Florida Man Tactical

Something I learned while taking Tom Givens’ Rangemaster classes is the importance of weak/off-hand shooting—and how quickly it becomes a limiting factor if you ignore it.

Most shooters spend all their time building skill on their dominant side… until life (or training) takes that option away.

Injury, obstruction, awkward cover, or just position constraints can force you to run the gun with your support hand—and suddenly everything slows down.

The uncomfortable truth is this:
If you’ve never trained it, you don’t “switch hands”… you struggle.

Weak-hand work isn’t about perfection. It’s about functionality:

Drawing safely and efficiently with your support hand
Maintaining muzzle awareness under stress
Keeping hits acceptable when everything feels backwards
Building confidence in the least-used part of your skillset

The shooters who train it regularly don’t treat it like a party trick—they treat it like insurance.

And like most insurance, you don’t appreciate it until you need it.

How often do you actually dedicate part of your range time to off-hand shooting?

Friday is here, and that usually means one thing for a lot of shooters—range time this weekend.

Now the real question isn’t if you’re going… it’s where.

Indoor range or outdoor range?

Indoor gives you structure, consistency, and no excuses. Same lighting, same lanes, same controlled environment every time. It’s perfect for building clean reps and dialing in fundamentals without distractions.

Outdoor gives you everything else—distance, movement, wind, variable conditions, and a little more realism. It’s where you find out what your skills actually look like when the environment isn’t doing you any favors.

Both have value. The better question is: are you training for convenience, or for capability?

Either way, this weekend is a chance to get better—not just get reps in.

So where are you headed this weekend: indoor range or outdoor range—and why?

Ego is one of the fastest ways to stall your progress in fi****ms training.

Not because confidence is bad—but because ego refuses correction.

You’ll see it on the range:
A shooter misses a drill and immediately explains it instead of fixing it.
A student gets feedback and starts debating it instead of testing it.
Someone posts a “clean run” but skips showing the reps that weren’t clean.

The problem isn’t making mistakes. Everyone does.

The problem is protecting your identity instead of improving your performance.

Good training has a simple rule:
If your ego is in charge, your learning is on pause.

The most capable shooters I’ve seen aren’t the loudest or the most certain.
They’re the ones willing to say, “That wasn’t good enough—run it again.”

Because skill doesn’t grow where ego is trying to win arguments.

It grows where ego gets quiet long enough to listen.

When was the last time you had to swallow your pride in training to actually improve?

Most shooters feel like they’re getting better… until you ask them to prove it.

That’s where things get uncomfortable.

Because improvement that isn’t tracked is just assumption.

You don’t rise to your expectations in training—you fall to what you’ve actually measured.

If you’re not tracking your progress, you’re missing the most important part of training:

Your draw time isn’t “faster,” it’s either recorded or it’s a guess
Your accuracy isn’t “better,” it’s either consistent or it isn’t
Your decision-making isn’t “improving,” it’s either tested under pressure or it isn’t

The shooters who improve the fastest aren’t always the most talented.
They’re the ones who are honest with their data.

Write it down. Record it. Compare it. Challenge it.

Because what gets measured gets improved—and what gets ignored gets repeated.

What’s one metric you currently track in your training, and what made you start tracking it?

The moment you start thinking you’ve “figured it out” is usually the moment your training starts going backwards.

Fi****ms skill isn’t a destination—it’s maintenance.

There are shooters who have been at it for years… and shooters who have been learning for years. Those are not the same thing.

A good instructor doesn’t create followers.
They create students who eventually outgrow them—and keep going anyway.

Every session should have something in it you didn’t know yesterday:

A smoother draw you finally cleaned up
A mistake you caught on video that you used to ignore
A concept that finally clicked under pressure
A bad habit you didn’t realize you were still carrying

If you leave the range the same shooter you walked in as, you didn’t really train—you just visited.

Stay curious. Stay coachable. Stay a student.

What’s the last thing training revealed to you that actually changed how you shoot?

One of the smartest reasons to learn hand-to-hand skills?

So you hopefully never have to use your firearm.

Not every threat justifies deadly force.
And not every confrontation should escalate to that level.

Good defensive training should include:
• Distance management
• Verbal de-escalation
• Basic control techniques
• Escaping bad positions
• Creating opportunities to disengage

Because real-world encounters are messy, fast, and unpredictable.

Sometimes the best outcome is creating enough space to leave safely — not drawing a weapon.

A firearm is an important tool.
But it should never be your ONLY tool.

The more capable you are physically and mentally, the more options you have under stress.

And options matter.

What do you think is more overlooked in the fi****ms world:
Fitness or hand-to-hand skills?

If you ask my kids, “What’s Daddy’s favorite color?”

They’ll answer:
“Red, White, and Blue.”

Not because patriotism is something we only talk about on holidays.
And not because America is perfect.

But because gratitude, freedom, sacrifice, and pride in this country are values worth passing on to the next generation.

Flag Day is a reminder that the American flag represents more than fabric.

It represents:
• The people who built this country
• The freedoms we sometimes take for granted
• The men and women who defended it
• And the responsibility we all have to leave it stronger for our children

No matter where you come from or what you believe, the flag still stands for the opportunity to build a better life.

Teach your kids respect.
Teach them gratitude.
Teach them what the flag means.

Happy Flag Day

If you have ever taken one of my classes, you have probably heard me ask:

“What has to go wrong for you to use your weapon in self-defense?”

And the answer is:

“Everything.”

Because the use of deadly force should be your absolute last option — not your first reaction.

That means:
• Avoiding conflict when possible
• De-escalating instead of escalating
• Creating distance when you can
• Making smart decisions before things become violent

Carrying a firearm is not about looking for a fight.
It’s about being prepared for the moment when you have no safe alternative left.

A responsible armed citizen understands:
The goal is not to “win” an argument.

It’s Friday.

Here’s your reminder to stop scrolling, grab some ammo, and go train this weekend.

Not because you need to become an “operator.”
Not because you need expensive gear.

But because skills fade when they aren’t used.

Even one solid range session can help you:
• Reinforce fundamentals
• Build confidence
• Reduce bad habits
• Improve consistency
• Clear your head for a few hours

Training should be productive — but it should also be enjoyable.

Go shoot.
Bring a friend.
Challenge yourself a little.

And remember:
Perfect practice beats random mag dumps every time.

Who’s hitting the range this weekend?

One of the most important self-defense skills has nothing to do with shooting.

It’s learning to let things go.

Road rage turns small problems into life-changing situations faster than people realize.

Somebody cuts you off.
Someone yells.
Flips you off.
Drives aggressively.

And suddenly people who were trying to get home safely are making emotional decisions that can ruin lives in seconds.

If you carry a firearm, controlling your ego is part of your responsibility.

Winning an argument in traffic is meaningless.
Getting home safely is the goal.

A mature, disciplined person understands:
• Not every insult requires a response
• Not every confrontation needs to be “won”
• Distance and disengagement are often the smartest option

The strongest response is usually restraint.

Take a breath.
Create space.
Drive away.

Pride is not worth prison, injury, or tragedy.

What’s the best advice you’ve ever heard for avoiding road rage?