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Critical Threat Management
Comprehensive Force-on-Force training to overcome a violent attack
We have about six slot remaining for this coming weekend’s Critical Threat Management class. This is truly cutting edge training, scarcely ever available to civilians. It’s available right here in Central Illinois this weekend, September 12-13.
Course purpose
GSL Defense Training’s Critical Threat Management course integrates multiple layers of practical, defensive tactics to help keep you and your loved ones safer.
If you have the misfortune of being involved in a life threatening encounter with a criminal predator, you will need a different set of skills and experiences than are available from even the best concealed carry class, or any day at the range.
Criminal attacks can take the form of attempted armed robbery, battery, home invasion, mugging, or even just a fine, upstanding young gang member given a promotional opportunity and you’re the lucky victim that represents prestige and a promotion for him (or her).
Acting competently and responsibly in dangerous and stressful situations is uncomfortable, emotional, challenging – and at times just plain scary. Force-on-Force training is not something that most people will want to do, but the skills we’ll teach you will help you prevail when you are involved in a violent situation.
Remember, you don’t chose to be a victim. You wouldn’t knowingly go to a location that you believed would be deadly to you or your loved ones, just as you would never invite a group of thieves and rapists into you home for them to attack your family and steal from you. Criminal attack is forced upon the innocent by lawless individuals or groups and you are the first responder that can help yourself or those you love.
This class is designed to help you understand the behaviors of those wanting to do you harm, the signals you are sending out to the predators and the signals you should be sending out, how to avoid areas where you will be more likely to be attacked, how to look after your safety and those around you, as well as how to treat some of the injuries that can occur in these events. GSL Defense Training’s Force-on-Force class offers you exactly our name – defensive training – in context and in a way that everyone involved can be safe in class and safer in life.
What does Force-on-Force training offer?
It allows safe moving and shooting in dealing with bad guy targets that are real people, scattered amongst innocents. These are not stationary paper targets, but targets that can “hurt” you, including inflicting a pain penalty for failure in the form of airsoft pellet strikes.
Stress inoculation
- Familiarizes you with your body’s reaction to the experience to a degree as you experience fear
- Experience with the physiological and psychological changes: diminished coordination, tunnel vision, auditory exclusion, tachypsychia (altered perception of time), cognitive dissonance (remembering things out of order), selective memory loss, and other effects of stress
Mental preparation
- Creates mental “note cards” or experiences to draw on
- How to handle stressful situations, witnesses, injured victims, law enforcement, media, and more
Mindset issues
Tactics
- Use of sound tactics in the form of concealment, cover, and movement
- The importance of movement
- De-escalation and disengagement
- Effective carry techniques
- Importance of maintaining reactionary gap
- Communication skills
Interactions with perpetrators,witnesses, responding police officers, and the media
Gun Handling and Concealed Carry
You will see what works and doesn’t in gear and clothing, carry techniques and positioning of gear. Students will be encouraged to “carry” in this course as they plan to carry in everyday life.
One-handed, instinctive shooting and shooting on the move
Unarmed self-defense tactics taught by Krav Maga instructor
Dynamic critical thinking
The bottom line
This dynamic course will test your critical decision-making and personal defense skills early on in over a dozen stress-filled scenarios against real-life adversaries. We will use airsoft guns to provide adrenaline-charged stress similar to what one might encounter in a real-life experience. Students will learn proven tactics and problem-solving skills.
Also included among the lesson plan:
- Live-fire segment (~150 rounds) to implement & refine new skills using live fire
- De-escalation & disengagement techniques
- Mindset considerations
- Situational awareness strategies
- BONUS: Unarmed defense techniques taught by Krav Maga instructor
- Much more…
Students will have a second try at scenarios similar to those initially faced, along with others, giving them an opportunity to integrate new skills and tactics to live and win.
High quality training at a value price
Training days with GSL Defense Training includes:
- No range fees
- Live fire of about 150 rounds to implement and practice new skills
- Safety equipment
- Loaner firearms & gear if needed
- Loaner airsoft guns & safety gear
- Lunch, snacks and drinks both days
- And much more
Limited quantities of ammunition in 9mm and .38 Special will be available for purchase during the class for an additional cost.
Prerequisites: This is not entry-level material. An Illinois or Florida Carry License or proof of previous firearm training at the level of NRA Personal Protection in the Home or better is required.
This class will involve physical contact with others and some physical exertion including jogging or walking briskly for short distances (30-50 yards at most). As always, participate as your abilities allow.
Tuition: $225/person.
Class Location: Tentatively planned for the Timber Pointe Outdoor Center in Hudson, IL, just north of Bloomington, IL. A map and directions, along with hotel recommendations will be sent with class welcome materials after registration has been received.
Course dates:
- September 12-13, 2015
Registration form.
Download the registration form here.
Mail in your completed registration form, along with payment to guarantee your slot, to
GSL Defense Training
21 Brookshire Green
Bloomington, IL 61704
Here’s what last month’s class looked like:
INNOVATIVE: Cutting edge Force on Force class for civilians a big success
by John Boch
Hudson, IL (Guns Save Life) – What would you do if you happened upon a violent domestic or have a person running up to you for help from an attacker? How do you handle a situation where someone approaches you while you’re at the ATM?
These scenarios and many more were on tap for nearly a dozen students at GSL Defense Training’s first force-on-force class entitled “Critical Threat Management” August 15 & 16 at the Timber Pointe Outdoor Center in Hudson, IL.
Force-on-force (FoF) training is a fairly new tool, primarily used by law-enforcement and military, with proven results. It stimulates physiological stresses by enabling “bad guys” to shoot back at trainees. Getting shot with these specialized “marking” rounds hurts, and this “pain penalty” provides a high degree of motivation to use good technique and tactics.
One scientific study published in Human Factors termed FoF handgun training “a potent training tool to prepare armed officers for performance in a stressful real-life environment.”
It’s rare for civilians to have the opportunity for this cutting edge learning. Credit goes where it’s due: Black Flag Firearms Training and Fortress Defense Consultants brought FoF coursework to northern Illinois a few years ago. GSL Defense Training has tweaked on their formula and brought this innovative training to Central Illinois civilians.
While government agencies use specially modified live firearms and marking ammunition, GSL Defense Training is using the safer, more affordable option of airsoft. Make no mistake, while safer and less powerful, there’s still plenty of pain penalty. In fact, the guns used leave welts and sometimes draw blood.
The training facility was picturesque and tranquil – at least when people weren’t running scenarios – with acres and acres of land and structures. Enrollees navigated incidents which included domestic violence, robberies, confrontations, mistaken identity and many more on Saturday morning. On Sunday afternoon, they had an opportunity to employ newly-learned skill sets to enjoy more satisfactory outcomes. The improvements were profound.
Never quit! Always fight through!
Lessons included incident avoidance and de-escalation, the importance of the reactionary gap and tactics to deal with both armed and unarmed aggressors. The common theme throughout the class was to always fight through tough situations and to never give up.
Training started off with introductions of the staff and the rules for the day. Real firearms were verboten, along with blades, outside of the parking lot except for the live-fire segments. All of the standard stuff, including medical and safety information were noted. The “Rules of Engagement” for the training guns were “real world”: training guns must remain concealed unless you have legal justification to draw. Any shooting must be justifiable under law. All students, staff and role-players frisked one another for “live” weapons prior to starting the scenarios for safety.
GSL Defense Training brought in volunteer role-players of all ages that did a tremendous job acting to make the scenes realistic. Nothing elevates the heart rate like a teen girl screaming in fear for her life, begging for help.
GSL Defense Training also brought in Bill Martin, a guest Krav Maga instructor, who along with wife Kristin and assistants Ronnie and Mark, taught some fundamental elements of unarmed self-defense and weapon retention. Mr. Martin teaches Krav classes in Normal, IL twice each week.
Martin began with mindset, situational awareness and stress considerations and then students were taught and practiced some basic combatives. It was full-contact, using pads and mitts, exposing those present to options available to fight off an aggressor inside your reactionary gap. By using some basic combatives at bad-breath distances, a good guy can create the time and distance necessary to draw or flee the confrontation.
There were also GSL Defense Training lectures on mindset, legal considerations, asymmetrical tactics and situational awareness/threat identification. It was two full days, nearly ten hours each day, of solid learning, coupled with hands-on exercises. Time outdoors was mixed up with (air conditioned) indoor lectures and exercises.
Students loved it as well and noted how the scenarios “made you think” in the course evaluations.
“The scenarios were true to life,” one student commented. Another wrote how it was “real world problem solving.” Still another: “Great job on the scenarios. Role-play was very realistic.”
“This class was very well done I learned a lot of new things and got to hone skills learned in previous classes,” another wrote.
Update:
From a student in the class (in comments):
I was a student in this class. To protect my reputation, I won’t say which picture I was in :). It was a lot of fun and I know my skill level improved greatly over the weekend.
Yep, I got shot a lot of times and brought home a couple of pellet bruises, but they’ll heal in a week or so and were a good incentive to do better. Wearing more than a tee shirt would have saved a little pain, but the weather was hot and sunny… really hot. If your pain tolerance is low, just wear more clothing.
The GSL Defense Training crew was excellent. The classroom time was appropriate but not excessive. The role playing and facilities were outstanding. Live fire range time reinforced the skills we picked up using the airsoft. While live fire range time was limited since it was a one weekend class, I still blew through over 150 rounds of ammo and didn’t feel rushed. Those were two very full days of training.
This curriculum was geared to civilians protecting themselves and their loved ones. This is a much more appropriate approach than I’ve seen anywhere else, and from what I’ve seen, this is by far the best force on force training available to the public. It would be a great course for someone new to shooting who just got their CCW as well as those of us who have been shooting recreationally for years.
I predict that in a few years, GSLDT will be known as the go-to place for advanced civilian force on force training.
Since they only have one more class scheduled for this year, I strongly encourage all my CCW friends to get signed up while there are still openings.
And another.
I thought GSL did a GREAT job, with all aspects of the class. I enjoyed the scenarios, especially the critique after the fact. Very, very helpful on what to do or think about the next time. Also, very enlightening on the law part by Steve Davis, really makes you think about what to do in any case. Thank you guys & gals for a really great weekend. Will do it again.
Will you be offering this course again in the future ?
This is the last one for this year, but classes will begin again next Spring!