Train the mind and the body will follow
Too many people in our world think that owning the right gear and reading about a specific skill is enough. Well, it’s not.
During a podcast interview with Mike Moore, a former SERE instructor, I asked about a fundamental truth about survival situations that most people don’t understand. His answer was simple: “Not everyone is going to make it.”
The key differentiator between those who made it and those who don’t is the unyielding belief that you’ve got this.
In this section, you’ll find all of my articles, podcast episodes, and marksman challenges about training your mind to naturally achieve success. This takes work, practice, and discipline. Reading an article or book about it is a start, but truly developing your tactical mindset means challenging yourself to succeed.
Small victories lead to big victories. I implore you to start with goal setting and make winning a habit in your life.
You rarely get to choose “the moment.” Instead, the moment chooses you. Are you ready?
/// Mindset Archive
You Weren’t Built for Safety
This is a short Mindset (with a bit of musing) of something that crossed my mind. I recently came across a video about our culture's growing obsession with safety, and it made me think a bit about how humans are simply not built for safety. We're built for danger, and we are at our best when we act like it.
Fireside Chat: Establishing a New Heading
This episode expands on my last post about the future of The Everyday Marksman. I'm ready to talk a bit more about where we've been, where we're going, and the role you can play in it.
Don’t Just Dress Around The Gun
In this episode of the Everyday Marksman, I’m talking to Alex Sansone, better known as The Suited Shootist and operator of the blog and YouTube channel under the same name. Alex is a bit different than most of the other guests I’ve had on the show because he doesn’t have the same military or high-level competition background as others. He’s a regular citizen who happens to care about protecting himself and his family while looking good doing it.
Introduction to the Francs Tireurs, the Little-Known Irregular French Sniper
This is a short post today, as it's more of a musing than anything. I wanted to touch upon something that I recently came across while reading John West's Fry the Brain. This is a history about a group of French citizens who ground an enemy's army to a halt with their marksmanship prowess.
The Things I Wish I Knew Before My First Training Course
I've got a bit of experience between training and competition, though not as much as I'd like. Still, I've learned a few things along the way and today we're talking about some of the key lessons I wish I could go back and make sure I knew back at the beginning.
Now What? A Back to Basics Approach to an Uncertain Future
2020 has been a rough year, and things may only get worse from here. So what, exactly, can we do about that? First, take a breath. Now let's talk.
Mike Green of Green Ops Tactical Talks About Adult Skills
Mike Green is a 15 year veteran of Special Operations who began a training company in Northern Virginia as a bit of a side gig. His school has since grown into quite the training operation spanning multiple states and categories of students. One of the things that stood out to me about Green Ops is their motto, “Why Should Your Training Be Less Special?”
The Marksman’s Trinity: Balance for New and Old Gun Owners
The theme of the month is all about balance, so here’s another one to think about. I thought about the elements that should go into decision making regarding everything we do, and I categorized everything into these three: safety, capability, and security. As gun owners and firearms enthusiasts, we should always be mindful of keeping these things in balance.
A Marksman’s Balance: Making Time for Things that Matter
Today's episode has to do with the theme of the month within our community over at The Marksman's Quarter: finding balance. I thought this was an appropriate topic because I just came off of a month-long break from writing or recording, and wanted to talk a little bit about what led to that hiatus and the things that have been on my mind.
Answering the Question: Why Good Marksmanship is Important
I don't know why this question has been on my mind lately, but I've felt compelled to try and put words to my answer. Why is good marksmanship important? What do we get from learning and practicing it? I think there's an assumption within the gun world that everyone already knows that marksmanship is important. But I don't think most people actually care.
On the Modern Minuteman
Today's episode is a fairly short one. I want to touch on the idea of a modern Minuteman. It's something that a lot of people romanticize, but we never really define. In this discussion, I want to talk a bit about what it means to me and what I think we need to do. This isn't a discussion about the contents of a go bag or the kind of rifle to bring to the fight. No, it's about the philosophy of being an engaged citizen ready to put aside individual goals for the sake of maintaining liberty.
Adventure is Just Bad Planning
One of the most important habits my family taught me growing up was the value of playing "what if." In this episode, I talk about the Special Forces PACE model for planning and how it applies to everyday situations.
Make the Sacrifice Worth it: Olympic Shooting with Amanda Banta
Amanda Banta is a national rifle champion and Olympic competitor. She began shooting at 11 years old and competed in the 2012 Olympic games only 9 years later. In this conversation, we take a look at what it took to make that kind of progress, what it means to have a winning mindset, and of course learn some tips for better marksmanship practice.
Community Member Highlight: Graveyard Fields
This episode is another in our community member highlight series. Today we’re focusing on Justin “Graveyard” Fields, who is very active in the community and is himself a prolific blogger. Among other blogs he runs, he most recently set up Swift | Silent | Deadly, a blog focused on full-spectrum individual security. In this interview, we talk a bit about how Justin got interested in writing about this particular set of topics as well as his thoughts on the lessons we should all be taking away from the COVID-19 pandemic.
Risk Assessment and Mitigation for Everyday Living
It's March 2020, a time when people are well and truly panicked about a virulent flu strain. Government institutions across the globe are flailing about for consequence mitigation strategies with greater or lesser success and some risk of unintended consequences. People panic because they don’t trust established institutions to handle an emergency. Institutions lose trust because they’re corrupt, incompetent, unresponsive or some combination. So we must ask the question: What’s a working man to do?
Sharpening the Edge: There’s Value in Competition
Life is full of competition. In fact, in the grand scheme of things, all of life is a giant competition for resources and reproduction. Entire species either prosper or go extinct on the macro level due to their collective abilities to compete in an ever-changing environment. Nations, businesses, and people operate in a similar way. And so should you.
