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Think ahead

For those of us that live on the east coast old man winter has come upon us as scheduled.  With the change in season comes change and/or addtional attire.  Winter coats are a mainstay in most specialists closets.  The variety that specialists use range from North Face to Cashmere full length coats.  Wearing a coat can hinder your mobility and many specialists never train with the coats on because training in any potential gear you may wear never runs across your mind.  When was the last time you went to the range in a suit?  That’s my point.  Most guys go to an indoor range with their 5.11’s on or jeans, but rarely with a suit and probably never with your winter coat on?  Clearing a blazer in order to get your weapon out needs to be practiced.  I remember old school guys that kept a roll of pennies in the jacket pockets so that their jacket would swing fully to the rear in order to get the weapon.  I have heard, but never saw it myself, of some other guys having small lead weights sewn in the bottom of their blazers to do the same thing.  Either way you need to train the way you play (work).

The other thing that I want to bring up about coats is this.  If you are working a principal and you are going from one location to another and there is no scheduled outside extended moments, do you wear your coat?  I regurlarly go without my coat because when you arrive at the location where do you put it?  If you are working your client indoors for an extended period of time with a long coat on it can get rather hot as well as look crazy.  You cannot put it down, becuase you’ll have to go get it before you leave.  It is not wise to tell your principal to wait until you get your coat nor should you have to worry about how you’ll retrieve it before you depart.  It’s better to suck it up during the short walk back to the car.  The last time I wore my cashmere coat was when we protected a client in the dead of winter President George W. Bush’s second swearing in at the US Capitol.  We knew we were going to be outside for an extended period of time.  When we returned back to the RON (remain over night) we walked the principals back to their rooms and had one of our post standers place the coats in the follow vehicle.

This may be a silly blog to many people but for me you need to think about every aspect of what you do.  Forgetting about the small things can lead to a big issue for you.

2 comments

  1. No Chow

    I have 3 coats (soon to be 4) that I wear while working. A 3/4 length leather dress coat, a regular leather jacket and a 5.11 sabre. Depending on the client and attire/holster, I choose accordingly. In the colder months, my coat goes everywhere I go. If we have our own vehicles, I tend to leave it in my vehicle along with my go bag. If we are using a third party vehicle, I either suck it up and keep it on or carry it draped over my weak arm. If we are in a venue for an extended period of time, I find a place to stash it either near the exit or close to my post. Might not be the best idea, but its a hell of a lot better than freezing my little yellow ass off while the client says their goodbyes.

    Now I will say this, I have yet to go to the range in any of the coats except the Sabre. But in my defense, I dry draw in the confines of my house with all 3. And I am one of those guys that carries a counter weight in my strong side pocket. I used to carry a roll of pennies, but after training in Vegas with one of my favorite instructors, I began carrying a multi-tool in said pocket. His mindset was to only carry what you need or might need. I can’t remember the last time I NEEDED a roll of pennies.

  2. Eric Konohia

    No Chow….You are clearly one of the exceptions to the rule when it comes to training the way you play. The roll of penny days I was referring to was way before the first leatherman was made and guys were crafty with everything. Duct tape was the adhesive for everthing now to be replaced with webbing, and paracord .

    Stashing a coat works if you are on a post but if you are working the close-in it could be an issue. Something to think about but you bring up good points.

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