Dave Spaulding spent over 36 years in law enforcement, with many of those years as an instructor. Here he demonstrates his “Check 360,” where you turn completely around after a drill to scan for threats.
Dave was a founding member of his agency’s SWAT team, and he spent 12 years as its training officer.
During the ACP course, assistant instructor Jonathan Willis demonstrated that there are still instructors out there who work just as hard as their students to keep their defensive skillsets current and up to date.
Dave does an excellent job of giving each student appropriate feedback that is neither dumbed down nor excessively harsh.
Upon returning from the Advanced Combative Pistol class, I dropped into bed that Sunday night with a mental exhaustion that was only partially due to the 6.5-hour drive back home from Dayton, Ohio. As I crawled wearily under the sheets, my wife asked, “Why did you drive so far to go to this class?”
I stared at the ceiling fan for a bit, took a deep breath and said, “Because last year at this time, I was photographing Ken Hackathorn’s classes when he said that he was pretty much done with the training circuit.”
The realization that I’d squandered many years’ worth of opportunities where I could’ve come out to train with a giant in the industry was beyond words. I was there for Ken’s last two classes but came out only as a photographer/videographer. I made the choice to leave my weapons in the truck because I needed to focus on capturing media. I deeply regret that choice.
With that salient event in the forefront of my mind, I told my wife that I didn’t want another instructor, Dave Spaulding, to retire without gaining as much knowledge as I could from him.
Dave is a guy who’s steeped in pistolcraft at a level that far exceeds what one normally finds in today’s instructors. He’s unabashed about telling you that he focuses almost all of his time to pistolcraft. Lately, I’ve spent considerable time working on his drills, and while he makes them look easy, don’t be fooled—they’re anything but that. To call the man “brilliant” is correct. But based on what I’ve gleaned from him the few times we’ve communicated, I can say that Dave Spaulding would prefer to be referred to as “focused.”
As mentioned, I recently attended Dave Spaulding’s Advanced Combative Pistol (ACP) course. Seeing as how I’d been working on Dave’s drills, I had a fair idea of what I was getting myself into. I knew that “humble pie” was on the menu for this two-day, 600-round class.
I made the switch to a pistol-centric training regimen a while back and haven’t regretted it. Out of the almost 40 classes I’ve attended over the years, 25 have been primarily focused on carbines and only five have been pistol-centric. The others have been a combination of the two. Why? Probably because everyone knows that pistol training is difficult. To focus your business model around only pistol work is a gutsy move, and Dave Spaulding has pulled it off well. I personally believe that his business model is more about sharing his knowledge than filling class slots. His temperament also speaks to this.
I’ve had a lot of training and have endured some serious jerks in my time. I’ve had instructors give “instruction” that comes across like a kick in the face because they’re terrible at communicating. Dave Spaulding has the panache to be able to tell you bad news and have it come across in a palatable manner because he’s not being an ass about it. Case in point: ACP is a highly technical and very physically demanding course. At the time of the class, I was nursing a knee injury and was slow on my traverse times on Dave’s “15 to the Third” drill. My shot placement was good, but my movement was lacking, and Dave was very matter-of-fact about telling me so.
This is a course that pits you against your own competence. I train a lot on my home range and am a fairly competent shooter. But even with that under my belt, I really felt overwhelmed at times with this course. Part of this is because ACP demands precision out of every shooter, and “precision” and “pistol” are two words that just don’t fit well together. Any faults you have in technique will be exposed, and the ACP course showed me that my trigger pull was truly lacking in consistency.
Dave teaches that the sympathetic contraction of the fingers is led by the index finger. You pull the trigger and the other three fingers (the thumb and index are actually considered to be one finger) tend to want to come along for the ride. The ACP course will accentuate that fault because a lot of your time is spent shooting at very small targets. The two paper targets Dave used in this class were a 3-by-5-inch card and a larger 6-by-10-inch one that pictorially represents the heart and the surrounding bones and vasculature.
Dave started the class with a concise PowerPoint that set us up with a lot of knowledge to build on. His assistant instructor for this course was Jonathan Willis, an EMT and firearms instructor representative of the kinds of professionals I’ve had the privilege to train with over the years. The guy is no slouch, and he, just like Dave, ran all of the drills with us. Both men did an exemplary job of giving concise instruction and praise where needed. This was welcome because ACP is run on a tight timeline, and you will often feel out of balance as you struggle to make the times around which the drills are set up.
Which reminds me: Everything you do in the ACP course is under a strict time constraint. You have just enough time to get it done. Why? Because Dave has honed his drills down to the barest of margins to make you work for it. The only other way to get you to really work at precision is to shoot at you, and that wears you out. No I don’t mean live rounds. Force-on-force training is excellent, but you can’t get a lot of repetitions in because the pain wipes you out and pushes you out of the mental state that you have to be in to learn.
Dave got us rolling on skill drills right away. He stresses movement and constantly checking your surroundings. His trademark “Check 360” is one of the maneuvers that’s covered under the subheading of “movement with purpose.” Check 360 is a maneuver where the student completely turns around after completing the drill at hand. In other words, as soon as you’ve dropped the bad guy and are reasonably certain that he’s not a pressing threat, you step slightly towards him and efficiently turn around and face the area that was previously at your back. This is done while simultaneously indexing the pistol in a slightly downwards position and tucking it tightly against your rib cage. At the same time, you bring up your support hand in a defensive posture as if you fully expect someone to be coming up behind you in an attack.
This maneuver is controversial to most instructors to such a degree that I’ve never been taught it either as a law enforcement officer or in all my years of training. Seeing as how this was an advanced class, everyone performed the Check 360 with decent efficiency with little follow-up instruction necessary. There were a few instances where Dave had to direct guys to perform the technique with focus and not turn it into a “range dance,” where students rapidly whip their heads back and forth, which is basically worthless. In various instances, Dave would hold various objects in his hands to see if any of us where spotting them. Nope! Truly checking your surroundings is a difficult thing to do, and it takes true focus at the end of a very chaotic event.
Dave heavily stresses that you’re not just looking for movement, faces, hands, gestures or even weapons. You need to look at all of it before you act. For example, if you’ve just shot someone in defense of your life, you have to know that someone else heard the shot and will respond with a weapon. It could be a good guy or a bad one. You turn around, Check 360, and suddenly another guy is coming at you, you see a pistol in his hand, not particularly pointed at you, but he’s moving towards you. Do you just shoot him, too? Or do you take a moment to look—and yikes! You notice that he’s wearing a uniform and a badge. Assuming that you will see everything, and will be seen by the good guys as a “good guy,” is a huge assumption that can end in disaster. Dave teaches you to be a thinker first and to move with a purpose.
The ACP course is definitely a must-do class that you can take several times and still learn something new. Dave has the ability to give you the same information from several different angles and make you keep coming back for more.
I would highly urge you to check out Dave Spaulding’s website as well as his YouTube channel. With both you will find myriad information that will guide you in your efforts to first understand what you don’t know and then get better at what you do.
As a rule, marijuana possession is illegal in Florida, and it may be charged as a misdemeanor or as a felony depending on the quantity involved. Possession of synthetic marijuana, however, has a harsher penalty than ordinary marijuana possession.
Moreover, the possession of a large quantity of marijuana, measuring equipment, and other drug paraphernalia may constitute intent to distribute in a charge for possession of marijuana with intent to sell. There is also a presumption of the intent to sell when the defendant possesses at least 25 marijuana plants.
Section 381.986 allows qualified doctors to order medical marijuana (cannabis) for patients with certain conditions. There are two types of cannabis products permitted by law:
This type has low levels of the psychoactive ingredient and does not usually produce the same high ordinarily associated with marijuana
Can have a significant level of THC which can lead to a high that is commonly associated with cannabis
Only qualified doctors who have completed the prescribed physician education and training can order medical marijuana. It is a misdemeanor for a doctor to order medical marijuana when he or she does not have a reasonable belief of the cancer, medical condition causing chronic seizures or muscle spasms, or the terminal illness of the patient.
It is also a misdemeanor for anyone to misrepresent having cancer, a medical condition that produces chronic seizures or severe and persistent muscle spasms or that he has a terminal condition, for purposes of illegally obtaining medical marijuana. Even with authorized use, the law prohibits using medical marijuana or administering it in plain view or while in a public place.
Florida Statutes classifies drugs and illegal substances according to their potential for abuse and dependency and accepted medical use. The drug groupings are found in Schedules 1 to 5 of Florida Statutes Section 893.01.
Schedule 2 drugs have a high potential for abuse and have severely restricted medical use in treatment in the US. They include:
Possession of at least 4 grams of Schedule 2 drugs is a second degree felony that may be punished with imprisonment of up to 5 years and a fine of up to $5,000. Trafficking of any of the Schedule 2 substances further carries a mandatory minimum sentence of 3 years and $50,000 fine. Drug offenses are also punished by suspension of your driving license.
In Stuart, Florida, the Law Offices of Keith Bregoff, PA have more than 2 decades of litigation experience, helping clients charged with drug offenses. We examine all angles of each case, determine drug crime defenses available to the client, and work very hard either to have the charges dismissed or reduced, depending on the circumstances.
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Mid-Scotland and Fife MSP, Murdo Fraser and Blairgowrie and Glens Councillors Caroline Shiers and Bob Brawn have raised concerns over the use of the A924 road to divert southbound traffic when the A9 is closed.
A number of recent A9 closures have resulted in the A924 between Pitlochry and Blairgowrie being used to divert motorists and heavy goods vehicles.
Following closure on the 25th of August, vehicles were diverted through the A924 but congestion resulted in visitors to the Strathardle Highland Gathering being delayed.
Murdo is calling on Police Scotland to hear local concerns over this issue whilst also considering restricting the route to smaller vehicles, not HGVs and coaches, during A9 closures.
“The A924 is a small, narrow road that is unsuitable for the type of traffic that used it last weekend.
“A9 road closures are often unforeseen but it is important for the Police to be aware of possible public safety issues associated with using the A924 as a diversion.
“Unfortunately, traffic last weekend resulted in gridlock on the A924 with visitors to the nearby Strathardle Highland Games being held up in travelling to the event.
“What we want is Police Scotland to take a serious look at this issue with a view to putting forward sensible traffic management plans when the A924 is used to divert southbound traffic on the A9.”
"This is not the first time this issue has been raised. I would like to thank those along the A924 who helped motorists on Saturday by providing access to toilets, advice on journey times and especially the Strathardle Games volunteers who I hear coped well in directing the traffic through Kirkmichael.
“I would welcome discussions with Police Scotland regarding how traffic rerouting through Strathardle is managed. The route is very narrow in parts, so if there are coaches or HGVs rerouted this causes inevitable problems where they meet on narrow sections - we need to have a plan for this.”
“Last Saturday an accident on the A9 resulted in traffic being diverted on to the A924, resulting in cars, lorries and coaches being forced to navigate this narrow road through Kirkmichael which by chance was hosting the annual Strathardle Gathering. Consequently, the village became gridlocked and it was only by the intervention of some local residents that traffic kept moving.
“This diversion is regularly used by police whenever there is an accident on the A9 and should be for cars only. Given that they would have been alerted to the Gathering, this situation should never have been allowed to happen.”
Camera IconHBF boss John Van Der Wielen has previously said the insurer would need to get bigger if it is to compete with its better-funded rivals.Picture: The West Australian
The combination of the not-for-profit insurers would create a more powerful third force behind BUPA and Medibank Private with $4.3 billion in revenue and more than two million members.
However, market sources confirmed the group and HCF had been talking for some time, adding the discussions were well advanced.
HBF is cash rich with $1.7 billion in assets, supported by $1.6 billion in annual premium revenue from its health and general insurance businesses.
The merger talks come as private health insurers confront several major challenges led by rising health costs and declining memberships.
Since joining HBF in March, chief executive John Van Der Wielen has made it clear the group needs to get bigger if it is to compete with its better-funded rivals and stem the growth in premium costs which is forcing members to reduce or quit their health coverage.
6:16 a.m. Traffic accident with damage in the area of W. 850 S. / S. US Route 31, Bunker Hill. Car-Deer Crash. This call was handled by the Indiana State Police.
6:53 a.m. Traffic stop in the area of Capehart St. / Shaw St., Peru. Ahmadnasir Hassan, 31 of Peru was arrested for Operating While Intoxicated.
8:53 a.m. Traffic accident with damage in the area of W. State Road 18 / S. US Route 31, Kokomo. No additional information was provided on this call.
2,4-DB DMA 200 Generic Butyrac 200 Herbicide - Gallon is for the control of many problematic Broadleaf weeds, both pre-emergence and post-emergence in Alfalfa, Peanut and Soybeans.
USE ON: in soybeans, peanuts, seedling and established alfalfa, seedling birdsfoot - trefoil, seedling alsike clover, seedling ladino clover, and seedling red clover.
This worked exceedingly above my expectations. It may be a generic version, but it works as good as and sometimes better than many brand name herbicides.
spray it right over clover plot to kill the broadleaf plants with no harm to clover. The butyrate 200 worked great.
After doing a fair bit of breed research to find a match for her lifestyle and personality, it became pretty clear to Krystal that a pug would make a perfect pooch match. And, for her, adoption was the only option.
"A friend made it her mission to play pet matchmaker, and would regularly send me links to the PetRescue pages," Krystal recalled. "When she sent me the link to Gizmo's profile, he just looked so cuddly, with the cutest pleading expression. I was in love!"
He was listed with Pug Rescue, and after a phone interview, house inspection and a few meet and greet sessions with her chosen boy, Gizmo was able to go to his new home just in time for Christmas.
“With some gentle encouragement, I managed to heal some of his anxieties. But when a vet advised medicating Gizmo to calm him, I was keen to find out what our alternatives were and, to my surprise, the vet suggested a younger, placid, female pug would be the perfect tonic,” said Krystal.
“As luck would have it, Jo at Pug Rescue had a younger, female pug with a beautiful, docile temperament in need of a new home and so I got to meet Marli,” Krystal smiled. “All she wanted to do was love and be loved. She had an adorable personality, but it was with trepidation that I introduced Gizmo to Marli. I was unsure how he would react.”
It wasn’t love at first sight. For almost two weeks Gizmo solidly ignored Marli, even snapping at her if she got too close. Marli, however, would never give up.
“She would try and snuggle up to him, sneaking an inch at a time, while he steadfastly ignored her,” Krystal recalled. “She followed him around the house, stared at him lovingly, and bravely tried to share his food bowl.”
To help Marli’s quest, Krystal persevered, hoping that eventually Gizmo would warm to Marli and let his guard down. Then one day, after almost three weeks, Krystal heard a growling noise coming from the lounge room and crept in to see what was going on.
“They were playing!” exclaimed Krystal. “Gizmo was chasing Marli, and when he caught her she would lie on her back and wrestle with him. I’d never seen Gizmo behave like this with other dogs before. Was this our breakthrough?”
Indeed it was. From here, it was onwards and upwards. Gizmo became more relaxed around strangers and other dogs, and when Marli barked, Gizmo barked – a problem that Krystal felt blessed to have after over two years of silence.
“Now, nearly six months later, I’m so happy I chose to adopt again,” said Krystal. “Not only have I had the opportunity to give a home to two surrendered Pugs, I can genuinely say that they have improved the quality of my life and each other’s.”
You can help us keep saving pets too, by making a donation to our rehoming programs. It costs just $10 to match one of our rescue pets with their new family.
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