Training: your most important piece of survival "gear"

Many of us get caught up in gear. Spending tons of money on the latest and greatest equipment. Don't get me wrong, I do love gear just as much as the next guy. The problem is that I don't see that many that spend any money or effort in their training. You will always have your training but you can't say the same about your gear.

When I say training, I don't specifically mean going to attend training (although I highly recommend it). I believe experience is just as important as training. I know when I've faced a situation that I have faced  before I generally know how to handle it. Why? Because I've already dealt with it before.

A saying that we use in the military is that "you will always default to your level of your training". Many people think that when they face a situation they will "rise to the occasion". As many have found out- that's not the case. You will always resort back to your level of training.

Lets look at it from a fitness standpoint. Do you believe that if you've been living an unhealthy lifestyle; that you would be able to bug out on foot on a ten mile ruck to get to your bug out location? I'm sure there are many out there that believe that they will. I know better. Don't let your fantasies get the best of you. If you have never pushed yourself to that physical capacity; then more than likely you will not when it becomes reality.

There are endless survival resources online. You could spend hours online looking at the plethora of "survival experts" on YouTube. If moneys tight and that is the only option you have; its better than nothing. I would encourage you to get out and practice those skills and gain that "experience" like I stated above. By failing to do certain things you may learn how to do them right. An example of this is friction fire. You may fail a hundred times before you get it. But the experience will help you. This may even lead you to shortcuts or better methods of doing things. You can also receive free training from the American Red Cross.

If you can afford to spend some money, I would suggest getting training in the areas below:

• wilderness survival
• firearms/tactical training
• a fighting art (i.e. krav maga, ju-jitsu, boxing, wrestling, etc...)
• CERT/FEMA
• Gardening
• Welding
• OnPoint Tactical Urban Escape and Evasion Class

Some of these skills you can gain from friends; others you may have to go find a professional to teach you. Bottom line is to get out and do it. Save that money that you spend on the latest and greatest gadget and go learn some skills that you will always have with you.