Last night my brain had enough of working so I plopped down in front of the TV to disengage my brain for a while.
I turned on The Outdoor Channel, since it was “Wednesday Night At The Range”.
Yeah I know the STOU was on but I wasn’t in the mood for my blood to boil.
Some of the shows are just good informational entertainment, like “Shooting USA” or “Sighting In”. I do like “Impossible Shots”… just good entertainment there.
But some shows attempt to be educational, like “The Best Defense” and a new one, “S.W.A.T. Magazine TV”.
Last night, it bugged me.
The “S.W.A.T.” show showcased Tony Blauer, which I thought was cool and thus I tuned in, but it was 30 minutes of nothing. No real teaching of anything useful. Sure they showed off one technique throughout the show, but there was no real instruction for the viewer on the technique, how to do it, how to apply it. So what was the point? Just P.R. for Blauer (which isn’t a bad thing)? Rob Pincus working to increase his visibility?
Then on “Shooting Gallery”, Michael Bane was doing some stuff with Mossberg shotguns, working on shooting, malfunctions, and transition drills. I found myself screaming at the TV for them to move faster! If this was to be a self-defense class, as if your life depended on it, damnit… practice like your life depended upon it! This is not the role model you were looking for. Granted, when you start a class and a new technique you have to be slower because you’re learning… but this pace was like a Sunday walk. Glacial.
The shows are fair entertainment, but like a lot of gun journalism it’s going to be so-so and never speak ill… because in such a small world, it’s not good to upset the advertisers or sponsors.
And… there goes my shot at getting swag. 😉
I still enjoy the Wednesday night lineup (“I’m Larry Potterfield… thanks for your business”), but I need to stop hoping I’m going to get much substance out of it.
Stuff From Hsoi 
Hsoi,
I’m sorry that you didn’t feel like you learned anything from the S.W.A.T. TV episode last night, but I do appreciate you watching.
As for the swag, I’ll send you a T-shirt if you promise to wear it and increase my company’s visibility.
Keep watching and we might hit on something truly educational for you.
-Rob
What I was wanting to see to was explanation of that “half SPEAR” technique. It wasn’t there. There was demonstration of it, but no breakdown and actual talk of how to do it. Blauer would often mention details about it but no depth was given. To contrast, the segments with Michael Janich on “The Best Defense” are better in this regard: there’s actual break-down and discussion of techniques.
It was reasonable to choose that technique, for the format and intent of the show. I just thought the presentation could have been better executed.
Keep in mind Hsoi, that on shows like Bane’s the show isn’t so much about Michael getting better with a shotgun, so much as it is about showing various techniques and what training can do for you.
I’m sure that Michael, a multi-time graduate of Gunsite, Thunder Ranch and countless other schools, realizes that you need to move faster. For the sake of TV and presenting information to the public, slower is better.
-Rob