pdb

So I guess it’s that time of year again where I pick on a bottom feeding “training” “school” for putting up a dumb video on Youtube. This time around it’s “360 Spartan Defense” and their “Javelin” system:

Initially I assumed the worst with the grandiose title, tough guy guitar rock, drop-leg SERPA, and the instructor wearing an awful lot of gear to just run a pistol. But then he started doing some fairly legit one handed operations (which are fairly important to know and learn), and I thought I might be wrong. Maybe these guys were a little corny but…

…then this happened:

Yep, a full 360 Hondo Roll, pistol in hand. I see two big problems with this.

First, it’s dumb. Note the guy started kneeling, ended up kneeling, and covered about 2 yards. Hands up if you can think of a better way to accomplish this.

Second, but just as important, is the failure of safe gun handling that the roll represents. This is the most efficient way to muzzle the entire range that I have ever seen. On the left, on the right, behind, nobody’s safe! I’m sure the defense will be that the real world isn’t a square range and so on, but this is crap. Safe gun handling is doubly important in a real world crisis because the stakes are so much higher to both the lives of people around you, and your own. Do you think you’ll recover from the shock and confusion of cranking off a round to your 180 faster than your opponents will take advantage of your bewilderment?

But it’s okay as long as your finger is off the trigger? Well, then this happened:

This is the instructor halfway through falling onto his back from kneeling, preparing to shoot between his knees. His finger is still on the trigger. If the instructors at your school cannot maintain control of their muzzles, or their trigger fingers, you have selected the wrong school.

And then he does another barrel roll. I mean, why not?

Then at 1:35, the rifles come out. Oh boy.

THERE IS NO DIGNIFIED IN TACTICAL

And not to spoil it for you, but we do see some more barrel rolls and sliding into home with rifles, as well as the appearance of the Magpul Hero Mag Flip, and Tactical Scanning:

Because if your rifle ain’t sideways, you ain’t tactical nor scanning!

We could go on for a while picking things apart (including the odd selection of a riser for his EOtech, which comes pre-risen out of the box), but let’s stick to broad concepts. Much like obscenity, Mall Ninja is hard to quantify but you damn well know it when you see it. And this is pretty Mall Ninja. With the return home of thousands of combat experienced vets from our wars overseas, we are in an age of proliferation of small training schools. This is both good and bad, just as instruction and instructors can be good and bad. So it is up to the consumer to be critical and do their homework prior to committing. Seek out reviews and AARs, both positive and negative. If they have promotional videos, watch them carefully and see if they focus on honing fundamental skills and manipulations, or trying to buff their ninja cred with flashy antics. Do they participate in online forums, or have they set up their own where uncritical nuthuggers can stomp out dissenting opinions? Are public comments enabled on their videos, and do they engage criticism and questions or do they attack the questioner? Is there purpose behind the manipulations, or are they just trying to be different and look cool?

It is understandable and natural that in the sea of independent training outfits some seek to stand out by appearing cooler or more ninja than the next guy. Just understand that if you are seeking instruction to improve your skills as a shooter, that is not what you should be shopping for.

[h/t to Caleb for once again supplying the lulz]