Jim Wagner Reality-Based Personal Protection

Guns, Rifles, Knives and Reality

Jim Wagner

“The line is hot!” I screamed out to my 12 students on the firing line, and then the bullets started flying. The quiet surrounding mountains of Los Angeles was disturbed by the report of pistols going off. That’s how I started off December, with my Reality-Based Personal Protection WEAPONS COURSE to high-ranking police officers. They were there to perfect their shooting skills with me. 

The WEAPONS COURSE, a five-day intensive course, included instructions on pistol, assault rifle, and Police Knife Survival, and despite being December the Southern California weather was absolutely perfect all five days. 

Since I had so many shooters throughout the week I had a few of my professional friends come up to be RSOs (Range Safety Officer): one friend from the Santa Ana Police Department, another from Homeland Security, and another is a full-time soldier; all of them donating their time on their days off. As a result the range ran smoothly every day.

On Friday, December 6, 2013, I finished the course by giving my students on what a sniper can do – “One shot, one kill.” I had two 1 gallon milk jugs filled with red colored water out in the distance and a human silhouette target. I warned my students that if they were ever sent to respond to a sniper to be aware of just how dangerous they are. I told my students, “At 100 meters it is not just a matter of me putting a bullet through your head with a good sniper rifle, but which eye ball do I want to knock out.” With that I loaded a .308 round into my Remington 700 sniper rifle and put a round just below the left eyebrow of the photo realistic paper target. Then I shoved in another round, held my half-breath, squeezed the trigger, and red water jumped into the sky. I loaded my third round by pushing the bolt forward, a round developed for use in the Afghanistan war that can take someone’s head clean off their shoulders, and a ball of mist filled the air 100 meters away. There was an obvious difference with the destruction of the two different milk jugs. 

I was happy that I improved everybody’s shooting skills, and it was evident on their final test scores. I did my part to make the world just a little bit safer. 

At the end of the course all of the students wanted to have dinner together, and by the time we organized it and went to the restaurant we had 40 people. We ended up on one long table, and needless to say it was festive. After dinner I handed each student their certificate and a shoulder patch of the course logo. And, as is traditional among fellow police officers, I received several gifts from my students.

High Speed Low Drag Military Training

Jim Wagner

Not only do I get satisfaction in training civilian police officers, but I am just as thrilled training military personnel, and a team came to me for some advanced pistol, assault rifle, and tactics training for one day. This team does real world missions, and it was important that I give them techniques and training methods that they would not normally get elsewhere. 

One of the drills that I taught these men, first with air guns and then with live-fire, was the Red Drill that I had learned when working with United States Marine Division Schools at Camp Pendleton during the 1990s. It’s basically to teach an assault team how to use “cover by fire,” that is to say continuous suppressive fire until the weapons goes dry, point man yelling out “Red!” and the partner moving up and taking over while providing protection for his partner who is reloading from behind all while on the move. This drill, when it comes to firearms training, is about as High Speed Low Drag as it get. Of course, we covered many other intense drills including some quality time in a Shoot House. 

The men I worked with were top-notch professionals, and it makes me look forward to training more of them in 2014. HOOAH!

Connected Through Facebook

Jim Wagner 

Years ago my former Director of Canada, Mitra Castano, told me that I should get on this new social media called “Facebook.” I told her a few times that I didn’t have time. 

About three years went by without me having social media, and then I ran across a book in the airport that caught my interest. It was all about how businesses need to be into social media. As a result I opened a YouTube, Twitter, and Facebook account and one of my first friends was, you guessed it, Mitra. I should have followed her advice earlier.

However, I did not start with a business page for my Jim Wagner Reality-Based Personal Protection system, but with a personal page. Then Dana Stamos, of World Wide Dojo, gave me the advice on how to manage my page and some other technical advice. The truth is, I didn’t know how popular my page would be, or just who would come. To my surprise my “friends” grew rapidly, and I learned how to work well in social media. 

A month ago I had finally reached 5,000 friends on Facebook from literally all over the world. Facebook only allows a maximum of 5,000 friends, and so people waiting to join me everyday. I finally made the decision to “go public” and merge my personal page with a newly developed business page jimwagnerrbpp. Through this new business page I was able to tie in my Twitter account, also named jimwagnerrbpp, and my YouTube account, jimwagnerrbpp, which as of today has 6,738 subscribers and almost 1 million views. 

When I went from personal page to business page the friends became likes. To get my daily life-saving articles and advice you have to go to the page and LIKE it. That gets you on board. I don’t have to approve anyone coming to my business page. One way you can help the Reality-Based Personal Protection system grow is to share my articles and YouTube videos with your friends on Facebook. 

On my business page I am not allowed to send messages like my old personal page. Therefore I no longer was able to see my old friend’s photos, video conference with them, or send messages as before. Therefore I created a new personal page specifically for RBPP INSTRUCTORS ONLY. If you were personally instructor certified by me, and you want to be on my new Facebook instructors page, then CLICK HERE and also send me a message giving your: 

1.  Full name

2.  The date you were instructor certified

3.  The city and country you were certified in

This will save me a lot of time looking it up, especially if a lot of requests come in.

Wishing You a Happy New Year 2014

Jim Wagner 

2013 was an excellent year for me, and for the Reality-Based Personal Protection system. 

The highlight for me personally this year was getting into a new military unit, and this unit helping promote me to Sergeant First Class and placing me in charge of training, plus getting the position as the Division’s Terrorism Liaison NCOIC (Non Commissioned Officer in Charge). Before that I was awarded a trophy for being the top soldier in the Division winning the MILSTAKES competition on July 20th. 

The highlight for the Reality-Based Personal Protection system was me being inducted into the Martial Arts History Museum for Excellence in the Martial Arts 2013 on September 7th. 

More important than awards or promotions was getting to work with and train many dedicated professionals and martial artists through out 2013, and making new friends. 

So to you I wish a Happy New Year 2014. Train hard in your Reality-Based, and if this year you get attacked and have to use your conflict skills may you be victorious. And, as always – Be A Hard Target.