Travis Kennedy
3 CARBINE SHOOTING TIPS
3 CARBINE SHOOTING TIPS
Travis Kennedy
3 PISTOL SHOOTING TIPS
3 PISTOL SHOOTING TIPS
Travis Kennedy
Carbine Fundamentals: Recoil Management
Carbine Fundamentals: Recoil Management
Travis Kennedy
Frogman Perspective: Life in the Teams
Frogman Perspective: Life in the Teams
Frogman Perspective
Travis Kennedy
Frogman Perspective: My Journey of Becoming a ...
Frogman Perspective: My Journey of Becoming a Navy SEAL

3 CARBINE SHOOTING TIPS

Sight Alignment

Whether you are using an optic or just simple iron sights, these points of performance apply to everything. Keep your head in a neutral position, for this example I’m going to be using the high ready position as the reference, however all of the points will work for the low ready as well. Holding the rifle in the high ready position, the muzzle is just beneath your eye sight (DO NOT OBSTRUCT YOUR VIEW) so you will be able to look over the muzzle to your target. The buttstock is placed directly under your dominant forearm, so you have strength to manipulate the carbine, if you allow the buttstock to rest on top of your forearm, then the entire weight of the carbine is applied to your wrist and hand, which is a big problem.

Punch the carbine out in a straight line towards the target, place the carbine on fire, as the carbine becomes fully extended the buttstock should come up to your cheek (This is a touch point that I need you to revert to memory, buttstock should hit your cheek in the same place every time). Once you meet your touch point on your cheek, you will then aggressively index the carbine in your dominant shoulder pocket. While all of this is going on I’m locating my redicle and placing the redicle on the target at the spot I intend to shoot. All optics are different and some are easier to acquire than others, but all of these points still apply. I use an EOTECH, I keep both eyes open (I highly recommend this) and before I index my carbine in my shoulder I have found my optic, my hold, and I’m ready to take the shot, once everything is solid.

Biggest mistake I see a lot guys, and my shooters do is when they index the carbine in their shoulders, they end up searching for their sights, this is because they didn't meet their touch point correctly or the buttstock maybe too high or maybe too low. Another problem would be, they didn't set their buttstock at the proper length, maybe too short, or they set it too far out which in turn will effect your eye relief. I set my buttstock fully extended and one click back in, and I'm 5'10.

Throttle Control

Alright, next tip is throttle control and what I mean by this is how fast we shoot versus how accurate we are. A lot of times people debate speed versus accuracy, accuracy versus speed whether one is more important than the other. I advocate both are just as important. Our speed is dictated by target distance and target size. The closer we are to the threat the faster we need to be, in turn we can sacrifice some accuracy for spee, but as we get further away from a threat, accuracy becomes more important, do to shot difficulty.

Imortant thing to remember is to know where you can speed it up and when you have to slow it down, and for me, I know at a close range  I am able to really speed it up, but the further I go back I need to slow things down. A good drill I like to do for throttle control is, I like to use this multi dot target from the seven yard line. I do six shots in this big circle. Move to the right, six shots in the smaller circle. It really let's me dial in on when I can move fast and when I need to slow down. I can haul ass onn the first big circle, because it's a bigger target, and as soon as I move over to the smaller circle, then I need to realize that I need to slow it down a little bit, to be more accurate. Our main concern is about being accurate, not how fast we can pull the trigger.

Setting Standards

Alright, last tip is setting goals and standards for your training. Anybody can just show up to a range, without a plan, get on line, and just plink away at steel or shoot paper mindlessly without no consideration for what they need to practice for the day. Whenever you come to the range pick one point of performance that you want to work on for that day. For example, the other day I was working on speed and accuracy, and finding the balance between the two. You may want to focus on your trigger squeeze or follow through, the point is have a plan, outline the goals you want to set for yourself, so you can track your progress, this in turn will make you a great Thinking Shooter.

I really hope you enjoyed this quick post about Carbine Tips, these are just few tips that will enhance you as a shooter, by no means is this all inclusive, most importantly is to get out on the range and train hard.

If you enjoyed this please comment below, leave topics of things you would like me to write about, I read all of your comments an I greatly appreciate them.

Thank you

TEAMS

 

 

3 PISTOL SHOOTING TIPS

3 PISTOL SHOOTING TIPS

STANCE

Feet are shoulder-width apart. For example,  I'm a right-handed shooter, so my left foot is positioned in front of my right foot. My knees are slightly bent. I'm in an aggressive position. This position is very conducive for when I transition between targets, and if I need to move quickly, it also provides me with a stable platform to help with recoil management. Positions I never want to be in are, I never want to be flatfooted and my feet in line with each other, and I never want my weight in the heels or upright cause when I start shooting I can lose balance.

GRIP

60% strength in your dominant hand, 40% strength in your non-dominant hand. I never want to be death gripping this thing. I don't ever want to be squeezing this thing so hard where I'm white-knuckling and the weapon starts to shake. I want my grip high up on this beaver tail. I don't want to see any space between my hand and the beaver tail.

Non-dominant hand comes underneath the trigger guard. The first touch point is second knuckle of non-dominant hand, underneath the trigger guard. Non-dominant hand then rolls into position on the grip, laying flush up against dominant hand, thumbs are stack on top of each other and pointed down the slide of the barrel. This hand positioning will give you a natural point of aim. I NEVER want to cross my thumbs or have any space between my dominant hand and non-dominant hand on the grip of the pistol, every point needs to be flush and stacked correctly.

TRIGGER CONTROL

If you don’t properly manage the trigger, you miss the target its that simple.

When you use proper sight picture and sight alignment, there shouldn’t be an excuse to miss the target right? WRONG! Although if you do all those things properly but fail to manage the trigger don’t’ expect to hit where you are aiming. Trigger management is simple enough. Press the trigger (do not jerk, slap, pull with entire dominant hand – it needs to be a smooth pull with ONLY thE trigger finger).

Prepping, breaking, and resetting the trigger are so damn IMPORTANT. A good cadence to have is to:

1.       Fire

2.       Let off trigger, allow to reset, then immediately take the slack out again to prepare for next shot.

3.       Fire again with equal amount of pressure and release as the first shot taken.

When you are first starting to develop fundamentals I don’t care how fast you can shoot, I care how accurate you are. Speed will be the bi-product of a solid foundation of the fundamentals. Remember no matter how quickly you fire, your cadence will be determined by how you manage recoil and how quickly you realign your sights back on target.

BE AGGRESSIVE WHEN YOU SHOOT!

 

All right everyone, I hope you enjoyed those tips. Try those things out every time you go the range, especially if you're a new shooter or if you're advanced, these are all fundamentals that you need to practice every single day.

Please subscribe below. I will be putting out new blog posts monthly.

TEAMS

 

Carbine Fundamentals: Recoil Management

CARBINE FUNDAMENTALS: RECOIL MANAGEMENT

What's going on, everyone? Travis Kennedy here, owner of Kennedy Defensive Shooting. Today I'm going to talk about carbine fundamentals. Specifically recoil management. Let's do this.

Two points of performance I want to discuss in this blog post and those are: Grip and shouldering the rifle. I teach a specific way to grip the rifle, specifically how to place your fingers along the finger grooves that are designed on the grip. Yeah, you could use those and align your fingers along those grooves, but I align my ring finger above the first groove on the rifle grip. My finger is at the top of the grip knob on the grip of my rifle. This gives me a high seat up on this beaver tail on my rifle grip. Now that I have a nice strong grip on this thing. I got more reach with my trigger finger and have more reach with my thumb to manipulate the safety.

When I shoulder the rifle, there's a couple of things I see that people do wrong. They either ... It's too high or maybe it's just too low. You want the entire butt stock seated within the shoulder. That gives you strength behind that rifle, especially when we start rapid firing. If you're working with body armor kit, it's more of a pain, but it can be done. The buttstock needs to get seated directly into that shoulder pocket and my left pulling that rifle back into my shoulder. I utilize the Magpul finger grip. I have a relaxed grip with my right hand to pull the trigger. When I go to present and I go to fire, after I fire, my left hand is pulling my muzzle back on target that helps with my recoil, get my sites aligned back on target to re-engage.

Another point of performance is stance. Stance a little more exaggerated than when I'm just shooting my pistol. I lean forward with more of an aggressive posture. My left leg is in front a little bit more when I shoot my rifle, because I want to be in more of an aggressive stance, and really lean into this thing.

Remember, we don't want the butt stock high and we don’t want it low. Remember to keep the firing arm elbow down when we shoot. We don't want this elbow flared out. And when I go to bring my rifle up to my eyes to acquire my sights, I bring the gun up and I just dip my head slightly to get that cheek weld to acquire my sights. That's my touch point. Touch point is my cheek. As the rifle comes up, I drop my head, gun is put on fire, finger goes on trigger, I acquire my sights, and I engage. Same thing with high ready, punch out, touch points is my cheek, jam the rifle back into my shoulder then engage.

Try those points of performance out and make sure that butt stock's right in that shoulder. If you guys like this post, please share and comment below. If there is a certain topic you would like me to talk about put it below.

 Let's train hard.

Teams.

-TK

Frogman Perspective: Life in the Teams

Frogman Perspective

Life in the Teams

The Teams

 First of all, no two days in the teams are alike. Every day and every week of every year I was a SEAL varied according to the current world threats, team I was on, and what cycle of work up I was in – for example, being deployed, pre-deployment training, or individual professional development training.

I’m not going to give you the standard information about what SEALS do or what mission SEALS go on. I’m going to give you the day in the life version. The real Frogman Perspective of being a Team Guy. Most guys I talk to you only see pictures online, or how Hollywood portrays SEALS, and yes some of that information is true and it all looks badass, but what I want you to focus on is what was the work and sacrifice that led up to those cool guys pics, I’m going to give you some insights about that.

 

The New Guy

Once I became a SEAL I was on top of the world, I thought I was a badass and unstoppable. My mindset was I just completed SEAL training, there is nothing that can stop me now. I learned very quickly that just because you completed training doesn’t mean shit when you arrive at your first SEAL Team-remember this if you’re trying to become a SEAL and you make it through training. I took a different route post SEAL Qualification Training (SQT). After graduation I received orders to Special Operations Combat Medic School(18D). Finished the 6-month course and was then stationed on SEAL Team Four. I was assigned to 1 Troop, Alpha platoon. My main purpose in life at that point was to keep my mouth shut and learn everything I can, soak it all in and be prepared to work my ass off. There is a saying in the teams and its this “Earn your Trident everyday”. This is something that holds true during your entire career as a SEAL.

I showed up to Seal Team Four when the team had just got back from deployment so these guys were fresh off the battlefield, most were on leave when I checked in so it was quiet around the team for the first month, but as guys trickled in off their leave, I could tell the older operators could smell fresh meat roaming the halls. I showed up to the team everyday bright and early ready to work. Every morning I would get a workout in before work started because I knew I would be task saturated all day. I would then prepare my gear for about an hour. When I checked in, I was issued a mountain of personal gear, so I was constantly messing with it and organizing it. First, I set up my gear locker, organized all of my stuff into bags, labeled them for example: Assaults, MAROPS, Diving, Jumping. Once I was done prepping my gear for the days training, I would walk into my platoon hut around 8 am to check in with my Leading Petty officer (LPO).

The Platoon “Hut”

Each platoon has their own “Hut”, this is a place where the lions…senior operators come to hang out, plan missions, training, and other duties required through out the day. When I stepped into my platoon hut for the first time, I was scared shitless. Before I entered the room, I would make sure my uniform, haircut, and my composure were tight. When the new guys entered it was like blood in the water for the older guys, it was just a matter of time until they came in for a taste. I was constantly locked on the entire time I spent in that room, it was fucking exhausting sometimes, but it was my duty as a new guy. I knew I had to prove to them I was worthy to wear that Trident, because none of the older guys cared that I made it through training, they all did, and they all have been to combat, I was just a pion in their eyes.

After I was finished with my morning routine of working out and prepping my gear for the day, I would go into my platoon hut before all the older guys showed up. All of the new guys would show up and leave at the same time everyday we would also congregate together while we were in the hut because what the hell did we know, we were walking on egg shells in there. If we weren’t out in the in the field training, you would find us in the hut doing administrative work, planning up coming training trips, or just hanging out and socializing. Believe it or not we had a bar in our hut that some of the new guys built for the older guys and a fridge fully stocked with every beer you could imagine. It was normal after the end of each day the entire platoon would stay late, crack some beers and just shoot the shit with each, or give us new guys shit. I loved this part of being in the platoon, it really was when we all bonded and got to know each other, it was important that we did this together because we were going to be training and going on deployment together.

 

Team Training

The professional Development (PRODEV) phase of the SEAL Team cycle is a time where they send individual SEAL operators to learn new skillset or enhance the ones they already have. This phase was coming to an end and we were getting ramped to begin our official platoon training cycle. This was it for me, up until this point everyone was always separated going to schools or on leave but now, we are all together as a full platoon, and I was fired up to begin our training. The entire training cycle consisted of the following: Jump training, dive training, tactical ground mobility, Maritime operations, and Assaults training. Each block was rigorous in of itself, long fucking days and nights, especially when I was a new guy on my first training cycle. During each training block, there is this sense that every operator gets and that is the need to perform at a high level all the time, it didn’t matter if you were a new SEAL or a seasoned one, that is what is engrained in us ever since BUD/S. Everything you do is a competition, competition is a excellent motivator to make people to perform at a high level. Especially as a new guy, every training trip I was constantly at alert, stressed and always eager to perform better than other new guys. My goal was to be a better shot, more in shape, and a better overall SEAL than the average, it was important for me to prove myself at the time to the older guys because they needed to trust me with their lives on and off the battlefield.

Once the platoon training came to an end,  was almost bitter-sweet. On one hand the boys are relieved that it was over and the other you almost have that desire to continue and you miss being on the road with just the boys. Being on the road during the training trips, gives the guys a chance to relax and an opportunity to just focus on the job. Being home is great but there are distractions i.e. life, family, other temptations that can deter your focus from work. The greatest part about it, it’s the time where the platoon really becomes that brotherhood you always read about, we become FAMILY.

 

Deployment

Once the platoon training cycle ended, the team gets ramped up for deployment. Each Troop has an area of operation that they are responsible for. Mine was Central Command (CENTCOM) at the time, so we knew were going to the middle east but didn’t have an exact location about a few months our from deploying. Coming up on my first deployment after finishing my first full training cycle with my platoon was almost a surreal moment for me. It was a long road up to that point, I learned a shit ton, enhanced my skills as a Frogman, and I really felt that I was ready to go overseas and bring the fight to the enemy. My platoon was filled with nothing but hard dudes, seasoned war fighters. These guys groomed us new guys right because they knew what it would take to destroy the enemy when we got over there. Right before we all took leave, I was told that I would be going to Afghanistan with 2 troop because they needed a combat medic. Afghanistan was where the real fight was at, and I couldn’t have been more excited and nervous at the same time.

I will not be diving into the missions I did on deployment; I’m going to save that for another time. I want to talk about the experiences I had and the behind the scenes stuff you don’t see posted or hear about. My first deployment was hard both mentally and physically, I was young, eager, fired up, and nervous as hell. We all were especially us new guys, this was it, we arrived at the show. Boots on the ground we landed at our Forward Operating Base (FOB) in the Arghandab Valley. We were relieving a West Coast Seal Team. Reality hit me when we were going on our first turnover operation. Inserting via helicopters at night with two Supporting elements and one main element. On insert one of the helicopters crashed, hitting a side of a mounting. That night we lost a lot of good men and one lived. Without going into too much detail out of respect, this was the harsh reality we were in, this was combat, and anything could happen. This derailed our platoon significantly, being our first operation and losing close brothers, you could imagine what the boys were feeling. It took us about 2 weeks to get back on track and set a consistent battle rhythm. I want to say that the platoon bounced back great, it was hard, but we had a job to get done. The first four months of deployment flew by so fast its hard to keep track. Once winter hit it seemed like everything slowed down, some has to do with the weather in Afghanistan because it can get nasty, but it was in part that those savages didn’t like to fight in the winter, they were to fragile in cold weather, typical behavior for cowards of that caliber. For Team guys, we thrive in those types of environments, let’s just say we still found them and took care of business.

The last three months of deployment seemed to drag. We found ourselves counting down the days every so often. Boredom kicked in do the lack of Ops we were going on. A typically day for all of us would be waking up early or late in the afternoon, guys were on all different sleep schedules. It was hard to find a good one, so it was best to just get sleep when you could. When we woke up, it would be straight to breakfast if we had any, or just snack on whatever you had, mostly food from packages the boys received. It was off to the gym after chow, the gym was our sanctuary, at least for me it was. Physical fitness is what Team guys are good at, it also was a good place for the boys to blow off steam. Our gym down range was like the lion’s den. Imagine between 10-20 alpha male Team guys in a small space, all working out and trying to out lift one another. This was inflated ego at its finest and I loved every bit of it. Being around that caliber of men really pushed you to perform at a top level every single day otherwise you would be devoured. The last month of deployment when tensions started to rise, and guys become impatient. You can imagine being around the same people for that amount of time, its normal that we started to get on each other’s nerves to say the least.

Packing up, getting ready to return home we are told a tentative date that our bird will arrive and when we will be heading home. The harsh reality is that this date is never correct the first time. The date and time probably changed a dozen times. You want to know a good way to piss off a entire platoon of SEALS, keep giving them false information and delay them from seeing their families. Finally, the day had come to head home, and you can just see the sense of relief on all the boys faces, we all were ready to go home.

 

Post Deployment

Once the plane gets airborne and we prepare for the long haul to Germany. The boys began to scramble for the best spot to set up shop. This is a battle and hilarious at the same time. Guys bust out their hammocks and ground pads and begin hooking into anything they could find that could potentially support their weight. Some of us would even sneak up on top of the ISU storage containers to sleep, typically we got away with it until the aircrew caught us. Racked up and a couple ambien’s down. That 10-hour flight flew by. We landed on an Air Force base in Spangdahlem, Germany for a night, this was meant to be a refuel stop. This ended up being a bit more than just a “quick stop” to refuel, we ended up getting hotel rooms out in town, and of course the first thing we smelled was the booze. The boys checked into their rooms and immediately went down to the hotel bar, I will tell you this, the hotel was not ready for it. Some of the guys including myself were coming up with a plan to go out in town to have fun or some may say get into trouble. Me and the boys ended up finding the one and only bar in this small town. Spangdahlem had an interesting vibe, very small-town feel, we definitely stood out, again these small-town folks weren’t ready for some hard charging Team guys fresh off the battlefield. That night was long, filled with a lot of German beer. Going 7 months without drinking doesn’t quite set you up for success for pounding beers in Germany. From what I could remember we took a cab back, keep in mind that cabs in Europe are nice vehicles, this one was Mercedes. Our cab driver was driving like a maniac, hauling ass and whipping around corners, this led to me puking out of his back window giving his nice Mercedes a new paint job. Made It back to the hotel, we racked out and were up bright and early to catch our bird home, I felt like shit but I didn’t care because it was good feeling knowing I will be in the states soon.

 

Arriving Home

As soon as we got state side, there was a tour bus waiting for our arrival. The command set up a decompression stop for us in Ocean city, Maryland. This was a weekend stayover in the city, it was supposed to give us time to relax from deployment, meet with doctors, and bring us back to so called reality. I was a little frustrated with the fact, that we had to stay 3 hours from Virginia Beach for a whole weekend before we could go home, I knew the boys were also frustrated. Looking back now those weekends were much needed, the guys had time to relax, go out, and meet with doctors if needed. The Team did this with the best intentions, it made arriving in Virginia Beach that much sweeter. The 2-hour drive down to Virginia Beach was a surreal feeling, the bus was silent the whole way. The guys were excited to finally be back, I know I was, but like with any Team Guy, emotions were no- existent. We arrived at the Team before lunch time, as we pulled up we could see everyone’s family waiting on the side walk for the bus to arrive. The excitement really kicked in once all the guys saw this, I had a huge smile on my face. Once all the greetings and excitement subsided, everyone parted ways and went home with their families and I found my car that was still in the parking lot, I got in and went straight home. I had a lot of emotions running through me that day we all got home, good and bad, but I will tell you one thing, throughout my entire career going on three deployments overseas, those feelings never go away, I still experienced them every time I left and came home.

 

I hope all of you enjoyed this post and got something out of it. I challenge you that If becoming a SEAL is your goal, go after it no matter what. Reflect and make sure that the “why” behind wanting to become a SEAL is rock solid, and if it is, nothing can stop you.

 

TEAMS

Travis Kennedy

 

 

Frogman Perspective: My Journey of Becoming a Navy SEAL

Frogman Perspective

My Journey of Becoming a Navy SEAL

The Beginning

Over the past 12 years I have been serving in the United States Navy and 11 of those years I was serving as a United States Navy SEAL. I want to give you a quick history of who I am and what I did in the Teams to bring relevancy to this no bullshit guide to prepare you for the rigors of not only preparing for BUD/s but for when you actually arrive there.

When I was a sophomore in high school, I began to really think about what I wanted out of life. I knew I wanted to join the military and the Navy was the only branch I wanted to be a part of. At first, I was battling as to what I wanted to do in the Navy, I entertained the idea of possibly going to the Naval Academy and then move onto becoming a fighter pilot. That idea soon faded, I just didn’t have the grades or the passion to go for that specific career in the Navy. What ate away at me was I knew I wanted to be apart of something special, something that would set me apart from the rest and challenge me in ways I couldn’t even imagine. My father at the time was all about the Naval Academy idea but once that faded, he was determined to not let me just settle for anything, he wanted me to be elite, not just average.

            One day my father brought home a pamphlet on Navy SEALs. As soon as he handed it to me, I was blown away. Up until this point I have heard of them but that was as far as it went for me. When I started to read that pamphlet I was hooked, I knew that this job and career was for me. The SEAL mission set, the team camaraderie, the mindset, and the motivation to accomplish the impossible, these are the things that were inline of what I wanted in life. My life was changed from that day on. I began to conduct a lot of research about the SEALs, I bought books, documentaries, BUD/s Class 234 videos. I educated myself on what exactly SEALs did and what the job would be like. Once I set the goal to become a SEAL, BUD/s was just something I needed to go through to do the job, it wasn’t the end all be all for me.

I began my training and preparation for BUD/s my sophomore year of high school. I completely revolved my life around my training. My life consisted of school, sports, and training for BUD/s. My family was a huge supporter of me pursuing my goals to become a SEAL. My father even went as far as paying for a membership at 24-hour fitness that had a pool I could use 24/7 and paid for my scuba certifications because he knew I needed to be proficient in the water. My training consisted of 6 days a week with one rest day, typically on Sunday. I would run Monday through Friday. Starting the week off with a short distance such as 3 miles and finishing the week with a long 6-mile run. I would then swim 4 days a week. Two of those day would be swimming for time typically between 30-60 minutes straight focusing only on sidestroke. The other three days I would do hypoxic pyramid sprint work focusing on freestyle stroke. This drastically increased my cardiovascular and lung capacity. In addition to running and swimming I conducted calisthenics training 6 days a week. Exercises I focused on were push-ups, sit-ups, pull-ups, dips, flutter kicks, leg levers, v-ups, and arm haulers. This is by no means an all-inclusive list, but I just wanted to give you an idea of the exercises I did. Once a week I would add in a ruck run and an open water ocean swim with fins and a mask. Also, If you’re training for BUD/s buy your self a pair of Bates Lite boots and pants and get used to running in that and running in soft sand.

The Decision to Enlist

I enlisted into the Navy the summer of my senior year into a program called DEP. This allowed me to pick a date immediately following graduation that I could leave for boot camp. For my rate I chose Hospital Corpsman (HM). In 2006 you had to choose a SEAL source rating in case you ended up quitting or getting dropped from training you had a skill to fall back on, now a days it’s different and you enter the Navy under a SEAL contract if you qualify and you get put in a undesignated rate status. This should be motivation for you not to ever QUIT, because if you do, you are now at the mercy and “needs of the Navy” trust me she will do what she pleases with you. July 2006 I’m off to boot camp, then onto Corpsman school which was located across the street from boot camp. Corpsman school ended up being 11 weeks long, self-paced program. I enjoyed medicine so I found this training easy and It paid off later in my career. While I was attending Corpsman training, I got involved with the dive motivator program. This program changed me physically and mentally. Before boot camp I was training hard, while attending boot camp I lost a lot, due to the nature of the schedule, in today’s Navy things are different. You will be assigned to an all Special Warfare division that is comprised of candidates that have Special Warfare contracts. Post boot camp you will then attend an 8-week SEAL preparation training before you head off to BUD/s

In the dive motivator program, I trained alongside other guys who were going into Special Warfare programs after they finished Corps. school, or some were just waiting on their orders to pop so they could leave. Everyday was a grind and a competition. We always pushed each other everyday no matter what. Everyday we had to train before class even started, so we would be up at 4 a.m running, swimming, and doing PT. After classes we hit it again, this type of training really set me up for success not only physically but most importantly mentally. July of 2007, I arrived at BUD/s and I checked into the quarter deck, wearing my dress whites and to be honest I was scared shitless. I was 18 years old when I arrived to BUD/s, I didn’t have any life experience or knew really what I was getting myself into but I was determined more than ever, and the moment I walked onto that quarterdeck that fire got even stronger.

Basic Underwater Demolition SEAL Training

I classed up with BUD/s class 266 summer of 2007 and I had no idea what was to come. BUD/s didn’t come easy for me, I did well in majority of the evolution’s, but my weakness was running. Looking back on my training prior to BUD/s I wish I spent more time running. I ended up getting rolled to BUD/s class 267 post pool competency do to failing 4-mile timed runs. I ended up classing up with class 267 healthier than ever. Hell-week really messed my body up in class 266 it took me a long time to recover. But once I was in class 267 my body was right and the rest of 2nd phase went well. I had experience with diving prior to joining the navy, I got certified as a rescue diver in high school. I truly believe this really gave me the confidence I needed to be comfortable and success throughout 2nd phase. 3rd phase was where the fun started in BUD/s. It was the time you began learning to shoot small arms, small unit tactics, and demolition. This was the introduction to the job of being a Navy SEAL and I loved it. I graduated BUD/s February 15, 2008 at the age of 19 years old. It was a surreal moment and feeling for me, all the hard work and dedication finally came to fruition for me. Immediately following BUD/s I was off to SEAL Qualification Training (SQT). Over the course of the next four months is where SQT instructors really taught us how to be United States Navy SEAL. We honed our skills in all aspects from skydiving, marksmanship, combat diving, land warfare, and maritime operations. SQT is why you busted your ass in BUD/s for previous 6 months.

I graduated SQT and became a SEAL on 22 August 2008. This was the greatest day of my life. This Is why I have been busting my ass over the past 2 years to become to include all of my classmates. It’s hard to describe the feeling in words because it’s unlike anything else and few have experienced it. What I want you to take away from it is, its fucking worth it. Following SQT I was told I would be attending the Special Operations Combat Medical School (SOCM) in Fort Bragg, NC do to my medical background. This was a Joint service school where all special operations unit medics attend. This course was six months long and the most academic intensive training schools I attended throughout my military career and one of the most rewarding. After completing that school, I received orders to SEAL Team Four, where I was assigned to 1 Troop Alpha Platoon. I was a new guy, so my mindset was keep my mouth shut and ears open, remember that if you end up completing training and get assigned to your first SEAL Team. Here is the thing, everyone at the Team has done what you have done and then some, so you are a nobody when you check in, soak it all in.

My First Team

While I served at SEAL Team Four from May 2009 to May 2013 I successfully complete two training workups and two combat deployments to Afghanistan. I was fortunate enough to join the Teams at a good time and had the opportunity to go to combat. I had many great experiences overseas and some sketchy ones. But what I did learn is the importance of your teammate next to you, that is what it’s about, having his back, making sure you are always mentally and physically sharp. These are things that were instilled in me while I was in BUD/s and SQT and it was all coming to life for me on my first deployment overseas. I will tell you one thing, I had harder nights overseas that I ever did in BUD/s. The old saying “it only gets harder” is a real thing. Following my tour with SEAL Team four I received orders to become a Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL Instructor at Naval Special Warfare Basic Training Command. This was a position I was striving to get prior to getting home from my second deployment to Afghanistan, and when I got the position I was stoked. I checked into BUD/s May 2013 and I was assigned to First Phase, this is exactly where I wanted to be. I wanted to be there at the beginning for the future Frogman. First phase is the selection phase, the most physically and mentally demanding phase of training. Here I was able to identify who really wanted to become a SEAL because a lot of people are just talk, there is a reason why it’s over an 80% drop out rate. Over the course of the two years I was there, one thing that stood out to me was the reasons individuals quit training. I concluded that each person that dropped on request (DOR) didn’t have a clear and solid “why” they wanted to become a SEAL. Often individuals were there for the wrong reasons, the only driving factor was so they could prove to themselves they could even go to BUD/s, complete hell week, or just complete BUD/s training itself. These reasons in of themselves are weak and provide no foundations and true motivation or desire to wanting to become a SEAL and most importantly do the JOB of a Navy SEAL. Identify your “Why” because I truly believe that it needs to be so solid that nothing can prevent you from becoming a Navy SEAL.

March 2015 my time was up as an Instructor and I received orders to SEAL Team Four again, going into the position of Leading Petty Officer of a Platoon. This was one of those rewarding career milestones that SEALs look forward to accomplishing in their careers. I was stationed at SEAL Team Four from March 2015 to March 2017 and in that time,  I successfully led a SEAL Platoon through a training cycle and a deployment to Colombia. After returning from Colombia I received orders to Naval Special Warfare Training Detachment Two, where I was the Leading Chief Petty Officer of Special Operations Urban Combat Training Division. In this division I was responsible for 8 other SEAL Instructors and a three-week course of instruction that covered a diverse skill set that included: Close quarters combat, urban warfare, leadership development, and small unit tactics. I served a two-year billet at this command and during the final year of my commitment was when I made the decision to separate from the military. This was probably one of the hardest decisions of my career.

Making the Difficult Decision

I Separated from the Military on 14 April 2019, with the goal to move back home to California and find a way to give back and help others. One thing I learned during my time as a BUD/s Instructor and running a training division is that I had a passion for teaching and mentoring others. After a month from moving back to California, I started Kennedy Defensive Shooting, the mission behind this company is to develop thinking shooters and provide quality firearms training and education to individuals who seek to better themselves personally and professionally. Now I’m developing a mentor program for people who seek further guidance and direction on their pursuit of becoming a SEAL. This mentor program is also tailored for those who just want to join the navy and need help understanding the life or the process of enlisting.  Honestly, I didn’t move to California with the intentions of starting a company. The idea and passion hit me in the face one day and I fell in love with it. Where I am in life right now, this falls in line with what my goals are, and that is to give back and pass on the knowledge I learned over the past 12 years as a SEAL.

I challenge you to sit back and reflect on your goals. Really make sure your “why” is clear regardless if you want to become a SEAL or not. This will help guide you on your path to success and give you the motivation you need to accomplish any goal you set for yourself.

I really hoped you enjoyed this. Please give me feedback and let me know what you think. Ask questions and if you want me to go into greater detail on a topic let me know.

 

Keep crushing.

Teams

- Travis Kennedy

 

 

FROGMAN PERSPECTIVE

FROGMAN PERSPECTIVE

Inside look of an operator

 

I’m going to give you insight as to what I did before stepping off for every operation overseas or when I was conducting training. These Team Guy Tips are things all operators do to keep themselves and their platoons squared away.

 

Team Guy Tip #1

Touch Check

This is a concept and a habit that is built out of necessity and hard lessons learned. As a former operator I used “touch checks” constantly and I use them in my personal life now. For example, every time before stepping out the door for an operation or training I touch every piece of my critical gear for example: NVG’s, Radios, Pistol, Rifle, Optic, Laser, Light, and any other piece of sensitive equipment I carried on me. This gave me the physical and mental que I needed to reassure myself that I had everything I needed to perform as an operator. While I was overseas, I would constantly conduct touch checks, while on long patrols, especially at night, and after we got into an enemy engagement, it was crucial that I had all my gear in the event we encountered another hostile situation.

 

How I implement this into my personal life

My tip is to have a place in your house, I don’t care where it is to set all your personal belongings on for whenever you get home or leave for the day. Same place every single time builds good habits. As you get ready place your wallet, keys, phone, knife, pistol, and whatever else you every day carry into the same pockets every time. Physically touch your pocket to verify that it is in there throughout the day, this will give you the constant “warm and fuzzy” feeling reassuring yourself that you have all your gear.

 

 What I do

When I was in work up training for deployment, I conducted touch checks constantly. It became muscle memory for me because I always needed to reassure myself, I had all my gear. On every patrol overseas I would constantly tap every piece of sensitive equipment I had. It’s what operators do, this equipment is life saving and the guys in the platoon are relying on me to be squared away every second of the day. In my personal life I set all my belonging in the same place every single day, and I place each piece of my everyday carry kit in the same pocket every single day.

 

Team Guy Tip #2

Loading your Primary and Secondary Weapon

Whether I’m on the range conducting training or I’m overseas about to go on an operation I always load my firearms in this order every single time. First, I load my secondary, in this case my pistol first, and I always conduct a press check to verify a round is in the chamber then I holster the weapon. Second, I will load my primary, which is the rifle and like the pistol I will load it and conduct a press check to verify a round is in the chamber. Lastly, I will close the dust cover on the rifle, this gives me the visual reference that I need to reassure myself that I have loaded both weapons systems and I’m ready to fight or train depending on the situation.

 

TEAM Guy Sense

When you read this, you may think to yourself, yeah this makes a lot of sense to do and that is the feeling I want you to have. Often these little habits are blown off, and if you do that it will come back and bite you in the ass. I’ve personally seen these things blown off by others and gear has been lost, and numerous dead-man guns were witnessed on the range while training or worse you could be in a real life threatening situation and you aren’t prepared. Don’t be that man or woman, develop these good habits now that way it becomes second nature. Trust me, this will translate into your shooting and into your everyday lives in a positive way.

Take Action

I challenge you, every time you head to the range to train or leaving for work, check all of your pockets before stepping out the door, double check that you have all the gear you need to train with, and when you arrive at the range step up to the firing line and load your primary and secondary weapon in the order I have told you.

For the LEO and Military folks. Before you step out the door to go on duty, an operation, or train, do all these things the same way every single time. These habits will instill that confidence subconsciously into you so when it comes time to react to an adverse situation you have no doubt you are prepared.

 

I will be putting out a series of the Frogman Perspective over the next few weeks. Adding in each week a Team Guy Tip that I think will add value to all of your lives.

Thanks for reading, if you like this article leave a comment, let me know what you think and give me feedback if you want more information.

 

-        Travis Kennedy

#ThinkingShooter

 

 

 

 

 

After Action Report: Glock45 Gun Review

My After-Action Report on The Glock45

Gun Review

 

This pistol has been released for quite some time now, however I was able to purchase the Glock45 a month ago and I haven’t been more pleased with a pistol in a long time.

Below I’m going to give you my take on the performance and reliability of this pistol, I’m very confident you will not be disappointed with the performance of this sidearm.

Up until I purchased my own Glock45 I only read about it online and through other gun reviews. When I moved back to California, I had the opportunity to shoot the Glock45 and immediately fell In love with it. The performance and the overall feel of the pistol was amazing, I will go into more detail later but after my first experience I had to buy one.

G45 Build

9x19, the G45 combines the full size G17 Gen5 frame with a standard G19 slide featuring front serrations. The depth and width of the serrations I felt were spot on and supplied me with more than enough grip to rack the slide back or conduct a proper press check. Another major notable enhancement is the Glock nDLC finish, this is exclusive to Glock. It is an ion-bonded finish that reduces corrosion and scratching and aids the weapons reliability and functionality. All these fine tune upgrades really set this weapon apart from the rest in my opinion.

One of my personal favorites is the flared magwell that makes it easier for all shooters to insert the magazine especially while conducting fast magazine changes, very hard to miss the magweel with this feature.

Like its Gen5 predecessors the fingers grooves have been removed from the G45, which enables me as a shooter to get a better grip on the gun, I really enjoy the feel of this. The G45 comes with a Glock Marksman Barrel, this is a match-grade barrel with tighter chamber specs. And more aggressive rifling for better accuracy. The consistency and accuracy is very noticeable with the G45 compared to other pistols I have used and train with. The final touch is the ambidextrous slide stop lever, which is a nice feature for both the right and left handed shooter or if for any reason you need to switch hands for drills or in a dangerous situation.

Specifications: G45

Caliber: 9x19mm

Capacity: 17+1 rounds

Barrel Length: 4 in.

Overall Length: 7.44 in.

Sights: Polymer U-notch

Weight: 25oz w/empty magazine.

 

What I Think

Going back to the beginning of this post, the first time I had the privilege to shoot the Glock45 I was immediately hooked on the weapon, and it all boiled down to the grip for me. I’m a huge G19 fan but wasn’t a fan of the grip length but combining the G17 lower with G19 upper this was a smart move by Glock. Another reason that I didn’t end up going wit the 19x was the color, I wanted to get away from the military color and style and lean more towards a sidearm that will be more useful to me as a civilian so I ended up going with the G45 because of the color, flared magwell, and quite simply the overall feel of the weapon in my hand. The feel, weight, and balance are all very important to me when I choose my weapons.

The G45 is an extremely well-designed pistol and are in high demand as a result. Like I stated before it is the most well-balanced pistol I have ever fired. The buyer of this firearm is someone who is looking for reliability, comfort, accuracy, and capacity. The pistol just feels right in the hand, and is easily manipulated, with an excellent capacity at 17+1 rounds. Three magazines are included with purchase of the pistol.

 

Team Guy Rating

Accuracy:

I haven’t shot a more accurate pistol up until I bought the G45. The grip size combined with the compact G19 slide makes the gun recoil so smooth, allowing the gun to stay on target that much easier.

Reliability:

I had no malfunctions with the pistol yet, one thing that has happened to me a few times is when I go to do a magazine change and I slam the magazine to hard, it will send the slide home without chambering a round, then I would have to proceed to my immediate action drill. This is an issue that doesn’t concern me, do to the fact it’s not an uncommon occurrence with pistols.

The Feel:

This pistol is bad ass and feels even better in your hand. Plenty of room on the grip for even the largest of hands, but still has the compact feel.

Cool factor:

The gun looks simple in nature but is a secret badass in my mind, it’s not flashy looking but it will crush some of the best pistols out there.

Overall:

If you haven’t shot this pistol go out and give it a go and put some lead through it, I promise that you will not be disappointed. And If you don’t like it for whatever reason, then that is ok because it won’t be for everyone. I highly recommend this pistol for anyone, because of the versatility and reliability.

 

Go out to your local range and rent this pistol and give it a go, and after reading this leave a comment below and let me know if you like the review or you would like me to expound on something specific.

-Travis Kennedy

#ThinkingShooter #Teams

 

Fundamentals of Defensive Shooting

Building Fundamentals

Over all the years that I have been trained in firearms, everything boils down to developing strong fundamentals. In my experience even as a Navy SEAL I have noticed that most, if not all people, I’m guilty of this, are so eager to skip the boring fundamental drills and go straight to the high-speed drills and techniques because it looks cooler and it’s more stimulating. But this is just a temporary emotional fix, jumping into drills and techniques that you aren’t ready for will set you up for failure. I have personally fell into this mindset when I was a young Navy SEAL, I was eager to be high-speed, I thought I was good because I did some basic drills in BUD/s and SQT, at the time in my mind I wanted to skip the boring drill and go straight to the action. Looking back now that was a wrong mindset, I quickly learned that I wasn’t as good as I thought, but that mental switch turned me into the thinking shooter I am today, I’m going to go over the techniques and lessons I have learned over the past 12 years on how to build a strong foundation to make you become a great defensive shooter.

 Build Your Foundation

Maybe you have never touched a firearm or you have some experience with firearms but just not quite confident or you find yourself doing advance drills you see on the internet that you aren’t ready for, or you could be an advanced shooter with tons of experience but may fall victim of skipping practice of your fundamentals. I don’t care what experience you bring to the table everything boils down to consistent purposeful practice of shooting fundamentals will make you a great shooter. Below are the techniques I’m constantly practicing, thinking of, and teaching whenever I am at the range.

Shooting Stance

How you stand while you shoot will make a difference on the accuracy and your effectiveness while putting lead down range. What I teach is put your feet should with apart, with your weak leg slightly forward, putting you in an athletic stance, ready to handle recoil management and move fast and affectively if necessary. I keep my left leg slightly forward because I’m right dominant, this feels natural to me, so I recommend do what feels comfortable for you because there isn’t one size fits all, but keeping your legs should width, slightly bent, and in an athletic stance, this will set you up for success that will trickle all the way up your body through the gun all while putting accurate rounds on target.

Your Grip

Your grip is one of the most important fundamentals of shooting, and this is the most common issue I see in individuals. Whether your right or left handed all these techniques apply, for my example I’m going to describe a right handed shooter. What I teach is 60%/40%, the 60% is for the dominant hand, In my case my right hand. I’m grabbing the pistol high on the grip and apply 60% of my grip strength with my dominant hand on the grip of the pistol. My left hand (non-dominant hand) apply the other 40%. I place my left index finger up under the base of the trigger guard in line with my first knuckle, I wrap my left hand across the grip, making contact with my right hand. My thumbs are stacked on top of each other and facing down the slide of the pistol, creating a clean natural point of aim. My arms are extend out but not fully locked out, I have a slight bend in my elbows to help with recoil management, and I’m flexing my chest and arms in ever so slightly to help me even more with recoil management, enabling me to keep my sites on target effectively.

Sight Picture and Sight Alignment

The key to aiming and effective shot placement is to properly align your sights, proper sight picture, Front site focus, and be able to keep your sights on target with little to no movement all while pulling the trigger. This is a lot easier said than done and takes hours of practice to be effective. Sight picture and sight alignment are sometimes taught as one and the same, but it is important to know that they are two different and distinct fundamentals.

Sight alignment

This is the relationship of the front sight and rear sight. Your eyes must be lined up with the front sight and rear sights positioned so that the alignment is correct. Proper sight alignment of the two sights means that the top of the front sight is vertically centered in the NOTCH of the rear sight, so there is equal amount of white space on either side of the front sight post. This also means that the TOP of the front sight is LEVEL horizontally with the TOP of the rear sight. There are many different types of sights, this is just a general guideline that will apply to most types of sights. No matter how the sights are configured, the front sights are designed to be placed on the same axis as the rear sight.

Sight Picture

This is the placement of your aligned sights on the target. Once you have everything in alignment, front sight and rear sight now the question may come to mind “Where do I place my sights now in relation to the target?” It depends, especially on what you are aiming for, typically guns are sighted in for a hold that requires the shooter to place the front sight where it covers up the center of the target (center mass, or head shot). Putting this all together now, we have to focus on sight alignment, sight picture, and front sight focus. However, the human eye can’t focus on 3 objects at the same time at different distances. For the most accurate shot placement my advice would be to focus on the front sight, keeping the rear and target out of focus. When you use an acceptable site picture technique this means that your primary focus in on the front sightt this may be in part of the proximity of your target for quick shots. Regardless of technique each has its place and can be used for certain situations but the foundation to practice on is to train front sight focus this technique will instill good habits to which you can build on.

 

I hope this post gives you insights on how to properly aim your firearm, giving you a perspective on sight picture, sight alignment, and front sight focus. This is by no means all inclusive as there are many different techniques, but this will give you a good foundation and understanding to basics of firing your weapon and what you need to focus on every time you conduct training.

 

If this was helpful or you would like me to write about something else or expound on this article, please comment below or email me.

- Travis Kennedy

#THINKINGSHOOTER

My Journey

THE FIRST CHAPTER

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For the past 12 years I have been serving in the United States Navy as a Navy SEAL. As I sit here and reflect over my career in the military it brings a smile to my face and a sense of happiness and fulfillment. Ever since I was in high school I knew I wanted to serve my country in a capacity that would set me apart from the norm. As soon as I caught wind of what SEALs were and what their mission set was, I was immediately hooked, and from that point I made it my life goal to become a United States Navy SEAL. I joined the Navy in 2006 and ended going to Basic Underwater Demolition/SEAL (BUD/s) training in the summer of 2007, and successfully became A SEAL in February of 2008. From there I went to SEAL Team Four where I served on two combat deployments to Afghanistan. I was then stationed at BUD/s where I was an instructor, here I had the honor to teach and mentor future Navy SEALs, It’s at this duty station where I learned the importance of what a good teacher and mentor could bring to the table, this duty station was one of the most fulfilling times in my career. After my time was done at that command, I went back to SEAL Team Four as the Leading Petty Officer of a platoon, there I had the honor to lead 16 other SEAL operators through a year and half long training work up into a 6 month long deployment to Colombia. After those two years I was then stationed at Naval Special Warfare Training Detachment Two, there I was the Leading Chief Petty Officer of Special Operations Urban Combat Training Division. Here I had the honor to lead and mentor 8 other SEAL instructors, where we all taught urban tactics, tactical shooting, direct action target assaults, and leadership development.

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CREATING SOMETHING OF MY OWN

To put things into perspective, I am dreamer at heart and am always setting high goals for myself, I have had the desire to always have something I could call my own. At the close of my term as BUD/s instructor I began contemplating on separating from the Navy. I had this gut feeling I wanted change but at the time I just didn’t have the means or the vision to really run with that feeling at that time. So I ended up going back to the SEAL Team Four, then onto running the training division. through those four years I really honed in what exactly I was looking for and what i really wanted out of life because to me it’s about what makes you happy regardless of what you do. I finished my degree in Criminal Justice during that time and aligned all my finances so when it was time to separate I would be good to go. Fast forward to March 2019 I packed all of my belongings into a storage unit and moved out to Southern California. My ultimate goal was to create something of my own, my own business but before I moved I didn’t quite know exactly what type of business.

CREATE YOUR PURPOSE

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As I got settled here in beautiful California I ended up taking some of my friends and my fathers friends out to the range and we shot and I taught them some skills and I began to think, I love to shoot, I love to teach and watch people grow and better themselves, this is what gives me happiness. So I began to brainstorm with my father and I created something, I created “Kennedy Defensive Shooting”. The moment this name came to light, it put a smile on my face and the fire ignited in me to really make something of this. Now here I am full steam ahead with this, I am going to make this happen, I’m going to work hard regardless if times get tough because I know they will, but that’s how we grow and learn.

If I could leave you with one piece of advice from this post is to pursue your goals no matter what, even if you have to make sacrifices because at the end of the day you will succeed if you work hard and stay focused. Don’t let your own fears or outside negative influences steer you on the wrong path.

Thanks

Travis Kennedy

#THINKINGSHOOTER