Physical Training (PT) for Free

Getting and staying in combat-ready or near combat-ready physical condition is not the easiest task, especially if you are doing it alone or can't afford a gym membership. But there are some ways to do effective PT for free.

•If you live near clean water, swim a lot. It is great cardiovascular exercise and works on all of your muscle groups. Also I have found ocean water to be very healing in terms of cleaning up dirty, scabbed over wounds. Also strong swimming skills have their combat potential.

•Don't drive, walk/run or bike. If at all possible walk or bike everywhere. You can do it anywhere and you can easily incorporate it into your daily life. I have found biking to be much quicker than public transport. And when you walk you find lots of cool places that you wouldn't have found otherwise and will find cool stuff on the ground or left for curbside pick up. Also you can load up your patrol pack to make the walk that much more effective.

•A lot of cities have bars and platforms in their parks that you can do all sorts of exercises on. Push ups and sit ups can be done anywhere but they don't work all of your muscle groups. One park I have been to even have a suggested regiment posted near each station with detailed instructions on how to use the equipment.

Even if you don't become super fit right away, a little PT and preparedness will go a long way when the time comes to run for the hills.

Tip of the Day: Pack Tea Tree Oil Toothpicks

The life of a guerrilla is a simple one, spent away from the comforts of civilization for long periods of time. He cannot afford the extra weight of many of things he might otherwise use in his daily life. Something really small that I have found to be really useful are tea tree oil toothpicks. The oil of the tea tree of Australia is anti-septic, anti-bacterial and anti-fungal. I found it extremely fast acting in taking care of a minor gum infections, simply by using it as a tooth pick, then chewing it up a little and packing it by the infected area. After two days it cleared the infection which had been bothering me for months. The use of this for the guerrilla should be clear; even if you don't have tooth paste and a tooth brush or if no clean water is available, the guerrilla has little pieces of wood to chew on that will keep up is oral hygiene and health. An additional benefit is to satisfy your oral fixation at times when smoking is not permitted.

Tip of the Day: Use Slings to Steady your Shot (Updated with Picture)

If you are shooting a long arm with a sling, you can greatly improve your accuracy with one simple trick. Just put your elbow partially through the sling from above, and then wrap your forearm around the sling again. Then go into your normal shooting stance, pulling the sling taught against the back of your arm, right above your elbow. This steadies your shot dramatically, giving your better control of the gun. Thanks to S.M. for teaching me this trick way back when.