The training book thread

[theblackknight]

Recomendation, reviews, questions, post them here. Mindset books ala On Combat go here too.


Ive been on a reading spree lately. Finished Born to Run in 2 days. Halfway thru "the ugly american".

Anyone read Pat Mcnamera TAPS? Amazon has some good reviews.

[coloccw]

Blink by Malcolm Gladwell and Training at the Speed of Life by Kenneth Murray are good reads. Another to consider, for any profession, is Pete Blaber's The mission, the Men, and Me. Great insights that transfer to every mission.

[J8127]

Not a "training book" per se, but Lone Survivor had more impact on me than any other book I have ever read. It puts things in perspective, and for me, it makes those burning lungs, tired muscles, or blistered skin really seem not that ****ing bad after all.

Books like that do more for me than any how to guides or philosophical crap.

[Ash Hess]

Death Ground: The Modern Infantry in Combat by GEN Danial Bolgar

Stories of Marine and Army Infantry from the Modern era. I learned tons from this book. There is a section on 2-14 Infantry, 10th Mountain from Mogadishu. You will be surprised what the Movies and other books left out.
It is required reading for the young Leaders in my Platoon.

[RV4021]

I just started reading The men, The Mission and Me today so far it is a good read. I am waiting for Pat McNamara's TAPS to arrive from Amazon. Other books I have read recently:

Kyle Lamb - Green Eyes & Black Rifles, good information and illustrations.

Scott Reitz - The Art of Modern Gunfighting, very detailed AAR's of the five gunfights he was involved in. Solid information regarding pistol shooting and detailed photos.

Paul Howe - The Tactical Trainer & Leadership and Training for the Fight. Short books with clear, concise, points of instruction.

Other books I hear are good but have not gotten too are Training at the Speed of Life and Jeff Gonzalez's book (can't remember the name)

Robert.

[theblackknight]

Kyle Lamb - Green Eyes & Black Rifles, good information and illustrations.


Paul Howe - Leadership and Training for the Fight. Short books with clear, concise, points of instruction.

Jeff Gonzalez's book (can't remember the name)

Robert.

Ive got all 3 of these.

Kyle's and Paul's are awesome. Jeff's book"combat fundementals" i think, was rather dry. I need to go back and try it again.

[S-1]

Pete Blaber's The mission, the Men, and Me.

This a great book. The books content is much more applicable to every day life than your standard "gunfighter" book.

FWIW... I forgot what book I read it in, but another former CAG Operator said that Pete Blaber was probably the most intelligent man to ever walk the halls of the Unit.

[LDM]

I am not quite finished reading "Meditations on Violence" by Rory Miller, but I will likely start re-reading again immediately when I finish. Miller is a martial artist and corrections officer, so he has a lot of practical on-the-job experience. He is also extremely thoughtful and analytical.
The most valuable theme within the book is the gap between how we train and the actual reality of violence. He challenges many of the assumptions upon which a considerable amount of training is based. For example, an assault is less likely to be two guys squaring off like in sparring or a tournament, than a sudden flurry of blows with little or no warning.
He goes much further, describing many of the "tells" in the build up to an attack. He does a good job describing the "predator" perspective. His concept of the "Monkey Dance" alone is worth reading the book as I suspect each and everyone of us would immediately recognize this from our own lives. Just his thoughts on defusing the Monkey Dance could save life or limb.
Although more about hand-to-hand and the "street", I nonetheless think many of his observations applicable to training with weapons. As a civilian with a CCW, it has really made me think (and re-think) as to the most likely scenario I might encounter and what training is appropriate. Just the aspect of range of engagement has really caught my attention (think Tom Cruise in the alley scene in the movie Collateral; it's may be more fun to shoot the bullseye out at 50 feet, but things at "Bad Breath" distance call for a different skill set & training and this is something I will be paying more attention to now).
I think this and DeBecker's "Gift of Fear" would be a perfect compliment to each other. Both give practical information as to how to recognize trouble coming and therefore give us a chance to avoid trouble.
Stay safe

[tgace]

+1 on Green Eyes Black Rifles and The Mission The Men and Me.

The Tactical Trainer: A Few Thoughts On Training And Training Management by Msg. Paul R. Howe, for trainers and administrators is a +.

[RamZar]

ON MISSIONS: MILITARY

The Mission, The Men, and Me: Lessons from a Former Delta Force Commander by Pete Blaber -- Fabulous, insightful, instructive, nuggets of wisdom, real-world, etc. Remember "The most effective weapon on any battlefield, is our mind's ability to recognize life's underlying patterns."

Lone Survivor: The Eyewitness Account of Operation Redwing and the Lost Heroes of SEAL Team 10 by Marcus Luttrell, Patrick Robinson (Contributor) -- Great accounting and background but you can safely skip directly to the mission half way through the book.

Inside Delta Force: The Story of America's Elite Counterterrorist Unit by Eric L. Haney -- You may remember the TV series "The Unit".

Six Minutes to Freedom: How a Band of Heros Defied a Dictator and Helped Free a Nation by Kurt Muse, John Gilstrap -- The Unit rescuing Kurt on the same night (Dec. 1989) that Noriega was finally ousted. Also see The Military Channel's documentary "Rescue in Panama". Larry Vickers was one of the operators that night.

Delta Force: The Army's Elite Counterterrorist Unit by Charlie A. Beckwith, Donald Knox (Author), C. A. Mobley (Epilogue) -- Setting up The Unit and the training involved.

In The Company Of Heroes by Michael Durant (Author), Steven Hartov -- Superb stuff. Mogadishu 1993. More detail on tactics and techniques than Bowden's more famous "Black Hawk Down" and Ridley Scott's great movie.

American Heroes in Special Operations by Oliver North -- Surprising excellent with many true stories and details of SF guys in Iraq & Afghanistan.

WAR by Sebastian Junger -- Modern war like being there. Also see the documentary "Restrepo" by Sebastian Junger and Tim Hetherington

Heroes Among Us: Firsthand Accounts of Combat From America's Most Decorated Warriors in Iraq and Afghanistan by Major Chuck Larson (Editor, Introduction), John McCain (Afterword), General Tommy Franks (Foreword)

The Only Thing Worth Dying For: How Eleven Green Berets Forged a New Afghanistan by Eric Blehm -- Some of the best elements of modern war by a small well-trained unit

Never Surrender: A Soldier's Journey to the Crossroads of Faith and Freedom by Jerry Boykin -- deep in missions & tactics although a bit preachy in tone.

ON MISSIONS: LAW ENFORCEMENT

Cold Zero: Inside the FBI Hostage Rescue Team by Christopher Whitcomb -- HRT missions and the training behind it.

Extreme Justice: The Secret Squad of the L.A.P.D. that Fights Violence with Violence by Frank Sacks -- The famous/infamous SIS unit.

Homicide Special: A Year with the LAPD's Elite Detective Unit by Miles Corwin -- Real cops and real killers.

Jim Cirillo's Tales Of The Stakeout Squad by Paul Kirchner -- Stories from the master gunfighter Cirillo with the old NYPD Stakeout Squad. Better than his own book below.

Guns, Bullets, And Gunfights: Lessons And Tales From A Modern-Day Gunfighter by Jim Cirillo -- Deadly force encounters from the master. Somewhat inconsistent but stick to it.

Swat Teams: Explosive Face-offs With America's Deadliest Criminals by Captain Robert L. Snow -- Not perfect but insightful.

The Trials And Tribulations Of Becoming A Swat Commander by John A. Kolman, M.D. Carmona (Foreword) -- Only 68 pages but the bible.