Learn what the U.S. Army teaches it’s troops in hand-to-hand combat techniques, with the newest version of the U.S. Army Field Manual for Combatives. Based heavily on Gracie Brazilian jiu-jitsu, the current version (2002) of the U.S. Army Field Manual FM 3-25.150 was drafted by Matt Larsen, Director of the Modern Army Combatives Program (MACP) and the Commandant of the U.S. Army Combatives School (USACS) at Ft. Benning Georgia.

Some criticisms of this version is the heavy focus on ground fighting versus hand-to-hand standing techniques. At any case, this book is very thorough at 264 pages including pictures. Download the entire book or specific chapters with Adobe Acrobat Reader. I have also provided links to all the sections of the manual without using Adobe to make it even more accessible, via Globalsecurity.org.

• Combatives FM 3-25.150 (Complete Manual) (15.3 MB)
• Cover Page, Table of Contents, Preface (0.3 MB)
• Chapter 1. Introduction (0.2 MB)
• Chapter 2. Training (1.3 MB)
• Chapter 3. Basic Ground-Fighting Techniques (2.8 MB)
• Chapter 4. Advanced Ground-Fighting Techniques (4.3 MB)
• Chapter 5. Takedowns and Throws (1.8 MB)
• Chapter 6. Strikes (0.6 MB)
• Chapter 7. Handheld Weapons (3.0 MB)
• Chapter 8. Standing Defense (2.2 MB)
• Chapter 9. Group Tactics (0.2 MB)
• Appendices, Glossary, References, Index (0.5 MB)

I also included the first part of the History Channel show Human Weapon, about Military MMA so you can have a visual reference for this material.

Part 2, Part 3, Part 4, Part 5

Table of Contents

This article from Farm-to-Consumer Legal Defense Fund lays out some useful tips and advice for dealing with nosy agents of the state who think it’s their right and duty to “inspect” your farm.

While this organization appears to be based at least partially around political action, much of the advice they provide is not only useful to farmers, but to anyone whose private property is subject to such “inspections.”

One farmer member held off a state and federal inspector at his farm gate for over nearly three hours. He knew his rights, and reminded the inspectors of them. They didn’t have a warrant, they just wanted to look around. As a licensed pet milk provider, he would have allowed the state inspector access, but the state inspector was there because he thought the renewal had lapsed. The federal inspector was another matter. He was told that if he stepped one foot on the farm, he would be physically escorted off the farm, the sheriff would be called, and he would be arrested for trespassing.

The article lists multiple actions to take under similar circumstances, for instance:

[State inspectors] show up unannounced. They use the element of surprise to catch the farmer unprepared, or at a time when the farmer is not around. Have your materials, camera, video camera, notepad, clipboard with questionnaire, phone numbers, portable or cell phone charged and easy to find. Train those who are on your farm in your absence how to act in your place. Also, have on hand, phone numbers of customers or shareholders that live nearby that could lend a hand.

Be sure to check out the full article — and the site in general — for more stories, tips, and resources.

(post thumbnail by Dru Bloomfield – At Home in Scottsdale on flickr)

Despite its low cost, the training received there is invaluable to anyone who wants to get better with a rifle. The idea of the program is to take rifle owners:

“from being a simple rifle owner to being a true rifleman. An American tradition, the rifleman has been defined as a marksman capable of hitting a man-sized target from 500 yards away…”

They accomplish this by scaling down targets to appear at 25 yards, as a man-sized target would at 500 yards; and teaching the fundamental principles of rifle marksmanship. The technique is surprisingly effective, as demonstrated by marked improvement in accuracy at both short and long distances by the end of the second day — by nearly all participants.

Depending on which Appleseed event you attend, its location, and the time available; the shooters may be able to go to the long-range field; which allows them to try the skills gained from the short-range field to real-life distances.

Having attended one of the 2-day events myself, I can testify to both its effectiveness and enjoyability. A few tips if you plan to go:

• • If it’s gonna be cold, and you’re going to stay at the grounds, bring warmth. I underestimated the drop in ground temperature, and my pad-plus-sleeping-bag arrangement proved to be drastically subpar. Consider sleeping in a heated car, or tent with heating methods. At the very least, bring significantly warm clothing and sleeping gear. Most locations don’t provide shelter for attendees.
• • Bring a rifle and ammo you want to shoot a lot with. Appleseed recommends 1200-1500 rounds of ammo. .22LR is handy for this. Of course, if you plan to shoot long-distance you will also need a firearm capable of hitting a target at 500 yards.
• • Bring good, campfire-cookable food, and plenty of water. The event does not provide food — though the one I attended had a local taco-truck stop by. There may or may not be stores nearby, so bring what you think you will need to eat and drink for the time you plan to be there. The campfire camaraderie is great, so enjoy it with sausage-on-a-stick.

More questions are answered at the Appleseed FAQ page, so head there for more info.

A note on the event: Be prepared to listen to speeches by instructors during breaks about the Founding Fathers and the American Revolutionary War. This is part of the event that I could personally do without, but may be enjoyable to some. The core (pun alert!) of the Appleseed project is to bring modern shooters up to the level of Colonial marksmen, so the founding of the US is an integral historical facet of the training course.

The program and instructors are also very kid-and-family-friendly. The event I attended had a mix of single people, families, kids, couples, etc. So, if you want to give your kids a great head-start on shooting, this is the way to do it.

Updated to note: All women, active military, and people under 21 years of age are admitted free-of-charge.

Overall, the Appleseed training is amazingly effective, especially considering the price. For a schedule of events in your area, head to the Appleseed Boot Camp schedule page.

A minor update: The link above is for Appleseed Boot Camps — the weeklong version of the regular Appleseed event. If you’re interested in attending the 2-day course described in the post, please check out this Appleseed schedule page. My apologies for any confusion.

That’s how this article from Handguns Magazine begins, and it makes sense. Often the idea of “Center of Mass” is drilled into every shooter’s head. Of course, you’ll want to take a CoM shot if you can… but it doesn’t end there.

However, a problem can arise when forced to defend yourself because threats do not conveniently present themselves as a full-value, broadside target. But because all your training, practice and competition has habituated you to always attempt to position yourself to get a good hit, you will most likely do this instinctively when engaging a real adversary.

The “cure” for this problem, luckily, is not all that complex. Recognizing that what you are doing in one application is incorrect for the other is almost the solution in and of itself. To reinforce this, practicing shooting at a humanoid target’s extremities–its “edges,” if you will–can further imprint this difference.

As always, it’s a smart idea to train and prepare for every eventuality. This article certainly brings up some good points to consider in that regard. I’ll be trying this next time I go shooting.