IG: @av_actual

I’m a professional problem solver. Not in the cool guy, action movie sense. But in the most literal sense of the words. I used to make my living in Executive Protection. I have worked in every environment, from high-net-worth corporate clients in the US, to low profile high threat clients overseas. Regardless of the environment or threat level, the principles of protection remain the same. In fact, these principles do not apply solely to EP Agents, they apply to everyone, everywhere, every day.

When I wasn’t working details I taught for a reputable executive protection program. Something I always asked my students was, “what are we” or “what do we really do”? I always got a range of answers: from “protectors” and “security specialists” to “glorified babysitters”. These answers are not wrong, necessarily, but they are not complete. After they've answered I always give them my answer, Professional Problem Solver. Regardless of what detail you are working, be it static or mobile, high threat or low threat, in Santa Monica or Kabul, you need to be a professional problem solver. CLICK BELOW TO READ MORE

(Authors Note: I wrote this article because I found myself frustrated with rhythm drills. Not the drills themselves, but the way they were presented and explained. Whether in classes or on the internet, I wasn't satisfied with any of the explanations or "the why" that I heard. The catalyst was a video I watched a few weeks ago of a YouTube instructor explaining rhythm drills. While nothing he said was wrong per se, I still felt like the larger point was being missed. So I set out to write this article, our attempt at a more coherent explanation behind the what, the how, and most importantly, the WHY.)

​Rhythm shooting, or shooting with “cadence”, has become something of a buzz-phrase in the last few years, and you see it everywhere. 4-6 shots, preferably static, at a stationary target between 3 and 7 yards away. According to Instagram, YouTube, and every gun forum under the sun, you should always shoot with a rhythm. Well…why? As with many practical shooting concepts, rhythm shooting has been taken out of context, mischaracterized, and incorrectly fed back into the training loop. This article aims to interrupt that negative feedback cycle, and place rhythm shooting and rhythm drills back into their appropriate context. Properly understood, rhythm shooting is a useful tool that we can use to diagnose, observe, self-analyze, and eventually push past our failure points and improve. CLICK BELOW TO READ MORE

In my time as an instructor I have had hundreds of students and have seen millions of rounds go down range. After a while, if you’re paying attention, a pattern starts to develop. What do successful students do? What behaviors do they share? What do unsuccessful students miss? There are some common missteps and hurdles every student faces. Some are easier to combat than others, but if we can at least identify them, it will make you a more conscientious and successful student. CLICK BELOW TO READ MORE