Tactical Firearms Instructor James Yeager Attends the Atlanta SSS

[Mark Rippetoe]

He has good things to say, eventually.



He did a great job with little previous experience. Give his website a look: www.tacticalresponse.com

[Nicholas Racculia]

Rip,

Great video, especially the last minute. It made me think of "The Man in the Arena" quote by Roosevelt.

It is also pretty cool that a busy CEO would make a 5+ hour trip and then take the time to post a thoughtful video about his experience.

[George Cook]

Rip,
I talked to him extensively at the seminar and he was very impressed with you and the rest of the staff. He is someone, like you, who is not a shrinking violet. So others in the firearms community establishment often find him not to be suitable for their palate. I think he is a very good instructor who has some controversial opinions. I'm seriously considering going to one of his classes.

[Mark Rippetoe]

We were obviously quite busy during the seminar, and I didn't get a chance to talk to him about this. What does he teach that is "controversial"?

[SRS]

We were obviously quite busy during the seminar, and I didn't get a chance to talk to him about this. What does he teach that is "controversial"?

As far as I know, the tactics he teaches are not particularly controversial. What largely makes him controversial in the firearms community is two-fold. First, he has a reputation for being a huge asshole and exceptionally arrogant. Two, he was involved in a gun fight in Iraq, I believe, that resulted in a number of his team members getting killed. Some people put a lot of that blame for that on him. I don't know the guy, so I don't agree or disagree with these criticisms. It's just what I've heard over the years.

[Beau Bryant]

Great video blog!

In a previous life I spent quite a bit of time learning how to shoot hand guns and long guns with Jerry Barnhart. I have the utmost respect for Jerry and could not say enough about his teaching ability and methods. He spent his life analyzing the smallest detail trying to find the most efficient way to change mags, acquire targets, or transition between weapons. Many of the same things I found with SS.

I now want to take a trip to see James Yeager.

[Mark E. Hurling]

Whoa James! Got coffee much? Slow down dude. Kind of made me think of the old Bill Jordan aphorism, "Speed is fine, but accuracy is final."

Kidding aside, that was a great video. He mentioned something that I had kind of forgotten about in the teaching and coaching while learning. A key component of reinforcing any new learning or ongoing learning you are part of.

That last minute and the cheetos reference was a great riff on a Ron White routine that has always made me laugh.

[Mark Edward]

I think any controversy is mostly about the perception that he says things that put gun owners in a bad light. This sort of thing:

“Vice President [Joe] Biden is asking the president to bypass Congress and use executive privilege, executive order to ban assault rifles and to impose stricter gun control,” Yeager explained in his video message. “Fuck that.”

“I’m telling you that if that happens, it’s going to spark a civil war, and I’ll be glad to fire the first shot. I’m not putting up with it. You shouldn’t put up with it. And I need all you patriots to start thinking about what you’re going to do, load your damn mags, make sure your rifle’s clean, pack a backpack with some food in it and get ready to fight.”

The CEO concluded: “I’m not fucking putting up with this. I’m not letting my country be ruled by a dictator. I’m not letting anybody take my guns! If it goes one inch further, I’m going to start killing people.”

[Mark Rippetoe]

First, he has a reputation for being a huge asshole and exceptionally arrogant.

Anyone with a well-developed personality and well-thought-out opinions is an arrogant asshole. This is essentially the definition of "arrogant asshole."

Two, he was involved in a gun fight in Iraq, I believe, that resulted in a number of his team members getting killed. Some people put a lot of that blame for that on him. I don't know the guy, so I don't agree or disagree with these criticisms. It's just what I've heard over the years.

This is an unfortunate situation, in several ways. But it doesn't discredit his methods or his teaching ability.

[SRS]

Anyone with a well-developed personality and well-thought-out opinions is an arrogant asshole. This is essentially the definition of "arrogant asshole."



This is an unfortunate situation, in several ways. But it doesn't discredit his methods or his teaching ability.

Agreed. I know very little about the guy aside from reading bickering between people who dislike him and his supporters. What I have noticed is that even those that are the most ardent detractors rarely seem to criticize his methods or teaching ability. It is almost always an attack based on personality and/or credibility.