west point Archives -

Ep 052 – Matt Larsen – Father of Modern Army Combatives

March 12, 2018 By Thad Forester

matt larsen

Matt Larsen is the most successful hand-to-hand combat trainer and program developer in history. Regarded as the father of the Modern Army Combatives Program (MACP), Larsen overhauled the Army’s hand-to-hand combat doctrine by rewriting the Combatives field manual in 2002 and updated the manual in 2009.

Larsen shared with me his background and why the Combatives Field Manual needed rewriting and why he was the guy to do it. Matt, who owns Matt Larsen’s Combat Fitness Center in Springfield, Virginia is a former Marine and Army Ranger, and has decades of experience in the martial arts field. He’s also a Black Belt Magazine Hall of Fame combatives instructor Matt Larsen.

Here are a few topics covered:

There are 10,000 sources of bad information when it comes to getting realistic training in self protection and combatives
Being comfortable with interpersonal violence
How do you train a group of people who aren’t self motivated, even in the most elite military roles?
How getting humiliated in the boxing ring motivated him in his early years
How does Matt train – real time or slow and methodical?
Weapons malfunction in CQB situation based on real life experiences and Matt’s high speed combat takedown in a home
Type of blade to carry and how to deploy (He mentions SOCP dagger)
Skills needed for every-day men and women to protect themselves

Based on my last three shows, it appears I have a pattern of guests who teach how to protect yourself and your family. Although not intentional, I like what each of these guests teach, so I’m fortunate to have Matt on here to round out my three-in-a-row personal protection experts.

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Rock Tune by Audionautix is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

Artist: http://audionautix.com/

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Episode 032 – Lt. Col. Dave Grossman: Killology 101

July 10, 2017 By Thad Forester

Grossman Academy home page

“Dear God, I wish I could have been on one of those planes. Maybe I could have made a difference.” (spoken by the sheepdogs; the warriors).

What do you ask the expert in the study of the psychology of killing?

Dave Grossman is the country’s #1 trainer of military and law enforcement who helps those who have to kill overcome the natural resistance to killing.

There is no safety in denial

Among the many things we discuss today are the difference between sheep, wolves and sheepdogs. Which one are you? Well he’s going to describe each one and how they respond to threatening situations. There are evil men in this world and they are capable of evil deeds.

Grossman’s books are required reading for DEA, military and police units. He travels 250+ days/year as one of our nation’s leading trainers for military, law enforcement, mental health providers, and school safety organizations. He helped train mental health professionals after the Jonesboro school massacre, and he was also involved in counseling or court cases in the aftermath of the Paducah, Springfield, Littleton and Nickel Mines Amish school massacres.

Our kids have been taught to blow brains out and get points

Yes, we even talk about the effects of violence on TV and in video games, especially in very young children. Feed our youngsters virtuous info and images, then once they are more mature, it’s okay to see some violence. Don’t take a 5-year-old to see “Saving Private Ryan” for heaven’s sake.

Sleep deprivation

He also gives staggering statistics regarding the effects of sleep deprivation in everyone – young and old. Don’t let your kids go to bed with their phones/devices. And we adults shouldn’t either. He will explain a few reasons why.

Veteran’s health

Lt. Col. Dave Grossman is also very passionate about our veteran’s health and the anti-war smear of our veterans by the media. PTSD is treatable! And survival guilt is normal. It’s not PTSD. For those with PTSD, don’t let it stop you from getting better. Grossman provides an example from a very well-known veteran.

Every day carry (EDC)

We even talk about being prepared with tools to protect us, our families, and others. He said, “I’d rather walk out the door naked and alone than to be with my loved ones without the tools to protect us.”

My conversation with this Army Ranger, paratrooper and former West Point Psychology Professor blew me away. He’s a dynamic speaker who uses facts, passion, and common sense.

Learn more about Lt. Col. Dave Grossman, his books and academy here:

www.killology.com

Grossman Academy

On Combat

On Killing (perennial bestseller)

Stop Teaching our Kids to Kill

Warrior Mindset: Mental Toughness Skills for our Nation’s Peacekeepers

Sheepdogs – Meet our Nation’s Warriors (children’s book)

Why Mommy Carries a Gun, American Sheepdogs (children’s book)

Rock Tune by Audionautix is licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution license (https://creativecommons.org/licenses/by/4.0/)

Artist: http://audionautix.com/

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Episode 025 – Blayne Smith, Executive Director of Team RWB

April 3, 2017 By Thad Forester

Blayne Smith-Team RWB Blayne Smith is the Executive Director of Team RWB (red, white and blue), a nonprofit that has become one the nation’s fastest growing veteran service organizations by “enriching the lives of America’s veterans by connecting them to their community through physical and social activity.”

In this episode, Blayne discusses his deployments to Iraq and Afghanistan as a Scout Platoon Leader, and SF ODA officer, respectively. We dive into some details of leadership on the battlefield while down range. He shares how his team worked to be unified, even though they had several members attached who weren’t Green Berets who’d worked together for a few years. This was common with their Air Force combat controllers (JTAC’s), Special Operations Weathermen, dog trainers, etc.

Blayne struggled after he returned home and separated from the Army. He found he couldn’t push aside his memories and friendships during his time serving. Smith also needed to deal with the feelings of losing teammates during his final deployment. He became a different person: the tires on his mountain bike went flat. The soles of his golf shoes rotted. His guitar sat silent, and he lost confidence in himself.

Team RWB

He found therapy in getting out in his community, running, and thanks to a friend, joined Team RWB. He counsels those who are struggling (veteran or not) to “take care of it. Talk to somebody.” He also found great success at the VA. Additionally, Team RWB is in over 200 cities across the country and their shirts are easy to spot at any running event in the US.

This West Point grad was in college when we were attacked on 9/11. After his first deployment, he cross-trained to special forces and deployed to Afghanistan as a detachment commander for the 3rd Special Forces Group. It was an honor to talk to this Patriot who has dedicated his days to serving others.

You’ll also enjoy hearing Blayne Smith and J.J. Pinter on Eagle Nation podcast. Links with more info below:

https://www.teamrwb.org/

Eagle Nation podcast

Here is a little more background on Blayne:

www.teamrwb.org/blog/blayne-smith-a-soldier-in-parts/

Music courtesy of Soundroad – Believe.
Copyright 2017 Thad Forester
http://www.patriottothecore.com
email questions to thad@patriottothecore.com

Podcast: Play in new window | Download

There is no safety in denial

Our kids have been taught to blow brains out and get points

Sleep deprivation

Veteran’s health

Every day carry (EDC)

Team RWB

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