Posted on April 14, 2018November 29, 2019 by True North Tradecraft

Why Physical Security?

Tools of the trade. Lock picks and bypass tools for non-destructive entry. Learn the skills. Gain the knowledge. Expand your horizons.

I have often been asked why do I study physical security, locks, lock picking, etc? It’s usually followed by accusations of either teaching others to be criminals or being a criminal myself. The only thing criminal about me is the wage I get paid by my employer for the crap I have to deal with. Aside from that, I find it fun, fascinating and I happen to be pretty decent at it.

Several of the negative interactions have, sadly, been with police officers who mention the points above and question the legalities of tool ownership. When I offer to them how it would save time, money and headache if they could do a welfare check without destroying a window or door, they suddenly have a different perspective. It’s a useful skill. Period. And if it is used within the proper LEGAL parameters, a very useful one too. It can even be fun, as there are hobbyist groups – such as The Open Organization Of Lockpickers aka TOOOL (https://toool.us ) – who look at all aspects of locks and even hold international competitions. On an extreme scale in a time of crisis, what you may need to save a life, either your own or someone else, may be on the other side of a lock. In such extreme circumstances I’d sooner have the option to access said item than not.

When the heart medication is locked away and no one can find the key. Good thing you can pick the lock and save a life. Or can you? Did you learn before it happened?

I have used my skills in a variety of situations (all legally, of course) to help people into their locked cars (while running with keys inside), being locked out of their houses, freeing their bikes, opening various padlocks and even rescuing stuff from desks, safes, etc. Those looking to go into law enforcement, security, military, intelligence, investigations (public or private), architecture, locksmithing, transportation or even property management can all gain from learning more about their physical security. Even to better secure your home or business from potential break-ins.

Like so many other skill sets and abilities, it is the user who wields that knowledge for good or evil. Knowledge of martial sciences can be applied to harm or defend from harm. Medical knowledge can be used to again, harm or heal. Criminals don’t care for the integrity of your front door lock or back window if they are going to rob you. Locksmiths, law enforcement, security testers and even hobbyists do. For various reasons, non-destructive bypass of security is a useful tool for even the average home or business owner so that they can make sound decisions for their own safety and to identify the gaps in their security picture.

How difficult is your home to break in to? Are you doing the best you can to deter unwanted access?

Through my years of Government and Security work, the more I learn about the weaknesses in security and physical security specifically, the more effective I have grown to become at evaluating my own personal security picture and that of those who have engaged my services for the same.

If your home or business is protected by bottom-budget hardware and little-to-no planning, you might want to think about taking the step to invest in some education and training and up your security game.

If you’re in the Toronto area in May and wish to take a full-spectrum learning opportunity, come join us for Covert Entry Concepts and even add-on the Safe Dial Mechanics. It’ll open your eyes to the world around you.

Remember, locks only keep honest people honest.

Till next time, stay safe and stay crafty.

COVERT ENTRY CONCEPTS flyer_May 2018

SAFE DIAL MECHANICS flyer_May 2018

Posted on March 26, 2018January 31, 2021 by True North Tradecraft

Training Opportunity in Toronto – Safe Dial Mechanics – 14 & 15 May, 2018

For the FIRST time in Canada….

Safe Dial Mechanics – 1st Canadian Offering!

This course will teach Law Enforcement Personnel, Special Operations Forces, and Government employees and security professionals the principles of safe dial mechanics.

This course is basically two courses in one. Day 1 you will learn everything you need to know to install, dial, open, change the combination, diagnose and troubleshoot UL Group 2 mechanical combination locks. By the end of the day you will be able to completely disassemble and reassemble most mechanical dials in use today. Some non-invasive covert methods will also be discussed.

Day 2 we will teach you how to use the design flaws in mechanical combination locks to manipulate the wheels and components to obtain a locks combination while opening the locking mechanism. All mechanical locks have factory defects, known as tolerances, which allows them to be manipulated.

This is a non-invasive method for obtaining access to a safe as well as retrieve the combination. Since the techniques taught in this class are largely nondestructive, agencies will also benefit by having a decrease in costs and civil actions due to property damage.

The cost of the course is $510 CAD with a $200 deposit required to hold your place. If taken with Covert Entry Concepts, the cost is $1150 for both.

Equipment:

There may be an opportunity to purchase specialized equipment during this course. Details to follow in the logistics e-mail which will be sent out to attendees.

Logistics:

A logistics e-mail will be sent out to attendees separately prior to course.

E-mail us at:

truenorthtradecraft@gmail.com

For more information and payment instructions.

***SEE FLYER LINK AT BOTTOM***

Course Schedule is:

Mon May 14: 0800hrs – 1700hrs

Tues May 15: 0800hrs – 1700hrs

***Mon & Tues breakfasts, coffee and snacks included.

This course is being offered by The CORE Group (www.enterthecore.net) , facilitated, supported and sponsored by True North Tradecraft (www.truenorthtradecraft.ca).

SAFE DIAL MECHANICS flyer_May 2018

DISCLAIMER: *Nothing in the course offering is intended to be used for unlawful purposes. Consult with your local laws prior to employing these techniques in the field. This is intended for lawful use ONLY. True North Tradecraft and its partners do not condone or advocate illegal activities.*

Posted on March 26, 2018 by True North Tradecraft — 1 Comment

Training Opportunity in Toronto – Covert Entry Concepts – May 12 &13, 2018

Back by popular demand and exclusive in Canada…

Covert Entry Concepts – Only Canadian Offering!
This course will teach Law Enforcement Personnel, Special Operations Forces, and Government employees and security professionals the principles of lock bypassing and making covert entries into buildings or properties.

This class is entirely hands on. From the moment you enter the course you will have tools in your hand and are working to exploit various locking mechanisms. Students will learn to recognize the vulnerabilities in existing hardware, how they are attacked, or sometimes even bypassed entirely. You’ll walk away with the skills needed to compromise most of the locks used in North America today. Students will be much better positioned to provide service in a variety of tactical areas: check welfare calls, search and arrest warrant service, establishing sniper positions, sneak and peak operations, surveillance operations, fire safe opening, and breaking and entering investigations.

Since the techniques taught in this class are largely nondestructive, agencies will also benefit by having a decrease in civil actions due to property damage.

The cost of the course is $865 CAD with a $200 deposit required to hold your place. If taken with Safe Dial Mechanics, the cost is $1150 for both.

E-mail us at:

truenorthtradecraft@gmail.com

for more information and payment instructions.

(***See link to flyer at bottom***)

Schedule is:

Sat May 12: 0800hrs -late (dinner and a appropriately-themed movie to end the evening)

Sun July 30: 0800hrs – 1700hrs

Included Equipment:

Included in the cost of the course is a comprehensive set of high quality tools that you can use on the job or practice at home to maintain the skills you’ll build in class.
• High Quality 12 Piece Pick Set
• Set of covert jigglers
• Set of warded picks
• Bump Hammer
• Bump keys
• An e-z decoder
• Underdoor tool

***Team dinner scheduled and provided for Saturday night.***

This course is being offered by The CORE Group (www.enterthecore.net) , facilitated, supported and sponsored by True North Tradecraft (www.truenorthtradecraft.ca)

COVERT ENTRY CONCEPTS flyer_May 2018

Posted on March 25, 2018November 29, 2019 by True North Tradecraft

Training Review – Ed’s Manifesto – Mixed Skills Module in Washington, DC

Over the weekend of 9-12 February, 2018, I travelled to Washington, DC & Alexandria, VA to train at District Combatives’ hosting of Ed Calderon (of Ed’s Manifesto), who was conducting a Mixed Skills module of training.

The trip down to DC from Toronto was relatively uneventful. I got in early on Friday and spent the day sightseeing and getting the lay of the land in and around the area where we would be training. I wasn’t sure as to what the training would entail, so with a map from the hotel front desk and my trusty feet, I learned the area around the training location and did some touristy things.

White House. One of the Secret Service guys gave me a great recommendation for breakfast 2 blocks away. He wasn’t wrong. Thanks Jerry!

The Spy Museum. You can’t not visit if you’re in DC.

J. Edgar Hoover Building. Home of the FBI and X-Files.

I ended Friday night at a small pizza place which made amazing slices and helped myself to three and a “Mexican Coke” (produced in Mexico, in glass bottles, using sugar, not corn syrup) to top it off.

Day 1

Saturday morning was smooth. I found my way easily to the training venue in the drizzle. When I arrived, I was warmly greeted by Ben from District Combatives and handed a pile of liability waivers. I was delighted to see a couple of familiar faces from previous training I had attended in the US and immediately took to catching up. I even met a few others whom I’d only known as Instagram followers but quickly bridged to friends. As the only Canadian in the room of almost 30, I felt humbled by the warmth and hospitality with which I was welcomed. At the front, Ed held quiet court with a few people I didn’t recognize. I took a seat and continued catching up with old friends and new.

When the room was packed and the time was right, Ben made introductions and we were immediately passed over to Ed who jumped right in. Throughout the first day ,we covered:

restraints,
irregular custody,
weapons,
awareness and movement principles,
custody work, and;
a homework assignment to make improvised weapons.

I’m being deliberately vague with the above as if I get into greater detail, I’ll be writing all night and also because it’s better to experience it first-hand for yourself.

There were several takeaways from the day, not the least of which were that I need to do more yoga, focus on Endemics and “always have an escape plan”. Sound advice for anyone.

The evening went well with food and drink around the corner and making new friends and sharing stories. I especially felt humbled that I spent a fair amount of time speaking with Ed himself about the various Mexican mythologies and esoteric symbologies used by criminal groups. Combining the entire evening’s discussions made for an educational, eye-opening and, at times, hilarious time. Let’s just not rehash the saga of Jaramillo…

Some of us now know of Jaramillo. We shall not speak of his fate.

Day 2

Entering the training location on Day 2 we were greeted at the door by metal detector and pat-down to see if we had absorbed and followed the previous days lessons and completed our homework. The resulting “found” and “not found” tables displaying weapons of various varieties was quite interesting.

We debriefed and had a chuckle over some stuff (the legendary banana shank and, we even had Tactikey represented!) and then moved right into improvised weapons & Shankology. We covered:

Improvised weapons,
targeting,
knife work (inside and outside),
urban movement fundamentals and;
various hood rat shit.

By the time we ended on Sunday afternoon, I felt overloaded with new information and lessons learned. So much had been fed to us that it would take me weeks to digest it all.

On a side note, I had come from Toronto (snowy and -10C) to Washington (drizzle and +10C) and was contacted by Air Canada that my flight was cancelled and I had been re-booked to the following morning. This threw off my plans back home, but I made the most of it and spent the evening out for dinner again with Ed, Ben and several others from the course. Many chicken wings and drinks later, we broke off and headed out.

My time over the weekend both training with Ed and Ben as well as socializing with them made me happy to have attended and to get to know them.

Ben (of DC Combatives) and I. What a great guy.

Ben was very welcoming and Ed was a wealth of information and selfless in his sharing of knowledge. So much so that I invited him to come to Toronto this year and to put on a similar seminar. It would be an honour if he can make it work with his schedule.

Ed and I. At the end of the weekend we were given the opportunity to choose a card. I asked for Ed to choose. This is what I got. “El Diablito”. Very humbled. Thank you.

***IF/WHEN WE HAVE A DATE, WE WILL POST IT IMMEDIATELY HERE ON THE BLOG AND ON OUR SOCIAL MEDIA*** (Give us a follow so you don’t miss out!)

I am very happy to have gone and would recommend attending a seminar from Ed if you are able. The training was excellent and the information covered was wide and relevant. If you live in the Washington, DC area, do check out Ben and DC Combatives as the types of violence mitigation methodologies he teaches are grounded in reality and effective. If he was in Toronto, I’d certainly train there.

Thank you to both Ed Calderon and Ben Drader for having me as the lone Canadian at the training seminar.

For further information about the topics and training seminars covered here, see the links below:

Till next time, stay safe and stay crafty.

Posted on January 6, 2018November 29, 2019 by True North Tradecraft

Training Review: Behavioural Profiling and Situational Awareness from Emergence LLC

Emergence LLC – http://www.emergencedisrupt.com

Recently I completed the Behavioural Profiling and Situational Awareness online course produced by Emergence LLC and presented by Yousef Badou.

Mr. Badou is a US Marine veteran (with 3 tours in Iraq) who contributed to the development of the behavioural profiling programme used by the USMC.

As an introduction, I thought it was a concise overview of the principles of behavioural profiling and situational awareness.

A lot is covered in the ~1 hour online course (especially for the cost, at $9 USD). For someone new to it, it really opens up a window into the world that your senses disregard if you’re not in tune to your environment. For the practitioner, it is a good review from the ground up of basics, reframed from another perspective. He states that if he can, through imparting his knowledge, give you even an extra second (or more) of advantage to act, he will have given you an edge in surviving an event. This is all predicated upon becoming in-tune with the environment around you and feeling the baseline.

Seeing what stands out even when it’s not obvious can give you that extra second to act and increase your chances of survival.

Mr. Badou’s examples and delivery are engaging and spot-on. Such as the recognition of “pre-incident indicators” are all learnable and actionable. Though a large portion of the material he covered was a review to me, I did like the way he explained some things I hadn’t heard before – the concept of “File Folders”, for instance and how they affect one’s decision making processes.

Seeing the threat early is like seeing in the future.

The entire overview hit the salient points while providing easily understandable context for each. Broad topics covered are:

Introduction to Behavioural Profiling (with physiology and psychology backgrounders)
File Folders and Denial (as well as anomalies and perception)
Fear and Brain Errors (including the Limbic system), and;
Final Thoughts

Mr. Badou references a few different additional sources for further reading in the form of Patrick Van Horne’s Left of Bang, Gavin De Becker’s The Gift of Fear and Dave Grossman’s On Combat – all excellent primary sources for this type of material.

I recommend giving Emergence LLC a look and trying out their introductory offering. I am also looking forward to further modules they will be putting out – such as Observable Behaviours and Behavioural Indicators.

Till next time, stay warm, stay safe and stay crafty.

Posted on September 1, 2017November 29, 2019 by True North Tradecraft

Hiking the Bruce Trail – Outline & Preparations

Later this month, I will be hiking the Southern half of the Bruce Trail (Queenston to Collingwood) covering ~450km in about 2 weeks.

To that end, I have been making lists, assembling gear, organizing and planning things through to ensure the fewest amount of screw-ups on the trail.

Proper Previous Planning Prevents Piss-Poor Performance. The 7 Ps.

Planning in this context is simply Risk Management. The basic principles of risk management are the identification of things that are possible (hazards), how devastating they would be if they happened (impact) and the probability of those things happening. The combination of those two (what is possible to happen, combined with their likelihood of happening) equals the level of RISK. When you have looked at your situation through risk-coloured glasses, you will be better equipped to gauge your level of RISK to a certain situation and plan accordingly.

Im my planning process for this particular adventure I have taken several things into account for my planning process:

Distance
Terrain
Access to re-supply (food & water)
Logistics
Navigation
Communications
Shelter & sleeping
Access to coffee (VERY important!)
Weather & environmental factors
Possible hazards on trail during hike
Likelihood of encountering said hazards
Possible impact of hazards if encountered
Volume of gear
Weight of gear
Emergency considerations and procedures (personal safety & survival -gear and immediate actions)

Now, the premise of this hike wasn’t mine initially. My darling wife wanted to cross-off “Hiking the Bruce Trail, End-to-End” off her bucket list for her upcoming birthday. The first half this year, the second, next Fall. Who wouldn’t jump at that?

If you complete all ~900km of the Bruce Trail, you can get this cool patch. I want. I will have.

For me, I am not only looking forward to the hike itself with my wife, but also of taking the opportunity to field-test some of my newer gear and review some things recently acquired. I’m also keen to tighten up my lightweight backpacking game and sharpen my level of fitness too. The one thing we will be taking out of the hiking equation is camping. As we traverse the Southern half of the Bruce Trail, our accommodations plan will be Bed & Breakfasts and Air BnB along the way.

This does two things: keeps me alive and married, and, allows for a level of serendipity every day. This is meant to be a fun time, not overly gruelling. She likes to hike in style, and who am I to argue on her birthday?

The peace of a hike in the woods. Like the Infantry, but without the weapons.

So aside from the up-scale hike camping we will be doing, we are still aiming for a pace of 32-45km per day. I have assembled the following set-up for the trip. I will be breaking it all down over the coming weeks and months, as I can, to discuss it all in further detail.

All my stuff ready to go (minus a full water bladder and water bottle).

As we make our way along, I will post reviews of gear and trip reports when I can and when I have connectivity.

Stay tuned for more posts leading up to my departure.

In the meantime, stay safe and stay crafty.

Posted on August 14, 2017November 29, 2019 by True North Tradecraft

After Action Report: Covert Entry Concepts – Toronto

On the weekend of 28-29-30 July, 2017, True North Tradecraft hosted the first-ever offering of The CORE Group’s Covert Entry Concepts course in Toronto. We had 9 students, an excellent venue, great food and of course, fantastic training. (To read my review of the course I attended in Maryland, click here.)

Friday evening saw the group meet up, make introductions and immerse themselves in Street Thief, a mockumentary based on a thief. Though not “real”, it did accurately illustrate how an actual thief does what they do, ideas for protecting against such things and using the same methodologies in conducting security assessments and Red Team-type attacks. That, coupled with some yummy pizza (no Hawaiian, you’re welcome Rob) made for a good evening.

Starting bright and early on Saturday morning, we hit the ground running getting into the principles of physical security, locking mechanisms and the basics of attacking them. This was framed within the construct of proper evaluation and approach vectors for attack and assessment.

Thanks to The Lucky Penny for providing scrumptious snacks and endless coffee to get us started and keep us going.

Freshly baked and delivered food and coffee made a huge positive impact on all of us.

The entire day was fast and furious. We hit on a vast breadth of topics and brought it all to practice very quickly. The students were introduced to various locks and their corresponding pick and bypass tools.

Wafer locks, pin & tumbler, dead bolts, combination locks, padlocks, warded locks, etc. The pace was fast but students picked-up the skills quickly and began to progress through to more difficult locks. After everyone felt they were getting the hang of it, we moved right into impressioning and key casting.

Key impressioning. Money for nothing and your checks for free.

Key casting. Delicate but really interesting if done correctly.

Saturday had some tasty lunch too…

Rob enjoying a fine Canadian poutine. Now he has a standard to measure all others by.

The rest of the day was spent discussing elevators and their uses in Red Team operations and physical security, safes and other miscellaneous related content.

We finished off the evening as a group at a fantastic nearby Mexican restaurant where the food was excellent and the tequila and mojitos flowed.

Sunday, though rough for some more than others, continued the same high tempo. We dove right into more elevator stuff and more impressioning challenges.

One challenge was who could impression a key properly before anyone else.

The second was the T-Rex Challenge. Picking a lock while a electronic muscle stimulator is hooked-up to one’s forearms. It’s a laugh for all.

Those arms are shaking. Doesn’t matter how tough you are, it was crazy.

That winners of each challenge got some stuff from our friends at Delta 2 Alpha Design (The Lolly and The Mark, and stickers, each.)

After we all stopped laughing and got feeling back in our arms, we carried on to lock bypassing, familiarization with various tools and techniques associated with it and giving them a trial run.

One of the students using an Under Door Tool to rescue someone (Rob and another student) from the bathroom.

We then transitioned to removing/replacing tamper-evident seals. A very delicate operation to say the least, this portion of the day was slow-going and painstakingly irritating when impatience wrecked it all. That said, it was very interesting in its method and application. We also discussed security posturing, use, strength and limitations of seals and tamper-evident devices along with best practices.

Making tamper-evident not-so-evident. Steady hands.

To round out the weekend, we finished on a high note with restraint escapes. Dealing in escaping unlawful custody while restrained by handcuffs, nylon zip ties, duct tape and cord. The more you know, the better prepared you will be.

One of the most important parts of the learning was the manner in which it was delivered. Rob’s easy-going and humorous nature, coupled with his expansive knowledge and professionalism made for a relaxed yet powerful learning environment. He is an exemplary instructor and trainer and is so giving of himself and his knowledge. That and he couldn’t get over how no one carried guns. Yay Canada. It all makes a huge positive difference.

As with all experiences of this kind, there was so much more we covered and were exposed to that it simply wouldn’t do it justice to speak to here. There is only so much you can read about or learn from on YouTube before you hit a wall. Well-delivered, quality, in-person training has no substitute. I recommend this training to anyone interested in these skills. In the end, an excellent group made an excellent class. Congratulations to all.

We are excited about how everything went that we are already planning our next offering. Keep tuned to the Blog (and Instagram and Facebook) for more details.

Thank you to Rob and to all others who helped make this happen and make it great (See below) and thank you to all who attended.

Till next time,

Stay Crafty.

Posted on August 13, 2017November 29, 2019 by True North Tradecraft

Kennedy Tactical Concepts – Masterclass Pt. 2

(*all images courtesy of Kennedy Tactical Concepts – I had my hands full) (*for more information on KTC and training, click here).

This is part 2 in a series documenting my involvement in the Kennedy Tactical Concepts Masterclass. Part 1 is available here.

Session 2 with TJ was on Wednesday July 26th at the Night Owl on College St., Toronto. (The usual spot).

Again, the environment was pleasantly realistic as we headed to the basement level of the Night Owl. We even had a band setting up while going through the techniques.

This week’s topics of practice were as follows:

Combative Control Positions/positioning;
Combative Control Transitions and;
Takedowns (in combination with #1 & 2).

As with the previous format, TJ began with introductions, an overview of what we would be covering for the night, a warm-up, and then we got right into it.

The realistic environment makes for a better appreciation of the realities you would be facing. A bar, stools, a stage, musical instruments, concrete walls and of course, a dirty cement floor. Though the Combative Control Positions and Transitions were not striking per se, they were very dependent on speed, agility and technique. After an hour of practicing and building upon each technique, we moved on to takedowns.

Starting slowly at first, we quickly moved to full-speed with follow-throughs. The result was fluid takedowns with a high degree of comfort in executing the movements. We also worked on improvising all the techniques of the night against larger and smaller opponents as we were all of differing heights.

Of course, I was sporting my awesome shirt from www.tacticalbeaver.co Yes, you should Fear The Beaver.

Solid training. The next day I was sore as hell, but at least I wasn’t bleeding on a bar floor. I’ll be at the next one. Stay tuned and Stay Crafty.

Posted on July 22, 2017November 29, 2019 by True North Tradecraft

Kennedy Tactical Concepts – Masterclass Pt. 1

I want to talk about a new option for Canadians in the Greater Toronto Area (and sometimes abroad).

Kennedy Tactical Concepts is a newly opened self-defence school operated in Toronto by TJ Kennedy. TJ has spent years honing his craft in real-world environments, training and working around the globe. Read more about him here. TJ is an invested and knowledgeable instructor who is not only humble and down-to-earth, but pays attention to his students’ learning needs.

I first met TJ during his first drop-in Masterclass at The Night Owl bar on College Street in Toronto. I figured that it was both local and very reasonably priced for a few hours of instruction. About five minutes in, I knew I’d made the right investment.

We immediately began working in the alley behind the bar. Very real-world with everything we were doing. After a while, we moved down to the basement of the bar and kept going. We worked on:

Clinch tactics from elbow & collar tie;
takedowns from a clinch…all from his Urban Defensive Tactics program;
some prone controls and rollovers from or Urban Force Options program.

This may seem like a short list, but for a few hours in an alley and bar basement, I was worked through. All solid techniques well-instructed and executed. No mats, just asphalt and barroom floor. Effective and reality-based. We also discussed the context of these techniques in self-defence in Canada and specifically in Ontario respecting self-defence and the use-of-force by security and bouncers. An important point of his philosophy to note is that they do not advocate violence or seeking conflict, but rather giving you the tools to identify, avoid and prepare for threats should you encounter them.

One thing I did catch as we discussed and practiced throwing each other around on a dirty floor was that this was NOT a traditional take on martial arts. This was simple, effective and hard-hitting self-defence based on real-world applications from such as Rory Miller and others.

Kennedy Tactical Concepts offers the Masterclass (once a month over several months) and a Instructor Certification Course as well. Both worthy investments of time and money.

As I left the evening sore and exhausted, I felt good about having met TJ and did some training. I felt good about his knowledge and skill, his high degree of professionalism and of course, he’s Canadian.

TJ, second from the right, and friends. Good times.

If you’re looking for something outside of a McDojo where you pay for your next belt and jump through hoops, check out Kennedy Tactical Concepts and add some real-world techniques to your arsenal. Be prepared.

Stay safe. Stay crafty.

Posted on July 22, 2017November 29, 2019 by True North Tradecraft

The Importance of Building Skills Over Relying on Gear

Knowing the principles allows you to improvise.

When it comes to new gear, we all feel the burn in our wallets to get our hands on the latest and greatest. And of course, if it’s improved over the previous version, it must be better, right?

So tacticool, and new. It MUST be better. With all this stuff, I’ll be unstoppable.

Not always.

Though a newer version of something may come out, it’s not so much the gear itself that makes you better, it’s the skill you have using it that makes all the difference. If you have a strong grasp of the fundamentals, practice regularly and have reliable equipment, then you’ll be good in spite of the quality of gear. If, however, you have no training and rely exclusively on your equipment to get you through, you’ll be in a world of hurt as soon as something doesn’t go perfectly.

This is why Training Trumps Gear! When I attended the Urban Escape & Evasion course with Kevin Reeve from OnPoint Tactical, he hammered that saying into our heads several times an hour ad nauseum. But he had a point. If your marksmanship principles are weak, the shiniest new gun isn’t going to make you a better shot. If you don’t understand the principles of lock picking, you won’t be able to improvise a rake from a paperclip when your fancy one breaks.

The same applies to a survival situation in both urban and wilderness environments. Also in martial arts. Body mechanics and physics don’t change. The principles remain constant, only the application of those principles change to address the situation. Knowing the principles of a wrist lock is key as it can be adapted to countless applications, rather than a particular technique.

Wrist locks, for example, are all a variation on a theme. If you know the basic principle, you can apply it in so many ways.

Though if you’re investing in gear, it’s always a wise investment to buy the highest quality that you can afford. It’s an investment in reliability. But all things being equal, invest in solid training. The more you know, the less you carry. And that’s because Training Trumps Gear! In almost every episode of MacGyver, Burn Notice or The A Team, the protagonists get through the tough times because they’re well trained and can improvise and adapt to changing conditions. Yes, I know they’re TV and not real, but they illustrate the point well.

MacGyver, the ultimate fictitious improviser.

Well-trained individuals are more “literate” in the field, able to draw on various experiences and tricks, if you will, and be more “conversant” in a difficult situation. Just as if you are in an unknown social situation, being better read or travelled gives you a wider spectrum of social currency than only knowing about one thing.

Understanding the principles and basics is the foundation of excellence in more advanced skills.

To that point, being trainable, humble, curious and committed to lifelong and learning are important predispositions to embrace towards building skills and knowledge that will enable you to not only use gear to it’s maximum potential, but also to improvise in adverse times because you’re fluent in the basic principles.

Invest in quality training, keep an open mind and always keep learning. If there is something you want to get better at or learn to do, invest in learning it. Anyone can buy the next newest shiny toy that promises to solve all your problems, but you can develop skills that will make your mind the equipment and the “tool” just that – an extension of you.

Stay focused, stay motivated and don’t give up. You can do it.

Stay Crafty,