PPCT/HFRG Seminar Cancellation

To: PPCT/HFRG Instructors
Fr: Tracy Donnelly
Date: 06.24.11
Re: Seminar Cancellation
 
 
Dear Friends,
 
We are always amazed at the loyalty and support that comes from you in the PPCT/HFRG network.  A short time ago, Bruce made a difficult decision to host a seminar so that he could personally introduce new material to the organization before he underwent major surgery. The response on such short notice was impressive to say the least.  Bruce had a plan; however, there are some things that even Bruce Siddle cannot control.
 
Bruce’s health has deteriorated very rapidly in the last two weeks. His pain level is almost uncontrollable and his stability is poor at best. He continues to work each day in the office on completing the new manual, but it is clear to everyone how hard he struggles.  It is for those reasons that the office staff and family have pushed Bruce into canceling the seminar in August. His health will simply not allow him to participate. The possibility that his surgery may be moved up sooner than expected. His doctors have urged him to undergo the process sooner than planned.
 
We truly do realize what an inconvenience and burden this is to all of you that planned on attending. It was not a decision made lightly, nor one that we could control. Our current course of action is to postpone the seminar in St. Louis until Bruce is ready. That way, Bruce will have a chance to heal and become accustom to his new prosthetic (His goal is to angle kick through concrete). This will also give us more time to plan a larger event so that each of you benefits as much as possible from attending.
 
Bruce will continue his work on the new Defensive Tactics manual and it is still on course to be released as promised. The new manual will contain all the new research and stress material. The new supportive power point and video DVD’s will also be available at that time. For the Instructor Trainers seeking recertification, we will also have opportunities for you to do so later this year.
 
We hope you all can appreciate how difficult it was in making the decision to cancel the event and risk disappointing you, who have shown so much support. We can now only hope that you continue the support you have shown for so many years by praying for Bruce to be tremendously successful in this extreme challenge, and hoping for a speedy recovery from the surgery.
 
Thank you for your understanding and patience. Please call us if you have any questions.
 
Sincerely,
 
Tracy Donnelly
Director of Operations
PPCT/HFRG

Combat Human Factors: Triggering the Survival Circuit

Written by Bruce Siddle and Kevin Siddle

“Fear makes men forget, and skill that cannot fight, is useless.”
(Phormio of Athens, 429 BC)

In the study of human performance while under stress, one of the most challenging problems has always been how to validate the survival stress response. When studying the physiological and psychological aspects of survival stress performance, researchers have had difficulty with the following:

1. How can the researcher confirm survival stress has actually been induced?
2. How can survival stress be induced with consistent reliability?
3. How can the researcher compare the test subject’s actual performance against his/her perceived performance?

How, then, could these questions be answered, or these requirements be satisfied?

Read the Entire Article

The Stress Paradox: Understanding How The Body's Innate Programming Can Inhibit the Performance of First Responders

Written by Bruce Siddle

A trauma surgeon was recently involved in a case where stress affected his ability to perform a tracheotomy. The case involved a tactical team officer, who was brought to the ED with a gunshot wound that required an emergency tracheotomy. The surgeon knew the officer well, knew the mem- bers of his tactical team and had actually trained with the team on many occasions as their emergency team doctor. Therefore, a special bond existed between them.

The officer’s wounds were serious, and his fellow officers re- fused to leave his side. As the surgeon began what should have been a simple procedure, his vision became distorted and his hands became sweaty and shook, resulting in his inability to firmly grasp the surgical tool. A simple straight-line incision took several attempts, leading to what he described as a “road map” of scars.

Read the Entire Article

The Impact Of The Sympathetic Nervous System On Use of Force Investigations

Written by Bruce Siddle

Researchers have long recognized that stress is responsible for deteriorating cognitive and physical performance. Reports of tunnel vision, auditory exclusion, time distortions, the loss of fine and complex motor skills, unexplainable accidental discharges and bizarre behavior have been well documented.
Why these phenomena occur has remained elusive until recently. Today, we now know that combat performance is connected to Autonomic Nervous System.

This system controls all of the voluntary and involuntary functions of the body, and is divided into parasympathetic and sympathetic systems. The parasympathetic nervous system (PNS) is dominant during nonstress environments where an individual perceives he/she is safe. The PNS controls a number of critical survival functions, such as visual acuity, cognitive processing, and fine or complex motor skill execution. However, anytime the brain perceives an imminent deadly force threat, the sympathetic nervous system (SNS) is activated involuntarily, resulting in an immediate discharge of stress hormones.

Read the Entire Article

What Applegate Said

Written by Kevin R. Davis

Rex Applegate. The name conjures up image of some OSS operative cloaked in secrecy being trained for some classified mission behind enemy lines in WWII. The name connotes a lifetime of study in armed and unarmed combatives. The name also is associated in the field of firearms training with point shooting, something that Applegate believed and instructed in until his death. Since Applegate's passing the direct line to his beliefs and teachings has been lost. But fortunately we have a body of work that articulates what the good Colonel believed and instructed. It is to this material that we will quote and to his "disciples" that carry on his work to this day.

Read the Entire Article