris Hernandez, CP Journal, Dave Spaulding, Ed Monk, Gabe Suarez, John Lott, John Robb, Malcolm Gladwell, Marty Hayes, Peter Burlingame, Short Barrel Shepherd, Spotter Up, stratfor View Post

Weekend knowledge Dump- August 2, 2024

Knowledge to make your life better. If you have some free time, check out some of these links this weekend.   Guest Shot: The Semi-Auto Grip Dave Spaulding gives us a written master class on gripping the handgun.     100 Days Out Paul Martin discusses preparedness in advance of the upcoming election. If we […]

Posted on August 2, 2024 by Greg Ellifritz in Weekend Knowledge Dump
American Cop, AR Build Junkie, AR-15, Breach Bang Clear, ccw, Dave Spaulding, Erick Gelhaus, Grant Cunningham, Growing Up Guns, Gun Mag Warehouse, history, Hock Hochheim, holsters, impact weapons, Karl Rehn, Kevin Creighton, knives, Mark Luell, Massad Ayoob, Mike Boyle, Paul Martin, police, psychology, Rangemaster, Rex Applegate, saps, shooting drills, statistics, survival, Tatiana Whitlock, The Revolver Guy, The Tactical Wire, travel, Uncle Zo, William Aprill View Post
«‹7891011›»

Recent Posts

  • Weekend Knowledge Dump- January 9, 2026
  • The Best of What I Read-2025
  • Weekend Knowledge Dump- January 2, 2026
  • My Best Writing- 2025
  • Weekend Knowledge Dump- December 26, 2025

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