The Art of Manliness - Episode #59： ITS Tactical With Bryan Black

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00:00:54.720 All right, so it seems like lately, in past few years,

00:00:58.520 this interest in, you know, tactical stuff, gear, skills,

00:01:02.960 has really taken an uptick.

00:01:05.620 There's a lot of blogs that are dedicated on developing tactical skills.

00:01:10.740 Civilians are buying tactical flashlights.

00:01:13.600 They're taking classes on tactical fighting.

00:01:17.140 And it's just really fascinating.

00:01:19.900 We've seen a lot of interest in it on theartofmanliness.com.

00:01:23.300 And one of the bigger websites in this whole tactical genre

00:01:28.920 is a website called ITS Tactical,

00:01:32.240 or what I've been calling it.

00:01:33.760 I've been calling it It's Tactical,

00:01:35.160 but I just found out that it's not It's Tactical.

00:01:37.520 It's ITS Tactical.

00:01:39.140 They're based out of Texas.

00:01:41.020 They publish articles on how,

00:01:42.900 just a variety of skills,

00:01:44.140 first aid, emergency prep,

00:01:46.140 hand-to-hand combat,

00:01:47.740 guns.

00:01:48.540 I mean, you name it,

00:01:49.940 they got it covered.

00:01:51.100 And it's geared towards anybody in law enforcement or the military,

00:01:53.940 but it's also geared towards civilians.

00:01:55.960 Really popular stuff.

00:01:57.160 They've had a lot of stuff go viral on the internet,

00:02:00.380 on, like, for example,

00:02:01.320 how to escape from zip ties.

00:02:03.280 Pretty cool video.

00:02:04.700 Definitely recommend you check it out.

00:02:06.460 Anyways, today's guest

00:02:08.080 is the founder and owner of ITS Tactical.

00:02:11.740 His name's Brian Black,

00:02:12.900 and we're going to talk about this whole tactical movement

00:02:16.780 or, you know, trend

00:02:18.260 that's going on in America right now,

00:02:20.260 and also talk about

00:02:21.580 how just regular, average guys

00:02:24.400 can benefit from learning a few tactical skills

00:02:27.340 and which ones you should learn.

00:02:28.640 So stay tuned.

00:02:33.240 All right, Brian Black,

00:02:34.520 welcome to the show.

00:02:36.320 Thanks, Brett.

00:02:36.840 I appreciate you having me, man.

00:02:37.900 Okay, so before we begin,

00:02:39.700 I need you to clarify something.

00:02:41.380 Sure.

00:02:41.780 For our readers,

00:02:42.340 is it ITS Tactical or ITS Tactical?

00:02:45.780 It is ITS Tactical,

00:02:47.640 which started out,

00:02:49.480 or which is an acronym

00:02:50.640 for Imminent Threat Solutions.

00:02:52.240 So our point of kind of doing

00:02:55.500 the ITS Tactical thing

00:02:56.680 was just being in the tactical industry in general

00:02:59.420 and kind of wanting to shorten that.

00:03:02.000 Yeah, because I'll be honest with you,

00:03:03.280 like, for, like, the longest time,

00:03:04.240 when I first discovered you,

00:03:05.080 I called you guys ITS Tactical,

00:03:07.600 and I still do.

00:03:08.660 I won't hold it against you, man.

00:03:09.920 Okay, because, I mean,

00:03:10.620 it makes sense, like, yeah,

00:03:11.340 you guys, it's a tactical website.

00:03:14.100 It's tactical.

00:03:15.360 Yeah, that was one of those

00:03:16.560 just interesting coincidences that happened.

00:03:18.600 You know, to be honest,

00:03:19.860 I never even thought of the name

00:03:22.420 in that regard before,

00:03:23.400 and then people started saying it.

00:03:24.940 I was like, oh, wow,

00:03:25.500 it really does say that.

00:03:26.840 Yeah, well, that's cool.

00:03:28.360 Well, I'm glad I can call it

00:03:29.560 It's Tactical.

00:03:30.160 It's ITS, Imminent Threat Solutions.

00:03:32.620 So, what's the story behind it?

00:03:34.540 How did this website start?

00:03:36.580 Because it's got, I mean, it's huge.

00:03:37.680 It's got a big following

00:03:38.840 amongst not only military and law enforcement,

00:03:42.580 but also civilians.

00:03:44.200 Sure.

00:03:44.380 So, tell us about it.

00:03:44.960 How did you get started with ITS Tactical?

00:03:47.020 Well, I mean,

00:03:47.900 it really kind of started

00:03:48.840 as just a kind of a passion of mine.

00:03:51.260 I started in 2009

00:03:53.020 because I wanted to do something

00:03:54.340 not only that I was passionate about,

00:03:56.360 but I really wanted to build

00:03:58.340 an online resource to highlight

00:03:59.960 what I felt was a shortcoming

00:04:02.040 in the tactical industry,

00:04:02.940 which was an absence

00:04:04.160 of skill set-based information.

00:04:06.900 Just like you with Art of Manliness,

00:04:08.520 you guys have a lot

00:04:09.340 of skill-based articles, too,

00:04:10.760 and that's why I love reading it as well.

00:04:13.360 But I really wanted to kind of bring that

00:04:15.460 to the tactical industry

00:04:16.520 and just really support

00:04:18.780 that self-sufficient lifestyle.

00:04:20.720 Yeah.

00:04:20.880 So, I mean, who's your target audience?

00:04:22.120 Is it pretty much anyone

00:04:23.000 who's interested in this,

00:04:24.080 or is there a particular person

00:04:26.160 or group you're trying to go after?

00:04:27.720 Really, it's just anybody

00:04:29.000 that wants the information, honestly.

00:04:31.360 I mean, we've attracted a lot of,

00:04:33.400 like you said,

00:04:33.980 law enforcement and military

00:04:35.100 as well as just kind of outdoor enthusiasts

00:04:37.800 and civilians

00:04:38.540 and people that just really

00:04:40.480 want to learn this stuff.

00:04:41.480 So, it's been a really cool experience.

00:04:43.960 Cool.

00:04:44.240 What's your background?

00:04:45.220 Do you have any background

00:04:45.920 in law enforcement

00:04:46.700 or anything like that,

00:04:47.920 or has it just been

00:04:48.480 the passion of yours?

00:04:49.600 Well, I got started,

00:04:51.160 I guess my background

00:04:52.520 comes from the military

00:04:54.200 and also just from

00:04:55.900 my passion in general.

00:04:59.280 But I was in the Navy

00:05:00.100 for a few years,

00:05:00.980 so I was able to kind of pull

00:05:02.400 those skills

00:05:03.920 that I learned there

00:05:05.400 and just,

00:05:07.220 it kind of enhanced

00:05:08.320 my general interests

00:05:09.360 that I've had all my life

00:05:10.760 and just kind of,

00:05:11.540 I guess,

00:05:12.600 gadgets and gear

00:05:13.360 and things like that too.

00:05:14.640 So,

00:05:15.100 I was able to pull that with,

00:05:17.860 I spent some time

00:05:19.160 after high school

00:05:20.220 working in a commercial

00:05:20.960 photography studio,

00:05:21.860 so I kind of used that

00:05:23.020 a little bit.

00:05:23.500 also went to school

00:05:25.340 for technically

00:05:27.260 my degrees

00:05:27.780 in communication technology,

00:05:29.200 which is website design

00:05:30.320 at the school I went to

00:05:32.080 at the University of Texas,

00:05:33.060 but then I got a minor

00:05:35.380 in journalism,

00:05:35.880 so I was like kind of able

00:05:36.860 to throw all those things

00:05:37.840 into the mix

00:05:38.400 and that's kind of,

00:05:39.820 yeah,

00:05:40.560 excuse me,

00:05:42.100 how I ended up

00:05:42.760 with what we have now.

00:05:44.380 Awesome.

00:05:44.620 So,

00:05:44.680 it looks like you're just

00:05:45.160 combining a whole bunch

00:05:46.000 of skill sets

00:05:46.760 into this awesome business now.

00:05:49.580 Yeah,

00:05:49.780 I mean,

00:05:50.020 it was,

00:05:50.520 it's been really cool.

00:05:51.500 That's awesome.

00:05:52.280 Yeah.

00:05:52.680 All right,

00:05:52.880 so we've been saying

00:05:53.560 this word tactical a lot.

00:05:55.160 Yeah.

00:05:55.720 So,

00:05:56.380 it's getting thrown around

00:05:57.660 all over the place now,

00:05:58.680 like companies are using

00:05:59.640 it to market products,

00:06:00.660 like everything,

00:06:01.360 there's like tactical

00:06:01.980 everything now,

00:06:02.740 like tactical flashlights,

00:06:03.840 there's like tactical backpacks,

00:06:05.140 there's tactical shoes.

00:06:06.800 What is,

00:06:07.480 can you define tactical?

00:06:08.760 What exactly does that mean?

00:06:10.280 Well,

00:06:10.820 first of all,

00:06:11.660 I'm not going to claim

00:06:12.300 to be the be all end all

00:06:14.200 explanation on the word,

00:06:16.180 but when we started

00:06:18.120 back in 2009,

00:06:19.540 my version

00:06:20.180 or my vision of tactical

00:06:21.780 was basically just

00:06:23.280 thinking with tactics

00:06:24.440 or planning before action.

00:06:26.040 So,

00:06:26.420 that's my definition of it.

00:06:29.640 Some might say that,

00:06:31.240 you know,

00:06:31.940 or tactical means,

00:06:33.720 I guess,

00:06:34.660 military-esque

00:06:35.460 or law enforcement-esque

00:06:37.060 or something along those lines,

00:06:38.340 but I mean,

00:06:38.940 to me,

00:06:39.260 it really just means,

00:06:40.480 you know,

00:06:41.520 having a plan

00:06:42.160 and thinking with tactics.

00:06:43.480 And it's not just

00:06:45.240 for like self-defense,

00:06:46.660 but it's also

00:06:47.080 in other areas of life

00:06:48.000 as well,

00:06:48.700 I imagine.

00:06:49.660 Yeah,

00:06:50.000 I mean,

00:06:50.260 that's how I'd agree

00:06:51.300 with that,

00:06:51.860 for sure.

00:06:52.600 And why do you think

00:06:53.420 there's been this uptick?

00:06:54.900 Not just amongst military

00:06:56.120 and,

00:06:56.620 you know,

00:06:57.420 LEOs,

00:06:58.360 but like civilians

00:06:59.120 are like,

00:06:59.740 it's like a new thing.

00:07:01.120 Like,

00:07:01.260 I mean,

00:07:01.540 like I,

00:07:02.100 you know,

00:07:02.460 we're both on Tumblr.

00:07:04.160 I see you on there.

00:07:05.060 And like,

00:07:05.340 it's amazing,

00:07:05.780 like the number of like

00:07:06.600 civilians who just like,

00:07:08.040 their blogs are just like

00:07:08.960 picture after picture,

00:07:10.640 like AR-15s

00:07:11.900 and like tactical gear

00:07:12.960 and like,

00:07:13.920 you know,

00:07:14.400 grappling hooks.

00:07:16.240 And like,

00:07:16.540 I mean,

00:07:16.720 what's going on there?

00:07:17.840 Why do you think

00:07:18.240 there's such an interest in it?

00:07:19.960 You know,

00:07:20.480 I think it probably

00:07:21.640 has a lot to do

00:07:22.400 with just the overwhelming

00:07:23.960 support that our military

00:07:25.540 and law enforcement

00:07:26.300 and first responders

00:07:27.620 are getting nowadays,

00:07:28.860 which is a great thing.

00:07:30.760 I love that

00:07:31.380 that's happening

00:07:32.600 in America right now.

00:07:34.420 But,

00:07:35.000 you know,

00:07:35.240 it's also led the way,

00:07:36.480 led to a lot of people

00:07:37.820 wondering what they're using,

00:07:39.320 why they're using it.

00:07:40.260 And,

00:07:41.040 you know,

00:07:41.240 what makes it,

00:07:42.400 what makes it great.

00:07:43.700 So,

00:07:44.560 you know,

00:07:45.500 technology today

00:07:46.340 is making it super easy

00:07:47.380 to become knowledgeable

00:07:48.240 in the subjects

00:07:49.020 that,

00:07:50.060 you know,

00:07:50.440 those guys are

00:07:51.200 of what they're using.

00:07:52.360 So,

00:07:52.640 I think that has a lot

00:07:53.440 to do with it.

00:07:54.120 And that would probably be,

00:07:55.060 be my best guess

00:07:57.380 on,

00:07:57.740 on why that's happening.

00:07:59.320 So,

00:07:59.540 do you think any,

00:08:00.140 it has anything to do

00:08:00.940 with like the zombie apocalypse

00:08:02.540 or everyone's worried

00:08:03.220 about that?

00:08:04.260 You know,

00:08:04.800 that's kind of faded

00:08:05.480 a little bit,

00:08:06.000 which is interesting.

00:08:06.720 It kind of came and went

00:08:07.760 and I don't know,

00:08:08.900 it,

00:08:09.080 it's still kind of

00:08:10.240 a prevalent thing,

00:08:11.760 but yeah,

00:08:12.720 no,

00:08:13.320 I couldn't tell you for sure.

00:08:14.960 Couldn't tell you for sure.

00:08:16.020 Yeah,

00:08:16.140 it is kind of interesting

00:08:16.640 that whole zombie apocalypse,

00:08:17.740 getting ready for the zombie apocalypse

00:08:19.120 is like not a thing anymore.

00:08:20.520 You really don't see it

00:08:21.180 all that often.

00:08:22.460 Well,

00:08:22.600 you know,

00:08:22.860 to me,

00:08:23.180 it's like,

00:08:23.740 I don't know,

00:08:25.300 maybe people are able

00:08:26.260 to use that as a way

00:08:27.420 to get prepared

00:08:28.480 and hey,

00:08:29.180 you know,

00:08:29.500 whatever works,

00:08:30.140 if that's what's going

00:08:30.880 to make you,

00:08:31.800 you know,

00:08:32.620 learn some skills

00:08:33.440 that'll help you in life,

00:08:34.520 then so be it.

00:08:36.340 Yeah.

00:08:37.140 Okay,

00:08:37.540 so what I love

00:08:40.020 about your website,

00:08:40.920 like you said,

00:08:41.240 it's very skills-based,

00:08:42.000 like shows you like cool stuff

00:08:43.540 that guys want to know

00:08:45.560 and I'm sure,

00:08:46.060 I know you have a lot

00:08:47.020 of female readers too,

00:08:47.840 but it's like,

00:08:48.340 it's,

00:08:48.640 you know,

00:08:48.780 guys love this stuff.

00:08:50.180 You know,

00:08:50.560 besides like the usefulness of,

00:08:51.960 I mean,

00:08:52.160 it is useful to know

00:08:53.180 like how to splint legs

00:08:54.880 and how to,

00:08:55.820 you know,

00:08:56.720 protect your home

00:08:57.400 from home invasions

00:08:58.480 and things like that.

00:09:00.400 Is there,

00:09:01.260 do you think there's another benefit

00:09:02.340 that men specifically

00:09:04.160 can get from learning

00:09:05.600 and practicing tactical skills?

00:09:09.200 Well,

00:09:09.440 I will kind of go back

00:09:11.200 to the self-sufficiency nature

00:09:13.520 of what we were talking about

00:09:15.280 and that's,

00:09:15.920 I mean,

00:09:16.160 to me,

00:09:16.460 that's the big take home

00:09:17.460 is,

00:09:18.160 you know,

00:09:18.600 the more you know,

00:09:19.760 the better you can protect yourself

00:09:21.620 and your family

00:09:22.260 and that would be my big take home.

00:09:24.440 Obviously,

00:09:25.340 if it's a life-saving skill,

00:09:26.580 then,

00:09:27.060 you know,

00:09:27.280 that becomes the goal

00:09:28.260 is that,

00:09:29.000 you know,

00:09:29.240 now you've got that,

00:09:30.640 that knowledge,

00:09:31.240 so to speak,

00:09:31.780 to be able to,

00:09:32.540 to save a life.

00:09:34.040 So,

00:09:34.600 you know,

00:09:35.160 those are the big take homes

00:09:36.260 for me with,

00:09:37.220 with the usefulness

00:09:37.960 of these skills.

00:09:39.020 Yeah.

00:09:39.460 Yeah.

00:09:39.620 I mean,

00:09:39.800 for me,

00:09:40.220 it's just,

00:09:40.920 yeah,

00:09:41.940 just,

00:09:42.160 I love knowing

00:09:42.860 that I can do that

00:09:43.640 if I had to.

00:09:44.780 I mean,

00:09:45.020 it's,

00:09:45.280 it's such an empowering feeling

00:09:46.600 to like have that knowledge

00:09:48.700 and be like,

00:09:48.960 yeah,

00:09:49.120 I could start a fire

00:09:50.400 without matches

00:09:51.180 if I needed to,

00:09:51.940 or I could pick this lock

00:09:53.300 if I got locked out

00:09:54.600 of some building

00:09:55.180 if I needed to.

00:09:55.900 It's,

00:09:56.020 it's really,

00:09:56.540 yeah,

00:09:56.780 it just,

00:09:57.020 it makes me feel awesome.

00:09:58.360 Yeah.

00:09:58.680 it's a great,

00:09:59.440 I mean,

00:09:59.800 it's a great,

00:10:00.440 just a,

00:10:02.340 I guess,

00:10:03.400 knowledge booster

00:10:04.760 and also,

00:10:06.620 it's,

00:10:07.000 it is empowering.

00:10:07.740 I mean,

00:10:07.900 that's a great way

00:10:08.440 to describe it.

00:10:09.160 I mean,

00:10:09.380 it's,

00:10:10.800 you know,

00:10:11.060 the,

00:10:11.280 the mind controls the body.

00:10:12.600 It's not the other way around.

00:10:13.560 So,

00:10:14.060 so having those things

00:10:15.200 in your,

00:10:15.720 your mental toolbox

00:10:16.540 and,

00:10:17.180 and knowing you can achieve those

00:10:18.620 is,

00:10:19.080 it just really helps

00:10:20.020 in all aspects of life,

00:10:21.040 I feel.

00:10:21.740 Yeah.

00:10:22.360 So I know whenever we publish articles

00:10:25.080 or content about tactical related stuff,

00:10:27.820 whether it's like sell,

00:10:28.980 you know,

00:10:29.760 uh,

00:10:30.120 combatives,

00:10:31.360 uh,

00:10:31.880 firearms related stuff,

00:10:33.480 uh,

00:10:34.660 people,

00:10:35.200 there's a lot,

00:10:35.520 we,

00:10:35.700 every time once in a while,

00:10:36.160 we get like people who are sort of

00:10:36.900 uncomfortable with it.

00:10:37.760 They're like,

00:10:38.080 this is sort of like paramilitary militia.

00:10:40.920 It's like,

00:10:41.120 I think,

00:10:41.320 what are you guys doing here?

00:10:43.040 Um,

00:10:43.860 I mean,

00:10:44.060 how do you,

00:10:44.740 what's your response?

00:10:45.800 Like,

00:10:45.920 how do you,

00:10:46.780 what advice would you give to someone

00:10:47.800 who's like,

00:10:48.020 yeah,

00:10:48.140 I want to like get into this.

00:10:49.160 Like there's something,

00:10:50.060 I want to be self-sufficient.

00:10:51.420 I want to be able to protect myself,

00:10:53.440 my family,

00:10:54.040 be able to survive whenever,

00:10:55.240 you know,

00:10:56.440 crisis has happened or emergency happens.

00:10:59.240 Uh,

00:10:59.600 but I don't want to give off that kooky,

00:11:01.380 like I'm going to be a separatist

00:11:03.300 from the U S vibe.

00:11:04.840 I mean,

00:11:04.960 what,

00:11:05.180 what advice do you have about that?

00:11:07.120 You know,

00:11:07.500 you know,

00:11:07.800 first of all,

00:11:08.800 I mean,

00:11:09.220 if your reasons for getting into this stuff

00:11:11.280 or that you truly do want to get into it

00:11:13.060 for the right purposes,

00:11:13.860 which is to learn and,

00:11:15.040 you know,

00:11:15.440 enhance your skillsets,

00:11:16.620 then that's all you really need to know.

00:11:18.360 I mean,

00:11:19.000 yeah,

00:11:19.720 who cares what everybody else thinks?

00:11:21.420 This is my opinion,

00:11:22.520 but you know,

00:11:23.580 what,

00:11:23.760 what is sad is that terms like,

00:11:25.640 you know,

00:11:26.200 militia have gotten a negative connotation nowadays,

00:11:28.500 considering what,

00:11:30.300 you know,

00:11:30.560 back in the revolutionary war time,

00:11:32.920 militia stood for,

00:11:33.820 you know,

00:11:34.140 a group that was ready to help our government

00:11:36.000 in a time of need.

00:11:36.840 So,

00:11:37.860 yeah,

00:11:38.140 you know,

00:11:38.620 it is kind of sad that,

00:11:39.780 that stuff like that gets lumped in with,

00:11:42.440 you know,

00:11:43.540 what's going on with the,

00:11:44.580 the tactical industry.

00:11:45.540 But,

00:11:46.440 um,

00:11:48.000 I think a tactical way of thinking doesn't equal

00:11:50.580 government overthrow or anything like that.

00:11:52.920 So,

00:11:53.120 yeah.

00:11:53.700 Well,

00:11:54.060 I think you guys do a great job of making this,

00:11:57.480 your,

00:11:57.700 the content,

00:11:58.520 uh,

00:11:58.980 very approachable to any person in any walk of life.

00:12:02.880 Like,

00:12:03.180 I don't feel like,

00:12:04.300 like me,

00:12:04.700 I'm not like,

00:12:05.240 I don't have like that military law enforcement background,

00:12:07.440 but I read this stuff.

00:12:08.140 I'm like,

00:12:08.940 I'm not intimidated by it.

00:12:10.120 And like,

00:12:10.420 it's just like,

00:12:11.260 it's really approachable,

00:12:12.220 really well done.

00:12:13.060 So congratulations and kudos for that.

00:12:15.180 Yeah.

00:12:15.420 I appreciate it.

00:12:16.260 Um,

00:12:16.800 so,

00:12:17.260 okay,

00:12:17.360 let's get down to this.

00:12:17.920 We kind of talked about general stuff about tactical.

00:12:20.580 We can be kind of talking about like these tactical skills.

00:12:22.400 And we haven't really talked about any specifics.

00:12:24.780 Sure.

00:12:25.180 Um,

00:12:25.640 are there tactical skill sets that you think every man should master?

00:12:30.020 I mean,

00:12:30.160 there are specific areas that they should,

00:12:32.200 that a guy should focus on.

00:12:32.880 Yeah.

00:12:34.500 I mean,

00:12:34.740 in my opinion,

00:12:35.760 um,

00:12:36.260 and this is the question I get asked a lot too.

00:12:38.840 Um,

00:12:39.660 but you know,

00:12:40.480 I feel there's,

00:12:41.780 there's about 10 big areas that I like to,

00:12:44.440 to talk to people about.

00:12:46.320 Um,

00:12:47.120 really the big thing is,

00:12:49.200 is mindset.

00:12:49.960 I mean,

00:12:50.500 I can't reiterate that enough.

00:12:52.620 I mean,

00:12:53.120 like I said earlier,

00:12:53.820 the mind controls the body and the,

00:12:55.340 the more,

00:12:55.840 you know,

00:12:56.140 the,

00:12:56.680 the better you can handle any situation,

00:12:59.400 but,

00:12:59.780 um,

00:13:00.580 just from,

00:13:01.500 you know,

00:13:02.240 the actual mindset of knowing how to handle yourself,

00:13:05.340 whether that's in a self-defense nature,

00:13:08.060 whether that's just purely,

00:13:09.320 you know,

00:13:10.440 having situational awareness and being able to look around when you're out in public and not staring down at your cell phone and kind of seeing things coming at you,

00:13:18.140 which will help you prepare better,

00:13:19.480 um,

00:13:20.040 for threats you might face,

00:13:21.220 um,

00:13:22.040 to just,

00:13:22.800 you know,

00:13:23.660 having a general working knowledge of a lot of different things,

00:13:26.160 kind of a,

00:13:26.700 a jack of all trades,

00:13:28.160 master of none approach,

00:13:29.600 you know?

00:13:31.000 Yeah.

00:13:31.460 So,

00:13:31.760 I mean,

00:13:31.860 I'm guessing,

00:13:32.600 uh,

00:13:33.580 I think if you talked about like,

00:13:34.580 you know,

00:13:34.820 first aid,

00:13:35.460 I think you'd talk about that.

00:13:36.580 It's an important thing to get down.

00:13:38.160 Um,

00:13:39.840 that's another big one for,

00:13:41.320 for us.

00:13:41.780 Um,

00:13:42.020 just the medical related nature of some of the articles we write about.

00:13:45.440 I mean,

00:13:46.380 you know,

00:13:46.640 being able to,

00:13:47.560 to save a life is a huge skill.

00:13:49.560 Um,

00:13:49.960 not only having the tools and equipment you need to do so,

00:13:52.880 but the knowledge as well.

00:13:54.560 Um,

00:13:55.040 and you know,

00:13:56.100 while it's really hard to,

00:13:57.480 you know,

00:13:58.400 send someone to a medical course online,

00:14:01.180 um,

00:14:02.100 and,

00:14:02.420 and even provide that kind of information,

00:14:04.040 information,

00:14:04.820 which we wouldn't,

00:14:05.580 um,

00:14:06.300 we,

00:14:06.540 we do try to have articles that,

00:14:08.100 you know,

00:14:08.460 promote kind of the,

00:14:09.640 uh,

00:14:10.560 casualty care aspect of things and really kind of becoming aware of what kind of tools are important to have at your disposal.

00:14:17.520 Because,

00:14:18.120 you know,

00:14:18.400 one thing I like to say is that even if you don't know how to use some of these things,

00:14:22.400 having them at your disposal could mean the difference between,

00:14:24.880 you know,

00:14:25.380 someone being able to save your life.

00:14:26.800 So,

00:14:27.400 you know,

00:14:28.560 it's,

00:14:28.940 it's important stuff.

00:14:29.980 So,

00:14:30.280 I mean,

00:14:30.620 not only the medical stuff,

00:14:32.640 I mean,

00:14:32.920 some other big ones are,

00:14:34.740 you know,

00:14:35.140 fitness is a huge one for me.

00:14:37.260 Um,

00:14:37.800 I,

00:14:38.240 and I'm not saying you have to be Hercules,

00:14:40.120 but,

00:14:40.460 you know,

00:14:40.980 being able to,

00:14:42.040 to save your own life to me is a,

00:14:44.400 is a pretty big one,

00:14:45.340 you know,

00:14:45.860 um,

00:14:46.700 whether that's getting over a fence,

00:14:48.200 if you had to,

00:14:48.940 or over a wall or,

00:14:50.160 you know,

00:14:50.960 carrying your family out of a burning building,

00:14:52.740 it's,

00:14:53.300 you know,

00:14:53.780 it's important.

00:14:54.720 And it's something that often gets neglected,

00:14:56.880 you know,

00:14:57.500 and everything too.

00:14:59.160 Um,

00:15:00.000 another big one is,

00:15:01.180 you know,

00:15:01.640 not tying.

00:15:02.260 I can't tell you how many times I've utilized knots.

00:15:06.260 Um,

00:15:07.220 you know,

00:15:07.420 I've had to tie knots way more often than I've had to,

00:15:10.040 uh,

00:15:10.580 to shoot my gun for real. 0.99

00:15:12.320 So, 0.97

00:15:12.620 and that would be zero.

00:15:15.000 So,

00:15:15.240 um,

00:15:16.500 yeah,

00:15:16.740 it's just,

00:15:17.420 uh,

00:15:17.860 it's just looking at those kinds of skills that are often under,

00:15:20.520 underappreciated.

00:15:21.520 And,

00:15:21.920 um,

00:15:22.940 just,

00:15:23.780 we try to highlight that kind of stuff.

00:15:25.520 Like,

00:15:25.940 uh,

00:15:26.080 like you mentioned the,

00:15:26.980 the escape from illegal restraint and,

00:15:29.360 you know,

00:15:29.480 anything having to do with,

00:15:30.880 with lockpicking in that regard really has a,

00:15:33.260 uh,

00:15:34.220 you know,

00:15:34.460 a nefarious undertone to it when you're talking about it with somebody,

00:15:37.280 but,

00:15:37.860 you know,

00:15:38.640 in,

00:15:39.140 in real life,

00:15:40.520 I mean,

00:15:41.480 you know,

00:15:41.780 people lock their keys,

00:15:43.620 you know,

00:15:43.860 in the house and in the car and things like that.

00:15:46.180 And being able to do that kind of stuff yourself,

00:15:48.660 um,

00:15:49.460 and it's perfectly legal in pretty much every state to do that.

00:15:53.280 Um,

00:15:54.600 that,

00:15:54.940 uh,

00:15:55.080 you know,

00:15:55.320 you can save a lot of money that way as,

00:15:57.480 as well as,

00:15:58.300 uh,

00:15:58.720 just being able to take care of yourself and,

00:16:00.900 you know,

00:16:01.060 in the legal restraint scenario to meaning a home invasion or,

00:16:04.960 you know,

00:16:05.400 something where you're,

00:16:06.240 you're,

00:16:07.580 uh,

00:16:07.820 restrained against your,

00:16:08.960 your will there.

00:16:09.800 So,

00:16:10.560 yeah,

00:16:10.820 we're going to take a quick break for your word from our sponsors.

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00:17:10.140 And now back to the show.

00:17:11.820 That's a big one.

00:17:12.380 Yeah.

00:17:12.760 And then it's,

00:17:13.360 that's,

00:17:13.920 that happens more often than people think.

00:17:17.060 It really does.

00:17:17.800 I mean,

00:17:17.940 I just read something today.

00:17:18.940 There's another one.

00:17:20.260 I can't even remember where it was,

00:17:21.980 but that just happened today.

00:17:23.520 Yeah.

00:17:23.660 People break into their house and they get handcuffed or zip tied or whatever.

00:17:27.540 And then they get robbed or.

00:17:29.520 Yeah.

00:17:30.040 Sometimes worse.

00:17:30.660 There was like that really bad case in Connecticut.

00:17:33.580 Yes.

00:17:34.380 That was like the really zip ties.

00:17:35.860 It was zip ties.

00:17:36.440 Yeah.

00:17:37.500 And it's interesting too,

00:17:39.100 is that it seems like you get a lot of flack from.

00:17:41.460 People in the law enforcement industry in particular for divulging this

00:17:46.520 information,

00:17:47.260 you know,

00:17:47.520 how to pick your way out of a handcuff or how to like,

00:17:50.400 you're basically,

00:17:51.120 they say like,

00:17:51.660 you're,

00:17:51.960 you're helping the criminals out and you're making it less safe for law

00:17:55.060 enforcement officers.

00:17:55.740 I mean,

00:17:55.820 how do you respond to that?

00:17:57.280 Well,

00:17:57.400 here's the deal.

00:17:58.700 Criminals are going to get this information,

00:18:00.260 whether they,

00:18:01.320 you know,

00:18:02.000 they're,

00:18:02.420 they already know it.

00:18:03.180 I mean,

00:18:03.360 they're learning it from being in jail or in prison or whatever you call it.

00:18:07.400 So it's out there.

00:18:09.460 It's not like the first people to say it,

00:18:11.420 but that aside,

00:18:12.660 that's not really the big take home.

00:18:14.340 The big take home is that it is happening to civilians.

00:18:18.160 And,

00:18:18.840 you know,

00:18:19.020 you're talking about a handcuff technology that's left over from 1913.

00:18:23.880 That's still being utilized today,

00:18:25.500 not only by law enforcement,

00:18:27.360 but it's,

00:18:28.560 you know,

00:18:28.880 I can buy a pair of handcuffs at any army Navy store across the country and

00:18:33.800 online.

00:18:34.440 So those are available.

00:18:35.820 And if they're available,

00:18:36.820 they're going to be utilized against people.

00:18:38.800 So,

00:18:39.680 you know,

00:18:40.340 it's,

00:18:40.780 I don't really see a big problem with just teaching that information.

00:18:44.780 And,

00:18:45.220 you know,

00:18:45.360 also one,

00:18:47.040 I've met so many law enforcement guys that can see the benefit of this stuff

00:18:50.620 too.

00:18:51.020 So,

00:18:51.580 you know,

00:18:52.600 it's not,

00:18:54.040 I,

00:18:54.420 you know,

00:18:54.580 we used to catch a lot of flack for it in the very beginning back in

00:18:57.320 2009,

00:18:57.920 but it's,

00:18:58.940 yeah,

00:18:59.100 I can't tell you how much more of a,

00:19:01.220 I guess a,

00:19:02.260 a general perception has changed since then.

00:19:06.520 And,

00:19:07.240 you know,

00:19:07.420 now it's becoming more common and,

00:19:10.220 you know,

00:19:10.300 you're singing on TV and it's just,

00:19:12.640 it's,

00:19:13.180 it's great to see.

00:19:14.000 I mean,

00:19:14.200 I love it.

00:19:14.700 I'm glad that this information is getting out there because at the end of

00:19:18.020 the day,

00:19:18.940 you know,

00:19:19.160 what we're teaching is,

00:19:20.740 you know,

00:19:21.080 okay.

00:19:21.320 So we teach how to get out of handcuffs.

00:19:23.220 Like I said,

00:19:23.800 that's a technology that's left over from 1913.

00:19:27.040 That's available to anybody.

00:19:28.480 We're teaching how to get out of zip ties,

00:19:30.240 which,

00:19:30.820 you know,

00:19:31.200 we teach,

00:19:32.000 we're not teaching how to get out of law enforcement grade zip ties.

00:19:34.480 We're teaching how to get out of the ones that the strongest ones that

00:19:37.540 anybody can buy at a home Depot.

00:19:38.960 So,

00:19:39.540 you know,

00:19:41.300 those are all technologies and,

00:19:43.960 and tools that are available to anybody.

00:19:46.520 Yeah.

00:19:46.600 And I think,

00:19:47.020 you know,

00:19:47.240 you can make the argument too,

00:19:48.320 is that you're kind of highlighting to the law enforcement industry,

00:19:51.720 like the,

00:19:52.840 I guess the illusion of security that correct hand handcuffs provide.

00:19:56.920 Cause like,

00:19:57.500 yeah,

00:19:57.640 I mean,

00:19:57.800 you can just,

00:19:58.400 anyone can,

00:19:58.800 you can get a handcuff key,

00:19:59.840 uh,

00:20:00.880 anywhere.

00:20:01.500 Right.

00:20:01.900 And it works on most handcuffs.

00:20:03.460 Like it's like the same thing.

00:20:05.020 There's like not a special handcuff key,

00:20:06.440 right.

00:20:07.220 They're all pretty much the same.

00:20:09.020 You know,

00:20:09.480 the thing about that too,

00:20:10.440 is that,

00:20:10.900 and I'll,

00:20:11.820 and I'll be the first person to say that with a proper law enforcement

00:20:14.720 handcuff technique,

00:20:15.640 I'm not going to be able to get out.

00:20:17.140 Yeah,

00:20:17.540 exactly.

00:20:18.260 That's the end of the,

00:20:19.560 the end of the story.

00:20:20.540 And,

00:20:21.120 and they know that too.

00:20:22.080 I mean,

00:20:22.980 um,

00:20:23.460 it's not a foolproof solution and,

00:20:25.340 you know,

00:20:25.980 plenty of law enforcement guys I know that I talked to are saying,

00:20:29.000 you know,

00:20:29.440 know that too.

00:20:30.340 So,

00:20:31.180 um,

00:20:32.400 you know,

00:20:32.660 it's not as though it's a,

00:20:34.880 it's a foolproof plan.

00:20:35.900 It's,

00:20:36.240 you know,

00:20:36.560 hopefully to help out a civilian that's in,

00:20:38.780 in trouble with that kind of thing.

00:20:40.220 If,

00:20:40.620 if they ever get into that themselves.

00:20:42.360 Yeah.

00:20:42.880 So,

00:20:43.200 and speaking of the illusion of security,

00:20:45.020 like,

00:20:45.340 you know,

00:20:45.580 reading your content on like lock picking,

00:20:47.740 like it's made me so much paranoid about my own house.

00:20:50.840 It's like,

00:20:51.420 I realized like,

00:20:52.340 it's so easy to break into my house.

00:20:53.880 Like I just like,

00:20:54.600 whenever I locked the door at night,

00:20:55.720 I'm like,

00:20:56.380 this is really,

00:20:57.020 isn't doing all that much.

00:20:58.780 Um,

00:20:59.140 and when,

00:20:59.920 when,

00:21:00.180 when you,

00:21:00.440 when you get down to the end of it,

00:21:01.380 it's like,

00:21:01.640 it's,

00:21:02.360 it really doesn't do that much.

00:21:03.440 It kind of makes me feel good.

00:21:04.380 But if you think about it,

00:21:05.700 it's pretty easy to break into a home.

00:21:08.060 Yeah.

00:21:08.520 Locks are,

00:21:09.020 uh,

00:21:09.500 locks are there to keep honest people honest.

00:21:11.580 Yeah.

00:21:13.240 No,

00:21:13.740 I mean,

00:21:14.080 we do advocate,

00:21:15.040 um,

00:21:15.580 learning lock picking.

00:21:16.560 And I think one of the biggest take homes of it is what you said.

00:21:20.360 I mean,

00:21:20.520 that's what I talk about all the time is that it teaches you the illusion of

00:21:23.520 security and how to better protect yourself against,

00:21:26.520 um,

00:21:27.980 the common things that are out there that can defeat,

00:21:30.420 you know,

00:21:30.920 these locks that you think are,

00:21:32.520 you know,

00:21:32.800 keeping your family safe.

00:21:34.260 So,

00:21:34.400 um,

00:21:35.220 and that,

00:21:35.600 that's the big take home is knowing what to look for,

00:21:37.560 you know,

00:21:37.980 in a lock when you're purchasing one for your home and things like that.

00:21:40.720 So,

00:21:41.200 yeah,

00:21:41.300 it's made me start thinking about like,

00:21:42.360 I need to have like multiple layers of security in my home.

00:21:45.380 Like think about not just the locks,

00:21:46.600 think about other things I could do to either fend off,

00:21:49.820 uh,

00:21:50.880 would be burglars.

00:21:52.480 Yeah.

00:21:52.840 Or whatnot.

00:21:54.120 Um,

00:21:54.960 and the other thing I want to reiterate,

00:21:56.680 I love how you bring up,

00:21:57.800 brought up the idea of fitness.

00:21:59.720 Uh,

00:22:00.000 cause one of the most frustrating things that I found whenever I've,

00:22:02.740 um,

00:22:03.400 we've already written,

00:22:04.340 you know,

00:22:05.560 articles about like combatives or Krav Maga.

00:22:07.800 Yeah.

00:22:08.840 There'll be always like three or four people saying, 1.00

00:22:11.100 we'll just shoot them with your gun. 0.99

00:22:12.760 I don't, 1.00

00:22:13.280 you don't need that. 1.00

00:22:13.900 Just shoot them with your gun. 1.00

00:22:15.720 And it's the most frustrating thing. 1.00

00:22:18.380 Cause,

00:22:18.880 uh,

00:22:19.300 I don't know.

00:22:19.880 I mean,

00:22:20.200 do you get that a lot too?

00:22:21.600 I imagine.

00:22:22.800 Yeah,

00:22:22.900 we do.

00:22:23.420 And you know,

00:22:23.920 the biggest thing about that is that that seems like it's everyone's

00:22:27.620 default response.

00:22:28.780 And,

00:22:29.240 you know,

00:22:30.720 I,

00:22:31.200 I,

00:22:31.560 this is so fresh on my mind just because I just attended a course,

00:22:34.860 um,

00:22:35.480 a couple of months ago with Tony Blower and Jeff Gonzalez.

00:22:38.700 Um,

00:22:39.060 it was a great course on counter ambush skills and,

00:22:42.100 um,

00:22:42.840 Tony Blower is just a phenomenal instructor when it comes to combatives.

00:22:45.900 And he kind of teamed up with Jeff Gonzalez,

00:22:48.340 who's a,

00:22:49.300 um,

00:22:49.880 primarily a weapons instructor.

00:22:52.400 So it was great to see the,

00:22:54.840 the dynamic between somebody that's focusing on the combative side and then

00:22:58.920 transitioning to a gun or a weapon or something like that.

00:23:02.080 So I really got to learn,

00:23:03.320 um,

00:23:04.400 more of that transitional type of truck type of movement and how hard it really

00:23:08.960 is.

00:23:09.900 Um,

00:23:10.480 you know,

00:23:11.380 everyone thinks that a threat is just going to walk right up to him and say,

00:23:14.340 Hey,

00:23:14.480 I'm a threat.

00:23:15.020 Um,

00:23:16.000 you know,

00:23:16.880 please give me time.

00:23:18.020 I'm just going to give you time real quick to pull out your gun and you can

00:23:21.680 handle it.

00:23:22.500 Uh,

00:23:22.860 it's,

00:23:23.100 it's not like that in the real world.

00:23:24.480 And,

00:23:24.940 you know,

00:23:25.800 faced with the reality of that,

00:23:27.860 you know,

00:23:28.080 everyone thinking that they're going to have time and opportunity to just shoot

00:23:32.740 somebody or that's even that the situation warrants.

00:23:35.460 That is just,

00:23:36.220 I think it's immature to be honest with you.

00:23:39.120 Yeah.

00:23:39.320 It's,

00:23:39.560 it's kind of,

00:23:40.200 it's kind of one of the sad things.

00:23:41.880 I'm saying there's a lot of interest in like,

00:23:43.000 you know,

00:23:43.460 civilians getting their concealed carry,

00:23:45.080 but it seems like people just want to use it as their default,

00:23:47.680 you know,

00:23:47.900 like no matter.

00:23:48.660 And like,

00:23:48.860 that's,

00:23:49.320 uh,

00:23:49.500 that,

00:23:49.740 you know,

00:23:50.400 there's not every instances where you need to pull out the gun and yeah,

00:23:52.980 you make a great,

00:23:53.540 a great point.

00:23:54.080 I remember one of the training courses I've taken on,

00:23:56.460 um,

00:23:57.160 defensive handgun uses,

00:23:58.860 like the instructor showed us like how easy or how quick someone can get to you

00:24:03.460 before you can pull out your gun.

00:24:05.020 It was like,

00:24:05.640 it was crazy scary.

00:24:06.460 Like there were,

00:24:06.840 he was like,

00:24:07.340 you know,

00:24:07.600 a good five yards away from me.

00:24:10.500 Uh,

00:24:11.060 but he was able to get to me before I was able to like really,

00:24:13.140 you know,

00:24:14.500 pull the gun out and,

00:24:15.740 uh,

00:24:16.120 yeah,

00:24:16.280 you're toast.

00:24:16.860 I mean,

00:24:17.160 I think people all really underestimate,

00:24:18.760 uh,

00:24:19.740 how fast people can move and like overestimate how fast they can get that gun out

00:24:23.180 or that weapon out,

00:24:24.020 whatever it is.

00:24:25.140 I think,

00:24:25.560 I think defense has to be a multifaceted solution.

00:24:28.960 I think you not only need to know,

00:24:31.240 um,

00:24:32.100 some stuff to be able to get to your gun,

00:24:34.340 um,

00:24:34.880 but you obviously need to know the skills to use it as well.

00:24:37.640 So,

00:24:38.000 I mean,

00:24:38.780 I definitely advocate both of those and I can't say enough about both of those

00:24:42.540 things.

00:24:42.880 I mean,

00:24:43.860 um,

00:24:45.080 I'm definitely not going to go on record to say that you're never going to be

00:24:48.180 able to get your gun soon enough,

00:24:49.360 but you know,

00:24:50.060 more than likely,

00:24:50.880 um,

00:24:51.540 or at least practicing and having that contingency in mind is,

00:24:55.040 is really important.

00:24:56.880 Awesome.

00:24:57.400 So,

00:24:57.840 you know,

00:24:58.460 you've probably interacted with a lot of guys who are wanting to get into this.

00:25:02.360 There's,

00:25:02.760 you know,

00:25:03.080 they're sort of beginners,

00:25:04.060 uh,

00:25:05.200 with sort of,

00:25:05.800 uh,

00:25:06.140 with getting into this old tactical skillset stuff.

00:25:08.840 Sure.

00:25:09.300 Um,

00:25:09.580 what's the,

00:25:10.120 like the biggest mistake you see these novices make when they want to learn a

00:25:14.280 tactical skill or get tactical?

00:25:16.920 Well,

00:25:17.480 one thing would be the wrong motives.

00:25:19.800 So I'm not seeing the full benefit of it and thinking it's just something cool

00:25:24.020 they want to do versus seeing the potential of,

00:25:27.020 you know,

00:25:27.120 what it could do for themselves,

00:25:28.320 their lives and their family.

00:25:30.400 Um,

00:25:31.420 you know,

00:25:31.720 they're all perishable skills.

00:25:33.340 And at the end of the day,

00:25:34.220 if you're not,

00:25:34.980 you know,

00:25:35.860 if you're not really taking it upon yourself to learn them and practice them,

00:25:39.800 you're,

00:25:40.160 you're not really going to get anything out of it.

00:25:41.820 So I'd say that's probably the biggest mistake that I see.

00:25:44.580 The biggest one.

00:25:45.280 Um,

00:25:46.100 here's another question I have.

00:25:47.000 So like,

00:25:47.400 yeah,

00:25:47.520 with all this interest,

00:25:48.660 uh,

00:25:49.120 particularly by civilians and like learning defensive handgun shooting,

00:25:53.320 learning first day,

00:25:54.360 learning wilderness survival,

00:25:55.420 there's been this,

00:25:56.260 like,

00:25:56.480 just,

00:25:56.920 there's like a lot of instructors out there,

00:25:59.700 you know,

00:26:00.060 or people who out there who are,

00:26:01.440 they say they're instructors.

00:26:03.080 Um,

00:26:03.800 and I mean,

00:26:04.620 so you really can't tell,

00:26:06.580 like,

00:26:06.700 there's like no organization,

00:26:07.940 uh,

00:26:09.300 qualifying these people.

00:26:10.400 So anyone can just say,

00:26:11.400 yeah,

00:26:11.520 I'm a handgun instructor,

00:26:12.820 right?

00:26:13.360 Um,

00:26:13.760 there's no regulations saying,

00:26:15.180 you know,

00:26:16.480 no,

00:26:16.720 you can't be one.

00:26:18.220 Um,

00:26:19.120 like,

00:26:19.380 do you know what I'm talking about?

00:26:20.820 It's like,

00:26:21.100 anyway,

00:26:21.360 you can say,

00:26:21.620 yeah.

00:26:21.760 So,

00:26:22.080 I mean,

00:26:22.160 how do you know,

00:26:23.200 you know,

00:26:24.140 if you go to a place in your town,

00:26:25.680 like this guy's good,

00:26:27.000 like what,

00:26:27.480 what he's teaching is good stuff.

00:26:29.060 Well,

00:26:30.340 you know,

00:26:30.640 reputation is everything for one.

00:26:32.600 Um,

00:26:33.140 and,

00:26:33.620 you know,

00:26:34.000 being able to do your own research and figure out somebody's,

00:26:36.940 you know,

00:26:37.920 true reputation is probably,

00:26:39.840 you know,

00:26:40.400 an important first step,

00:26:41.440 but,

00:26:41.780 you know,

00:26:42.680 qualifications don't always mean competency either.

00:26:45.580 Um,

00:26:45.900 experience is important.

00:26:47.620 Um,

00:26:48.100 and you really just have to kind of question and,

00:26:49.880 and test things for yourself.

00:26:51.220 You know,

00:26:51.680 I guess in the,

00:26:53.000 uh,

00:26:53.660 in the words of the illustrious reading rainbow host,

00:26:56.380 LeVar Burton,

00:26:56.920 don't just take my word for it.

00:26:58.440 So good deal.

00:27:01.000 All right.

00:27:01.460 So we've talked a lot about the skillset.

00:27:02.980 Cause that's a lot of fun,

00:27:03.820 but,

00:27:04.160 um,

00:27:04.300 you guys also,

00:27:05.260 um,

00:27:06.400 cover like tactical gear and that's fun stuff.

00:27:09.640 I mean,

00:27:09.940 that's,

00:27:10.800 I mean,

00:27:11.020 that's just,

00:27:11.520 there's like Tumblr blogs dedicated to tactical porn.

00:27:14.240 Right.

00:27:15.040 Which is like,

00:27:15.540 that is,

00:27:16.060 I want that grappling hook or I want that trauma kit. 0.98

00:27:20.260 Um,

00:27:21.180 but anyways,

00:27:21.680 you guys talk about like EDC everyday carry,

00:27:24.200 something that's very popular,

00:27:25.160 um,

00:27:26.060 with a lot of guys.

00:27:27.100 Are there things that you think every man should have on them all the

00:27:31.000 time that will help them out?

00:27:32.960 Yeah.

00:27:33.340 What,

00:27:33.480 what are some of those things?

00:27:35.240 So,

00:27:35.720 I mean,

00:27:36.000 just to kind of,

00:27:37.020 I guess,

00:27:37.380 run through some stuff that I carry,

00:27:38.840 which is,

00:27:39.320 you know,

00:27:39.680 kind of how I'd approach the subject too,

00:27:41.420 is that,

00:27:42.280 I mean,

00:27:43.100 to go back to the medical thing,

00:27:44.660 um,

00:27:45.100 I would say having the basics for preventing somebody from,

00:27:49.440 or helping someone from bleeding out would be probably one of the,

00:27:53.160 one of the top things on my list.

00:27:55.680 Um,

00:27:56.600 obviously if your state allows it,

00:27:58.580 having a concealed handgun and the license and being properly certified to

00:28:02.520 carry that is important too.

00:28:03.980 Um,

00:28:04.760 but,

00:28:05.660 you know,

00:28:05.960 I've,

00:28:06.600 this is kind of something I,

00:28:07.980 I like to say sometimes too,

00:28:09.520 but,

00:28:09.920 you know,

00:28:10.160 it's,

00:28:10.840 it's not only as important to,

00:28:13.180 you know,

00:28:13.500 take a life, 0.71

00:28:14.060 but to know how to save one too.

00:28:15.460 So,

00:28:16.220 um,

00:28:16.640 I think that,

00:28:17.500 you know,

00:28:17.840 having those tools on you to,

00:28:19.380 to be able to do that would,

00:28:20.800 are important.

00:28:22.200 Um,

00:28:22.800 again,

00:28:23.220 also,

00:28:23.920 you know,

00:28:24.240 to go along the lines of the,

00:28:25.980 the kind of self-defense aspect,

00:28:27.540 just a knife for self-defense,

00:28:29.200 but,

00:28:29.880 um,

00:28:30.120 also a secondary cutting tool for,

00:28:32.100 you know,

00:28:32.580 field craft and opening boxes or whatever you might come up,

00:28:35.200 come across each day too.

00:28:37.000 Um,

00:28:37.360 that's something I took home from,

00:28:38.840 um,

00:28:39.520 my friend Jeff Gonzalez from that class too,

00:28:41.360 is that,

00:28:41.840 you know,

00:28:42.080 he made the great point and it's one that I never really considered before,

00:28:45.540 but,

00:28:46.540 you know,

00:28:46.780 a knife is not only a tool,

00:28:48.080 but it's a,

00:28:48.680 you know,

00:28:48.980 a great weapon for self-defense as well.

00:28:51.340 And if you,

00:28:52.820 you know,

00:28:53.080 you're using that on a daily basis to open boxes and things like that,

00:28:56.340 it's not truly there and sharp when you need it to be.

00:28:59.900 So,

00:29:00.420 you know,

00:29:00.760 that was kind of an interesting,

00:29:02.200 an interesting point that got brought up and I've kind of started carrying,

00:29:05.300 you know,

00:29:06.180 one of those little small Swiss army knives that I use to cut up,

00:29:09.000 you know,

00:29:09.220 cut boxes open and stuff most of the days at work here.

00:29:12.140 So,

00:29:13.020 um,

00:29:13.440 that was kind of interesting,

00:29:14.600 but,

00:29:14.900 um,

00:29:16.080 also,

00:29:16.700 you know,

00:29:17.200 a sturdy wallet for ID,

00:29:18.920 money,

00:29:19.720 emergency contact info,

00:29:21.340 um,

00:29:21.860 of course,

00:29:22.300 you know,

00:29:22.480 everyone's got a cell phone nowadays,

00:29:23.940 uh,

00:29:24.660 especially for,

00:29:25.460 you know,

00:29:25.860 emergencies and making calls.

00:29:27.620 But,

00:29:28.440 um,

00:29:28.840 I will say that,

00:29:29.900 um,

00:29:31.500 a good flashlight is important too,

00:29:33.180 and not to depend on your cell phone for a flashlight.

00:29:36.440 Um,

00:29:37.340 uh,

00:29:37.860 somebody else that,

00:29:38.820 um,

00:29:39.160 known for quite a while,

00:29:40.740 Kevin Reeve,

00:29:41.300 who's wrote some articles on the site,

00:29:42.900 um,

00:29:43.480 is that it likes to say that you need one that will cut through smoke and,

00:29:47.500 you know,

00:29:47.560 the one on your cell phone isn't going to cut it.

00:29:49.260 So,

00:29:49.520 um,

00:29:51.280 uh,

00:29:51.620 also,

00:29:52.180 you know,

00:29:52.500 a good watch.

00:29:53.180 I'm a big advocate of having a watch.

00:29:54.940 I mean,

00:29:55.180 I think that,

00:29:55.800 you know,

00:29:56.420 a lot of people today depend on their cell phones to tell time.

00:29:59.280 And,

00:30:00.200 um,

00:30:00.840 I don't know,

00:30:01.360 there's just something about a good watch that I love.

00:30:03.260 So it could also serve as a navigation tool.

00:30:06.460 Absolutely.

00:30:07.220 Yes,

00:30:07.560 it can.

00:30:08.280 That's awesome.

00:30:08.780 Um,

00:30:09.200 and actually,

00:30:09.880 you know,

00:30:10.260 the watches I always have,

00:30:11.680 have a little,

00:30:12.220 uh,

00:30:12.780 compass clip to them all the time.

00:30:14.160 So,

00:30:14.540 yeah.

00:30:15.820 Um,

00:30:16.660 and then I like to carry a handkerchief and a pocket notebook and a pen.

00:30:20.680 I think those are pretty important as well.

00:30:23.540 Um,

00:30:24.380 obviously I've got my keys,

00:30:25.980 usually a good pair of sunglasses and,

00:30:28.680 um,

00:30:29.180 I carry,

00:30:30.400 uh,

00:30:30.580 I carry lockpicks on me too.

00:30:32.200 Um,

00:30:32.680 you know,

00:30:33.260 most States it's a perfectly legal to do so.

00:30:35.760 And as long as you're not in the act of committing a crime,

00:30:39.680 it's not,

00:30:40.220 it's not illegal at all.

00:30:41.940 So,

00:30:42.640 um,

00:30:43.020 definitely check with your state laws though,

00:30:44.860 because there are some States,

00:30:46.120 I think there's a state out there that doesn't allow you to do that.

00:30:49.480 But,

00:30:49.780 um,

00:30:50.860 and then also I've always typically got some kind of personal memento on me,

00:30:55.100 like a challenge coin or something like that.

00:30:57.020 So.

00:30:57.940 How do you carry all this stuff?

00:30:59.220 Cause it like,

00:30:59.520 it sounds,

00:30:59.880 you sound like link from Zelda.

00:31:01.340 It's like,

00:31:01.640 I know he's got like,

00:31:02.980 it's a big list,

00:31:04.900 but I mean,

00:31:05.760 honestly,

00:31:06.100 I'm wearing jeans right now and I have all that in my pocket.

00:31:08.480 So,

00:31:08.920 you know,

00:31:09.540 I'm,

00:31:09.820 I'm always trying to,

00:31:11.140 I always change my EEC.

00:31:12.480 It's always something that I'm constantly changing because I always strive for smaller

00:31:17.920 and more minimalist and everything I'm doing.

00:31:20.460 So,

00:31:20.900 um,

00:31:22.360 I always,

00:31:22.780 I'm always taking size and weight into consideration,

00:31:25.300 trimming stuff down and,

00:31:26.480 you know,

00:31:27.460 things like that.

00:31:28.260 So.

00:31:29.420 Awesome.

00:31:29.880 You, 1.00

00:31:30.080 all you need is a hook shot. 1.00

00:31:31.480 There you go. 0.99

00:31:32.180 You'd be set.

00:31:33.300 And the,

00:31:34.000 and a set of silver arrows to defeat Ganon.

00:31:36.860 Yeah.

00:31:37.340 It's dangerous to go alone.

00:31:38.920 It's dangerous to go alone.

00:31:40.800 Um,

00:31:41.600 all right.

00:31:41.880 So Brian,

00:31:42.900 um,

00:31:43.220 besides the great,

00:31:43.960 you know,

00:31:44.180 continue to put out this,

00:31:45.140 you know,

00:31:45.300 the great content you guys do on ITS tactical and we've,

00:31:48.700 uh,

00:31:48.860 for those of you who don't know,

00:31:49.580 every once in a while we'll republish content from ITS tactical.

00:31:52.960 In fact,

00:31:53.420 we did the,

00:31:53.940 the handcuff thing.

00:31:55.220 Yeah.

00:31:55.600 On our site.

00:31:55.920 And we got a lot of flack.

00:31:56.740 I got emails from police officers like saying,

00:31:59.000 why are you doing this?

00:31:59.780 You're working for the bad guys.

00:32:00.740 But anyways,

00:32:01.240 it's great stuff.

00:32:02.160 Very useful.

00:32:03.440 Um,

00:32:03.860 what else,

00:32:04.540 what's in,

00:32:05.020 what's in store for you guys?

00:32:05.880 What else,

00:32:06.080 what do you guys have in the pipeline?

00:32:07.740 Well,

00:32:08.080 we've always got new products in the pipeline.

00:32:10.020 Um,

00:32:10.220 that's something,

00:32:11.080 you know,

00:32:11.320 we've been doing a lot of too,

00:32:13.220 is just kind of developing our own product line along with the articles and

00:32:16.560 things like that.

00:32:17.180 So,

00:32:17.520 um,

00:32:18.400 we've got some new stuff in the,

00:32:19.920 in the trauma kit arena coming as well as,

00:32:22.020 uh,

00:32:22.180 we're working.

00:32:22.840 We just launched yesterday,

00:32:23.920 a little teaser on a,

00:32:25.160 a hypalon wallet we're working on.

00:32:27.240 So that's kind of some of the new stuff that we've got in terms of

00:32:30.880 products.

00:32:31.320 But,

00:32:31.680 um,

00:32:32.400 we also have a muster each year.

00:32:34.740 Um,

00:32:35.280 it's basically a,

00:32:36.420 uh,

00:32:37.020 a,

00:32:37.860 a gathering that we have each year.

00:32:39.820 Um,

00:32:40.100 this year we had about 40 people.

00:32:41.720 I'm sorry,

00:32:42.080 last year in October,

00:32:43.160 we had about 40 people that came out to it,

00:32:44.840 but it's our way of kind of interacting with our community and really

00:32:47.920 getting hands on with the skill sets we advocate on ITS.

00:32:51.280 So that's a big thing for us each year.

00:32:53.520 And we'll be having another one of those coming up in October.

00:32:57.020 Um,

00:32:57.460 and then also,

00:32:58.060 uh,

00:32:58.540 we're about to turn five in April.

00:32:59.840 So it's,

00:33:00.540 it's really been cool to kind of,

00:33:02.100 uh,

00:33:02.880 see how far we've been able to come with the support of,

00:33:05.100 you know,

00:33:05.540 our community and members and,

00:33:06.880 you know,

00:33:08.000 guys like you,

00:33:08.780 they're helping us out,

00:33:09.560 man.

00:33:09.720 I really appreciate it.

00:33:10.660 And it's been great.

00:33:12.400 Awesome.

00:33:12.940 Well,

00:33:13.200 very cool.

00:33:13.580 Well,

00:33:13.700 Brian,

00:33:14.060 uh,

00:33:14.340 thank you so much for your time.

00:33:15.360 It's been a pleasure talking to you.

00:33:17.280 Absolutely,

00:33:17.720 man.

00:33:17.920 And,

00:33:18.380 you know,

00:33:18.440 once again,

00:33:18.920 thanks for the opportunity.

00:33:19.900 Um,

00:33:20.540 I really feel like art of manliness is an awesome resource and I read it all the time,

00:33:25.160 man.

00:33:25.380 So keep doing what you're doing too.

00:33:27.020 Thank you,

00:33:27.340 sir.

00:33:27.780 Our guest today was Brian Black.

00:33:29.460 Brian is the owner of ITS tactical.

00:33:32.820 And you find that at itstactical.com.

00:33:35.200 Definitely recommend check it out.

00:33:36.220 It's one of my favorite websites.

00:33:37.880 Um,

00:33:38.320 and,

00:33:38.860 uh,

00:33:39.080 great stuff there.

00:33:42.980 Well,

00:33:43.420 that wraps up another edition of the art of manliness podcast.

00:33:46.340 For more manly tips and advice,

00:33:47.940 make sure to check out the art of manliness website at art of manliness.com.

00:33:51.400 And a great way you can support the art of manliness is checking out our store.

00:33:56.180 We have an art of manliness store where you can find posters,

00:33:59.060 uh,

00:33:59.320 letter press,

00:33:59.880 stationary,

00:34:00.380 you know,

00:34:01.320 things that an art of manliness gentleman would want.

00:34:04.020 Um,

00:34:04.740 it's store.artofmanliness.com.

00:34:07.240 Uh,

00:34:07.720 please check it out,

00:34:08.700 pick something up that will help us keep the podcast going until next time.

00:34:13.160 This is Brett McKay telling you to stay manly.

00:34:16.340 Yeah,

00:34:16.880 um,

00:34:17.260 yeah,

00:34:17.600 um,

00:34:17.980 yeah.

00:34:18.800 Yeah.

00:34:19.200 Um,

00:34:20.380 yeah.

00:34:20.720 Um,

00:34:21.080 yeah.

00:34:21.620 Um,

00:34:21.920 yeah.

00:34:22.000 Um,

00:34:22.720 yeah.

00:34:23.060 Um,

00:34:24.180 yeah.

00:34:24.500 Um,

00:34:26.520 yeah.

00:34:27.560 Uh,

00:34:27.720 yeah.

00:34:27.920 Yeah.

00:34:28.400 Uh,

00:34:29.640 yeah.

00:34:32.380 Oh,

00:34:32.780 yeah.

00:34:34.940 Uh,

00:34:38.460 yeah.

00:34:41.380 Yeah.

00:34:42.000 Yeah.

00:34:42.420 Yeah.

00:34:42.440 Uh,

00:34:43.520 yeah.

00:34:44.460 Yeah.

00:34:44.960 Yeah.

00:34:45.020 Yeah.

00:34:45.560 Yeah,

00:34:45.680 yeah.

00:34:46.240 Hey.

The Art of Manliness - April 04, 2014

Episode #59： ITS Tactical With Bryan Black

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