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Archive for the ‘Training’ Category

Blauer Tactical Systems Opens New Facility

Thursday, October 2nd, 2008

Blauer Tactical Systems (BTS) has opened the world’s largest hand-to-hand & scenario training facility in Virginia Beach, VA. BTS invested six months and $250,000 to transform the 28,000 square-foot facility into a world class complex. The center includes an extensive combatives area, classrooms, conference rooms, scenario training rooms, a MMA Training area and the largest Crossfit training facility in the US, featuring 20 full Crossfit workstations. We recently visited the facility and it is in fact, top notch. Not shown in the photo below is a CQB “shoot” house with a few surprises in store for students.

Blauer Tactical Grand Opening

BTS specializes in customized scenario training, as well as research and development of close quarter tactics for the military, law enforcement and professional self-defense instructors. Many companies provide training in how to react once you are in a given situation. BTS takes a more in-depth approach. After speaking with Tony Blauer about his training philosophy it quickly became apparent that his goal is to educate his students in how to recognize situations as they deteriorate and how to react by providing the proper force or technique to attempt to avert further escalation by the adversary.

The facility’s inaugural event (August 15-16, 2008) attracted over 100 military personnel including representation from Naval Amphibious Base Little Creek, Naval Air Station Oceana (Dam Neck), Ft. Meade, Ft. Lee, Ft. Eustis, Ft. Bragg, Ft. Campbell, Ft. Story, Langley Air Force base, along with a 50 hand selected self-defense instructors & citizens who were treated to an outstanding weekend of training that included CrossFit, S.P.E.A.R. System combatives, and MMA training.

BTS welcomed very special guest, Coach Greg Glassman, the founder of CrossFit, as the keynote speaker. CrossFit is the principal strength and conditioning program for many police academies and tactical operations teams, military special operations units, champion martial artists, and hundreds of other elite and professional athletes worldwide. MMA fighter Joe Lauzon from the UFC also treated the group to ground fighting training.

CrossFit and Blauer Tactical have partnered up to combine unprecedented training opportunities for those interested in practical & tactical fitness & extreme close quarter fighting skills. ADS Tactical from Virginia Beach offers both training programs on their GSA schedule.

For more information on the new training center and future courses visit Bluer Tactical Systems or email combatives@blauertactical.com

Blauer Tactical Systems End of Fiscal Year Sale

Sunday, September 21st, 2008

You are going to see a lot here on Soldier Systems Blog about Tony Blauer and his pursuits but since its so close to the end of the fiscal year and they are running such a great special, we wanted to get this out to you immediately and verbatim. If you do anything today, check out Blauer’s website.

Blauer Tactical

END OF YEAR HIGH GEAR SPECIAL + TRAINING BONUS

BONUS TRAINING WORTH OVER $750
FREE SHIPPING
Any customer who purchases 2 state-of-the-art HIGH GEAR suits will receive free shipping and a complimentary slot in one of our combatives or scenario instructor courses ALL FOR ONLY $2350 (regular H2H suit) or just $2499 (for the Marking Cartridge version).

That’s two HIGH GEAR suits, CONUS shipping & 1 bonus training slot in one of our certification courses for $2350 or $2499

This special will end October 1, 2008.

CALL NOW – JUST 10 DAYS LEFT TO TAKE ADVANTAGE OF THE BONUS TRAINING SPECIAL

YOU MAY SELECT FROM THE FOLLOWING COURSES:

S.P.E.A.R. SYSTEM CERTIFICATION
*October 27th-31st: S.P.E.A.R. System: Instructor Certification Course, BTS HQ, Virginia Beach, VA.
*November 10th-14th: S.P.E.A.R. System: Instructor Certification Course, Saratoga, NY.

SCENARIO INSTRUCTOR CERTIFICATION & HIGH GEAR BMF COACH
* November 3rd-5th, 2008 High Gear Scenario Instructor Course, BTS HQ, Virginia Beach, VA.
* February 2nd-4th, 2009,High Gear Advanced Scenario Instructor Course, Virginia Beach, VA
* March 23rd-27th,2009, High Gear Advanced Scenario Instructor Course, Virginia Beach, VA
* May 11th-13th, 2009, High Gear Advanced Scenario Instructor Course, Virginia Beach, VA

As a reminder our 28,000 ft world headquarters, complete with FIGHT HOUSE, Octagon, CrossFit is now operational,

IMPORTANT:

If you are already an ADS customer please contact your ADS rep. www.adstactical.com

If you are federal and military, contact ADS and get your order in ASAP.
If you need any assistance related to Blauer products or services, call immediately, this promotion ends October 1.

Call 757-617-5923 or email rocco@blauertactical.com

For more on our S.P.E.A.R. System courses please visit www.blauertactical.com

*This special will end October 1, 2008.

Blackheart International Weapons Manuals

Friday, September 19th, 2008

Blackheart International

Previously, we’ve covered Blackheart’s excellent M16/M4 Handbook by Mike Pannone. Blackheart has been in the business of training people and developing outstanding training materials for years. One of their flagship products is their line of weapons manuals. Individual volumes in this ever expanding series cover US, Allied and Threat small arms (with the Mk 19 and RPG-7 thrown in for good measure). Authored by Blackheart’s staff of former Special Forces personnel, all of the manuals feature step by step instruction, clearly written with numerous illustrations. Each manual consists of Operations, Maintenance, Immediate Action, Use of Accessories, Manufacturer Markings as well as Ammunition information. We keep an entire set of these manuals in our reference library. Considering the amount of Soviet Bloc weapons we all are running across these days, you should seriously consider getting a set as well.

Blackheart International Foreign Weapons Manuals

Currently available are: Makarov Pistol, PPSH-41 Submachine Gun, AK-47/74, PKM Machine Gun, DShk 12.7mm Heavy Machine Gun, RPG-7, HK-69A1 Grenade Launcher, M2 Browning .50 Caliber Machine Gun, M203 Grenade Launcher, M79 Grenade Launcher, MK19 MOD3, 40mm Grenade Machine Gun, and MAG58/M240 Machine Gun.

All of the training manuals can be found on this page. Many of them are also on GSA.

Also, to celebrate the end of the fiscal year in style, Blackheart will be open from 8 AM to Midnight the 27th, 29th, and 30th of September. When you order, don’t forget to pick up a calendar.

Photos courtesy of Blackheart International, LLC.

Off Duty – Blackwater Bear Cub Swing Target

Thursday, September 18th, 2008

Bear Cub Assembled

Blackwater Manufacturing has released a new swinging target set designed for small caliber weapons. It’s great for plinking with a .22.

Bear Cub Parts

Each kit contains:
1) TARGET
2) TARGET ARM
3) TARGET PIN
4) LEG
5) LEG MOUNT

Three additional target sets are available. One example is below.

Bear Optional Target Set

Blackwater offers an excellent warranty. Should a part break under normal use within the first year after purchase simply ship the defective part back and they will send a replacement part.

For more info contact: BLACKWATER TARGET SYSTEMS

Blueguns – The Training Weapons You Have Been Seeking

Tuesday, September 16th, 2008

Training weapons…a lot of folks look for them, even military units. But where to find them? Why, Blueguns of course. They make enough different models of training weapons that they can cover pretty much any basic need: rifles, shotguns, pistols. Of these weapon types, they cover quite a few individual manufacturers including Colt, Springfield, Baretta, and others. Naturally, the company is named Blueguns so the guns are going to be Blue. For example, the entire family of Colt rifles and carbines is in Blue but they have pretty much any production version you would need. On the other hand, although it is marked as a DPMS carbine they do offer a Black flat top carbine. This model has proven especially popular with those requiring dummy weapons for waterborne training.

If your requirements are somewhat more exotic, they also have knives, crowbars, weapons magazines and even, RPG-7s, M-14s, and M-60s (the last three in natural colors).

They can be ordered directly from Blueguns.

M16/M4 Handbook

Tuesday, August 26th, 2008

M16/M4 Handbook–an Operational Guide to the Standard U.S. Military Assault Rifle

Mike Pannone’s excellent handbook, “M16/M4 Handbook–an Operational Guide to the Standard U.S. Military Assault Rifle” has been on the market for several months now but we don’t feel it has been given all of the exposure it deserves. In our opinion, it should be issued to every member of the military the day they arrive at Basic Training, regardless of branch of service. In fact, to echo one reviewer’s comments, issue of the handbook shouldn’t be limited to military members but to law enforcement as well as anyone who employs the M16 or M4. It is filled with the pertinent facts required to properly operate and maintain the M16 family of weapons. Notice it is a handbook. It’s compact size means that you can keep it handy when training.

Mike Pannone began his service in the Marines serving in Recon. Later he transferred to the Army and served in it’s Special Operations Forces. He has also served as a defense contractor and currently serves as an instructor. To put it lightly, Mike Pannone knows his way around a carbine.

At $19.95 look at it as an investment. The handbook is available from Blackheart International.

PCU Alternate Source of Supply ADS

Thursday, July 24th, 2008

ADSBeyond Tactical

ADS and Beyond Tactical are proud to announce that they are beginning to offer the complete Protective Combat Uniform in the issue Ranger Green as well as Coyote. Available as an entire kit or as individual components, this is an excellent opportunity for units requiring PCU out of the procurement cycle as well as for units or individuals that wish to upgrade their current environmental clothing system. In addition to standard sizes, customers will be able to take advantage of Beyond’s custom sizing program. Originally conceived in the fall of 2001 by PM-SSS in order to satisfy an urgent need for operational clothing to combat the environment of Afghanistan, PCU is a clothing system consisting of seven levels used in concert with one another based on activity and environment.

Visual PCU Guide

ADS has gone one step further by developing an excellent DVD which provides an overview of PCU components and their use as well as some excellent background on the system’s design philosophy by the “Godfather” of PCU; Mark Twight. In concert with Kwikpoint, makers of the waterproof basic language guides currently in use in theater, ADS is offering a pocket users guide describing PCU components, environmental conditions and a wheel to help the user correlate components with conditions. This has been needed for a long time and is a must for even current users of multi-component environmental clothing systems.

Visual Users Guide - PCU

The user guide is available from Kwikpoint.

Look for a future article with more details on PCU.

Contact ADS or Beyond Tactical for more information.

User guide graphics property of Kwikpoint.

Becoming Batman

Thursday, July 17th, 2008

Becoming Batman: The Possibility of a Superhero

Batman is the ultimate Badass. A science hero, Batman is the product of dumb luck and a very strong will. He has tapped the very pinnacle of human potential and has access to Gucciest of kit. He is so popular because of all super heroes, he is the most plausible. Its easy to consider yourself in his situation. A new book entitled, “Becoming Batman: The Possibility of a Superhero” from The Johns Hopkins University Press by E. Paul Zehr is poised to be released in October. Zehr is an associate professor of kinesiology and neuroscience at the University of Victoria in British Columbia and long time practitioner of Chito-Ryu karate-do. In his book Zehr examines what it would take to become the “Bat”.

Scientific American has a great interview with Zehr on the subject.

Available from The Johns Hopkins University Press.