3 CARBINE SHOOTING TIPS

Sight Alignment

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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.

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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.

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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

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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.

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Setting Standards

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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

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.

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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

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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

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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

Fundamentals of Defensive Shooting

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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.

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 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.

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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.

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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.

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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.

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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