Not all shootings are scary, so don’t put that into your training and think that it’s always going to be, because it’s not always…” -Jared Reston

In this episode we welcome back Jared Reston of Reston Group Critical Solutions to discuss some of the nuances of training and instruction. Does it matter what a shooter is doing, so long as they’re doing so safely and putting bullets where they intended? Knowing that the goal is to make better shooters now, how can we strike the balance between setting new students up for success and giving them basic building blocks? Does the training community predispose students for emotional turmoil after a shooting? All of that and more in this weeks episode. Ballistic Radio is brought to you by Big Tex Ordnance, where every customer is a friend, not just an order. Visit them online at www.bigtexordnance.com

When you have a minimum standard, you don’t teach people past the standard, you invariably teach down to the standard.” – Caleb Giddings

Ballistic Radio welcomes back Caleb Giddings to talk about how minimum training standards impact both the student and the instructor. Listen to the dismay when John and Caleb discover they have become angry old men yelling at clouds as they discuss the flaws and negative outcomes inherent in minimum standards, whether it’s for pumpkin spice lattes or shooting courses. Ballistic Radio is brought to you by Big Tex Ordnance, where every customer is a friend, not just an order. Visit them online at bigtexordnance.com

If you don’t accept the fact that there really is evil out there, and that it’s appropriate to use force to thwart it, then everything else you’re doing is just window dressing.” -John Hearne

Ballistic Radio is honored to welcome John Hearne, of Two Pillars Training, back to the show to discuss a “holistic approach” to self-defense. Have you considered whether or not you could actually do violence to another person? Is there a way to mentally prepare for that? What skills are needed? Which skills are more important, Hard Skills or Soft Skills? How do we strike the “balance”? And our personal favorite, how does yoga help people win gun fights? All that and more! Ballistic Radio is brought to you by Big Tex Ordnance, where every customer is a friend, not just an order. Visit them online at bigtexordnance.com

I remember going to a class with a rifle, with a red dot, and you know what happened right? . . . all this crap about how the red dot was gonna get me killed in the streets.” -Bill Blowers

Bill Blowers is back on Ballistic Radio, and this time he’s talking about… Sensitivity? What work does it take to have an opinion versus a talking point? How are new ideas formulated and adopted inside of the training community? What are the marks of a good instructor as far as openness to good ideas go? Why are these pretzels making me thirsty? All that and more! Ballistic Radio is brought to you by Big Tex Ordnance, where every customer is a friend, not just an order.

Interested in using a red dot on a pistol, or getting them approved at your agency? This episode has something for you.
---------------------------------------------------------------
“With any red dot program you have to embrace a higher level of maintenance. There’s no other way around it.” -Dan Smith
For the first time EVER Ballistic Radio welcomes Dan Smith, AKA Danno, of Centrifuge Training to discuss all things red dot. So what’s the deal with back up iron sights? How should red dot programs be implemented? Why won’t this dot stay still? All that and more! Ballistic Radio is brought to you by Big Tex Ordnance, where every customer is a friend, not just an order.

This was a fun episode that I did with Chris from Citizens Defense Research. Give it a listen and then let me know if you think we left anything off of our list.
“Safety and gun-handling are priority number one, always.” -Chris Cypert
Ballistic Radio welcomes Chris Cypert of Citizens Defense Research back to the show! Have you ever wondered what “good enough” might look like? Do you need direction for what skills you should be training and the metrics to judge those skills by? John and Chris spend this episode covering all that and more! Ballistic Radio is brought to you by Big Tex Ordnance, where every customer is a friend, not just an order.

“Plans are useless, but planning is invaluable.” -Chris Cypert
Ballistic Radio welcomes Chris Cypert of Citizens Defense Research back to the show! What is the importance of context and why do so many people get it wrong? Is there an easy mode for decision making in chaotic environments? If no plan goes perfectly why plan at all? What’s the difference between planning and worrying? All that and more! Ballistic Radio is brought to you by Big Tex Ordnance, where every customer is a friend, not just an order.

“We have unprecedented access to information that used to take years of study to get. Now … you can go on YouTube and you can watch a video from somebody who spent twelve years practicing the art of a sub-second draw. And you can learn everything that they learned in a five minute YouTube video, but that doesn’t give you the twelve years of experience that got them to that point.” -Sarah Hauptman
Ballistic Radio welcomes Sarah Hauptman of PHLster back to the show to get to the bottom of how information is given to new gun owners, and why it matters. Are we living in a golden age of easily accessible knowledge? How should someone determine when they’re ready to be giving advice? Do all opinions matter? All that and more! Ballistic Radio is brought to you by Big Tex Ordnance, where every customer is a friend, not just an order.

“The word liberal has a lot in common with the word liberty and if we think about that aspect of liberal politics that is in favor of civil liberties then we can see that the right to keep and bear arms is a civil liberty and so when I talk about the liberalization of gun laws I mean laws that make that civil liberty more possible.” - Professor David Yamane

Season 9 is upon us and Ballistic Radio is honored to welcome Professor David Yamane back to the show. What’s been driving the recent expansion of right to carry laws? Has the training industry helped drive the concealed carry revolution? Professor Yamane even turns the tables on John and asks the host a question. There’s even sheep (it’ll make sense if you listen, we promise) shipping! All that and more! Ballistic Radio is brought to you by Big Tex Ordnance, where every customer is a friend, not just an order.