Haley Strategic Partners is constantly evaluating new equipment. Here are some shots of them in Kryptek Highlander.
All vests are Velocity ULV. All guns are BCM. Photos were taken during the pilot course for HSP’s upcoming Disruptive Environments Mobile which is still in development but will launch later this year. It combines mobility and weapons manipulation into one package with civilian and military versions being deployed.
So, I like going to the gym. I like olympic lifting, rowing, circuit workouts, whatever. I particularly like the fact that my gym has about 100,000 SQ FT of gym/olympic pool/indoor track/younameit. But after a few years of spending 5-6 days a week in there, waiting to use stuff behind teenagers glued to their iPhones, old people who sit on the same piece of equipment and talk to their golfing buddies for 30 minutes, and the lack of lane availability at the pool for water aerobics 24/7, I couldn’t take it any more. I’ve wanted a garage gym for a long time, and the time has come. The garage has been cleaned out, and save for 3 dirt bikes and a workbench, it’s now earmarked to become the pinnacle of home suffer-fests. It solves a lot of problems, and I wish I could have done it a long time ago. No more gym fees, no more finding child care, no more scheduling around peak times, no travel time, not waiting in line ever again, no dress code, no screaming, grunting, or involuntary flatulence, and no stupid knee-high socks or toe shoes. I can play whatever music I want, as loud as I want, and not need head phones. It presented some challenges though, not the least of which was cleaning out a fully-stocked with junk non-car-parkable garage.
First and foremost, you can’t fit 100,000 feet of square footage into a garage. It’s a big garage, but the oly pool and track aren’t in the cards. I found that 80% of my gym workouts use the same equipment: pull-up bars, a power rack, a bench, a bar, and a bunch of bumper plates. My work had been done for me as the three popular gyms around here use the same racks from Rogue Fitness which take a lot of abuse and look no worse for wear. I just got a one-guy size rack, the RM4 Monster. It’s built like a tank, and should last me a lifetime. Not only that, their racks are like MOLLE gear for fitness freaks, and they make all kinds of torturous stuff to bolt onto them (check out the pull-up globes…). While I was there I ordered 450 pounds of bumper plates and their signature Roue bar, as well as a flat bench. The order was topped off with a Concept 2 rower in tactical black. I’ve already got rings, ropes, LMTV tires and kettlebells so that was covered. Looking at the space that takes up when arranged smartly with good weight storage, I was out about the same amount of floor space a garage freezer takes up…not too bad. There is some more equipment I want to pick up eventually as a luxury, but what I got should cover almost every gym exercise I would want to do. I learned on deployments if you’re creative you get a tremendous amount of use out of a few key pieces of equipment. Flooring was the next consideration. I was shocked how much rubber flooring costs at actual fitness equipment retailers. A quick trip to Lowe’s Hardware got me some purpose built gym flooring, 80 sq ft for $208, which is about 50% of what some retailers quoted, with no shipping involved. Add some chalk, a box fan, and an iPod dock and we’re done. I took the part of the big gym I actually like and put it in one small space.
I had set a budget of $1000 for the gym…which I tripled. Mostly out of the desire for instant gratification once I got the idea in my head. However, local Crossfit-style gyms charge from $100-150 a month for access. That includes group workouts and trainers on site, but all I want is access to the equipment so that’s not a big selling point for me. So had I gone the budget route and gotten some stuff on Craigslist over the course of a few months I probably could have gotten the same capability secondhand for $1000 or less. So in 8-10 months, a patient person could have their investment paid for and be working out for free. It’s certainly a buyer’s market on used exercise equipment, and most of it is relatively unused…or they wouldn’t be selling it. I’d look in March or so when all the frequent buffet patrons give up on their New Year’s Resolution dreams of turning into a swimsuit model, steals and deals will abound. Anyways, if you’re tired of waiting in line, or trying to schedule gym trips around the kids, or want to work out at odd hours, or just generally dislike people, look into a garage gym. I’m just as excited about Phase II…the prison gym in the back yard on a concrete slab. More on that later.
www.roguefitness.com
www.lowes.com
www.hammerheadfitness.com
Hello Grey Group fans and customers. Many of you are already aware of me moving away from Fayetteville but others are not. I wanted to take this time to let everyone know of my new role with Grey Group Training.
I started at GGT in April 2010 as a customer service rep. From there I became the Office Manager or as Eric likes to say, the Logistics Ninja. As of Jan 2013, my husband and I moved to Kansas City and my role in the GGT HQ was passed down to Scarlett and Abbey. I am extremely blessed to have obtained a full time position at the University of Kansas and am lucky enough to maintain a part time position with Grey Group as the Training Coordinator. I still have my email (info@greygrouptraining.com) and still have daily communication with the folks in Fayetteville. They are my family and some of the best friends I will ever have; plus they can’t get rid of me that easily.
When it comes to training, I’m the one who will be answering training questions, making the schedule, sending out the informational emails and certificates and will be the main contact between instructors and ranges. I may not be physically at Grey Group any more but I am still around to help in any way possible. Unfortunately, as far as phone, all I have is my personal cell. If you need anything and can’t reach me for whatever reason via email, please call the office at 910-323-4739 and they will forward me any messages.
Thank you everyone for your patience as we all make this transition of me leaving the office. I can’t wait to see what 2013 has in store for Grey Group and am super happy to still be apart of the dysfunctional family.
~Ramia Whitecotton~
www.GreyGroupTraining.com
Redback One has shared an overview of their new Redback Shooting System with us. It is a total system that relies on measurable standards to ensure that students attain the knowledge, skills and attitude to safely and confidently carry, control, handle, and operate weapon systems. They offer competency based training at four levels from entry up to CQB and Home Defense proficiency. Additionally, RB1 will offer instructor level training.
This AAR was provided to SSD by a talented young lady who recently attended a Haley Strategic Partners Adaptive Carbine 01 in Victoria, TX – Oct 2-4, 2013. It’s great to hear things from her point of view.
A few weeks ago I attended Haley Strategic Partner’s Adaptive Carbine One course at Arrowhead Firearms Training in Victoria, Texas. The amount of information I received over the duration of three days was extremely valuable. It was applicable not only just to carbine manipulation, but also to other weapon systems and even my perspective on everyday life as an armed citizen. I thought it would be helpful to evaluate the course in the context of my personal background and training experiences thus far.
As a woman, I often find myself surrounded by men at gun ranges who tend to be very aggressive and condescending towards me. I’ve had experiences where men have told me that I “can’t handle” a .45 caliber handgun, or assume that because I’m a woman, they automatically know more than me. There are many women out there who feel exactly the same and have had to battle this relentless “good old boys” attitude. Thankfully, at the beginning of this year I joined the Sure Shots, a women’s pistol league based in Austin, TX where women just like me can come together and learn how to shoot without the pressure of their boyfriends, husbands, or any other men who try to limit us.
It is when I joined the Sure Shots that I began to take shooting more seriously than just a fun hobby or practice to become a better hunter. I began to seek out training programs that would expand my capabilities as a shooter. The first class I took was a carbine class for the Sure Shots administered by Legion Firearms. I had never shot an AR-15 before (actually, I had never shot a rifle that wasn’t some type of bolt action hunting rifle). The class pushed me passed my physical limits, but I came out the other side more familiar and proficient with the weapon system.
A few months later a fellow Sure Shot and I took the Magpul Dynamics Handgun One course conducted by Steve Fisher, who happens to be an excellent instructor and just an awesome person to be around in general (even if he called me “Rihanna” for 3 days straight). Despite the fact that we were the only girls in a class of experienced shooters, we held our own. If I had one word to describe the three days of the course, it would be “intense.” While the class focused on technique, handgun manipulation, and accuracy, the most important thing I got out of it was discovering and experiencing my personal physical and mental breaking points. I broke bad habits and began to learn new ones. I came out a completely different shooter.
During the first day of the HSP Adaptive Carbine class I immediately began to realize that the teaching style was completely different than anything I had taken before. First of all, Travis Haley and Brannon LeBouef were very personable and welcoming. The course itself was extremely cognitive and internally focused. I began to concentrate on my mental awareness and focus. We didn’t even shoot that many rounds the first day. Yet, somehow the fewer rounds I put through the barrel, the more I was learning and improving. Their goal for the course was for us to become “thinkers before shooters.” Each day consisted of multiple stories and lessons that they shared with the class.
While the Magpul Dynamics class made me a completely different pistol shooter, the Haley Strategic class made me a completely different thinker. Both classes provided extensive training in fundamentals, which are universal to all weapon systems. The things I learned about “feel, eyes, finger” in the HSP carbine class have already made me a better handgun shooter. Likewise, the intensity and fast pace I learned in the Magpul Dynamics handgun class have helped me to be aggressive and proficient with carbine techniques.
If I were to provide advice for women looking for training, I would recommend taking a Haley Strategic Partner’s class first. It would have been interesting for me to see how my acquired mental awareness would have helped me in Steve Fisher’s class. Furthermore, don’t resist taking a class because you are intimidated, scared, or don’t want to be “yelled at.” I think it is vitally important to be pushed in that way. You need to be able to face your barriers so you can cross them. It is important to diversify your training to discover which techniques works best for you. Also, you will discover that the firearms community consists of some of the most welcoming and friendly people you will ever meet. Everyone wants to share their gear, stories, and learned lessons with each other, especially with women who are taking the initiative to make themselves better. They want to be part of that. Just remember, stay open to all types of training and don’t be afraid to try something new.
Times are tough and with so many spending their money on guns and magazines, items like target systems are being ignored. TacStrike builds a great target and decided to come up with a way to help shooters get ahold of their systems. They established a relationship with GunFinancing.com which is essentially the “lending tree” of the firearms industry, matching banks with customers to provide the best options for financing.
Tacstrike is offering target sets of their 1/4 scale steel targets which feature a AR 500 (brinell hardness of at least 495) plate which floats inside of the carrier allowing it to absorb the impact without the need to swing to the rear or rock in the carrier to absorb the bullet impact. The Upright mounts into the base plates center 2×2 pocket and has an armor plate attached to the front of the post to keep those low rounds from damaging the post.
This video gives you an idea of how the targets stand up to carbine fire.
tacstrike.com/Targets-With-Financing
Invictus Alliance Group, LLC and Northern Red Inc have announced a “Joining of Forces” but have not disclosed what this actually means. My take is that there is no formal business arrangement such as a joint venture or merger, but rather that the two companies tend to complement one another so they will share clients based on the task at hand. Both are great companies and I’d say, based on the current environment, they’d be in a better position working together, rather than competing.
Raleigh, NC – January 1, 2013 – The elite combat-proven training, high-risk security and intelligence capabilities of two leading companies have been brought together to deliver critical services to the private and government industries.
Invictus Alliance Group Founders and former 1st SFOD-D (Delta Force) members Tom and Scot Spooner started the company in 2010 and have since successfully delivered tactical training and experiential leadership courses to elite organizations making Invictus a sought-after brand and delivery partner.
“Our integrity as a company is our most valuable asset, it’s something we are unwilling to throw away for short-term monetary gains. We are only interested in attracting the right members to our team and in turn, attracting the right kind of customers for our services. We’re not a transactional service provider, we’re focused on the mutual benefit of long-term relationships with our customers. We are their trusted advisors,” said Scot Spooner.
In early 2012 Invictus Alliance Group began a collaborative relationship with Northern Red Inc., a specialized training and high-risk security company based in Philadelphia, PA, co-founded by former Special Forces Green Beret J.D. Potynsky, CEO, and business consultant, Heath Durrans.
The two companies soon realized their shared vision, values and incessant strive for quality that has resulted in this formal “joining of forces” that will increase delivery capability and subject matter expertise in the following areas:
– Government Support Services
– Special Operations Training
– Crisis Management
– High-Risk Security
– Intelligence Operations
Tom Spooner observed, “The industry is full of very talented one-man shows who are all making a good living and providing a great product, but no single person posses the influential power to affect the necessary change and training standardization in the industry. However, by integrating Northern Red’s Special Operations experience together with Invictus’s, I strongly believe we have the ability to make significant positive change in the way Military and Law Enforcement units and private clients perform their training.”
J.D.. Potynsky points out, “Invictus is in the business of challenging the training status quo, asking the hard questions, doing what they say can’t be done, and establishing updated and relevant standards in every aspect of the industries we operate in. I’m excited to be part of this success story and to take on the responsibility to drive the strategic vision of making Invictus a world-class training services leader and innovator.”
Invictus Alliance Group, LLC is a Service Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business based in Raleigh, NC, and provides Special Operations Training and Critical Infrastructure Consulting Services to private and government sector clients.
Northern Red Inc., is a Service Disabled Veteran Owned Small Business based in Philadelphia, PA, and provides tactical training, high-risk security and intelligence operations to private and government sector clients.
Mike describes what you are watching-
I came out of box A before shooting the steel and had to back up and came off the second to last steel before I broke the shot and had to re-address it but other than that I was happy with the run. That BCM lightweight 16″ mid-length with FSC556, A5 buffer and Geissele S3GE is an awesome speed gun. It’s just downright fast. Almost zero recoil and shot-to-shot and tgt-to-tgt splits are phenomenal.
