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Author Topic: AAR: 2015 Polite Society Tactical Conference  (Read 931 times)

Offline RLMoeller

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AAR: 2015 Polite Society Tactical Conference
« on: February 24, 2015, 04:02:15 PM »
I finally had the opportunity to attend this annual conference known as the Polite Society Tactical Conference.  Each year, Rangemaster (Tom and Lynn Givens) hosts this 3 day conference in Memphis, TN.  Tom and Lynn closed down their range last year so they needed to find a new location to host this event.  For the first time since it began 13 years ago it was held at the Memphis Police FTU.  It was held this past weekend, Feb 20-22.  These were very nice facilities. Tom said this is one of the top 5 Police training facilities in the country.

Over the course of three days, attendees attend whatever classroom sessions, live-fire instruction, and hands-on training sessions they can fit in.  There were sessions going on in 2 classrooms, two indoor ranges, and the outdoor range.  There is also the "Polite Society Pistol Match", an optional competition. Those that participate are assigned a time to shoot.

The pistol match was a timed event with emphasis on both time and accuracy. Of approximately 180 attendees, about 125 of them participated in the match. The course of fire included two Q targets, shooting from 3 and 5 yards in fairly low light conditions.  Each timed sequence started between the targets and on buzzer the shooter moves left or right and engages both targets, 3 shots each. The course of fire included one handed shooting switching between strong and weak hand, and one course requiring a magazine change while moving. After the skills portion, there was a scenario involving a parking lot, a group of people and two bad guys to engage.  Starting with hands on a car, engage both targets, one from the left and other from the right.  These were falling steel targets dressed up in clothing, so they needed to be engaged until they fell.

On the first day I attended two classroom sessions in the morning.  The first was put on by Tiffany Johnson on improving your presentations and covered "7 deadly sins of power point".  She showed a neat way to incorporate text messaging into the classroom.  Next was "Excited Delirium" by Chuck Haggard.  Chuck was LE in Topeka and gave a great presentation. So much information in this one that covered the many underlying causes, common symptoms and the dangers involved. Many interesting stories were shared and it was kept relevant to a broad audience, from first responders to civilians.

In the afternoon I participated in a 3 hour hands-on workshop on "Weapon Retention & Disarms" by Paul Sharp.  Paul is a fighter and is in much better shape than most of us.  He did a nice job of showing techniques that anyone can use, no matter their size or physical conditioning (or lack thereof).  Some simple and useful techniques were practiced on how to react in a close encounter where someone is pointing a gun at you. 

Obviously, that is not a situation you ever want to be in.  In the end, it seemed very simple.  That was his goal, something people could not only do, but retain.

End of the first day was capped off with a great presentation from Tom Givens on "defining the threat".  Tom has done extensive evaluation of data on violent crime.  He went through some of his findings and also talked about the various sources of information and how/where it can be found. Biggest take aways:  Always carry a gun.  Memphis is a damn dangerous place.  Never go anywhere in Memphis without a gun.  And finally, always carry a gun.  I knew these take aways already, but the sources of information he has used was very useful.

On the second day I attended four classroom sessions.  The first was "Law of Self-Defense" by Andrew Branca. He did a great job of explaining a number of topics related to the prosecution and defense of self defense shootings.  Coming from Massachusetts, he illustrated how much locale and political climate of that locale affects the decision to pursue charges.  As we know, there are certain places around this country that will always pursue charges, no matter how justified it appears, if any weapon was used in your defense. I bought a couple copies of his book and took advantage of the chance to ask him some questions after the presentation.

Next up was "Tactical Communication for Couples" by Claude Werner.  This presentation centered on communication and cooperation between couples during emergencies.  This was a session I was really looking forward to.  As civilians, we focus on individual tactics and team tactics are for LE/MIL.  So where you have a couple that are both engaged in self defense, how do you work together? 

This class didn't really provide an answer to that question.  What it brought forward was the importance of having honest discussions about roles and how you may work together. Yes, it means having a plan! In situations were there is a spouse with no shared interest in firearms or self defense, there are still roles that can and should be worked out. That includes children that live with you.  Those roles may be calling 911, or shepherding others to safety, etc. There was a lot of good information. It helped raise a lot of questions for further exploration.  One suggestion for couples when you stop for gas.  One of you pumps while the other watches over the environment, acting as security.

After lunch I attended Fatal Choices, by William Aprill.  William is from New Orleans and is a licensed psychologist with a law enforcement background. This was an interesting presentation on how criminals select their targets. Some very interesting concepts in this one. Last presentation of the day was "Urban Terrorism" by Martin Topper.  Some good information in this one, but I kept thinking of Tiffany and her presentation the day before. I was thankful she wasn't watching this presentation as I think he committed all 7 sins of presentation.  The information was very informative, and he was an interesting speaker when he was just talking.  Too much of it was just him reading complete paragraphs on a slide.  That made the presentation seem much longer.

On Day 3 I began the day with "Training / Reality Mismatch" by Gary Greco.  He actually gave three different presentations, one hour each.  The mismatch part is obvious to many, and ignored by others.  Basically spelling out that good training is realistic about the usefulness and applicability.  Edu-tainment may be fun but isn't particularly useful. I don't ever see myself needing to repel from a helicopter.  A course that offers that may be a lot of fun.  It isn't helpful in developing / enhancing the skills you need.  Best suggestion: rather than buy more uber cool crap, buy more ammo and shoot more.  The next hour was some insight into the middle east. It was interesting to hear some insight from an intelligence community insider.  Nothing classified was shared of course, but it was certainly a unique perspective when talking about the middle east.  Greco has spent 9 of the past 12 years in the middle east.

Always looking to learn, I thought it would be interesting to attend "Women’s Holsters" by Lori Bigley.  It was interesting.  One hot topic of conversion lately has been the tragic event where a woman shot herself in the face while adjusting a bra holster.  We don't know the brand, don't know the details, don't know much beyond the unfortunate death of the owner. So of course much time was spent discussion that type of holster.  This does not appear to be a design that encourages in place re-holstering.  Once your gun is deployed, your done.  Best to remove the holster first, re-holster, then reattach.  The brands I saw appear safe in design, being a kydex clamshell that fully covers the trigger guard.   

Belly bands got a lot of discussion as well.  I did learn about some newer items coming to market that sound kinda neat.  I don't know how much I'll apply any of that information but I found it educational.

The last session of the day for me was "Close Range Handgun Threat: Empty Hand Skills" by Greg Ellifritz, a well known instructor with Tactical Defense Institute.   Greg is a very personable guy and he did a great job of picking some useful skills to work on that everyone in attendance could understand and achieve.  I have a strong appreciation for instructors that are able to keep students of differing levels of experience equally engaged.  He did a great job of building up from a basic starting point. The exercises really emphasized the importance of body positioning for leverage.  I would love to attend one of Greg's 2 day classes.  Unfortunately, he doesn't travel west of Ohio, so it would require some travel on my part.  I was excited to learn he has a book coming out in a couple months.  That's now on my list of books to get.

There were so many excellent blocks I wished I could have attended.  Folks like Southnarc, Keepers, Ayoob, Hearne all were there giving some excellent instruction.  I'm very happy with what I attended and plan on returning to the Tactical conference regularly. I believe in continually learning, and this is one great source of a wide variety of topics from many experts in their field.  It also gave me a chance to "sample" some of the instructors style and content to see whom I'm willing to spend my money on to travel and attend a full class.

Offline Lorimor

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Re: AAR: 2015 Polite Society Tactical Conference
« Reply #1 on: February 25, 2015, 07:06:19 AM »
:)  Best bargain in the biz!  I could sit and listen to Dr. Aprill all day I think.  The man has such marvelous insight into the criminal mind. 

The parking lot of a Holiday Inn Express in Memphis was (and still is) the only place yours truly has ever gone to Condition Orange.   After spending all day at the conference and attending Tom Givens' lecture on Memphis crime, I was already on edge and when that car came roaring up from out of the darkness, well....   

Fortunately, nothing came of it. 
« Last Edit: February 25, 2015, 07:14:31 AM by Lorimor »
"It is better to avoid than to run; better to run than to de-escalate; better to de-escalate than to fight; better to fight than to die. The very essence of self-defense is a thin list of things that might get you out alive when you are already screwed." – Rory Miller

Offline JTH

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Re: AAR: 2015 Polite Society Tactical Conference
« Reply #2 on: February 25, 2015, 09:06:58 AM »
I've been wanting to make it to the Polite Society conference for years now.  Haven't made it yet, REALLY want to do so.  Every time I read about it--tons of good seminars and information about actual self-defense (instead of TACTICAL!) from people who have put serious thought and research into what they do--I wish I could go. 

(Okay, not all of them are that good.  But many, many are.)

I've got Tom Given's "Lessons from the Street" DVD, which I strongly suggest anyone interested in self-defense watch (and get your own copy), and I've lately been reading the newest revision of his book.  Werner, Hearne, Haggard, Ayoob---a number of people I'd like to hear from---I just need to make it out there sometime.

[sigh]  Maybe next year.  If I learn about it soon enough, and can get my work to let me go somehow.

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Offline RN4Guns

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Re: AAR: 2015 Polite Society Tactical Conference
« Reply #3 on: February 25, 2015, 07:59:27 PM »
Since Rod did a great job with the introduction of the conference, I will start with the classes I attended. The first presentation I attended was, I shoot like a girl, would you like a lesson? with Lori Bigley. Lori's presentation focused on how men and women learn differently and how to guide your teaching style to meet the needs of your female students. It was a good presentation with insightful information that at times I tend to forget. I was very happy to see that the men outnumbered the women in the room. The men were not shy about asking questions and Lori was great with answering them.

Next up was 'Excited Delirium' with Chuck Haggard. Even as a healthcare professional, I still find this information useful and informative. Chuck presented the information in an easy to understand manner. The topic was very interesting and shed a lot of light on what officers have to face when dealing with this acute medical condition. I also attended Weapon Retention and Disarms with Paul Sharp. This was my first hands on close contact class. At first I was a little shy, but this class left me wanting to do more of these types of classes. I think some of the other gentlemen that I paired up were not ready for me to be as forceful as I was ;D

The second day I also attended Law of Self Defense with Andrew Branca. Was also impressed with his presentation. He covered a lot of information but I found it refreshing that he said just email me for my power points, sit back and listen. I will be searching out his blog and other resources he has. Tactical Communication was next with Claude Werner, aka The Tactical Professor. Werner was interesting but I found his partner's presentation skills better suited for my viewing pleasure. For the life of my I cannot remember her name but she was a Industrial Psychologist. She had some great insight into how to start critical conversations with your partner. While I would have loved to have done more scenarios with this class, all in all it was informative.

William April. I think I saw someone say that they could listen to him all day. I agree! I thorough enjoyed his Fatal Choices Presentation. I will also be seeking out his resources. His past experiences really lend to his credibility on the topic of criminal minds. I wanted to talk to him directly but he had a group of guys hanging around him picking his brain. The last presentation of the day was Urban Terrorism with Martin Topper. I will just say I agree with Rod's assessment.

The last day started with Rehabilitating Shooters with Julie Thomas. This presentation was not what I expected..in a good way. Julie approached this topic with her as the shooter needing rehabilitation. She spoke from personal experience as the shooter that needed rehabilitation. She started by discussing her own frustrations and blocks, including her training at Rogers Shooting School. She made herself vulnerable and spoke about shooting through tears while she was trying to get through the drills. She went through every shooting fundamental and spoke to what could be wrong, what to look for and how to fix it. The fact that she approached this subject from her own experiences made this presentation excellent and easy to relate to. The morning continued with Lori Bigley again with Ladies Holster Options. Another great opportunity to look through holsters that are out there and discuss pros and cons of each of them. Since Lori is friends with Lisa Looper of Looper Law Enforcement Holsters/Belts, she had many of her designs. We also took this time to discuss the flash bang holster.

The day ended with Close Range Handgun Threats with Greg Ellifritz. I was looking forward to this class as I had been following his facebook page and sharing several of his posts. This was another approach to the other class with Paul Sharp. Greg brought some interesting points and discussion to his class. This too was a hands on class.

I am glad that I was able to attend this conference. There were only 31 females at the conference. Half of them were wives of the presenters while the other 50% of the half were presenters. The rest were there with other girlfriends as well as husbands. I was happy to connect with other chapter leaders from The Well Armed Woman Oklahoma chapter. We have made it our mission to double those numbers next year. I was disappointed that the weather cancelled Lynn Givens shooting fundamentals class but looking forward to seeing her when we take additional training this summer. It has also opened my eyes to needing additional knife, and
fighting skills. Can't wait to take Southnarc's ECQC class! I saw he is coming around here in May.

Side note-the shooting match was fun to participate in. While I didn't make the top 10 or top 50 for that matter, I was still happy with my score. I highly recommend this conference to anyone who is serious about real world training.