Recently we held a physical Urban Skills course in Croatia. I was exceptionally happy with how well the course went.
Students were there to learn various skills. Personally I found a lot of skills very important in preparing for SHTF, but what I want to highlight most, to them, and all others is that skills that they learned before and on this course need to be set ‘inside’ SHTF circumstances.
What do I mean by that?
One of the big mythbusting about SHTF is that your skills will work and solve problems in SHTF in the way that you imagined.
In reality it is clearly not like that.
As some of the students learned, when SHTF (and we tried on the course to bring conditions as close as possible to the real SHTF) every ‘learned skill’ worked different.
Just a few examples (from many):
Water Collection
Skills ‘says’ that you need to collect water in several ways, for example rain from the roofs using tarps and similar.
Then you need container to ‘transport’ that water, like bottles, flasks and similar.
Then you need to purify it with gauze, pills, boiling or whatever mean suit you…
Traps
You set up some dangerous trap in front of your home with this you can kill any approaching ‘enemy’…
Trade
You have items that someone else needs and vice versa, you go find the guy, exchange goods and all is fine…
Weapon
You have most modern weapon and bunch of ammo and you feel safe…
But…
This list can go on and on for every item stored or every skill learned, but in reality things can and often do work like this:
You cannot collect water because simply there is no rain for weeks. You cannot set up tarps because you are hiding inside an abandoned apartment for days while there are not so friendly folks outside on the street.
The amazing trap that set up for your scenario is simply trap that will ‘injure’ the enemy in a way that he thought was there by ‘chance’ or ‘mistake’. Let’s say he tripped on some shit that looks like it was there because building was destroyed weeks ago, not something that, on reflection, he realizes was smartly set up by you, therefore he has no idea you are actually there and are actively defending.
For trade, you end up waiting waiting for correct information for days, and then after you get there, finally to the right place, you get ‘played’ by someone who trades you packs of cigarettes with nothing inside, or in worst case who shot you in the back because you assume that he is honorable.
For weapons, you find out that on 15th day of SHTF you end up with club (bat) as your primary weapon because you assume that 1000 rounds can last for months, or simply when someone attacked your home you forget to take your rifle with you when you ran. (For all those saying ‘this can never happen, events from the course prove otherwise)
One student asked me if it was true that I drank water simply from the puddle of water.
I said yes, with my shirt as a filter only.
Now that does not look like some skill for sure, not some survivalist purifying water, but it is the truth. Even if you have the means to treat water, are you confident in it? Have you thought about the water you realistically will be sourcing…?
You need to understand that each and every skill you have will be ‘disrupted’ someway in real SHTF, so you will be forced simply to ‘shorten’ procedures.
Is it good?
No of course not, but it is much better than to be shot in head while you are setting up a tarp outside your home…
Skills yes, but mindset for knowing what skills to use and when, that is all what is about here.
If you do not get a sense when and how to implement each skill, there is no sense in knowing any of it.
I am promising you, that every one of your skills will be performed in a different way in real settings, when you do not eat well, do not sleep good, with a lot of fear from the known and unknown.
Our physical Urban Skills course is a truly unique training opportunity, and we are very happy to announce next years dates. For all the details click here.
In the meantime, stay safe, and make sure you are training for the realities, not the fantasies…
3 Responses
I’ve had to walk the walk, and you are correct sir. What most people don’t completely understand, is that when the shooting, stabbing, gouging, raping, stealing, and general degradation starts, all bets are off, and you’re in the jungle. And you have to be able to do the basic things that keep you alive in horrendous conditions, mentally as well as physically. All the fancy assed shit in the world is not going to help you if you’re beset by starvation, dehydration, lunatic relatives, wounds, remorseless attackers, lack of sleep, rags for clothes, and shit that happens in the middle of the night. The biggest battle you’ll have is in your head, which you’ve got to keep together, and use like a weapon every waking minute. Prep like you mean it, and practice using your head MORE.
Amen to that Sean, I could’nt agree more with you. I was a student in the last course in Croatia. And I can confirm that if you don’t have your head together, then it will be difficult.
Attending this course was one of the best things I’ve done, unless you are a navy seal, you’ll find it usefull!
What I particularly liked was how the intructors messed with your head and tried to confuse you, to see if you can act as you should.
This course will be useful for everybody and I highly recommed it.
When you are at your worst you are expected to perform at your best.