Lynn Thompson needs to be stopped. I don’t know if there is a Board of Directors there that can force Lynn out – but that’s just what needs to happen. He’s wrecking Cold Steel. When he does stuff like this, it just makes you want to kinda not ever get or carry anything else from Cold Steel.
http://blog.lynncthompson.com/2011/08/glock.html
That’s some amazingly bad stuff. Multiple cameras and a lot of production money went into making that. Wow. Walking fire… Searching fire… yeah that stuff is for fighting in the jungles of Vietnam. Not self defense in a western country. This is just so bad that I have no words.
Point in his favor, it says directly in the link that none of this is to teach self defense in a western country. It claims to be about demonstrating possible ideas and techniques for extreme situations, such as war zones and areas without rule of law. It may not be the best idea to create such a video but Cold Steel has always been about throwing every idea at the wall and seeing what sticks. Somethings bomb, some are the bomb but in truth I have to give him props for continuing to try.
Somewhere else it was said that it was for civilian self defense, not law enforcement. He seems to be contradicting himself. The dude is nucking futs.
Lynn is so awesome. I can watch him talk and his videos all EON long. How can you not love a boy like him? If there only more ‘real’ cool Americans like him in this country…
Seems like he’s turning into a liability. Just stick to knives and swords….please….for everybody’s sake.
Lynn needs to go away and have someone else front for Cold Steel… someone that knows how to fight. Knows blades. And doesn’t look like the Hamburgler without the hat and mask.
I’d suggest Mike Janich.
I am pretty sure Lynn owns Cold Steel. He’s not going anywhere.
I wish you had put this up a week ago, because I just bought my younger brother one of ‘his’ swords. If I had seen this, first…
Well is he happy w the sword? I wouldn’t buy gun or self defense advice from him – but in my experience his knives are quality and I hear good things about the swords. So who gives a rip?
Thanks George. My Wife is looking at me like I am crazy because I read the “Hamburgler” line and actually snorted trying not to laugh out loud.
Nice!
Well, hitting metal man in the junk at 200 yards was impressive. Quoting Chuck Karwan was impressive as well.
That was about it. I would encourage him to exercise better so he isn’t so out of breath.
And stop making “instructional” videos.
The guy’s a joke, a poser, a mall ninja… I’m out of pejoratives.
And… the mystical “carbon V”; I read somewhere that it is nothing but the “proprietary name given to whatever steel they’re using at the time.”
The guy’s trying too hard. I don’t know.
Over-compensation for having a girl’s name?
Lynn Thompson is a thieving buffoon and a jackass. He used to make decent blades at a decent price, not great but much better than most non-custom blades, I used to own several. Then he decided that shameless self-promotion and a never ending cavalcade of ever cheaper suppliers was the answer to being the Ronald McDonald of the knife industry. Then he decided that stealing designs from real knife-makers rather than buying the rights or thinking up his own designs was an even better idea. I sold every Cold Steal knife I own except a Trailmaster I bought used and only use for tasks I would never use a good blade for, that and the ‘Spatnez’ Shovels that I picked up used. He and his cohorts will never get a penny from me again.
If you want a good blade go to Anza Knives and get the toughest, sharpest semi-custom knives you will ever own.
Kinda reminds me of this guy.http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=zjzZhTS_xa0&feature=player_detailpage
It’s cool that he is a good shot with his glock, and that he has had so much experience. I think that his 2X4 thing is an ingenious way to practice some marksmanship.
But the walking shots up to the target? Wouldn’t cranking off a few shots from the speed rock position accomplish the same thing? Or waiting for a break in your attacker’s focus? Or faking him out, make him think a cop just showed up, or a thousand other things than firing into the dirt to distract him?
Maybe these tactics are ok for the plains of africa, where a truckload of hoodlums show up and want to harass you, but there are, you know, people and buildings in the area where I spend most of my time.
Also, I can think of very few situations where the right thing to do is shoot a building full of holes because a bad guy ran into it. If the bad guy is running away from you, that’s a great time to increase your distance a little bit, maybe employ that 200 yard pistol marksmanship that you show in the video. Shooting a building a lot to make sure you kill the bad guy is something that Al Capone or the Sinaloa cartel might do, not a civilian just trying to defend himself.
There is not a lot I can say better than Dave Wheeler (owner of Blue Steel Ranch), or Lynn himself. Both commentaries can be found here: http://blog.lynncthompson.com/2011/08/glock.html
But, I will try to put my own spin on things.
First, I am not an unbiased bystander. I am a friend of Lynn and the Cold Steel crew. I am also one of Lynn’s MA trainers, and have an extensive background in both hand-to-hand and weapon combat. I am not as much of an expert in firearms as Lynn and his firearms trainers, so I will leave some of the more explicit details of shooting and shooting expertise to them.
That being said, however, I can attest to the validity, talent, and skills of Lynn Thompson as a martial artist, knife and hand weapon expert, hunter, and, though not my area of expertise, firearms. I can tell you that Lynn works out more than anyone I have ever met, outside of professional athletes who train all day every day. He trains martially daily with world class instructors who do not just cater to him, we put him through his paces. He is one of the top students of one of the top Kettle Bell trainers in the world, and does more and pushes himself more than is capable of most people. He demands hard work of himself, and we insure that he gets it.
Any comments about weight diminishing expertise are simply wrong. Would things be easier if he were more “body perfect”? Perhaps. Does it mean that he cannot achieve both success and expertise in the above mentioned fields? Not by a long shot.
Lynn has done more physical achievement in these fields than most, and has done it with the body he has. He is one of, if not the first person, to shoot the African Big 5 with a handgun w/ iron sights. He has harvested the Dangerous 7 in the same manner. He has trekked through the rough, unforgiving terrain of Africa with his PH’s, and their guides, and kept up with all of them. He just got back from Australia, where his speed and physical skills were the only thing that saved him from serious injury or death during his hunt.
He has done more physically than anyone I know, outside of active, combat military personnel. I wonder, can you boast the same? I would not accuse you of such, since I do not know you or your abilities, but, I guess you feel it okay to insult him, though you obviously do not know him very well.
As for the controversial issue of the “shooting into the dirt” section of the video, it makes perfect sense to me. I have used the same theory many times in my own history, though not using a firearm. I have been in more fights than most folks have had hot meals, and on more than one occasion, someone has “gotten the drop” on me and are cocked and ready to fire a strike at me. By simply yelling, or a “ki-hap” as we call it in Korean systems, it can- not always- cause the assailant to stall for a moment, allowing intended recipient to move or counter, thus preventing the incoming damage. So, extrapolate to a fire-fight. Your opponent has already drawn and either has or is about to have you in his sights. Draw your weapon and fire immediately. The report of the weapon MAY be enough to cause the assailant to stall, thus allowing you to get him in your sights and fire.
Is it fool-proof? No, but neither is any other high-stress combat technique. Anyone who says differently is either living in a fantasy, or just hasn’t been in enough fights to learn the facts. Nowhere in the video does Lynn say that this is the only way to do things. If you read his statement in the above link, you will see that the video- all 19 hours of it- is not meant as a firearms tactics instruction, but more as an overview of what is available, how they work, and what are their capabilities.
And as for the “out of breath in a few steps” thing, you wear a very sensitive microphone in an active shoot and see what it picks up. He was not winded. I know what his wind is capable of.
Hey, its your blog. You can say what you want. I would just suggest that what you say is accurate, and not just filled with cute little remarks about someone’s body type and how it automatically disqualifies him from the subject at hand.
It always surprises me how far MadOgre.com reaches.
The shooting into the dirt theory is so bad, that not only does it disqualify any advocate of it from any position of “knowledgeable” user… but it also disqualifies those being an apologist for the advocate. Cheers. I don’t need to beat my resume on my chest. Your friend is making a clown of himself… and his company. If you were his friend – make him stop. Because I can no longer carry any Cold Steel knife or take them seriously anymore.
Let me make my point clear here. You are legally responsible for every round you fire. You fire a shot that rics off a rock and hits a non-combatant – you are now responsible for shooting that person. You are legally liable for shooting that person. That person’s injuries, or life – becomes yours. That person or that person’s family will come after you legally like a pit bull on a kitten. You could survive the gunfight – and then spend the rest of your life in a cage because you thought Mr. Cold Steel’s firing rounds into the dirt in front of you was a good idea. This is just as bad of an idea as a “Warning Shot”. Which all the nation’s Respected Trainers all say it’s a bad idea. For the same reasons. It’s not just Legal Liability – but Moral Liability.
Why in the hell would you want to waste a round that you could be putting into the bad-guy’s upper torso? I’m not going to fire a round unless its into the target… because I am only firing for one reason. To Stop A Threat. To do or say otherwise is completely moronic.
This didn’t age well lol. John Lovell teaches this tactic(shooting into the dirt) in one of his pistol classes lol. I’ll bet Lynn didn’t come up with that on his own. I’ll bet he had expert professional training that taught him everything he demonstrated, because it’s almost identical to everything every firearms trainer who’s anyone teaches lol.
It aged just fine. The Hamburgler is was good at making knives and running a knife company. I’ll give him credit for that. The new Cold Steel under its new ownership is just not the same.
All of your information is irrelevant. That video has too many instances of poor firearms handling to even begin to list. That is the bottom line.
(But, as an aside, it is also a fact that Lynn Thompson is obese.
Ogre,
I’ve known Lynn and Robert, whom he mentions in the video for a while. I admit, he can be rough around the edges, but he has always treated me with respect and genorosity. From what I know of him, like him or not, I would never question his abilities. He regularly trains and competes in knife and sword fighting tournaments.
As for his physical fitness, I can guarantee, you, me, or most of the guys who’ve posted on here couldn’t keep up with Lynn’s workout schedule. I’ve been in his gym at the Cold Steel facility in Ventura, he spends more on his training than most people make in a year and he works hard at honing his skill set.
Lynn built Cold Steel from the beginning, I’m sure he’ll still sell knives without this group…I say he should do what he wants. Why waste your energy bashing the guy? If you don’t agree with his training philospophy, so what? If you or the horde don’t buy his knives, who cares? Everyone has an opinion. Be an advocate for the training and manufacturers you do agree with…Frankly, it looks bad to have given it this much attention already.
I met Lynn many years ago now.
IMHO, when Ernie Franco passed away that’s when Lynn lost someone who was an important part of his life, and someone who was able to influence him in very positive ways.
Sadly, although you can be outstanding as a shooter, a hunter, a businessman, a martial artist…you cannot make people respect nor love you.
Two things Lynn, IMHO, has pursued relentlessly since his childhood.
I watched a few minutes of the video link and came away just feeling sad for Lynn.
Read a lot of these – when a person tries to better themselves , work hard has success . Some always has to bash them. Even Don Trump never gave any of his employees a Corvette or Camaro for their hard work——— Mike the medic
You do realize that this post is 5 years old, right?
Lynn built the company up from nothing, generously gave 2 new cars as bonuses to employees for hard work.
be nice to have a boss like that.
You do realize that this post is 5 years old, right?
. Lynn Thompson is one of the best people ever to walk the face of the Earth. He is a knife making and knife designing master. You just envy him and are jealous of him. Admit it. You are not fit to lick off the toes of Lynn Thompson’s boots, and you need to trust in Jesus Christ and be saved. Jesus is God and He is the only eternal Saviour. If you will trust in Jesus Christ as your Saviour you will have eternal life and you will get to have all the excellent knives you want in Heaven. Lynn is my friend and brother. I love him and support him and I defend him. He is a great man and he is a wise man. What knives have you designed? The Cold Steel Voyager with tanto blades are some of the best knives ever made in all human history.
I was going to just delete the comment and not post it. But since you went full potato, people need to see this to believe it.
Lynn Thompson needs to know how his employees are running his business. I ordered a sword, got a receipt, then they called said I was not going to receive my product. I never received product, never got a my charge card credited back, no wonder they make so much money. This is third time this has happened to me. Then they refused to give me Lynn Thompson’s email or phone number.
Did any of you people who are blasting this man ever stop to consider he is a human being with feelings? Why are you wasting time and energy attacking him? if you do not like him just leave him alone ,you can act as though he is not on the planet, in my opinion you have too much time on your hands !
It was a statement that took 3 minutes to write, way back in 2011… Deal with it, Snowflake.
I didn’t watch the video so perhaps I don’t understand the context correctly but someone mentioned that it was supposed to teach tactics for WROL type scenarios. Another poster made a big deal about firing into the dirt and said something to the effect that one should never fire into the dirt but should always have the sights on target. Have people never heard of creating a beaten zone or is the context of the video something entirely different? I mean im no expert but I served many years ago and while I got my discharge papers years before the wars in Iraq and afghanistan I still remember a little bit of my training. And yeah I know its an ancient thread but im old and bored.
You pontificate a lot when you didn’t watch the subject of the discussion?
I’d just like to throw a few things in here. First, the Finn Wolf. I thought one day I’d like a folding Scandi ground folding knife. So I googled “best folding scandi ground knife”. Apparently Tops one day will release the Tops Bob folder. And apparently its been in the works for a few years with a very nebulous release date. And a 3 to 5 hundo price tag. How quaint for steel that my Grandpa had on his ww2 era knife. Great steel to be sure but way over priced. Also there are a few companies making this style of knives. Some are expensive and some are reasonable. For instance Enzo makes a few models that are very interesting to me and I will get one at some point. However the other knife that pops up is the Cold Steel Finn Wolf. $40 price tag and the Triad Lock. To me that is the essence of Cold Steel. Not fancy, but gets the job done very well and as far as my experience goes will outlast the more expensive offerings.
To sum it up Cold Steel is somehow doing it right. I’m a dyed in the wool Benchmade user but Cold Steel has their niche and for that I’m thankful. I’d have to assume Lynn Thompson has something to do with that.
Also Babe Ruth was seemingly overweight in appearance. I’ve been outrun by people of that body type on occasion during our physical training, and I am a good runner.
Cold Steel makes some fine knives. I own several.