Training Your Mind

For the last few days I have been in a turkey-induced comatose state (just like most of us have been) and it got me thinking today: working in either Law Enforcement or Corrections we know that we have to physically prepare ourselves for any situation that may arise. We train physically so that our bodies can sustain the pressures of our chosen profession. Unfortunately, many of us do not train our minds as well.

It takes the average person 1000 repetitions of doing something for it to become muscle memory. In other words, we don't have to think about what we are going to do, we just do it. But when it comes down to our minds, do we really do the same thing?

While it is true that most of us do not have the time to sit there and practice our response to a scenario 1000 times, nothing says that we can't think about what are response will be when we are faced with a situation. Think about the amount of time that we have to think throughout the course of our day: in the shower, cooking (or waiting for our order at the drive thru), waiting in line, driving (not so safe but we still do it anyway), in the bathroom...

We have the time to think about what are response will be to any situation that we can come up with. Most of us will never be Bruce Lee so we can forget anything that is going to involve a lot of complicated moves unless we have the time to physically practice. The Inverted-U Hypothesis states, in a nutshell, that as our stress levels (arousal) increase, our fine motor skill will decrease and is therefore detrimental to our performance. What do we have left then? Gross motor skills.

If we repeatedly practice just a few simple responses to situations that do not involve fine motor skills, our performance during times of increased stress will improve thereby increasing our chances of survival. This also applies to our mental exercises. If we repeatedly think about the same adequate response to a certain situation, eventually you will not have to think about "what will I do," you will just do. Just remember the KISS principle: Keep It Simple, Stupid.

When it takes an average person 1.5 seconds to close a 21' gap, do you really have 1.5 seconds to think about what you will do as a response and take action? Guess how long it takes that average person to see something, recognize it as a threat, formulate a response and put it into action? Yep, 1.5 seconds.

I know I don't have the time to think about it. Do you really do?

I want to know what you think!

Some of the Benefits of Kevlar Tactical Gloves

Thinking that any pair of gloves will protect those little sausages attached to your hands is the same as thinking that a pair of tennis shoes will protect your little piggies in a steel factory...it just isn't going to happen.

Kevlar was developed by DuPont in 1965 and was first commercially used in the 1970's as a replacement to steel in racing tires. Since then the uses of Kevlar have expanded and continue to do so to this day. It can be made into yarn, fiber, paper and building material for home/commercial construction. The real limitation is the human mind.

Law Enforcement first saw this wonderful material used in bullet proof vests. Although there had been "bullet proof vests" prior to 1976 (medieval Japanese used heavily reinforced silk garments as soft body armor), it wasn't until the late 19th century that the U.S. started to see soft body armor. Flak Jackets in the 40's, 50's and 60's were a great addition to the military when under fire but it was not only too bulky for every day law enforcement use, but too expensive.

So, how many people do you think would shoot themselves because they truly believed in their product? Richard Davis sure did. His company Second Chance has been a leader in soft body armor since the 1970's.



Do you think he is nuts? I don't. He knew what he had and he believed in it. He didn't just say, "hey, this works!" he said "let me show you how it works." Talk about testicular fortitude!

When it comes down to our hands, it is just as important to protect them. Kevlar Tactical Gloves does just that. They protect your hands. With the likelihood that we will be cut during a pat/strip search, or searching an area, or having to defend ourselves against someone who has a weapon is extremely real. Check out this review and demonstration of a pair of kevlar tactical gloves:




See what I mean? If you don't use protection you may find yourself in trouble. There are some added benefits as well to kevlar tactical gloves. They can be used not just in law enforcement, but every day life. If you work with sharp objects you can use them. Many of the styles out there on kevlar tactical gloves are also heat resistant or fire resistant as well.

Use protection! If steel workers all wear safety toed boots, why don't we all wear kevlar tactical gloves?

What's your excuse?

Things To Be Grateful For

Looking back on this year I can say that for me, personally, has been a really tough. On the flip side, it has also been an amazing year. Between starting my own business after thinking about it for years and getting married to an absolutely amazing woman, how could it not be amazing? There are so many things that we can all be grateful for and the best part is that we don't even have to look them.

The safety of my fellow brothers and sisters in the law enforcement and military community has always my primary concern. I understand that we do not, and will never, make the kind of money that will get us rich as long as we stay in this line of work. We do not put our lives on the line every day for the money or glory. We do it because we love what we do and like they say, someone has to do it. We do not get positive public recognition, especially in corrections.

I decided to open Dydrostorm.com not because I wanted to get rich, but because I wanted to find a way to help my uniformed family out. Their safety, as I mentioned earlier, is my primary concern. By profession, I'm an instructor. I pride myself in teaching fellow officers how to protect themselves and become better at what they do. Whether it be by the use of their bodies or weapons, but also with the right type of equipment such as Kevlar Tactical Gloves, the right pair of Discounted Tactical Boots, knives, and probably the most important tool that they have: their brain.

There are many other things that I am thankful for, but being able to give back to those that already give so much is what I pride myself the most with, outside of my biological family.

You are all my family...

I want to hear from you, what are you thankful for?

Why I chose to work in corrections

There are some jobs that some people never want to do due to the nature of the job. Corrections is one of them.

It takes a certain type of individual to rise to the occasion. You go in and may not come out. You either live or die based on your words or actions. You deal with the worst of the worst on a daily basis and hopefully go home to your family at the end of the day.

For me, I chose to walk where many dare not go and tragically, not be recognized by society for doing so. If you never hear my name mentioned in the media, your welcome, I did my job so you can live in peace and safety.

Thank you to all my bothers and sisters out there. Stay safe.