It’s not about what you have, but what you find along the way.
Mike Moore, SERE Instructor
In this section, you’re looking at all of my articles, podcasts, and challenges related to survival and tactical skills. The more that you know how to do, the less pressure you feel to overload yourself with unnecessary equipment.
From knot tying to survival shelter construction and communications, the marksman’s tactical skillset is broad. I suggest picking a topic and diving deep into it to learn what you can, share it with others, and then work on the next skill in the chain.
If you haven’t tested yourself against a Marksman Challenge, be sure to check one of them out and lets us know how you did over in the community forum.
/// Skillset Archive
Four Years from Friday: Approaching Your Training Life in Seasons
June 11, 2024 No Comments
Let's talk long term. Too many people think that success is just a few weeks or months away, when that is far from the truth. In reality, success is a culmination of long term effort often years in the making. In this piece, I take a little known two day challenge and show you how I would break it down into a series of seasons and blocks that could be repeated over and over again, always driving closer and closer to success.
Thinking Beyond the Drill, or the “Teaching to the Test” Fallacy
May 15, 2024 No Comments
I've got a little bit of a bone to pick with how a lot of the shooting culture talks about drills. Much like weight lifting and gym bro culture, it seems a lot of shooters are more interested in flexing their egos than actually using drills as a way to improve. But how, exactly, should we approach that?
The Martial Marksman’s Training Philosophy: Simple, Not Easy
October 31, 2023 1 Comment
In the last episode, I discussed the Martial Marksman ideal and how it relates to the various topics I talk about here. One of the challenges that anyone going down this path quickly runs into is the fact that there is a lot of “stuff” to learn and practice. It’s one thing for a professional soldier to do these things, but it’s a very different beast for Everyday Marksmen like you and I.
Virtue in the Crosshairs: The Martial Marksman Ideal
October 17, 2023 4 Comments
Every year, I tend to focus in on a “theme” to pursue. Sometimes it’s personally, sometimes it’s got a bit more to do with the site. For most of 2022, the key phrase was “Minimum Capable Citizen.” The idea was around a set of standards and baseline targets that I think any prepared citizen should strive for. Eventually, the idea fizzled out a bit when I felt like there wasn’t much more to write. I’m not interested in “minimum.” I believe we should strive for excellence, and minimum doesn’t cut it. In 2023, my goals turned personal, with a heavy ...
The Four Corners Approach to Unlocking Peak Performance
April 18, 2023 4 Comments
Today I'm discussing a concept that's been brewing in the the back of my brain. While working on the book, I've needed a way to illustrate how different things we do relate to improving the whole and take use to new levels of performance. I think I've figured it out, and this is my first go at explaining it.
What Bench Are You Sitting On?
February 14, 2023 1 Comment
While reading through some of Coach Dan John's work, I came across a philosophy for breaking your annual training cycles. It's impossible to do everything well all of the time- something must give. Instead, we should think of our training, all of our training, from two perspectives: the bus bench, and the park bench.
Resource Review: The Guerilla’s Guide to the Baofeng Radio
January 24, 2023 7 Comments
My friend NC Scout of Brushbeater recently put out a book about using the Baofeng radio as the base of a whole communications plan. The interesting thing about the book is that the Baofeng is only a small part of what he's actually talking about, while the rest is incredibly useful for just about anyone looking to use radio equipment in challenged situations. Let's dig in.
Developing a Flexible Team Communications Setup
July 12, 2022 5 Comments
I spent a good part of 2021 trying to figure out a way to better integrate communications into my equipment without breaking the bank. While I'm all for spending money on quality gear, I'm not above considering the return on investment, and I've not felt like $1000 communications headsets were worth it for me. Then, one random day, I realized that I had almost everything I needed already, minus one important affordable part.
Baseline Medical for You and Your Group
June 1, 2022 5 Comments
In this episode, we build on the concept of the minimum capable citizen caught in Scenario X by talking about medical. Both what you need to know, and what you should always expect to carry. I also discuss some of my favorite first aid kit pouches for good measure.
Are You a Tactical Minimalist?
May 18, 2022 3 Comments
The longer you're in this community, the more you realize that there's almost an overwhelming number of skills to learn. One of the biggest traps people fall into is trying to become a master of everything. Often that looks like learning infinite variations of each skill. I think this ultimately becomes a distraction, and prevents us from thinking about the bigger picture.
Marksman Live! Are You a Minimum-Capable Citizen?
December 29, 2021 15 Comments
In session 006 of Marksman Live, I'm talking with Dr. Christopher Larsen of the One Shepherd Leadership Institute. We tackle the history of civilian warrior training as well as try to establish a baseline level of capability for all citizens to strive for.
The Enemy Gets a Vote: Fighting Rifles in the Real World
October 14, 2021 1 Comment
In this episode I'm talking to Jeff Gurwitch again. He recently put up a video on his YouTube channel that caught my attention. Why? Well, because on the surface it contradicts my own advice of, "Let the mission dictate the configuration."
Hindsight 5×5, Lessons from my First Six Months of Amateur Radio
April 13, 2021 2 Comments
This is a guest post from community member Augray who, aside from being our resident GoRuck expert, has recently been diving deep into the world of amateur radio. In this article, he lays out some of the advice and lessons learned in his first six months since getting certified and on the air.
Preparedness Skillset: The Area Study
February 10, 2021 No Comments
I've been thinking a lot about the idea of "red teaming." If you aren't familiar, this is where you think deeply about how you would plan to defeat yourself if you were the bad guy. While thinking about my own gaps, I realized one of the biggest was a lack of information about my surrounding area. I mean, I know a lot about where I live, but I'd never approached it like a military intelligence analyst. What does that look like?
Ammo Shortage? No Problem. Here’s a Solution
November 24, 2020 6 Comments
If you’re anything like me, then the great ammo shortage of 2020 has been putting a significant damper on your range time. I have a healthy stash set aside, for sure, but the general turmoil I’m seeing out there makes me reluctant to start using it until there’s a ready replacement. So what do we do?
Keep Your Gear Dry: Waterproofing Your Pack
September 22, 2020 1 Comment
I'd like to throw a shout out to a fellow blogger, and community member, who did a great writeup on waterproofing a pack. I've got a bit of experience here, but given his background I think it's best to just hear it from his mouth.