Mindset

Bourneshooter

Blue Line Sheepdog
What resources do you use/have to teach a winning/combative/(fillinbuzzwordhere) mindset to new Cops, Military, CCW permit holders, etc.

Books? Videos? Podcasts? Lectures?

I know a big part of developing the mindset is putting that person through some serious Force on Force training to cement it, but that I think requires one to have the mindset before hand.

Grossman's works (On Combat/On Killing) have been long recommended, but have some issues due to association with Grossman and his less than stellar reputation.

The old Cop books "Street Survival" by Caliber Press were good. They were about real life stories of cops who survived or died and what new cops could do to win. This has stayed prevalent in the LE world by doing Officer Survival classes that are mostly taught by survivors of lethal force encounters or encounters where the officer almost lost their life or watched their partner loose theirs.

Had a several hour long conversation with a young man who was carrying a gun, but didn't have the mindset to accompany it. He was the "cool guy factor" carry type. I remember using examples of fights/uses of force from my LE job, as well as historical examples - battle of Thermopalye and Spartan Warrior Culture - to try to instill that the gun is just a tool, the mindset is all that matters.
 

Unobtanium

Regular Member
Mindset...this guy just sums up motivation, to me. I can't relate to him on a personal level or anything else other than that we both like to lift weights, and we both approach things with a single-minded no-option method. However, I found his video very..."focusing". It's gotten me cursing at my arms in the gym, and what do you know? I've dropped 10# in the last month and my arms are bigger, now, against all common wisdom...

This is more about life goals/lifting goals/career goals (can be adapted to obtaining anything) than "survival", although I'm sure it applies.

 

ScottPM09

Member
Paul Howe's book, "Leadership and Training for the Fight" is generally my go-to recommendation. He uses a number of real world encounters which he experienced while in the army and then breaks down the lessons learned (both good and bad) into a no-BS manner that can easily be understood.

I am usually an inside the book note taker and highlighter. I didn't want to do that to my copy since I had Paul sign it for me when I went to CSAT. Before I got to page 50, I regretted my decision, went back to reread it from the start, and began taking vital notes and highlighting. the book was literally teeming with good information.
 

JCSpringer

Regular Member
I think the videos and media are target specific. For handgun permit holders I like to use crime stats and police response data. ie Police response times are less than 5 minutes less than 9% of the time..... Getting people to understand the problem and it's issues is the first key. For guys who are already switched on I like recommending The Gift of Fear, Left of Bang, Gates of Fire, Victim: the other side of murder by gary kinder, some podcast episodes and other books too. Education is key. But at the same time you can give a dude all the information in the world but he chooses to ignore it then there's not a whole lot you can do to instill it.
 

ScottPM09

Member
I forgot to add Panteao's video "Combat Mindset" with Paul Howe. I seem to remember it being about an hour and a half long or so and was, like his book, packed full of solid info. Many of the video clips are quite disturbing, but do a good job of getting the point across.
 
I'm gonna punch a sacred cow...
Be careful about how you define mindset. It should define WHY you think a certain way, which will in-turn dictate HOW you think. Too many people read a book, go to a seminar or watch a video and all of a sudden start the "HOW" part without developing the "WHY" part. It's the "I'm a sheepdog because I'm a gun owner" mindset, which is just fucking clownshoes. And yes, that is a deliberate shot across the bow of the David Grossman boat.


Have a reason for thinking the way you do. Don't just do it to do it.

With that being said, I think the best videos to watch are dash cam videos of cops in gunfights, including cops being killed. They make a very memorable point for cops and citizens alike.
 

Mike London

Newbie
I've been out of the game for a bit. To be honest, when I retired, I was so interested in moving on that I packed away not only my gear, but my interest in tactics, mindset, etc. After a mostly intentional year in Condition White, I decided to shake it off and get back better than ever. In doing so, I found myself surrounded by guys that have a sub zero sum gain as a jump off point. Because of my own deliberate indifference, I am also without most of my acquired resources. Now, playing catch up, I'm looking for some good FREE resources (articles, statistics, videos,etc) that I can share with my comrades to start them in the right direction. I have scoured P&S so far, but I'd love any other ideas for info on Combat Handgun, single officer response to an active shooter, and mindset, etc!
 

Barry B

Regular Member
I'm gonna punch a sacred cow...
Be careful about how you define mindset. It should define WHY you think a certain way, which will in-turn dictate HOW you think. Too many people read a book, go to a seminar or watch a video and all of a sudden start the "HOW" part without developing the "WHY" part. It's the "I'm a sheepdog because I'm a gun owner" mindset, which is just fucking clownshoes. And yes, that is a deliberate shot across the bow of the David Grossman boat.


Have a reason for thinking the way you do. Don't just do it to do it.

With that being said, I think the best videos to watch are dash cam videos of cops in gunfights, including cops being killed. They make a very memorable point for cops and citizens alike.

As a novice, this makes sense to me. I run into many people that indicat they carry, then say idiotic things like “I only need one round” or “I am fully prepared to defend myself, haven’t shot my gun in years (at the range) but I’ll defend myself”. These people know what they know (they think). EVERYONE needs training. And prior to training you have to know you need and want that training, to achieve an end goal. MIne is to be very able to defend myself and others, but also have to tools not to need to use lethal force, disengage, use hands on, or just run like a bitch and not cap someone.

A good example is my wife. She is concerned for her safety. Steadfastly refuses to get firearms training. Even basic training. That for me is a disconnect. I am right now reading the book “The Gift of Fear”. My wife will never read it, and if I were to show her any security cam scary assault videos she STILL would not take training.

As Andy above indicated... you have to want the knowledge and the skill. Either people are just that not motivated,or they have a preconcieved notion of how everything will play out. Force on force training will dispell you of that notion VERY quickly, but you have to want to take that training to learn that. Horrible catch-22.
 
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