So here I am in the middle of the Amazon without internet access for the past month under the assumption that I had posted this before I left. Clearly I had not, my apologies to the folks at MAST and to any other interested parties.
I met Matt Brockman at CSAT last year during a Tactical Rifle course, and was impressed by his professionalism, I have intended to take a MAST course ever since. I first met Iraq Ninja(not sure if he wants his name used) on here and have made a few informal trips to our local range with him.
Most folks who have been around M4C recognize Iraq Ninja’s posts as valuable and full of real world knowledge and experience. Listening to him and talking to him in person confirms the same. We were fortunate that he decided to allow M4C members to attend what was really a Christmas/thank you present to past students.
The course as described by Iraq Ninja was as follows.
VEHICLE VS MAN
How to set your vehicle up as a “war wagon”.
Carbine selection and setup for vehicular use.
How to become the “gray” car.
Multiple vehicles working as a team.
Embuss and debuss drills, both individual and team, in high threat situations and while under fire.
Dead Driver Drills- controlling the vehicle as a passenger.
Proactive vs reactive driving.
Threat mitigation through awareness and planning.
The reality of shooting from vehicles at static and moving threats.
Vehicle vs vehicle combat scenarios.
Medical considerations and casualty removal.
Armored vehicles and the proper use of gun ports.MAN VS CAR
Stopping vehicular threats while dismounted, armed and unarmed.
Removal of occupants by force.
At first I was excited to learn something about things I know next to nothing about. I didn’t however expect that much of what he has learned in war zones would be applicable or practical to daily life/driving. I was wrong, much of what was in the course can and should be applied to daily life…and can be practiced while going to the grocery store.
Simple things like getting in and out of a vehicle quickly and efficiently. Are you able to haul ass out of the passenger door under stress? Iraq Ninja covered everything from dealing with stuck seatbelts to tips on how to make sure you bring your rifle with you as you scoot on out.
We discussed vehicle born medical kits and received tips on how to make sure we’re able to both access the contents, and then open the packages of bandages/quickclot/whatever under adverse conditions. Simple things that make the task infinitely easier like putting a small tab of medical tape next to the opening cut so that you can both find it, and also gain traction when your hands are covered in blood.
The dead man driver drills were probably the most fun part of the day for me, and while not easy…it was surprisingly doable. Provided of course that you’re trained and able to think quickly enough that is.
Prior to taking the course I had never once timed myself while changing a flat tire. For that matter, it never occurred to me to make sure that my nuts were well greased. Even if I’m as far from a gunfight as I could possibly be the next time I have to change a tire, the nature of working on a roadside ensures that I have plenty of motivation to do it quickly.
Iraq Ninja was quick to point out that he could spend weeks teaching everything that the syllabus covered, though I think that he did an excellent job of touching on everything and filling our brains with quite enough to keep me busy for a while.
I fully enjoyed the course, I fully intend on attending another MAST Solutions course in the future, and as soon as I return to the states from Brazil I will find my notes and edit this post with more details and correct whatever I find to be lacking.