Tactical Tangents

Like many good ideas in the tactical community, "Slow is smooth, Smooth is Fast," is one of those that started out with strong roots and grew into something barely recognizable. We lose IQ points when the adrenaline hits--the emotional response that we experience under stress bypasses our ability to make rational decisions. We think that this phrase is best applied to our cognitive awareness and ability to take control of feeling overwhelmed, get a true sense of the problem at hand, reason with competing priorities, and bring calm to the chaos. It's a useful training tool, but it really doesn't have anything to do with "acting slow," it's about slowing our mind down enough to make sense of what's happening around us. Black Hawk Down Remember that we publish new episodes on the 1st and the 15th of every month! Find us on Facebook @TacTangents or email us at info@tacticaltangents.com www.tacticaltangents.com Intro music credit: Bensound.com

In the mid-nineties a Fedex employee facing termination attempted to hijack Fedex Flight 705 from Memphis to San Jose. His plan was to take over the plane and crash it into the Fedex headquarters, and he wanted to make it look like an accident. Armed with a hammer and a spear gun, he launched a surprise attack against the crew of three shortly after takeoff. This is one of many chilling examples of how workplace violence can turn really bad really fast. We discuss some of the warning signs and pre-assault indicators, strategies for intervening in a close-quarters attack, and some of the reasons checklists are such a big deal for pilots. Links from the show: Voice Recorder transcript Court Case Checklist Simulator example Example of all the stuff going on in the cockpit during normal takeoff/flight/landing 2015 intentional crash The Gift of Fear Mindhunter Columbine Ted Bundy New shows on the 1st and the 15th! www.tacticaltangents.com facebook.com/tactangents

Boyd used to walk people through a thought experiment in which he wanted people to use their imagination to "create a new reality," to illustate the creative nature of our minds. In a tactical sense, we can take lessons learned from several different places and apply those principles to whatever realm is important to us. At Tactical Tangents, we are always trying to find a balance among law enforcement, military, and concealed-carry topics—but it's important to consider that we can all find value in the lessons learned in each of those fields. In this episode, we discuss two controversial police shootings (Philando Castile and Daniel Shaver) and the binary terms that people tend to use to describe these sorts of incidents: Justified, or not. Murder, or self-defense. Good shoot, or Bad Shoot. Sometimes, it's somewhere in between. Think of it like a critical thinking exercise—understand the complexities of human behavior and decision making. No two tactical encounters look exactly the same—but sometimes they rhyme. Find the similarities and differences, build a snowmobile. Links: Jim's advice for traffic stops: http://www.tacticaltangents.com/articles/how-to-handle-a-traffic-stop/ Albuquerque LT shoots his own guy: https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/albuquerque-police-release-video-showing-officer-shooting-undercover-cop-n549461 C-5 animation: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=GeEMiW1vMvU Another example of wrong engine shut-down: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=FdSS1hel2z4 Graham vs. Connor full text: https://supreme.justia.com/cases/federal/us/490/386/ Daniel Shaver (Mesa shooting, with video): https://www.nbcnews.com/news/us-news/daniel-shaver-shooting-ex-arizona-police-officer-not-guilty-murder-n827641 Philando Castile (overview with video): http://www.tacticaltangents.com/articles/philando-castile/ Brian Willis TED Talk: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=qwC-RHsC6gw Subscribe to the podcast for new episodes on the 1st and 15th of every month! Follow us on Facebook at www.facebook.com/tactangents or check out our website at www.tacticaltangents.com. We'd love to hear your thoughts or feedback, please email us at info@tacticaltangents.com! Intro music credit bensound.com

John Boyd was the guy behind the OODA loop, the F-15, the F-16. He and his group of reformers were also largely responsible for the A-10, the Warfighting manual for the USMC, and some of the planning of Desert Storm. Boyd said, "War is ever changing, and men are ever fallible-Teach men to think!" He was also, in a lot of ways, the inspiration for the Tactical Tangents project. Hear about the guerilla reform movement he led against the bureaucracy that is the US Department of Defense and how his work affected tactics, leadership, decision making, and the Art of War. 57:09 New episodes on the 1st and 15th of every month! Please leave us feedback, reviews, like/share/subscribe! Follow us on Facebook or Twitter @TacTangents Links: The Book The Pentagon Wars by James Burton (Book) (Video) Intro Music credit--Bensound.com

The podcast discusses road rage incidents, de-escalation techniques, and the dangers of escalation. It highlights the importance of understanding human dynamics, conflict resolution, and creating space in self-defense situations. The hosts also explore the negative impact of armored trucks on counter-insurgency efforts. Strategies for handling road rage incidents and confrontations are provided, including communication, threat assessment, and having a protection plan.

Strong Language Warning--probably don't play this out loud at work or around your kids! Full disclosure, we actually recorded this episode a little while back when our buddy Isaac was getting ready for the police academy. We wanted to take advantage of the Q and A opportunity before he kicked off his career. We have some follow-up recordings in the works with Isaac so you can check in and see how he's doing if you're interested. We talk about Isaac's stupid mustache, how defensive tactics apply to different martial arts (and vice versa), the academic nature of the police academy, and what not to do at parties. We also touch briefly on donuts, and I gotta be honest (this is Mike typing), I went back to the place we criticized (unnamed of course) and they redeemed themselves--they're actually pretty good. Now that's two donut eating sessions I gotta work off, so I'm gonna go swing a kettlebell for an hour... New episodes on the 1st and 15th of every month! Be sure to subscribe/like/share if you like what we're doing. If you have questions about the academy please find us on Facebook and interact with us, we'd love to hear your thoughts! www.tacticaltangents.com www.facebook.com/tactangents Twitter @TacTangents Intro music credit--Bensound.com

Break down of the 1997 North Hollywood Shootout. 20 years ago this year, two dudes brought the LAPD and a few assisting agencies to their knees during a bank robbery that turned into an epic gunfight. Amazingly, the only two fatalities that day were the bad guys, but there were about 20 others wounded (civilian and police). Some of the big take aways have to do with the proliferation of long guns and armored vehicles in law enforcement, shooting "two the body, one to the head," and how we apply the concept of shooting at the center of whatever mass is available. We also talk briefly about how this event might have been charactized as an active shooter in the early stages and how we might have handled this differently today. If you know about or were involved with an incident that you think had worthwhile lessons learned, let us know! Subscribe to the podcast on your favorite app to get new episodes on the 1st and 15th of every month! Thank you for your feedback, likes/shares/reviews. Find us on Facebook @TacTangents or www.tacticaltangents.com Show Links: News helicopter raw video: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=wZg4mcYkIwU Police audio: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=c5mkd6r9Kww Fox News report https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=-E4_wDQFky0 Self inflicts: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EzjsQ-cxHBU Nat geo documentary: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=q44yGYlUoQQ 44 min film: https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Wty8VSi4Fs0 LA police commission use of force report: http://documents.latimes.com/north-hollywood-shootout-use-force-report/ Intro music credit Bensound.com

Mike and Jim talk about ways they learned and apply the fundamentals to shooting practice, specifically trying to bridge the gap from "beginner," to "decent," to "good." We talk about ways to balance speed and accuracy, and some things to think about when you are trying to diagnose a problem or isolate certain variables to improve your ability to shoot. We talk about adding stress/pressure to our drills, how important it is to have a good coach or at least use slow motion video to carefully watch for mistakes, the benefits of dry fire, etc. Some firearms fundamentals flip on like a switch of a lightbulb, but sometimes you have to make incremental improvements until those individual elements compound on to each other and you really start to notice a difference. Finally, we want you to realize that anyone can become a "good" shooter, so you have to get it out of your head that some people have an innate gift or talent and you don't. We talk about a few books in the episode, here are the links: Talent Code Talent is Overrated The Art of Learning Find us on social media (Facebook/Twitter/Instagram/YouTube) @TacTangents You can join the conversation in our Facebook Discussion Group. Find all of our episodes, articles, some reading list ideas, and more on our website www.tacticaltangents.com Like what we're doing? Head over to Patreon and give us a buck for each new episode. You can also make a one-time contribution at GoFundMe. Intro music credit Bensound.com

One of the themes we discussed in our last episode was that just because something is technically legal, or not against the rules, that doesn't necessarily make it a good idea. We build on that theme today and discuss how we use rules and guidelines to manage risk and shape our decisions. We talk about the risks associated with car chases, the 21-foot rule, and how some parents worry more about having a gun in the house than a pool in their backyard. We also share one of our guiding principles from Col. John Boyd about training and risk management: People, Ideas, and THEN Hardware, in that order! Links: Boyd, The Fighter Pilot Who Changed the Art of War - http://amzn.to/2xJPW4y The Signal and the Noise - http://amzn.to/2xN7fUi The Unthinkable - http://amzn.to/2xN7PB8 Pearl Harbor: Warning and Decision - http://amzn.to/2yNEdCt Jim's article on Lessons Learned from Tactical Aviation - http://www.tacticaltangents.com/articles/aviationlessons/ (also available on Facebook here) Find us on social media (Facebook/Twitter/Instagram/YouTube) @TacTangents You can join the conversation in our Facebook Discussion Group. Find all of our episodes, articles, some reading list ideas, and more on our website www.tacticaltangents.com Like what we're doing? Head over to Patreon and give us a buck for each new episode. You can also make a one-time contribution at GoFundMe. Intro music credit Bensound.com

In our inaugural episode, we delve into the notorious Utah nurse incident where a nurse was seemingly "arrested" for her refusal to perform a blood draw, a case that ignited intense scrutiny over the law enforcement officer's actions. This incident serves as a poignant example of how individuals can become entangled in the intricate web of legal analysis when examining the decisions made by law enforcement officials. While it's true that there are occasions where one might succeed in contesting a specific legal battle, it's crucial to recognize that these tactical decisions often carry profound and far-reaching strategic implications. Teaching people the art of critical thinking and fostering sound judgment is an intricate task, as these skills are essential for navigating the complex terrain of ethical and legal dilemmas. Our primary objective in this podcast series is to provide valuable insights and guidance to enhance your decision-making capabilities, ultimately expediting the learning curve. We aim to empower you with the tools and knowledge necessary to make informed and ethical choices, particularly in situations where the consequences extend beyond the immediate context and resonate in broader societal and ethical dimensions. Join us as we explore the intricate interplay between critical thinking, judgment, and decision-making in the complex world we inhabit. Find us on social media (Facebook/Twitter/Instagram/YouTube) @TacTangents You can join the conversation in our Facebook Discussion Group. Find all of our episodes, articles, some reading list ideas, and more on our website www.tacticaltangents.com Like what we're doing? Head over to Patreon and give us a buck for each new episode. You can also make a one-time contribution at GoFundMe. Intro music credit Bensound.com