Author Archives: Jill Adler

Taking Down The Gunman- Front Sight Self Defense Training Day 2

 

Ryan’s digging this a little too much. It’s great to see him excited and smiling after copping a dower attitude about work and two months of studying for the CFA exam. But not at my expense. The coach came around to check on us; to see if we understood the ‘superman’ move. We were supposed to extend our arms like Superman as the ‘perp’ came at us with a baseball bat from overhead. One hand would strike the side of his neck, the other would wrap over and around his forearm. Once the elbow was locked you would take your neck hand and administer a palm strike, knee the femur, the groin, the stomach, the head. Once they’re buckled over you switch the position of your hand on his neck, step your leg behind theirs and push him back onto his back and the ground. Except as the coach watched, Ryan gleefully slammed his hand into my neck and sent me reeling before ever completing the over moves. The coach said two things before moving on- “Are you okay?” and “Now you know what it feels like.” Yeah, not good.

And so for the rest of the night I kept my distance.

All of a sudden the Range Master is rapid firing the tactics and moves from wiggling out of a back grab, twisting the perp’s arm and getting them face down on the ground to disarming a gun. It starts to feel more like a demo than an instruction course but I try to keep up. Some of the moves (if done swiftly and correctly) are surprisingly easy.

But it can be confusing. I’m a doer not a watcher when it comes to learning so I don’t get it unless there’s a coach right there next to me to “adjust me”. Depending on where you stand on the mat there can be a huge lag between watching the demo and having a coach watch you. I certainly wasn’t going to practice the wrong way to do something, so with only five or six coaches walking around, there were long pauses in the action. By Day 3 this would be fine; I could use the rest. But tonight I wanted to play. I would grab one the minute he was nearby- “Can you help us?” Their corrections were swift. You felt the pressure to engrain it in your memory pronto because he was already on to the next group. All of the coaches are easy to follow and talk to, there just aren’t enough of them for our group. It should be more like one to six not one to 26. Ryan doesn’t like to ‘bother’ people but if it was simply up to me I would have them around me the whole night.

Perhaps it felt rushed because of the holiday. Fourth of July. Most of Front Sight’s courses are during the day but in the summer when temps loom around 103, classes start at 6 p.m. and end at 12:30 a.m. On the night of July 3 we ended at 10:30 p.m. for a special address by our fearless leader. Ignatius Piazza himself- made a rare personal appearance to address the student body before kicking off the Fourth with the first fireworks display of the holiday at 12:01 a.m. We got a pep talk about our Founding Fathers and what it means to be American. I was surprised to find the aggressive online marketer charming and self-effacing. He actually joked about his constant email campaigns for membership money.

 

When we stepped outside behind our workout tent we could finally relax and appreciate the end of our two-day empty hand defense course. As I watched the bombs bursting in air the irony hit me. We are celebrating our freedom while we learn to defend it so aggressively. It sucks that others can’t leave us alone. Even other Americans.

 

Empty Hand Defense at Front Sight Institute

I felt a little nauseous smelling meatballs in a tureen at 11 a.m. As I hobbled down the buffet line at the Saddlewest Hotel I didn’t feel hungry, just abused. And in desperate need of coffee. I’m dragging. We made it straight to Frontsight Thursday without a minute to spare. Vegas in 6 hours? Crazy; but now that there’s an 80 mph speed limit it messes me up in a good way.

Our night courses at the gun training compound were starting at 6 p.m. Sage’s youth class (aka adventure summer camp for 100 kids) was just starting so we quickly signed in, kissed her bye and made our own way to our Empty Hand Defense class without wasting a minute in the 103 degree heat. After signing all sorts of waivers, we were introduced to our coaches. They were like those masters who guide the newbies in some reality show. Martial Arts hall of famers, former military, combat specialists. Basically, tough MFs.

We stretched for nearly 30 minutes and I was already feeling the torque before the punches flew. Uh oh, I’m not in shape for this. I looked around at the class of 100+ Front Sight members. They ranged in age from 18 to 70. Men, women, skinny and large. “You will all be feeling this in the morning,” our range master boomed. Aleve is our friend.

The point of our empty hand defense class is to learn how to get away or neutralize the bad guy- whichever gets us home in one piece. It’s not to crush the other guy. As Front Sight demonstrated several times on Thursday night and Friday, it’s a fine line between defending yourself and getting arrested for assault. They talked to us about being aware of our surroundings instead of “Condition White” (ie Clueless). Condition Yellow – not defensive or aggressive- is what we want; neutral and sure. Confident. A stranger approaches; we practiced stepping back, bringing the palms up and out in front of our chest. “Stand back!” is the first warning. Step back again, “Stand back!” louder for defensive posture 2. Then, into a fighting stance.

We learned the correct body position for jabs, crosses and upper cuts. I tried them all, over and over, switching from dominant side to support side; feeling like a boxer in the Special Olympics.

My arms were sore from punching air but then it was time to punch pads. I held mine tightly for Ryan and yet he still hit so hard I was getting bumped around and scuffed. I switched with a girl next to me so Ryan could ‘fight’ a guy and leave my poor shoulder alone.

Trachea jabs, hammer hits, palm strikes. I was starting to run out of steam by 9 p.m. yet we had only scratched the surface of self-defense. They can only teach the bare minimum in two days. Several students had taken this class before yet none could remember everything. One man told us that if you recall even one maneuver it could save your life.

I really liked the straight fingers to the neck move. I’ll remember that one!

After our break, we worked our lower half with kicks then learned two moves to get us out of a bearhug from behind. Oh yeah, I was feeling the hurt. We drove to the Saddlewest Hotel chatting about how the moves would work in real life. We checked in and despite the two-star surroundings, the bed was soft and inviting. We immediately passed out. It was 2 a.m. and another day was coming on fast.

Keep the Windows Up and The Doggy Down

 


“That’s so cute,” Sage laughed as we headed south on 700 East. “That dog looks like a sheep!” She was referring to the large fluffy head of a poodle mix that was straining its head out the back window and staring back at us. We laughed together yet what I thought about were all the warnings I’ve heard about letting dogs drool in the breeze.

I get it. I usually take my guy everywhere with me. But my AC works and he stays home if it looks like he’d have to stay in a parked car in the summer. But what if your AC is broke? What’s a good mom to do when Fido’s nose presses against the window? What you don’t do- according to several authorities- is roll it down. The law is unclear in Utah. Most people seem to think you can get a ticket for an unrestrained pet but I’ve scoured the web and can’t find a single Utah law to back that up.

Only a handful of states make it illegal to let dogs roam freely in moving vehicles and usually those laws actually apply to dogs in the back of pickups. New Jersey cops can pull you over and slap a $250-1000 ticket on you for disorderly conduct under animal-cruelty laws. Maine, Arizona, and Connecticut use distracted-driving laws to get you.

State Farm Insurance is using “The Pet Lifestyle Coach” Megan Blake to remind you that in the summer your pets are your kids. “Dogs, like children, should never be allowed to ride with their heads out the windows,” says Megan. “Flying debris, including bugs, could harm them, and their lungs or ears could be injured from high-speed wind. Unrestrained pets in cars pose serious potential risks, including becoming a major distraction to drivers; and unrestrained pets can easily be seriously injured, killed or even lost after being thrown from a car.

Good advice to keep the windows up as we head down the road or meet at the trail head. Here are a few top items for keeping your four-footed kids safe en route:

Ruffwear LoadUp Harness– Leash her down and feel confident she’ll stay put even in a crash. The harness attaches to existing seatbelts for a universal fit. Can also be used for short walks. $80



Kurgo Tru-Fit Enhanced Strength HarnessWith five adjustments points, it’s easy to get a near custom fit for any dog. It can also be used as a no-pull walking harness. $36



Uphill Flow

I was recently invited to attend Bike Press Camp 2015 where I began my love affair with eBikes. I’m no moped fan and this season’s collection of pedal-assist two-wheelers are far from those devices. One trail ride up behind Deer Valley’s St. Regis hotel and I was hooked.

Just look at what these babies can do. As the Raleigh rep said to me over and over again during our meeting, “You don’t have to kill yourself anymore.”

Beat The Heat At Provo River Falls

Photos by Ryan Freitas

We had no idea the Falls were right there. But as we headed east up Mirror Lake Highway to climb away from the scorching Salt Lake Valley, we saw the lineup of parked cars. We guessed the Provo River Falls pullout (23 miles from Kamas) would be popular but not like this.


We hopped out of the car and there it was. No wonder everyone is here, I thought. The access is unbeatable. Seniors with canes, babies in diapers, even the large and out-of-shape RV contingent could take a dip with little effort.


The water cascading from above was delirium inducing. It’s just so damn hot in Utah right now. You can stay inside with the AC cranked, wade with thousands of screaming kids at Lagoon or Seven Peaks water parks (and pay for the pleasure) or find nature’s own cooling pools. The latter was our plan.


Pack the dog, a picnic, the bug spray and fishing rod (for trout) to make a day of it or stay just long enough to cool off. Either way you’ll be psyched you made the drive.

There is no specific trail but from the parking area (N40° 39′ 27″, W110° 56′ 44″) you can walk up or down stream- which runs parallel to Highway 150- crossing over logs, gravel and shallow water for as long as you like.



We choose to follow the dry riverbed to the south of the Falls for a mile and escape the throngs of waders but you can also climb to deep pools above the pullout for swimming and exploring. Depending on the time of year you might find a natural water slide to entertain the kids.


The Falls themselves are part of the Upper Provo River which runs down to the Jordanelle Reservoir near Deer Valley Resort. It consists of four distinct tiers carved into stratified bedrock which is easy to scramble around. The total drop is about 100 feet but each tier is only about 35 feet high.


Don’t be shy about taking a shower in the refreshing veils of mountain runoff; it’ll be the highlight of your trip.

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