Hello all, here is today's article posted on TheArmoryLife.com. It is titled "Avoid the Fatal Funnel: Surviving a Home Invasion" and can be found at https://www.thearmorylife.com/avoid-the-fatal-funnel-surviving-a-home-invasion/.
Avoid the Fatal Funnel: Surviving a Home Invasion
- Thread starter Mike H.
- Start date
Spotter Up has an excellent collection of articles on basic room anatomy -
spotterup.com
Recoil Magazine featured a series of articles by John "Chappy" Chapman, who is a noted SME in CQB/Structures -
www.recoilweb.com
^ Of the latter, his outfit, Forge Tactical offers individual CQB training to qualified civilians.
Similarly, Alliance Police Training (https://alliancepolicetraining.com), hand-in-hand with partners like Practically Tactical and Varg Freeborn, offer both live-fire as well as UTM-based (Force-on-Force) CQB classes that are geared towards civilians.
Craig Douglas (Southnarc)/Shivworks' AMIS (https://shivworks.com/armed-movement-in-structures/) is also a highly-regarded, civilian-based course.
The Direct Action Resource Center (DARC), in addition to being a noted LE training center also offers open-enrollment classes to qualified civilians - https://www.darc-usa.com/courses
Other well-known civilian-based CQB courses are a part of the curriculum of noted training facilities such as Tactical Defense Institute/TDI (https://www.tdiohio.com) in southern Ohio and Thunder Ranch/Clint Smith (https://thunderranchinc.com/home) in Oregon.
Room Clearing Archives • Spotter Up
spotterup.com
Recoil Magazine featured a series of articles by John "Chappy" Chapman, who is a noted SME in CQB/Structures -
John Chapman
Read articles and blogs posts from John Chapman on the latest information about guns, products, people, and places.
^ Of the latter, his outfit, Forge Tactical offers individual CQB training to qualified civilians.
Similarly, Alliance Police Training (https://alliancepolicetraining.com), hand-in-hand with partners like Practically Tactical and Varg Freeborn, offer both live-fire as well as UTM-based (Force-on-Force) CQB classes that are geared towards civilians.
Craig Douglas (Southnarc)/Shivworks' AMIS (https://shivworks.com/armed-movement-in-structures/) is also a highly-regarded, civilian-based course.
The Direct Action Resource Center (DARC), in addition to being a noted LE training center also offers open-enrollment classes to qualified civilians - https://www.darc-usa.com/courses
Other well-known civilian-based CQB courses are a part of the curriculum of noted training facilities such as Tactical Defense Institute/TDI (https://www.tdiohio.com) in southern Ohio and Thunder Ranch/Clint Smith (https://thunderranchinc.com/home) in Oregon.
cico7
Custom
Thank you for the link!
^ TDI is great. I've yet to be able to get down there myself, sadly, but I know *many* from my local shooting schools (including instructional cadre) who have, and all have spoken very positively about their experiences.
That they offer a set curriculum is also very attractive for those who are looking to walk a laid-out path.
I'll get down there, some day!
If you're able to travel a bit north, Alliance Police Training, near Akron, Ohio, has some really good (the facility itself is amazing) stuff by highly sought-out and well-vetted instructional cadre (e.g. Forge Tactical [John "Chappy" Chapman and John "Doc" Spears], Sentinel Concepts [Steve "The Yeti" Fisher], and Centrifuge Training [Will Petty/Chase Jenkins], among others), including its own. Since it's a city facility, PPE is a requirement for some classes - to accommodate students, they do offer rentals for an added fee. That facility and its capabilities is by far not limited to just CQB (same with TDI).
That they offer a set curriculum is also very attractive for those who are looking to walk a laid-out path.
I'll get down there, some day!
If you're able to travel a bit north, Alliance Police Training, near Akron, Ohio, has some really good (the facility itself is amazing) stuff by highly sought-out and well-vetted instructional cadre (e.g. Forge Tactical [John "Chappy" Chapman and John "Doc" Spears], Sentinel Concepts [Steve "The Yeti" Fisher], and Centrifuge Training [Will Petty/Chase Jenkins], among others), including its own. Since it's a city facility, PPE is a requirement for some classes - to accommodate students, they do offer rentals for an added fee. That facility and its capabilities is by far not limited to just CQB (same with TDI).
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cico7
Custom
I sent an email for a June class.I'll get down there, some day!
Keystone19250
SAINT
Every time he entered the room he could have been shot in the back, second video with this same guy, good information but I’m not impressed with the presenter.
I’ve done multiple drills in my apartment and I’m confident I’ll have the upper hand every time. The one thing I’ve focused on was bullet travel luckily all walls that I would be shooting in the direction of has no neighbors on the other side so collateral damage is no issue.
I’ve done multiple drills in my apartment and I’m confident I’ll have the upper hand every time. The one thing I’ve focused on was bullet travel luckily all walls that I would be shooting in the direction of has no neighbors on the other side so collateral damage is no issue.
Jfal
Professional
Home invasion definition? Isn't that when perps try to break into your home while you are home? Otherwise its a burglary...Not sure about you guys, but I don't carry my AR as my EDC, nor my battle rifle....just a little 9mm pocket pistol. I'm a tad confused about the presented scenario...who would be prepared and willing to do this entering your own home with obvious signs of a break-in? Don't they teach us in CCW class to call 911 and run?
I think what the presenter was trying to do was to simply demonstrate the doorway procedure, nothing more: to highlight that it's not a place to linger, but rather, a place to take decisive action (and in solo-CQB, as the presenter alluded to, at some point, the assaulter has to make a decision - be it right [i.e. the threat is at the end of the muzzle as he enters] or wrong [the threat is to his back]).
I think that the real issue here is that there's a lack of overall context: but again, I don't think that's necessarily the presenter's fault, per-se. This was a 5-minute segment and not all-day class, and I really don't think there was enough time in this little segment to really talk about, much more.
He's really only demonstrating the door procedure itself and the idea that one must not linger in that "fatal funnel."
For me, the late Pat Rogers' "Intro to the Shoot House" (https://panteao.com/product/intro-to-the-shoot-house/) and John "Chappy" Chapman's "CQB Shooting Fundamentals" (https://panteao.com/product/cqb-shooting-fundamentals/ - which actually covered more than just shooting) and Paul Howe's "Civilian Response to Active Shooters" (https://panteao.com/product/civilian-response-to-active-shooters/) all served as my primers before heading in to my first live-fire shoothouse class at the Alliance Police Training facility. Each of these full-length videos allowed the instructors more time to get into the "why's" of their "how's" - and likely made it so that I didn't make a complete jackass out of myself - although I did still make a fool out of myself, many times...let's just say that I was awarded "most improved," in that 3-day class.
That's not the scenario I'm reading - or maybe I'm misreading it as English isn't my mother tongue......
The paragraph above the "Besting It" sub-heading seems to read favorably for the defender - and badly for the home-invader(s).
The paragraph below, on the other hand, seems to be talking about a scenario where the homeowner has to "clear" their own house - not necessarily from the outside-in, but rather, simply in terms of perhaps having to go from room-to-room: i.e. maybe their children sleep on a different floor, or perhaps their elderly parent(s) sleep in a separate wing...maybe there is simply no time to wait until help arrives on their rural property.
That said, in reading the title of the story "Avoid the Fatal Funnel: Surviving a Home Invasion," I'm completely aligned with you, there, @Jfal ....that seems to be a bit backwards!
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^ Excellent point. I think that this is absolutely *_KEY_* for any defensively armed civilian to remember.
One of the best things that Rob Pincus showed us was that self-restraint and clear-thinking always wins the day:
Noted Firearms Instructor Rolls Up On Armed Squatters In Denver
bearingarms.com
^ And similarly, this kind of forward-thinking needs to occur for anyone who is mounting a serious home-defense plan.
We are legally accountable for every bullet that leaves our muzzle. For me, establishing clear lanes-of-fire for home-defense is just as important as verifying my backstop when at the range.
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Jfal
Professional
Well written TSi...."clearing" rooms with a long gun, SBR or PCC is not something I would ever be in a position to do in normal life. I keep my long guns locked away, unbraced sidearms are the only weapons accessible to me when any situation like this might occur. I wonder about the content creator(s) appealing to the tactical wannabes with scenarios like this. I don't possess single-point slings, tactical harnesses, special mag belts...none of which has any use for me or my daily routine...I cringe when I hear or read the word "tactical" anyway...While I watch John at Warrior Poet Society videos for entertainment, none of that stuff appeals to me.
Keystone19250
SAINT
I think we all know what was trying to be said however as I mentioned it was done poorly. Also mentioned was how the presenter was dressed? Does he walk around like that 24/7?I think what the presenter was trying to do was to simply demonstrate the doorway procedure, nothing more: to highlight that it's not a place to linger, but rather, a place to take decisive action (and in solo-CQB, as the presenter alluded to, at some point, the assaulter has to make a decision - be it right [i.e. the threat is at the end of the muzzle as he enters] or wrong [the threat is to his back]).
I think that the real issue here is that there's a lack of overall context: but again, I don't think that's necessarily the presenter's fault, per-se. This was a 5-minute segment and not all-day class, and I really don't think there was enough time in this little segment to really talk about, much more.
He's really only demonstrating the door procedure itself and the idea that one must not linger in that "fatal funnel."
For me, the late Pat Rogers' "Intro to the Shoot House" (https://panteao.com/product/intro-to-the-shoot-house/) and John "Chappy" Chapman's "CQB Shooting Fundamentals" (https://panteao.com/product/cqb-shooting-fundamentals/ - which actually covered more than just shooting) and Paul Howe's "Civilian Response to Active Shooters" (https://panteao.com/product/civilian-response-to-active-shooters/) all served as my primers before heading in to my first live-fire shoothouse class at the Alliance Police Training facility. Each of these full-length videos allowed the instructors more time to get into the "why's" of their "how's" - and likely made it so that I didn't make a complete jackass out of myself - although I did still make a fool out of myself, many times...let's just say that I was awarded "most improved," in that 3-day class.
That's not the scenario I'm reading - or maybe I'm misreading it as English isn't my mother tongue......
The paragraph above the "Besting It" sub-heading seems to read favorably for the defender - and badly for the home-invader(s).
The paragraph below, on the other hand, seems to be talking about a scenario where the homeowner has to "clear" their own house - not necessarily from the outside-in, but rather, simply in terms of perhaps having to go from room-to-room: i.e. maybe their children sleep on a different floor, or perhaps their elderly parent(s) sleep in a separate wing...maybe there is simply no time to wait until help arrives on their rural property.
That said, in reading the title of the story "Avoid the Fatal Funnel: Surviving a Home Invasion," I'm completely aligned with you, there, @Jfal ....that seems to be a bit backwards!
-----
^ Excellent point. I think that this is absolutely *_KEY_* for any defensively armed civilian to remember.
One of the best things that Rob Pincus showed us was that self-restraint and clear-thinking always wins the day:
Noted Firearms Instructor Rolls Up On Armed Squatters In Denver
^ And similarly, this kind of forward-thinking needs to occur for anyone who is mounting a serious home-defense plan.
We are legally accountable for every bullet that leaves our muzzle. For me, establishing clear lanes-of-fire for home-defense is just as important as verifying my backstop when at the range.
Many times on the forum we have discussed clearing a room and or our home’s and an open discussion was always fruitful.
Yes the man had 5 minutes what he said could have been said in 1.5
To me, it's simply one more piece of the puzzle.
Is it likely that I'll ever put that skill to-use? I think that's more than likely a definite "no," based on my lifestyle (that said, I absolutely believe in the validity of shoothouse classes as decision-making classes).
But at the same time, the need for armed self-defense, CONUS, is also rather unlikely: it's virtually the definition of the "low probability but high-stake" event - as the late Paul Gomez used to say, the moment that it does happen, we're that unlucky "n of 1."
A lot of folks -rightfully- ask whether shoot-house classes has any use for the average armed civilian. The problem, I think, is that many people see this kind of training as some kind of "wanna-be soldier/cop" activity. In-reality, what is it exactly that separates this kind of training from flat-range - and what's the difference in viewing this kind of training versus how those who are "anti-gun" view even flat-range work?
And if one suggest that they "arm up" for certain activities or to go certain places -or even better, that they have an AR in the trunk as as "car gun" for the possibility of active-shooter events or social unrest- then I think that there's a bit of dissonance/disconnect between the reality that they perceive, versus the training they may or may not have.
----
and
In terms of the sling (be it single, double, etc.), I think that it really is a smart thing to have on a long-gun, particularly if it is staged for defensive purposes. We've all heard the adage that "a sling is to a rifle as a holster to a handgun," and I really do believe that there's wisdom in those words. In the context of home-defense, I do believe that it is beneficial as its use will allow the shooter to be hand(s)-free of the long-gun, while keeping it safely and closely at-hand.
In terms of the belt/holster, I've always been a fan of staging my loaded +1, defensive handguns in their holsters, my quick-access safes. This way, there's no chance that as I reach in for the gun that I accidentally insert a finger into the trigger guard and touch the trigger. In our safe room, I actually stage my holstered defensive handgun, spare mags, flashlight, and tourniquet (there's full medical kit in the room) all on a belt that is capable of being quickly and easily donned over my night clothes (er....that'd be a pair of boxers
). https://www.thearmorylife.com/forum/threads/how-to-set-up-your-battle-belt.9867/#post-129299 The idea for me is that when I wake up to the house alarm going off and the dog barking and the wifey and child yelling, everything that I need to have with me is consolidated and ready-to-go, and can leave my hands free for other needs once it's donned.Costa performed his usual comedy-act during the "mindset" luncheon lecture that he builds into one of the training days of his classes: he mimes out the actions of a home defender who, waking up in the middle of the night dons his war-belt, plate-carrier, and ballistic helmet, only to get taken out by Lego that his kid left out in the hallway - dangit, forgot my boots! - and I do think that both of your viewpoints are valid, @Jfal and @Keystone19250 . But at the same time, I also don't necessarily see what the presenter is wearing as being inappropriate or outlandish for a home-defense scenario.
Now, had he been in boxers.......
....I don't know - maybe I'm just being more open and lenient to this one because I recently criticized another (https://www.thearmorylife.com/forum...y-xd-5-tactical-9mm-review.10276/#post-136373) quite heavily? Gotta balance out?
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HansGruber
Ronin
Most of my HD plans involve making the funnels work in my favor—in other words, make them come to me.
I really can’t think of a realistic scenario where I’m going to try to clear my house.
I really can’t think of a realistic scenario where I’m going to try to clear my house.
cico7
Custom
You come home and find the door open, do you clear it or call the po po?
As much as an open question as a direct response.
HansGruber
Ronin
Call the cops. Let the pros handle it.
I live in a small town; response will be under 5 minutes. Additionally, my house, as described by a buddy’s son who is currently with the Teams, is a “f***ing nightmare” to clear with anything short of an actual team of people who know WTF they’re doing. He said he wouldn’t consider doing it solo unless there was no other possible choice…and even then, he wouldn’t expect a good outcome.
When a pro like that talks, I listen.
In short, it isn’t time for amateur hour.
Keystone19250
SAINT
Keystone19250
SAINT
Call the cops, inform the 911 operator what I’m wearing, tell him/her I’m carrying and entering my home with gun drawn.
HansGruber
Ronin
And, that’s your call.
Me, I pretty much figure that I can improve the situation by giving responders the layout of my home, more than I will by getting plugged 3 steps inside.
This is NOT a decision to make emotionally. It’s one to sit back and think LONG and HARD about, rationally.
It really sucks to admit that in a certain situation, you will quite possibly by powerless, and unable to make things better by immediate action.
But it’s also honest.
It’s also realizing that going in could, quite likely, not help—probably make things worse.
Brains over adrenaline.
Keystone19250
SAINT
And I agree with you however I have a very small apartment and know it’s layout very well, I would know immediately if I’m outnumbered and over my head and can bail quickly otherwise I also know my walls and safe places.
HansGruber
Ronin
Like I said, it’s a personal call.