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