Why Training in Full Kit Holds You Back | Ft. Lucas Botkin
Вставка
- Опубліковано 10 лют 2025
- You might think you need to train in kit every chance you get, but if you're looking to get better at shooting, focus on the shooting, not the kit. If you're going to train in kit, be purposeful and intentional with what you're testing.
00:00 Intro
02:43 Kit Is A Distraction
06:56 Be Purposeful When Training In Kit
09:51 Stop Wearing Gloves
11:43 Focus On Shooting, Get Good At Shooting
13:13 75% Slick, 25% In Kit
15:41 Endplate
The time that is spent in kit while playing airsoft is underrated. It gives so much benefit to understanding what works and what doesn't. Airsoft is dorky, I get it. But it is still beneficial in many ways. Its motivated me to get in better shape and it allows me to actually use my kit.
Very true.
Airsoft is super underrated, especially if you run the same or similar setups to what you would run with real steel. Moving around and getting into weird tight spots or trying to shoot accurately with an already inaccurate rifle while using that kit teaches forces you to think and do things differently.
walking 40km and "fighting" over 24h will identify most if not all issues with the kit, hotspots, pouch and item placement etc.
You don’t need kit so you are learning useless information. Join the military if you really want to use kit. Or are u 🐈
@@mariotorano3781why wouldn’t he need kit? And why would he only need to join the military to wear kit?
Walking five miles in kit will teach you more about your kit than a trip to the range.
Agreed. And same with running with armor in a slick carrier.
So true!
Broooo. Amen to that. And bring along that vaseline and a sewing needle.
@@ericthomas9915 I own Vaseline stock shares 😂😂
Every culture has their own form of martial arts. America's is gun fighting. Thank you for describing it as such.
But the future is drone fight. Thermal, night vision, robots, etc.
@@Dragon-yw4xwOk drones got you, but then…who is gonna carry the boats?! Stay hard!
Gun fighting is not limited to the US, and in terms of martial arts I absolutely recommend people get time in with something like BJJ and some striking.
@@Osprey1994 No martial art is limited to the country or culture it belongs to, which you just proved by telling people to do BJJ.
Name one successful team in any sport whose training consists entirely of playing games?
Practicing isolated components is literally what training is about.
This comment section is much more respectful than I was expecting. Only a minimal amount of "spec ops meat riding" and "GWOT bro vet gatekeeping" going on. I love to see everyone just talking and bouncing ideas around, good stuff its how it should be.
The gun community has evolved a lot the last 10 years.
@TREXTraining I would tend to agree.
Because of Airsoft, I've been running and perfecting kit for like 9 years while being 22. Also dryfiring with airsoft before I could own a gun made me better than most people
Honestly just wearing your kit and doing household chores like laundry, dishes, and sweeping got me used to wearing kit, moving in kit, adjusting it so much more than at the range b/c like you pointed out; your attention gets divided. It’s like that saying…we can’t actually multitask we just switch between things very quickly. And unfortunately that does have an impact on performance/attention to detail
Bingo. Getting comfortable wearing and moving with the extra bulk is highly underrated; someone wiser than me once said "combat is weeks of boredom with minutes of adrenaline." If your gear isn't comfortable, you aren't going to have it when you need it, or it's going to be fighting you when you need it. If I'm in full kit, things have gone seriously to hell and I'm going to be living in my battle belt. Laser dryfire kits are highly underrated.
Love seeing the influence from stoeger and pranka creeping into your vids, slowly but surely the internet gun sphere can leave the goofy gwot era behind
I’m all about it
I would think cops and military wear gloves on the range not because they think it will help shooting but rather that they are likely to have gloves on in a shooting situation. Meaning it would be important to know how the gloves with come in to play.
Correct
As a cop, I rarely wear gloves; unless it's winter, cause my region gets pretty cold (sub zero is not unheard of). However I am more likely to be bare handed when having to draw my weapon. Consequently, I rarely wear my gloves while training. As Lucas said, I typically wear things like gloves at either dedicated full gear days, at the end of a range day, or at department trainings.
I think what Lucas is trying to get at is when you first show up to the range or first start training in gear (gloves) you should keep them off. Work the basics and repetitions. Then once your warmed up or ready to train in gear, then put on the gloves and other kit. But there’s a time and place in training for everything.
@@Glockamole_agreed, I think he was meaning that gloves are not going to help you shoot better. But depending on the individual situation you should shoot with gloves on so you can feel the difference. Like you said, time and place for everything 👍🇺🇸
@@Cabbagepatch66deputy sheriff in Illinois here, True.. unless I’m searching a vehicle or handling a suspect or victim who’s not looking too great.
I definitely agree there's no point in wearing kit at a flat range, especially an indoor range. Unfortunately, the only range within an hour of me that isn't some premium membership where you have to know a guy and go through months long process to get in is an indoor range, which also sucks because my AR10 .308 is my go to rifle. They allow .308, but I hate deafening other shooters. They also don't allow drawing from holsters or rapid fire. So, when I am at the indoor range, I'm focusing 100% on practice. Maybe I'll have my battle belt just for reload practice.
I will wear my kit to condition at home. I don't use it dry firing, but I absolutely use it for airsoft. I made some targets and use them in my fenced backyard to run movement drills. I also have a cheap treadmill and Stairmaster I use for conditioning. I'm only able to go to the range maybe twice a month for an hour or two, and I am absolutely spending that time on improving technique. Also .30hates my wallet.
Sounds like you’re doing what you can in your situation. Can you drive to public land to practice? When I lived in San Diego, it was a bit of a drive but still doable.
@@WearilyCorrect In my state target practice is illegal on public land except at shooting ranges. There are a couple about 2 hours away, and I'll go there every month or two since they do have a pistol shooting gallery and a 100 yard range. But with my work schedule, I only get one day off at a time except for one weekend a month so it's a hard trip to plan out, especially when that one weekend I make plans for month or two in advance.
My friend also lives about 3 hours away, and there's a 200 yard range near him so every few months we'll go shooting there together.
Probably best thing eventually for me will be just to get my own land if this economy improves and housing and land market crashes. There's a lot of land south of me, but everything is getting eaten up by the nearby city so it's getting developed and urbanized quickly by suburbs and apartments.
That sucks that they don't allow target practice on public land. What state is this? Would like to avoid it.
@@freedomfalcon Georgia
@@SeaGLGaming that sucks. Maybe you can fight to get that law removed. It’s called public land, not the king’s….
That high pitched "kit" at 4:42 lol.
Love the videos, so awesome to hear different opinions on things like training, but I especially love how you explain the thought process. Makes sense! Thanks!
The gloves point is sooooo true. I shoot handguns 3-5 times a week and had just recently started incorporating gloves in more often. It feels like i’m trying to shoot with someone else holding the gun.
Wearing kit might not be a skill, but wearing it enough to be comfortable in it, perform well in it, and being able to access anything quickly and efficiently in complete darkness is a skill. Learn and understand how to shoot well while slick, but you definitely need to get used to your kit, figure out what works and what doesn't, and be comfortable in it.
A great way to train in kit is airsoft. A whole day of hiking around in kit, just living with it. You find stuff that doesn’t work VERY fast.
Nice video Lucas @TREX TRAINING. Very good and valid points.
Learn to shoot well, before putting on kit.
Add kit once you have the basics and a solid shooting foundation down.
Stealing from another poster......Walk 5 miles in that kit!
You will figure out real quick what needs to change!
Make changes....do another 5 miles!
Now......go out and shoot and move with kit.
Make changes accordingly!
Then go shoot and move again! Repeat, over and over!
Set up your "kit" realistically for your intentions.
Don't add in or on, a bunch of Crap you don't need!!!! "Ounces equal Pounds, Pounds equal Pain"
And finally..........
Unless you carry ALL of your kit with you 24 hours a day 7 days a week, there is a very high probability SHTF will happen, and you won't have or be near your kit!
Unless you are military, deployed / on mission or LEO, where it is required to be in kit while on duty!
Honestly I’m just looking for resources for dynamic drills like this. Gear isn’t even the first issue when you’re surrounded by fudd ranges that cap your fire rate.
I have always liked your videos Lucas, as well as the topics and your willingness to tell people to get cheaper/less expensive items if it enables them to get put and train, just don’t go too low quality.
One day I will get out to a class.
You should train in full kit only AFTER you have isolated and refined your individual skills and capabilities. You should be running both with and without a plate carrier for endurance training(treadmills do not count). You should practice your pistol draw and reloads isolated from everything else. You should practice your marksmanship with a rifle with nothing else around. Minimize the amount of variables that can affect your training when trying to improve your skills so that you can properly isolate the problem(s) and fix them accordingly. Training in full kit puts everything together and has too many variables. It’s good and beneficial to train in full kit so that you know your way around your kit and how you preform in it; but you should not be improving your skills while in full kit.
I usually wear my full kit and belt when I'm either outdoors or an indoor tactical bay. Otherwise, I just run a belt/holster if it's just a regular indoor lane. Keep training 💪🏽
Couldn’t agree more, just like exercising a muscle you isolate the muscle and that makes it stronger you won’t get stronger doing full body every workout. There is validity behind using full kit but not every time.
As a holder of a Bachelor’s of Science in Exercise & Sports Science. I kindly disagree with your statement about doing a full body workout every workout won’t get you stronger, it will in fact get you stronger. I believe that you were referring to getting a sculpted look. So in that case yes you will not get a muscle man look.
and then when it comes to functional fitness you have a sick 315 bench but poor functional ability
Great video Lucas. Solid.
Get the hits then the Kits
When I train, I usually mix it up w/training plates (AR500 cuz my SAPIs are too spendy) and belt or chest rig and belt...the former's to work on my cardio and the latter's for muscle memory...both options are interspersed with an abbreviated "20 min. Ranger workout" to up ''the suck factor".
You should train in kit and train in it until those mental distractions are no longer distractions. You should be come so comfortable in your kit when you put it on it is a part of you
Doesn’t matter how well you move in kit if you can’t shoot, the point of the video went right over your head my guy.
That's how I feel. I'm not sure I'm understanding the full point of the vid though. This may be for new shooters who are still practicing the basics. I can see where things like weight, shoulder pads, etc, being a distraction can be solely a negative for people who still need to just focus on consistent basic accuracy, trigger pull, etc. But there's no way I personally am not gonna throw my kit on and sprint to positions and get used to the difference in shoulder position, etc.
@@godwarrior3403This video is most certainly for new shooter. Honestly, most of T.Rex Arms’ content is for newer people who don’t know much and is intended for them to develop proper skills and form.
Yeah the point of the video was for new shooters AND to focus on strictly the fundamentals of shooting and like the video said. Yes have a portion of your training done in full kit, because yes you are right with the mental distractions, which is why he said a lot of that stuff can be done in dry fire. You need both
Thank you for exercising your rights. I've only been involved with guns for about two years. I suggest taking a pistol class. Also, finding an outdoor range would be nice.
Another tip I would like to recommend also is to not train with socks on. Socks on can cause you to cause friction with your toes and ignite a fire.
@9:50 I wear my gloves to protect my hands. My offhand get bloody gouges torn out of the palm by my mainhand's fingernails (they stay trimed) when firing my pistol so I wear gloves.
Love running full kit. Great vid
Only 20% of US gun owners train/go to the range/practice/etc five times A YEAR. So, at what percentage does that put those, like me, that practice/shoot 5 times a month?? I'd say we're way ahead of the curve so don't knock those who can only shoot 2-3 times a month... just sayin
Where'd you find that stat? That's pitiful. And I wonder how few have ever trained medical too
@ I believe it was in an issue of Shooting Illustrated. I made special note of the article because it is hard to believe. However, it doesnt surprise me because I know lots of folks who own a firearm or firearms that don’t do shit with them other than hunt
Thank you Lucas for giving me permission to train without kit. We are going out this weekend and I felt the LARP pressure to always wear kit. Thank you for saving me.
Jk but srs thanks for this video.
couple people told me to wear as much safety equipment (plates, helmets, 1st aid, etc...) at the range, yes to train but more so to protect you from others that may have a negligent discharge or just crazy people in general. was also told to always have at least two guns, one that you are training with and one as a backup to defend your self. thoughts?
Great training method. Dry fire. And i still don't do enough of it
Gee thanks now you say something. I’ve been wearing my kit non-stop every day since your last video about wearing kit to train. Its caused many family arguments since it literally hasn’t come off. Glad you put this out before thanksgiving, jerk.
You train how you want to train, like he mentioned if it makes you happy to wear your kit do it lol.
You a real G Lucas
When shooting an ar15 I start immediately with gloves since that's my plan.
When using a pistol I go bare hands because that's my use case.
Prior service we did everything slick then kit.
Training in kit is like doing push-ups with a weight vest. If you can't do a push-up without the vest, adding the extra weight isn't helping.
Shockingly for me, the nerves in my hands are so sensitive that I shoot handguns better with gloves on. I’m able to form a tighter grip and control recoil better. That’s obviously not true for everyone but that is something I’ve personally noticed myself. Gloves don’t make a difference for carbine/pcc shooting at all aside from protecting your hands from heat.
Great video, great advice...
now a days, I'm all about balance. I hate having weight up front, if I don't have equal or more weight on my back.
UA-cam is unsubscribing your viewers!!! I know because I was one of them!!! Long time subscriber and I find great value in your content and gear!!! Thank you and resubscribing now!!!
I love these comments. When it comes to shooting, people just don’t get it. It’s always gotta be gear talk for some people.
Yep. It’s pretty indicative. Hence this video in the first place
The only thing that "holds me back" as Lucas says, is the cost of ammo. It would be nice if it wasn't 50 cents every shot of 556.
I think the harder, the better. If the full kit can distract me and making me feel heavier, that's good for the training. Harder training, easier objetives. But the kit will never be the priority. A pistol a rifle, holster and magazine pouch is enough.
But it is also keeping you from focusing all your effort on actually shooting. Challenging yourself is cool, but should be a smaller percentage of your training. Theres a reason why football teams run plays “dry” with no defense and no pads. Because learning the footwork, timing, routes, etc is the point. If you can figure that out, adding your pads isn’t gonna suddenly be impossible. Of course you add the pads and run against a mock defense, but learning plays with the full set doesn’t make sense. Its a waste of energy when the task doesn’t require pads. If you shot a uspsa match with 10 lbs ankle weights, sure you make it harder, but what does that do for your shooting? You can run faster with kit by doing sprints or running more. By combining all this stuff you waste time to inefficiency in an effort to save it by multitasking.
While starting out, you still need to develop the "muscle memory" of your fundamentals.
Similar to learning to drive a car or motorcycle, you don't start at 80 mph on the interstate. You start in an empty parking lot, away from distractions, with no radio on, at a low speed. As you gain the fundamentals of feathering your clutch, steady pressure on the brake and accelerator, smooth steering, gauging stopping distance, backing up, operating the windshield wipers, using the steering column controls, etc. you then begin to drive on quiet back roads until you master driving on the quiet surface streets. Then you step up to the main thoroughfares around town. Then the state highways and interstates.
By trying to learn how to manage recoil, gain proper sight picture, have consistent and proper grip and trigger placement, proper stance, balanced grip, and slow even trigger pressure WHILE dealing with improperly fitted equipment only makes you develop poor "muscle memory" and develop training scars that take YEARS to overcome if at all. You can certainly HAVE the equipment, but you need to crawl before you can walk and walk before you can run.
As corny as the saying is, "slow is smooth and smooth is fast" is repeated so much by people who do these activities professionally because of how true it is. By slowly establishing the neuro pathways to efficiently and smoothly perform the basic tasks, you are able to stop applying mental focus to those tasks and begin to worry about foot work, transitioning into dynamic positions, accelerating, decelerating, obstacle maneuvers, threat assessment, etc.
@Cabbagepatch66 exacly, thst's why isn't a priority.
Man i need to know where do you get the outfits that you wear on the range
Please explain how you train while being right-handed and left-eye dominant. I'm struggling.
There are a few options. You can either learn to shoot left handed (easier from what I've been told), or learn to position your sights in body in such a way that you can aim with your dominant eye and still shoot with your right hand.
Unfortunately, it will take longer to master the fundamentals either way, but it isn't impossible.
My first partner at work was right handed, left eye dominant. As a result, he learned to shoot handgun left-handed/rifle right handed and is one of the best shots on our shift. He had to work twice as hard as everyone else to get there, but as a result he developed an even stronger foundation than anyone else which continues to serve him very well.
Summary: Isolation
Is Lucas using a G45 in this? I can’t exactly tell
I mean train like you fight. If I was a full time civilian, I wouldn’t have gear like when I was in the military, I’d probably have a slick plate carrier, and holds like 2-4 mags in my Jean pockets for my m4 or same for my pistols.
I feel like the average civilian would be better off practicing with their concealed carry setup majority of the time. Sure there's a place for having a rifle, and kit in a home defense scenario, but most of the time when people leave the house they're not kitted out. Most of the time when people leave their house ,they are going to work or running errands, and they are generally not going to be kitted out like Rambo, but instead wearing civilian clothes and carrying a gun on their hip so train like you fight or like you live or whatever.
Yeah I don’t like wearing gloves when shooting even in 20 degree weather. Instead in cold weather when not shooting I have my hands in a sleeve/pocket that has a hand warmer in it to keep them warm.
Dosent sound very practical outside the flat range.
I recommend good shooting gloves and wool fingerless layered on the outside when it’s cold.
Training like you fight, but don't like crazy) Greetings from Ukraine!)
It'd be great a video on how to properly use airsoft replicas for training.
RAD!
Always 🤷♂️🤷♂️🤷♂️
So it’s not about training in kit or not, it’s more about training in good kit that’s fitted for you and works for you so it’s not a distraction or a detractor.
Good kit thats fit well is still gonna be more distracting than a gun belt with the bare bones. I love my chest rig and its the perfect one for me. I don’t need it to shoot drills that require
Yes and no. You don't put a 15 year old in a formula one car to learn to drive. You need to assess where you individually are with the fundamentals and use that as a basis.
Is you grip perfect, stance good, recoil management good, and weapon manipulation good 90% of the time? If not, maybe hold off on adding kit to the mix until you have solid neuro pathways for the fundamentals.
Once you start to master the fundamentals, you have freed the mental capacity to focus on working your weapon with the kit. Then as you discover interferences either relocate the offending equipment to a less problematic position or start tweaking the neuro pathways through dry fire if you can't adjust your gear.
Whenever "professionals" such as military or law enforcement begin learning a new skill, we usually strip down to the bare necessities as dictated by policy or SOP. Then slowly begin to learn and incorporate the new skills slick and slowly reincorporate the fancy equipment.
Just like the car example, if you can't drive a '92 civic in an empty parking lot; why would you expect to figure it out in a formula one car at 200+ mph?
If you can't walk from the couch to the fridge without getting winded, why would you think you can do a 10 mile ruck with a 17 pound vest, 10 pound duty belt, and 55 pound pack?
When building a house, you don't start putting walls up on the dirt and then lean a roof up and try to frame trusses underneath and then add your foundation.
You need the strong sturdy base to then add the next layer to and slowly add things that help to strengthen the structure as a whole. It doesn't mean that you have to do things in a very specific linear progression, but you do need to make sure what you already have is sturdy and strong enough to stay together while you add the next layer to it.
I imagine a chest rig and gloves would suffice
❤
what brand and size ruck did you use?
Noiiice
Most people, most of their lives, are concealed carry citizens, small civil unrest, not end of the world shtf raiders. You will be wearing no kit, just a pistol, maybe pick up a rifle. Be proficent at what will occur most of your life, not the small niche scenario. The kit will fatigue and distract you just like Lucas mentions, vs you trying to increase speed and precision, which matter in concealed carry scenarios.
So when do we practice buddy drags?
In a med lane.
@@TREXTraining Not during competition, got it
You should be doing some stuff in kit and some stuff out of kit. A progression start slick and build into kit with the drills. You need to train with kit half the time. Period. There is a reason combat units train with kit because that's what your fighting in. The way you shoulder your weapon with plates. The amount of rotation you have with plates on. The noises your making while running. How your helmet and nods are bumping your face or a screw is coming loose. These things could be life or death in a serious situation. This isn't sports or some sunday funday. It's life or death. To be honest the amount of running around being done on this channel for drills is alittle off. Your not going to be sprinting back and forth during a firefight like these guys do. Maybe from firing position to firing position. No need to rush to your death. Take your time.
Create par standards out of kit to develop a foundation for firearm manipulation below donning kit
If you want to professionally larp, listen to this guy
That’s what all training is lol
I stopped caring about kit forever ago. None of it was helping me not shoot like trash. Kit, much like working out, is merely a means and not an end-all-be-all.
If your joints and spine work too well for your liking, go ahead and start living and working out in your kit all the time. I’m not even 30 and my skeletal system is absolutely destroyed.
Goobers who hound you are hounding you with their opinion. It’s no different from people who would hound you about their opinion on what brand of toilet paper you should be using. Don’t take them too seriously.
Can't train in kit at an indoor range?? that's lame.
Training in kit isn't important developing an area study and implementing procedures and plans is what guys really need to train for..... Most guys are training like they're navy seal door kickers and that's not what y'all are gonna be doing
Daily
I like to LARP! lol
First
would like to hear some special forces guys opinions on this
@@bighurtz35 I don’t love everything they do but look at GBRS, most of what they work is with belt line kit since those are the first sources they reload from.
Are they the best shooters?
@@TREXTraining they are ones that use kit in real life not just practice!
@bighurtz35 a better shooter is a better shooter, kit or no kit
@@bighurtz35 It's real easy to seem like a SME if you have air superiority during your wars and you go against untrained farmers. Take any GWOT vet advice with a pinch of salt
Mission dictates your kit, train accordingly. Most of us, when this country collapses, will die of dirty water, diseases, or starving anyway. Though training in kit might make you survive just a little longer. This kid's loot drop is gonna be crazy to whichever warlord gets to him first. 😂
Hey, at least I drop rare “purple” loot. Maybe even legendary loot.
The whole point of training in kit is to get used to the complication of moving in kit. Fit your shit at home, but you need to learn your reloads and movement. Dry fire and reload and draw at home with snap caps, sure. But if you go to the flat range, and you intend to use kit, wear it. You're going to train yourself to look for mags and draw differently when it counts.
What a lazy take on training.
There’s a lot more to shooting than just reloading and drawing.
You don't know what you're doing or talking about. You just got to capitalize off your parents' money and land.
A better question is WHY do people that will never use kit in real life train with it? Having all the cool guy, wiz bang, ninja gear doesn't make you an operator. Its just that simple.
I could say the same thing about guns and fire extinguishers. You probably will never need one, but it’s still smart to own and know how to use.
Exactly! Did full kit for rifle/pistol quals early this month as firearms instructor academy for my work. Better to know you can do it when you need it, NOT when shtf an realize you should have made adjustments. Rock on
@@TREXTraining