Smart Phone Solutions for Special Forces

Via my friend, TKD instructor Gordon White, it looks like the military is finding applications for smart phone apps (I had to resist writing “there’s an app for that!” – whoops!).

Excerpt of the post at AndroidGuys:

The U.S. Military has spent several billion dollars and over 20 years to develop hardware and software communications for our troops. With the recent advancement of  smartphones the U.S. Military sees the opportunity to cut costs and speed development.

Here comes the Android OS in conjunction with custom designed apps to save the day.

Special Operations Command, aka SOCOM asked Android developers for some Android applications to keep commandos linked up while on missions. Some of the features desired include chat functions, file transfers (audio,video,images), video display and "white boarding" to assist on missions. SOCOM calls the App division"Tactical Situational Awareness Application Suite", or TactSA, and it must also work in low-connectivity areas. Do I hear Global Phone?

I’m not sure about the viability of the current hardware, but the advantages of Android’s open-source platform in developing applications is a plus for military use. If a truly “Mil-spec” hardware platform can be built, and the right data network is available, it’s a winner, to me.

What do you think?

A Horrifying Story Every Parent Should Read

Image via Stars and Stripes

My wife and I have had nearly zero dates in the past 14 years, and part of the reason is an inherent paranoia over the safety of our kids. Many of you share that – only immediate family may be OK to sit for your children. This story may give you all a reason to think carefully about who takes care of your children.

The linked story has received quite a bit of publicity in the past few days, as Staff Sergeant Joshua Adam Smith was just sentenced to life without parole for rape and sexual abuse of little girls he “baby-sat.”

From Stars and Stripes:

WASHINGTON — The young mother didn’t know it, but her 3-year-old daughter was just the victim Joshua Adam Smith was hunting for.

“Sara,” a stay-at-home mom, had been cautious when it came to vetting a baby sitter, wanting to get to know the person who would be caring for her child.

Smith seemed like the perfect candidate. He had the credentials: Eight years’ experience, he claimed, and an education in child development. He was an Air Force staff sergeant with a security clearance — one of their own in the American military community in Kaiserslautern, Germany. He said he was a parent himself.

Advertisement

More than that, Smith had become her friend. Before Smith even laid eyes on her daughter and her 17-month-old son, Sara had struck up a regular conversation with him on Facebook, finding him to be a normal guy who seemed like a great father. Later, on walks, over lunch and at the park with the kids, the two shared intimate details of their lives.

Sara thought they were close. But Smith’s true nature was hidden far from sight. Sara said she never suspected that the unassuming man who felt like family would turn out to be a serial child molester who would victimize her tiny daughter.

This horrifying story is of someone who seemed like the perfect candidate to be a sitter, and yet, he didn’t. On the surface, all of us, in hindsight, can see what happened, and what went wrong. This young mother had doubts, and disregarded them. The mother was groomed, and the results were inevitable.

Please read the following and share in the comments.

Child rapist first won over victim's mother
Air Force general upholds maximum sentence for child rapist
Child safety advocates urge caution as online baby sitter ads persist

Three Gifts from The Combat Trainer

I wholeheartedly agree with all three gifts to us – free advice from the Combat Trainer. Just a sample:

Gift Number 1:

Add power movements into your program.   What do I mean by power movements?  Well what I am talking about are exercises that require you as the athlete to move a force quickly.  That force can either be your own body weight or an object such as a kettlebell or barbell.  Incorporating suck power movements/exercises such as plyo-metrics or the Olympic lifts in your program is essential to taking you to the next level.  Now you don’t have to rush out and learn the Olympic lifts immediately.  Break them down into the different variations like the push press or jump shrug.  These movements alone will allow you to become more powerful.   A side note, when adding these power movements into your training, start with them first then move onto movements that require more strength.  So get moving fast and reap the benefits to your power development.

My recommendation is that you head over to Rob’s place and read the rest!

Merry Christmas!

____

Like this post? Subscribe to our feed, or by email and you won’t miss a thing.

Interact with us at our TDA Training Facebook page!

All original material is copyright of their respective authors.
All rights reserved. Permission must be obtained before use. Copyright 2010

Merry Christmas

As we prepare to settle down for the evening, I want to wish you all a merry Christmas, and a wonderful and happy New Year. God bless!

- Nathan

Western boxing and The Fighter

I’m guessing that with the debut of The Fighter, there will be an uptick of interest in boxing. Most of you know that I believe that knowledge of - and skill in - boxing is fundamental to a good martial artist or fighter, regardless of style. All MMA fighters now study boxing diligently, and you see the techniques and training utilized by martial arts of all stripes.  Even untrained thugs know how to throw a cross or straight punch, and so it is obligatory on anyone who wishes to defend himself to learn the techniques of boxing, and how to defend against them.

There are numerous great resources for picking up boxing skill, in addition to TDA Training. One which I’d recommend is Plug Ugly's Boxing Blog authored by longtime coach Wilson Pitts.

What I like about Pitts is that he teaches a technique, tactic, and strategy, then builds on that by posting video and analyzing it for you. As most instructors know, our learning modalities include audio (being told, or hearing). visual (seeing examples), and kinesthetic/tactile (learning by performing or feeling a movement). The best instructors use all of them. That’s what Pitt is doing with his online instruction. Check it out and learn something.

Note: We have added Plug Ugly’s Boxing Blog to our sidebar links. Watch for new posts there, too.

TDA Training has mobilized!

I just turned on the mobile format option. If you are on a smartphone or other mobile device, please try it out and let me know what you think.

____

Like this post? Subscribe to our feed, or by email and you won’t miss a thing.

Interact with us at our TDA Training Facebook page!

All original material is copyright of their respective authors.
All rights reserved. Permission must be obtained before use. Copyright 2010

Are Sit-Ups and Crunches bad for you?

I had no idea that there was any controversy on the subject, but this is a counterpoint. Read Why Sit-ups Aren’t Going to Kill You | 3 Spectrum Fitness

Big presentation today

Wish me luck.

Brachial Stun in Action (Video)

Does the brachial stun work? You be the judge.

Knifehand to the neck

Courtesy of the US Marine Corps finest!

____

Like this post? Subscribe to our feed, or by email and you won’t miss a thing.

Interact with us at our TDA Training Facebook page!

All original material is copyright of their respective authors.
All rights reserved. Permission must be obtained before use. Copyright 2010