Posted: 11/14/2011 7:27:48 PM EDT
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A great deal of thought goes into prep for SHTF and TEOTWAWKI scenarios. People stock food, meds, water, ways to make more water, lots of fuel for the generator, etc. And we all should. In the best case scenario of TEOTWAWKI, we'll be doing well and have little to no issues. But, lets face it, If things go down, they'll likely go down hard and we'll be forced to get a bit more violent than we'd planned. So, while we can get water in a variety of ways and hunt/trap/catch food etc, how many people ACTUALLY know about tactics and how to the dirty work.
Well, a class exists to teach you. I just got home from finishing the "Tactical Urban Sustainment Course" at the Direct Action Resource Center in North Little Rock, AR. Soon to be replaced website Rich and his guys have spent many years teaching the worlds best warriors the art of CQB, among many other things. Only recently opening up to the public, DARC (pronounced "darcy") is a mecca of sorts for spec ops training. As seen on their website, they have shoot houses, villages, buses, and even a DC9, not to mention a variety of ranges out to 1k yards. The instructors have solid backgrounds as actual SOF shooters. They are HIGHLY respected in the community. I've previously taken a carbine course there and learned a ton. Before I took the carbine course, I served as OPFOR, for several different types of units. Now, having done it since, it's just amazing at how much better I am with a rifle when being shot at with sims. Anyway, on to the course. The TUSC is 4 days and 3 nights. As this is a survival driven scenario, you live out of your ruck, and sleep on site. If you need water, you filter it. If you need food, it better be in your ruck. You'll work with your team on various skills that will save your life. If you need to learn to start a fire with sticks, get a boy scout manual. This is big boy stuff. Honestly, I can't give an accurate timeline of what we learned when, but I can try to list the things we did do. Keep in mind, these skills are for when everything else goes to hell and their is no other choice. I think we can all agree that fights are best avoided. Over the 4 days, everything from a mindset of surviving the fight, to actual force on force was learned. We started with the basics. Room/structure clearing with 2 men, all the way up through 6. Something you'll want to do? No. What if you're out of food? Have a team mate that needs meds? Need to hide from someone chasing you? Then yeah, the need may arise to clear a house or other structure. You never know why or if you'll need to do something, clearing a structure is something that if you don't know how to do, you WILL DIE if you try. We did 2 to 4 man movement techniques, including 2 man while transporting a non combatant. Not a true clear, just making your way through a structure to safety in a manner which will likely keep you from taking accurate fire. There are times when, while dangerous, moving THROUGH that house, instead of AROUND it is advantageous. We trained for, and went live fire on vehicle drills. Your vehicle gets hit from any side, and how to react. Whether it's another vehicle, whether it's an ambush, we trained for it, and not only how to react, but then the specific ways of how to recover, regroup, and gtfo of the area. We worked on patrolling, as will likely be needed in a TEOTWAWKI scenario. We worked on crossing streets. We worked on how to go from a patrolling column, to counter ambush in any direction. We learned both individual movement techniques for the concealed carry holder, and ambush/counter ambush techniques for the concealed carry holder. (or non concealed frankly) I'm sure i'm leaving a lot out. But I think I've hit most of it. One thing that I'll take away and hopefully keep with me forever, is the mindset stuff. It was mixed intermittently throughout the course, but when a man like Rich talks, an intelligent person shuts their mouth and listens. It may just be one of the funniest stories you've ever heard, but it may also be a small tidbit of information that will save your life. To underscore the quality of training here, 2 former SOF guys turned contractors were students, as well as one federal agent. All 3 have a history there and all 3 stated that they're alive because of DARC classes. Now, I honestly am not aware of anyone else teaching such a class. Force on Force classes are rare, but so strongly illustrate the point beyond flat range stuff, that it's worth ANY extra expense to do so. The new website will be up soon, complete with a calender for projected training dates. As of now, and then, the training forum will have dates for future TUSC classes, as well as open enrollment tactical carbine, pistol, and possibly AK if I remember right. Pics: 
What sims will do: 
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You're going to see a few more of these schools developing over the next couple years.
The firms that trained "privateers" for GWOT just got a new lease on life as the middle east winds down. Now, Americans want to learn "convoy security" to traverse their own home towns. I love it....and I hate it just the same..... 
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You're going to see a few more of these schools developing over the next couple years. The firms that trained "privateers" for GWOT just got a new lease on life as the middle east winds down. Now, Americans want to learn "convoy security" to traverse their own home towns. I love it....and I hate it just the same..... That's likely true, but their are differences with DARC. 1. The instructors aren't doing it to make a buck, they believe that its your right to have the best possible skillset and therefore training, to defend yourself. 2. Force on Force. Not many places can offer this. Sim kits aren't cheap, sims aren't cheap. The safety gear isn't cheap. 3. The facility. I'm unaware of any place in the US, or the world for that matter, where a civilian can go train with even close to the DARC level of environments. This is even bigger when combined with #2. 4. DARC has been in business since the mid 90s, and their clientele is made up of the best that our government, and allied governments have to offer. The thing about the tactical skills I learned at DARC is that I hope I never have to use them. The mindset lessons will help with this. But these skills, like our preps for SHTF, for concealed carry, etc, all fall under the realm of "better to have and not need, than need and not have" |
Just wanted to add a +1 to DARC, and the TUSC class in particular. I went to the last TUSC course a few months back.I learned a ton of useful information, learned some new skills i'm still practicing, and had a lot of fun. Even got to take home some scars (simunitions hurt!)  Best training experience i've had, and i'd been to a number of classes before it. Can't wait to go back. Wish i'd gotten some pictures, though. Some others took pictures, but I never saw more than a handful.
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I see the tactical cardboard cup was in place for that last pic. Of all the safety gear why is that the piece most often forgot 
With that said DARC training is top notch. The only way to make training like TUSC better is if you can have the people you hope/expect to be around take it with you. Everybody plays a part as a team. Even if they can't or won't come, at least you will have the knowledge and can try to pass it along. |
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I wanted to add a few words about the class and certainly don't want to get sucked into a debate about training or the validity of any one course or technique. That said, I agree that there will be a rash of schools and courses "pop up" that teach what are ultimately techniques that are not applicable for citizens of the United States. These courses cater to a consumer who wants to "Play Dress Up" and boost their own egos. TUSC is no such course. What you learn are useful tactical techniques that can be applied in a nature disaster (Katrina) and moments of civil unrest (Let's say Occupy Wall Street Ect turns violent) when it will fall to the individual citizen to protect themselves, family and their neighborhoods when Government security forces are unavailable or engaged with dealing with the larger problem. This course is not about being violent or being anti government, it is quite the opposite. The people I met it this course were law enforcement, active and former military and good quality Americans whom just wanted to learn skills to protect their families.
I also think it is important to mention that most of the courses that DARC offers are force on force intensive. This is EXTREMELY RARE. Sure some courses offer a few evolutions of force on force but DARC is all dry rehearsals and practice and then is is "Live and in Color" with Sims, and I mean a lot of Sims. I am sure I fired several hundred rounds of Sims during TUSC. In Advanced Urban Warfare I fired over 2500 rounds of Sims. In TUSC I fired more rounds of Sims in one evolution then I did in all other courses combined. This type of training and stress inoculation is invaluable. It is easy to make runs through a shoot house shooting at paper targets or firing at paper on a flat range and it is another to have a moving target shoot at you with a projectile that moves at a few hundred feet per second and leaves welts. (As you can see from the pictures above). That alone makes TUSC worth while. I have trained at numerous training facilities around the country. DARC is by far the best. If you want to learn how to protect yourself and family should the need arise in moments of civil unrest, TUSC is for you. However if you want to "Play Dress Up" and get an ego boost go elsewhere because DARC will be a miserable experience. I hope you guys get an opportunity to go to DARC it is a unique experience |
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I wanted to add a few words about the class and certainly don't want to get sucked into a debate about training or the validity of any one course or technique. That said, I agree that there will be a rash of schools and courses "pop up" that teach what are ultimately techniques that are not applicable for citizens of the United States. These courses cater to a consumer who wants to "Play Dress Up" and boost their own egos. TUSC is no such course. What you learn are useful tactical techniques that can be applied in a nature disaster (Katrina) and moments of civil unrest (Let's say Occupy Wall Street Ect turns violent) when it will fall to the individual citizen to protect themselves, family and their neighborhoods when Government security forces are unavailable or engaged with dealing with the larger problem. This course is not about being violent or being anti government, it is quite the opposite. The people I met it this course were law enforcement, active and former military and good quality Americans whom just wanted to learn skills to protect their families. I also think it is important to mention that most of the courses that DARC offers are force on force intensive. This is EXTREMELY RARE. Sure some courses offer a few evolutions of force on force but DARC is all dry rehearsals and practice and then is is "Live and in Color" with Sims, and I mean a lot of Sims. I am sure I fired several hundred rounds of Sims during TUSC. In Advanced Urban Warfare I fired over 2500 rounds of Sims. In TUSC I fired more rounds of Sims in one evolution then I did in all other courses combined. This type of training and stress inoculation is invaluable. It is easy to make runs through a shoot house shooting at paper targets or firing at paper on a flat range and it is another to have a moving target shoot at you with a projectile that moves at a few hundred feet per second and leaves welts. (As you can see from the pictures above). That alone makes TUSC worth while. I have trained at numerous training facilities around the country. DARC is by far the best. If you want to learn how to protect yourself and family should the need arise in moments of civil unrest, TUSC is for you. However if you want to "Play Dress Up" and get an ego boost go elsewhere because DARC will be a miserable experience. I hope you guys get an opportunity to go to DARC it is a unique experience Very well said and so true! I went through the July TUSC and it was a huge eye opener. There are no BS portions to this course. Everything you learn has a clear and to the point reason and are backed/reenforced with the sure pain (pleasure) of SIMs! You can go over the dry runs all day and go I got this! Then you start you live run and that first sim hits you from that angle you never seen in that dry run and it all falls to shit! You tend to remember things like that and try not to do it again. |
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Good writeup. What worked for you gear wise and what didn't?
I attended TUSC in July as well, and if your run through was anything like ours, then I'm sure you learned a ton. Unfortunately, I'm still playing connect the fucking dots on my body (4 months later!) from all the Sim hits. And the most pertinent lesson of all??? 
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Good writeup. What worked for you gear wise and what didn't? I attended TUSC in July as well, and if your run through was anything like ours, then I'm sure you learned a ton. Unfortunately, I'm still playing connect the fucking dots on my body (4 months later!) from all the Sim hits. And the most pertinent lesson of all???  http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L1BDM1oBRJ8I was very fortunate with sim hits this time, I only had one break the skin. I ran a traditional ruck with no compression, so while lighter than most, if not all, set ups, I had more bulk than some. I'll be moving to a compression type pack with inflatable ground pads for the wife and I. Though in doing so, ill lose the advantage of being able to use a belt holster I think. I ran a mountain oven meal heater instead of an esbit stove and pot. Faster clean up, faster food prep. Ill be adding a gravity filter. The pumps are faster, but the decreased attention needed for the bags was great. Ill probably add another camelbak bladder too. |
At 480 FPS, with the ability to put 3 SIMS shots on the back of a moving elbow@ 100 ft. from "that angle", I can tesitfy to a painful lesson:
At first it was Instructor: "You need to keep your elbows in close to your body" Me : "OK" Then, after, it was...."Why yes Sir, I understand quite clearly now, the importance of what your are communicating" 
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that is a lesson to make it stick i would say....question?...what was the cost for this course, it has my interest and the Mrs This one was $975, though due to a few reasons, cost was artificially low if I understand correctly and future TUSCs will be more. I may be wrong on that though. |
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that is a lesson to make it stick i would say....question?...what was the cost for this course, it has my interest and the Mrs This one was $975, though due to a few reasons, cost was artificially low if I understand correctly and future TUSCs will be more. I may be wrong on that though. 975 for a 4 day course?..THAT is an incredible value. and they provided the sims? |
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that is a lesson to make it stick i would say....question?...what was the cost for this course, it has my interest and the Mrs This one was $975, though due to a few reasons, cost was artificially low if I understand correctly and future TUSCs will be more. I may be wrong on that though. 975 for a 4 day course?..THAT is an incredible value. and they provided the sims? That's one of the variables that I don't know. The sims were provided for us and the previous TUSC. I don't know if they will be in the future. |
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that is a lesson to make it stick i would say....question?...what was the cost for this course, it has my interest and the Mrs This one was $975, though due to a few reasons, cost was artificially low if I understand correctly and future TUSCs will be more. I may be wrong on that though. 975 for a 4 day course?..THAT is an incredible value. and they provided the sims? That's one of the variables that I don't know. The sims were provided for us and the previous TUSC. I don't know if they will be in the future. still....heck of a value I think lets say it ended up at 1200 a student for training/sims.....it's worth it, 30+ years ago when I was in training was like "here's your weapon, shoot bad guys" |
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Sims is serious bidness yo Aw shit, please tell me that's just the protective lens! |
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Quoted: Quoted: Sims is serious bidness yo Aw shit, please tell me that's just the protective lens! Aye that it was. Caused some light surface scratches on the lens of the unit, but nothing that materially effects the quality of the image. |
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Quoted: Good writeup. What worked for you gear wise and what didn't? I attended TUSC in July as well, and if your run through was anything like ours, then I'm sure you learned a ton. Unfortunately, I'm still playing connect the fucking dots on my body (4 months later!) from all the Sim hits. And the most pertinent lesson of all??? http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=L1BDM1oBRJ8Breakfast this morning!!!!! Get Some!!!!!!  |
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And here I was, worried about my light  My flashlight got shot out by a sim when I was there. My team was screaming at me trying to get me to light up a hallway I was covering, and the blasting music made it impossible to make the problem known. It happened to a guy on my team too, but his light still worked. It was red, but it worked.
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pork chop sandwiches - must be a cultural thing - this is what is served at the All-Army small arms matches...they are famous. maybe some of the DARC guys trained at all army?
Question - as a soldier I sought opportunities to train with firearms as often as I could - SDM, CQM, CAT-C and competing at All Army and a handful of other combat matches - what will a guy lik me get out of the course? Genuinely interested. Thanks. |
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Having never been in the Army, I can't answer your question with authority, I can say this though: as you know, all shooting skills are perishable. No matter how skilled one is, over time, that edge degrades. Some prior darc students repeat classes on their own to maintain.
In this tusc, as stated before, 2 varieties of prior service socom troops were represented. This is good for a few reasons. Each is a whole new set of experiences. Each darc instructor is very careful to not move on from a lesson without giving the other instructors a chance to speak and these guys, who were there to learn, were able to add things here and there. As a student, its great to have fellow students who have actually cleared buildings in real life be the guy you're shooting against. And by shooting against, I mean you're each the target. In the 4 days there, I shot no paper. I shot no cardboard. I shot only people who were trying to shoot me. Being as darc is primarily a .mil training site, I don't know how far I can go here to answer your question. I'd rather err on the side of caution and let their crew jump in here and round out my answer. |