Iron Sights

I sat down with Sean Bonilla, founder of Ready and Able Defense and a law enforcement officer who came up through the fight world, and we dig into a question that doesn't get asked enough: are you even cleaning up your house before you try to fix it? Sean lays out a framework that cuts through the noise, starting with the one thing competitive fighting taught him that most cops never get: fre...

Ryan Nichols doesn't talk about what his team used to do. He talks about what they're doing right now, why they do it that way, and exactly how they got there. That's rare. I sat down with the Austin PD SWAT team leader after months of back channel conversations, TTPOA matches, and a long overdue calendar alignment, and the result is one of the best practitioner conversations yet. Y...

This time I sit down with Zack Harrison, founder of Ascension Training and Consulting, and the conversation goes exactly where you'd hope: deep, honest, and unfiltered. Zack's name had been popping up for years across ranges and in conversations with law enforcement officers, always attached to the same kind of feedback. This guy cares. He slows down and makes sure you understand the why...

Join the waitlist: https://thecapablestandard.com/waitlist I sat down with four veteran tactical professionals at the National Tactical Officers Association Conference in Nashville to have the conversation that needed to happen two days after that 2022 NTOA position paper on no-knock warrant service dropped. At the table: Steve Mescan, Director of Training and Education for the NTOA and a 27-year...

Join the waitlist: https://thecapablestandard.com/waitlist Jabo Long is a 25-year law enforcement veteran, Director of Training at Guild Solutions Group, and one of the most honest voices in law enforcement. The conversation kicks off right after the Guild team wraps a breaching course in Sacramento, and the energy from the classroom and range is still in the room. If you've ever wondered wha...

Join the waitlist: https://thecapablestandard.com/waitlist Live on the floor of the Texas Tactical Police Officers Association conference in Round Rock, Texas, April 2026, we've got another full crew around the table: Chris Kuras of Good Dude Concepts, his partner Franco, Kevin Selent from Rogue Targets, and Tom Marchitto of Sub Second. Before a single product gets mentioned, the conversation...

Live from the 2026 TTPOA conference with the TTPOA Podcast hosts and Anthony, a nine-year law enforcement veteran, SWAT officer in the Houston area, and founder of In The Black. From getting washed out of combat controller selection at basic training, to walking mail routes, to finding his lane in USPSA competition and eventually building a coffee and tea brand out of his garage, Anthony's br...

This is a conversation about the gap between checking the box and being genuinely competent and confident when it counts. Bryan Williams, Chancey Pogue, Matt Pranka, and Dustin Mowery walk through the real roadmap: why the stigma against competition shooting is rooted in ego and not evidence, why the qualification score is one of the most useless metrics in law enforcement, and what training in is...

In this episode of Iron Sights, Scott sits down with Anthony Coley of Aegis Consulting at the Texas Tactical Police Officers Association Conference in Round Rock, Texas to unpack one of the most detailed, honest, and actionable roadmaps for changing firearms culture at the agency level you will ever hear. Anthony walks through everything: the professional class taker problem, how competition shoot...

On this Iron Sights episode recorded live on the vendor floor at TTPOA Conference, Scott Howell sits down for a collab with the TTPOA Podcast hosts Brandon Hernandez and Matt Smith. Their guests are Brad Ortiz, Director of Sales for the Law Enforcement Division at Silencer Shop and former officer, and Dewayne Manson, Project Manager at the American Warrior Association, to dig into the thing the La...

You know there is a gap between how your team trains and how your team performs. You've felt it. Gabe Rivera felt it too, and instead of talking about it, he built a system to close it. Full-time SWAT officer, Lead Faucet Tactical instructor, and founder of Mindset Tactical Solutions, Gabe sits down with Scott at the Texas Tactical Police Officers Association Conference in Round Rock, Texas t...

You have heard the arguments a thousand times and every time you hear them, something in your gut says it doesn't add up. In this episode, recorded live at the TTPOA conference in Round Rock, Texas, Iron Sights collaborated with the TTPOA Podcast host Brandon Hernandez and cohost Matt Smith to sit down with Matt Pranka for an honest conversation about training. Matt pulls zero punches on the...

You think breaching is just kicking in a door. Shane Foster is here to tell you how wrong that is, and why that assumption is costing agencies millions of dollars, officers their careers, and in some cases, lives. Shane is the founder of Guild Solutions Group, director of training development for Pryme Infill, and one of the most quietly credentialed practitioners in the law enforcement and milita...

Welcome back to another After Dark episode of the Iron Sights Podcast. My guest today is Chris Woomer, founder of VEIL Solutions. Chris is a designer, builder, and instructor who has spent years developing holsters and equipment for responsibly armed citizens, law enforcement, and military professionals. He’s also a masterclass competitive shooter and martial artist who approaches his craft with t...

In this episode of the Iron Sights Podcast, Ryan and I step outside the usual gym conversation and talk about something most people overlook — getting outside and actually playing. We break down the physical performance benefits, the psychological and physiological upsides, and even the cognitive and sensory advantages of spending time outdoors. If you’re training hard inside the gym but feeling l...

Welcome back to another After Dark episode of the Iron Sights Podcast. Recorded at SHOT Show 2026, I sit down with Paul Costa of Broken Arrow Defense and Achilles Heel Tactical. Paul’s background was built the hard way — patrol cars, high-risk warrants, working alongside a canine, and years in environments where fundamentals weren’t optional. They were survival. Today, Paul carries that same commi...

In this episode of the Iron Sights Podcast, I’m back in the studio with Ryan and CeCe from Red Dot Fitness breaking down our top three exercise picks for performance and longevity. If your goal is to look better, feel better, and continue performing at a high level for years to come, this conversation is for you. We walk through why these movements made the list, the reasoning behind them, and how...

Welcome back to another After Dark episode of the Iron Sights Podcast. Recorded at SHOT Show 2026, I sit down with Bryan Williams — better known as the Unicorn Chief. From SWAT operator to Chief, a stint in City Hall, and back to policing, Bryan’s career has given him a perspective that most people in the profession never get. He’s seen leadership from the street, the admin side, and the political...

At SHOT Show 2026, I sat down with Joe Hamilton, CEO of Vortex Optics, for a conversation that goes way beyond optics, sales, or gear. Joe’s journey started on the floor of his family’s small retail shop in Wisconsin, long before the boardroom. That early exposure to people, service, and doing things the right way shaped what would become Vortex’s defining edge: a relentless focus on human connect...

In this After Dark episode of the Iron Sights Podcast, I sit down with Hunter Freeland at SHOT Show 2026. About a year in the making, this conversation covers Hunter’s journey through the military, law enforcement, contracting, and his transition into launching Hunter Freeland Shooting. We talk philosophy, methodology, mindset, and what really matters beyond just shooting performance. Hunter is kn...

In this episode of the Iron Sights Podcast, I’m back in the studio with Ryan and Cece breaking down flexibility and mobility without the hype. We talk physiology, anatomy, programming, and where mobility work actually fits into a real training week. We also hit on some of the trends floating around right now—fascial training, mobility “systems,” and why a lot of this stuff misses the point. If you...

This is a special SHOT Show 2026 edition of the Iron Sights Podcast, recorded on the floor in collaboration with Good Dude Concepts. I’m joined by Chris Kuras (Good Dude Concepts), Bruno Fallon (Born Primitive), Jon Dufresne (Connecticut’s Consulting / See The Night), Blake Cook, and Jack Lewis (Black Tiger International). We talk about what brought us to SHOT, what stood out, and then let the con...

In this roundtable episode of the Iron Sights Podcast, Ryan, Cece, and I kick off the year by taking a hard look at health and fitness in 2026. We revisit what we were talking about this time last year, what’s changed, and what’s somehow gotten louder — without necessarily getting better. We break down the new food pyramid push, GLP-1s and what we’re seeing with real clients, the body positivity c...

In this episode of the Iron Sights Podcast, I’m joined by my favorite nutrition coach, Steven Brenna, to break down the five most annoying—and avoidable—things that drive both nutrition coaches and clients crazy. If you’re currently in a nutrition coaching program, thinking about hiring a coach, or you are a coach yourself, this conversation will save you time and frustration. These are the mistak...

In this After Dark episode of the Iron Sights Podcast, I sit down with Raphael, a 17-year law enforcement veteran and range staff member at a major Bay Area agency. A Grand Master–level shooter, Raphael has been instrumental in helping move training at his agency in a better direction. We talk about his journey, what it takes to challenge outdated training systems from the inside, and the practica...