“Go beyond preparing for the self-defense incident I hope you never have to go through. There’s a reason why people look to martial arts for personal development, because that struggle, that strife, that putting yourself in that position has lessons that carry over to the rest of life as well. Which means that even if you never get into that life-or-death struggle, the lessons you learned from preparing for it do you well with the rest of life.” – Matt Little

Joining us for the first time ever on Ballistic Radio is Matt Little, a competitive shooter, retired Special Forces operator, retired Chicago police officer, and owner of Greybeard Actual. In this episode Matt and John discuss violent criminals and whether there are some that are better to deal with than others. Is the training community focusing on the wrong mindset when teaching responses to violence? Is “not getting shot by the police” an undertaught skill? Is shooting competition a key component for getting better at real-world CQB? 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

“If you choose to prioritize spending your money on things other than high-level training, you still have an inherent right to self-defense (and) you deserve a reliable gun that fits within your budget.” -Caleb Giddings

Joining us on Ballistic Radio is the new Brand Marketing Manager for Taurus USA, Caleb Giddings… Wait, what? In this week’s episode John and Caleb address some of the raging bulls in the room. Does affordable automatically mean low quality? What changes inside the company have everyone suddenly talking about Taurus? Do the people discussing quality control online actually understand what quality control is? Are the firing schedules that serious practitioners subject their guns to realistic for normal people? Can John and Caleb stay on topic for an entire episode? 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.

“If you’ve trained to shoot fast and accurately, all the other problem solving aside, just the mechanics of shooting the gun, that’s not going to disappear. Your skill level might deteriorate a little bit, but the better your skill level is the more deterioration you can face, and the less deterioration I think you’re likely to suffer.” -Terrick Naude

Making his very first appearance on Ballistic Radio is Terrick Naude! Terrick is an IPSC National Champion hailing from South Africa who has also been involved in two self-defense encounters as a private citizen. In this episode John and Terrick discuss the pros and cons of competition shooting in relation to self-defense as well as how competition skills may translate into real life. Will competition get you killed in the streets? Can you be too good of a shooter? Is John standing on plastic? 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

“One of the things I do in my scenarios is, students that gracefully exit and find a way to not use any force at all, they are praised for it.” – Karl Rehn

On this episode of Ballistic Radio we welcome back Karl Rehn, owner and operator of KR Training. Karl and John discuss the importance of force-on-force training, what this type of training entails, training progressions, decision making drills, and why “just knowing when to leave” can be more beneficial than shooting skill. 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

“When most people hear violent criminal actor, they imagine someone who is obviously mentally ill, or is going to stand out…The majority of the guys that I have dealt with over the years who have done unspeakably violent things, they act just like you and me 90% of the time, and have a lot of the same motivations in life, but they have an extra option that most people wouldn’t consider. They look at violence like just another option on the list that is equal with pretty much everything else.” – Ross Hick

On this episode of Ballistic Radio, we welcome back Ross Hick, a probation surveillance officer and one of the newest instructors at Citizens Defense Research. Are violent offenders really that different from regular people? Are there common misconceptions that we should be aware of? Is there anything we can do to be better prepared to deal with a violent offender if we encounter them? 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’m not trying to turn them into me. There are some of us who have adopted this as our lifestyle, this is what we do for recreation, as a part time occupation, and partly as our identity. It’s not fair to expect our students to become that. Most of them just want to be safe, get some knowledge, and understand everything that is involved with owning a firearm, and potentially having to use it.” – Rick Remington

Joining us on Ballistic Radio is Rick Remington, the owner and chief instructor of Foundational Defensive Training. In this episode John and Rick discuss the great responsibility that comes with being a “Gateway Instructor.” What are the biggest mistakes instructors make with new students? How do we get new students excited about training? What should be done to encourage more local instructors to hone their craft? 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 don’t think you necessarily need to be perfect in your execution of tactics, I think what’s probably more important might be understanding the why’s of the tactics. If we can do that then we can build thinkers that might think of outside the box solutions to the problems that are presented in front of them.” -Dan Papale

Ballistic Radio is honored to welcome Dan Papale back to the show. Dan is a law enforcement officer who has responded to two active killer incidents. What are the current best practices to respond to an active killer? How can we set ourselves up for success when these incidents occur? Is it important to know whether or not we are a high or low responder specifically in this context? 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

“You are not going to empty the bag of blood that is a human in the quantity of seconds that it takes someone to end your life.” – Rhett Neumayer

On this episode of Ballistic Radio we welcome Rhett Neumayer, who is the owner of Demonstrated Concepts, a competitive shooter, and firearms instructor. John and Rhett discuss small handgun calibers, terminal ballistics, shot placement, and so much more. Does stopping power actually mean anything? Does “energy” really matter when it comes to terminal ballistics? Would private citizens be better served carrying a .22? How should context and mission play a role in handgun selection? 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

“Concealment is a challenge. It’s made up of a number of different things, that can ultimately lead to success, but it requires that you do some research, tinker with your holsters, gun placement, clothing materials, and even clothing style.” – Tessah, Armed and Styled

Joining us for the first time on Ballistic Radio is Tessah, the owner of Armed and Styled, and Director of Customer Development at PHLster Holsters. Listen as John and Tessah discuss the different aspects of concealment from holster choice to the nerdery of fabric selection. What role does fabric choice play in concealment? What fabric is best for this application? 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.

“Emotional fitness is absolutely as important as physical fitness for survival…and that emotional fitness is not just important for your own health, but for literally everyone around you, in ways that you don’t know, and in ways that you may not be able to ever know. Check in with your friends, be as approachable as you can to your loved ones, and if you don’t have that, now is the time to start.” -Ross Hick

Joining us for the first time on Ballistic Radio is Ross Hick! Fourteen years as a probation surveillance officer supervising high risk convicted felons within the community, currently specializing in sex offenders, and those with severe mental illness. Ross discusses the “bad guys” hiding in plain sight. In this episode Ross and John go over predatory warning signs, detection, avoidance, deterrence, and the importance of emotional fitness. 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