Woof Cindy,
What follows is an updated invitation to our "Dog Brothers Martial Arts Summer Camp 2012". Please note there have been a few important changes concerning the date and signing up:
The Camp will be for three days: Thursday September 20th through Saturday September 22nd.
The cost for all three days is $300.
Day One may be taken separately for $100.
Days Two and Three can be taken for $250.
We chose these dates so as to coordinate with the 2012 Dog Brothers Open Gathering of the Pack, the idea being that people could do both the Gathering and the Camp while paying to travel to Los Angeles only one time. That said, some questions do arise:
First, the first two days of the Camp are what are for many people, work days.
Second, the Camp concerns gun, which is an unproven area of interest for the DBMA audience.
Third, there are additional costs to us due to subject matter of the course.
Therefore this is how things will be done: We need to have 20 committed attendees by August 31st or this will not make sense for us.
The Adventure continues!
Guro Marc "Crafty Dog" Denny
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As many of you know, DBMA can be said to be divided into three major areas:
1) Real Contact Stickfighting and related matters
2) "Kali Tudo" ™ and other Empty Hand
3) Die Less Often (DLO) : The Interface of gun, knife and empty hand.
The Kali Tudo is where we can explore and adrenalize weaponry idioms of movement empty-handed. Not only does this have considerable merit for cage fighting but it also prepares us for faster and more efficient reactions in DLO situations wherein we often will not have time to discern whether the adversary is armed or not, let alone choose a different response accordingly.
In DLO 1 we introduced us the basics of drawing and "getting off the X". DLO 2's focus was on gun people identifying when to solve knife attacks with a gun and when to solve the attack before going to gun (i.e. the attacker is too close) and not to try to both solve the attack while drawing at the same time (a VERY common error by many gun people). DLO 3 focused on initiation and interception from "the Kali Fence".
Now it is time for DBMA's DLO to turn to the study of the gun in Close Quarter. Though I own and shoot guns, I am quite far from instructor level in their use. This brings us to our guest instructor Frankie McRae of Raidon Tactics, whom I met while working at Fort Bragg and with whom I am now in alliance
http://raidontactics.com/raidon-tactics-partners-with-dog-brothers-martial-arts/Who is Frankie?
Frank McRae is the former head of the US Army Special Forces Advanced Reconnaissance Target Analysis and Exploitation Techniques Course (SFARTAETC) at Ft. Bragg N.C. He started his military career in the 1st Ranger Bn as an 11B infantryman. He served in the 1st Special Forces Group (ABN) Okinawa Japan, in Cco 1st Bn. 1st SFG(A) (C-1-1) where he was an assault team leader for F team,Troop 1 in the Combatant Commanders In-extremis Force (CIF) conducting operations in Operation Enduring Freedom. Advising, training and standing up the Light Reaction Company of the Armed Forces of the Phillipines (AFP). He was then assigned as an Instructor to the SFARTAETC at the Special Warfare Center and School in Ft. Bragg NC, was promoted and became the NCOIC of the course and awarded for having the highest graduation rate for the course in it's twenty year history . He also served as a Troop SGM Troop 1 and Team SGT ODA-354 in B co 2nd Bn 3rd SFG(A) CIF in IRAQ as an Iraqi Counter-Terrorism Force (ICTF) Company SGM advisor and combat leader on many missions in Iraq and also attended the Israeli Counter-Terrorism Course as an exchange instructor.
For those of us not familiar with the acronyms with which the Army loves to speak, allow me to break this down a bit (for surely Frankie is too humble to do it himself). Frankie is a Green Beret who after extensive experience leading units in firefights in Iraq and elsewhere taught advanced firearms to his fellow Green Berets at Fort Bragg, which is one of the major bases for Green Beret/Special Forces training. As the Non-Com Officer in Charge (NCOIC) he had the highest graduation rate for the course in its history. In other words, not only does the man have a wealth of combat experience, he is one helluva a teacher as well, deeply experienced in the ways of teaching people to successfully operate in extreme adrenal state of a firefight.
THIS IS A VERY RARE COMBINATION and the opportunity to take advantage of training with such a man is one to be taken.
The Camp will be for three days: September 20 - 22.
The cost for all three days is $300.
Day One may be taken separately for $100.
Days Two and Three can be taken for $250.
DAY ONE: TRAUMA CARE. Amongst his many talents, Frankie is an "18 Delta". An 18 Delta is a Special Forces Medical Sergeant and quite a bit more; his talents include teaching others how to do trauma care e.g. what to do when you or someone else is shot, stabbed, or cut until proper medical care is available.
Here is the course description for the day- With some adaptations based upon civilian realities it is based closely upon 1 Day Tactical Combat Casualty Care (TCCC) TSE-NRBL-100. TCCC is quickly becoming the standard of care for the tactical management of combat casualties within the Department of Defense and is the sole standard of care dually endorsed by both the American College of Surgeons and the National Association of EMT's for casualty management in tactical environments.
TCCC is built around three definitive phases of casualty care-we will cover the first two at the Camp:
Care Under Fire:
Care rendered at the scene of the injury while both the medic and the casualty are under hostile fire. Available medical equipment is limited to that carried by each operator and the medic and you or someone else needs fast medical care.
Tactical Field Care:
Rendered once the casualty is no longer under hostile fire. Medical equipment is still limited to that carried into the field by mission personnel. Time prior to evacuation may range from a few minutes to many hours. This will involve stabilizing a patient until medical care arrives and you are then able to assist the medical personnel because correct lifesaving measures have already been rendered to the patient.
This one-day course covers the Care under fire and Tactical Field care phases for soldiers that are isolated or in small units away from medical assistance, using small bags that have minimal equipment. (see e.g.
http://dogbrothers.com/store/product_info.php?cPath=47&products_id=166 )
What that means for us is that under Frankie's supervision your training will including doing cricothyroidotomies on pig windpipes and chest wound seals on pig ribs. This is training that truly maximizes your ability to remember what to do and have the confidence to do it should you ever need it!!! There will be NO LIVE ANIMALS USED FOR THIS TRAINING!
DAY TWO: Close Quarter Combat with an emphasis on fun in and around vehicles:
a. Confined space fighting to avoid hijacking
b. Where and how to sit to avoid a hijacking a high crime area
c. Getting out of a vehicle that is being fired upon when it can no longer move and is rendered useless
d. Firing from vehicles
e. Using vehicles as cover
This course module will be conducted with Airsoft training guns in order to maximize the learning environment and maximize student involvement in a safe but challenging situational training. It is designed to get you into the adrenal state and let you understand through the use and feel of the experience what works and what does not-without killing anyone. If you do not have your own, we will provide the Airsoft pistols, rifles, and safety gear.
We feel that the airsoft training guns give the best feedback and safety needed to accommodate this type of training. If you are experienced with firearms and have never used Airsoft you will be surprised by the effect and the training value they provide.
When all is said and done this module will give you better awareness as to your situation and vulnerabilities in a vehicle but also give you added strengths that you may not have thought of in the past. It is just another way to use the tools in your tool box in a non-standard situation.
First Frankie will introduce "the Crafty Dog Shooting Stance". Though with very good reason I am quite humble about my firearms skills, applying the logic of "consistency across categories" I have based my close quarter shooting stance upon "Kali Tudo/Kali Fence" structures. In this I have been blessed to have a shooting coach such as my friend Southnark give me the room to explore this when I attend his courses. The structure seems logical and efficient to me, but I lack the basis to respect my own opinion in these things!
Thus is was of great interest to me to see what Frankie made of it when we worked together at Fort Bragg. Here is what he says:
"I wanted to let you know that since we have started working together I have learned a tremendous amount. More so with the adaptation of your fighting stance and the flexibility it offers for my Gunfighter series. I have found that it allows for a more mobile base to a more reflexive stance that keeps the shooter from becoming too lazy and moving into a Weaver stance. Indeed, I think it no less an innovation than the Weaver stance and no less deserving of its own name and hereby propose "the Crafty Dog Stance".
"Why?
"You know how I feel about a restrictive position. The Crafty Dog gives a more powerful position to the shooter to start from and makes movement easier. It is better for recoil management in a rapid shooting engagement and allows smaller shooters and women to shoot bigger handguns without all the shoulder involvement. It allows for better follow thru and for sure makes recovery easier for faster shooting and quicker target engagement for follow on shots. I just taught a three day Gunfighter course and some of the students had attended a previous course. They loved the new addition and thought it was better adapted to shooting as well. One student said it was more comfortable for him to use the Crafty Dog than a regular Isosceles because it put less stress on his lower back with all the kit on. Anything that helps our backs with 60lbs of body armor and kit has got to be better than the normal. I wanted to thank you again for the mentoring and the new techniques you have taught me. I hope one day to be able to reciprocate as much."
"Frankie McRae"
I humbly blush at such praise from such a man , , , and vainly accept the naming of "The Crafty Dog Stance"
I strongly underline the point that the stance is the principal one I teach for Kali Tudo and Kali Fence application and thus there will be no change or transition necessary from other structures when a CQ gunfight goes or begins hands on.
The first part of the day will be dedicated to learning to move and shoot from the Crafty Stance. From there we will move to "Fun in and around vehicles"-which is exactly where lots of problems arise.
There will be segments concerning fighting inside the vehicle, shooting from inside the vehicle (including how to work as an effective team with your buddies), how to get out of the vehicle and fight from there, and more.
DAY THREE: Room to Room Armed Movement (RRAM) including CQB:
Often the logical thing to do will be to hunker down, call 911, and wait for the police to arrive. What are the best ways to hunker down? And, if you have to go looking for trouble, what are the best ways to do that? What to do if someone tries getting tangled up with you? We will show how DBMA techniques such as the Dog Catcher and the Dracula blend seamlessly with the Crafty Stance so you can re-establish the proper range and angles for your gun.
In closing I would like to mention a few things:
a) Because of the nature of the instruction, attendance will be limited to 24. Active duty military get the usual 25% discount. LEOs get 10%.
b) Because we have so much to do, the days will be longer than the usual five hours. We anticipate 6 hours for the Trauma Care and 6-8 hours for the second and third days
c) THE COURSE IS SUITABLE FOR BEGINNERS AS WELL AS SEASONED PLAYERS. If you are a beginner (I've always been meaning to get around to guns, but never found the right opportunity) this is an outstanding opportunity to get started the right way-with the big real world picture that a man like Frankie can convey. Because the "guns" will be airsoft, safety errors do not mean that someone will get shot. If you are a seasoned player, this camp will be one big long opportunity to pick up the gems that come from being coached by and hanging out with a high level operator instructor like Frankie McCrae.
As the saying goes, "Ninety percent of Life is a matter of showing up!"
Will you be there? Only the first twenty four to sign up will be.
"Walk as a Warrior for all your days",
Guro Marc "Crafty Dog" Denny
REGISTER FOR THE CAMP:
http://dogbrothers.com/store/product_info.php?cPath=22&products_id=171 
