Targets Alone WIll Improve Your Training

  Many trainers today will say, there isn't time to think, just get rounds on target, which means shoot center mass and don't give it another thought.  About 30 years ago those words were the best advice we could give shooters. But, everything evolves and the science of performing in combat is no different.  The phrase is no longer, there isn't enough time to think, but how fast can you see where to shoot?

 Back in the middle 90's, it was preached by different shooting instructors that the human brain would take 1/4 of a second to understand what it was seeing. That was the science of the day.

 In the 2000's it became commonly accepted that the human brain could understand what it is seeing in just 100 milliseconds, which is 4 times faster than previously thought and a significant jump. One tenth of second, that's fast and most would say that's good enough to begin fundamentally changing the way we train ourselves in order to take advantage of new scientific data.

 Incredibly, in 2014, neuroscientists at MIT determined that humans can understand what they are seeing in just 13 thousandths of a second, which is nearly 8 times faster than previously thought. We may actually be able to process images even faster than the MIT study determined because the study did not take into account the effects of many hormones like epinephrine which are released during acute stress response.  During moments of fight or flight an altered state of consciousness exists which is overwhelming to some, but fuel for optimal performance for others.

 New breakthroughs in neuroscience allow us to understand that there is enough time to think, but we have to train ourselves to do so. Shooting a blank cardboard silhouette does not allow us to practice *see where to shoot. Likewise, a target with lines and zones is teaching the shooter to think about staying within the lines or staying within the zone, instead of thinking about where to shoot to penetrate the heart or the cerebellum of the brain.

  There is a phrase often used on the range, you can't miss fast enough. In many cases the first shot out of the barrel is the most important. Bare in mind, regardless of the situation or scenario it only takes one well placed shot to eliminate the threat.

 There are two locations to think about penetrating, the heart and the cerebellum of the brain. The body has markers such as, the edge of the eyes, ears and shoulders, these markers help us to identify ideal shot placement location to penetrate the heart or the cerebellum.

  We need to be practicing on targets that depict people at various angles and body positions. Then, we learn to quickly see the markers and think about how the bullet will travel through the body. With some practice you will see the ideal shot placement location immediately, *see where to shoot. Obviously, this cannot be learned on silhouette target, ever no matter how many rounds you put through it. 

A 3D image is required to take training to the next level and paper is also required so the shot group can be assessed. Many of the current 3D targets are made of plastic, rubber or foam and they standup to a 1000 rounds but you won't know where one of those rounds landed. If we don't have shot accountability there is no way to measure or assess the results of our training.

 

Image Processing Training™ (IPT)

  IPT™ entails training ourselves to see where to shoot. Through repetition this happens almost instantly. For example, the shooter sees that the threat is holding a weapon. Importantly, the target must depict the hands so the shooter may ingrain the FIRST STEP before taking a shot, which is to ensure that the threat is actually wielding a weapon. The second step entails seeing the most optimal shot location. If the threat is wearing a Rhodesian vest, or plate carrier the eyes simply move north to the head, which is the next best viable shot location.

 The pelvic girdle is about the same size as the head and does not ensure the threat will be eliminated or neutralized. So, IPT entails understanding what you are seeing, simple. Then, seeing the optimal location to place your shot. These two steps can be performed in less than a tenth of a second, but you have to be intentional about the manner in which you train and have training aides that facilitate this practice.

 

Image Processing FAIL

 

 On June 25th, 2013, at approximately 6:30AM two vehicles occupied by Haqqani Network operatives initiated an attack upon the Embassy Annex, CIA compound in Kabul, Afghanistan.

The two vehicles containing a total of 8 highly trained Haqqani Network operatives were involved in the attack. The attackers were wearing US Army uniforms and carrying authentic DoD ID cards. However, they also chose to carry AK's, which may have been their undoing.

The second of the two cars was detained at Bravo gate leading into the Green Zone. The second vehicle containing the other 4 attackers was granted entry into green zone and passed another check point to enter the CIA compound for inspection. The Local Guard Force (LGF)  was suspicious of the vehicle occupants and delayed their entry pending higher approval. Meanwhile, the vehicle occupants detained at the Green Zone gate became impatient and dismounted the vehicle. They came under immediate attack from the CIA guard tower overlooking the check point. The driver's suicide bomber vest detonated upon impact from the machine gun rounds.

Upon hearing the gunfire and explosion at the Green Zone gate the attackers awaiting inspection in the CIA compound also dismounted the vehicle. In a well-rehearsed move, they simultaneously stepped out and engaged 7 LGF, killing all 7 in less than 3 seconds. The attack was on. However, the attackers now faced a dilemma which was finding a way over the 20 ft high cement T-walls with razor wire, so they may gain entry to the inner compound.

 

 

 Minor and Pirate, two former Special Operations soldiers and GRS officers with the CIA were the first to respond to the attack. Minor was a former Army Special Forces soldier and Pirate, a former Navy SEAL. Upon exiting the inner compound and making entry into the outer compound they encountered what appeared to be an active duty US Army soldier. Call sign Minor, was the #1 man and not convinced by the uniform; He aimed in on the head of the unknown person with intentions to confirm his ID.

 However, Minor could not see that the Haqqani Network operative had partially concealed his AK-47 by his side. In the fractions of seconds that followed the highly trained operative presented his AK and fired two rounds, which impacted Minor's ballistic plates. Minor maintained sight picture and pressed trigger, penetrating the cerebellum of the brain which resulted in a no-twitch response. The body immediately dropped to the ground. Minor stated later, the body fell so fast that all the subsequent rounds fired went over the top of the falling body.

 

The Haqqani Network Operative Was Truly A Product of His Training.

The crucial lesson to be learned from this incident is that the Haqqani Network operative could plainly see that Minor, the #1 man was wearing a ballistic plate-carrier.  In that moment, the terrorist operative responded in the exact same way he had repetitively trained himself hundreds, if not thousands of times before.

 Although the plate-carrier was plainly visible the Haqqani Network operative shot Minor squarely on the plates. He could potentially have won the gunfight and killed two CIA officers, but he's dead because his training failed him.

 

   In the picture (above) we have DJ and Cole, two elite operators. Both operators maintained the same aiming point over the "high thoracic cavity" region. Their chosen shot group location shows they are accustomed to training to shoot center mass. As a former Navy SEAL, I was trained like this as well. However, now I see training to shoot the "high thoracic cavity" as garbage, obsolete training that might actually get one killed, just like the Haqqani guy.

   Without going into the whole story, one night in Afghanistan I encountered a threat, one of our guard force members armed with his AK47 and about 200 rounds. I managed to place 3 rounds of 124 grain hydroshock into the "high thoracic cavity" region. However, the guy remained an active threat for another 10 minutes, shooting 3 more people in addition to one he had already killed.  

  Like the Haqqani Network terrorist what these two Operators are showing us is they are truly products of their training. This is the purpose of training. It's not a bad thing, in fact this is what we strive to become, is products of our training. However, it is imperative that we assess how we are training ourselves and what we can do to improve our training. Its obvious to me that abandoning the notion of shooting center mass or "high thoracic cavity" is essential to the evolution of our tactical training.

 

 In summary, its important to acknowledge that if our opponent has trained smarter than we have they have an edge. It doesn't necessarily mean thatt we'll lose the fight, but maybe. What happens when we work smarter and harder than our opponent? Chances are we'll win.

 In the event recounted above, the terrorist lost the gunfight because he was the victim of his own inferior training paradigm, which might be referred to as shoot center mass first. 

 Image Processing Training emphasizes *see where to shoot. Instead of adhering to an outdated obsolete training paradigm, mindlessly shooting center mass try working smarter with better targets.

 

 *Minor depicted top row, second from left. (Author) top row, far left next to Minor.