Interview with Practically Tactical

Propper recently became a sponsor of Practically Tactical, so we wanted to talk with them and let host Nick Humphries tell you a bit more about who they are and what they do.

What is the inspiration for the show?

The show’s inspiration came from events that forced me to take a deeper look at self-defense and protecting my family, and thus searching for the most effective ways to do so. We have found the best way to develop our thinking, shooting, and general self-defense ability is through training. We take training very serious, and on the show we do our best to promote a wide range of classes as well as expose the public to the best firearms and tactical instructors in the world.

We also understand that training can be very expensive and we hope that the knowledge shared on our show can help those who can’t afford to train as we do, giving them access to valuable information. We discuss the gear and guns best suited for given tasks, assisting new shooters in their first firearm purchase. Additionally, we encourage people to realize that while concealed carry is a huge step in protecting loved ones and others, there is more to the paradigm than simply buying a pistol.

What is your tactical background? What about your co-stars on the show?

Well, honestly, there is nothing about me or my history that is tactical. That was actually the genesis of Practically Tactical. I’m always chasing knowledge; that’s where my co-hosts and I true passion lies, trying to get better every day, and trying to take the next step down this martial path we discuss often on the show. We are “forever students,” in a constant pursuit to become better. I am just a regular guy who was raised in Idaho, now living in Wisconsin, who was around firearms most of my life.

My wife and I have been foster parents for five years now, and during this time I had a life-changing event that I credit with pushing me over the edge to begin self-defense training. That series of events resulted in me purchasing a handgun to protect my family. I started researching as much about firearms and self-defense as possible, but found that there weren’t many shows or videos that had credible subject matter, and oftentimes completely lacked guests who were experts on the topic presented. There were lots of shows and chats that offered opinions, guesses, and untrained advice, but none that really offered facts from knowledgeable guests such as firearms instructors. That is how Practically Tactical was born. Our motto is, “adding critical thinking to your everyday carry.”

Our first guest ever is actually now one of the co-hosts, Jeff Bloovman. Jeff resides in Philadelphia and owns a firearms training company called Armed Dynamics. Jeff has been doing traditional martial arts for 25 years, and been a formal student of the gun since 2004. His company specializes in firearms and medical training for worst-case scenarios. He has a quick wit, amazing looks, and even better hair. Jeff is what I would call a true student of life. From acting (he is even on IMDB) to Winner of Discovery Channel’s One Man Army, Jeff has trained probably more than anyone I know and offers a unique look at self-defense and training with a deep and diverse knowledge base that always pushes people to think beyond the gun, and always does it in a fun and interesting way.

My other co-host is Jesse Gullickson. Jesse and I became friends through the holster company he owns, Forest City Tactical. I once visited his shop to review a holster and we immediately hit it off. Both of us enjoy training and pushing ourselves to be better thinkers and shooters. Jesse joined the Army after high school, and served as an 11B Infantry. After boot camp, he was stationed at Fort Wainwright, which is near Fairbanks, Alaska. He deployed with the 172nd Stryker Brigade to Iraq in 2005-2007. He was stationed in Mosul and Baghdad during his combat deployment. Jesse is a true professional in my view. Through his real world combat experience in defense of our country, he understands the necessity for realistic training, and is a true student of the gun. After discharging from the army, Jesse went into iron working, later changing careers and taking over Forest City Tactical in 2012. His company is known for their high-quality holsters and related Kydex products.

How do you choose your topics?

We choose topics we think are important or may help others grow. They may be from recent events in the news or After Action Reports from training classes we attend. More often than not, topics come directly from our listeners. We love our listeners, who will ask about specific topics or offer up suggestions for shows, doing our best to satisfy their requests and discuss them during shows and with our guests. We have amazing watchers and listeners, men and women that crave the same life-saving knowledge that we do, and we are thrilled that they are so involved!

How do you choose your guests?

Once we’ve decided on a topic for the show, we use our resources and reach out to an instructor we consider a subject matter expert on that topic. We choose people who know their craft and the subject we are discussing and have an ability to relate that topic to our audience. As we cover life and death issues, guessing and hypothesizing is useless, we want facts based knowledge and experience. We’ve had an overwhelmingly positive response from instructors who come on the show. The stereotype some have, that firearms instructors are mean and intense figures who scream and yell at people all the time is the furthest thing from the truth. The firearms and self-defense training community is filled with some of the most welcoming and generous people I have come across. They always enjoy coming on, sharing their knowledge on a subject, and the interactivity of answering questions in real time from our live audience.

What are some of the wackiest emails or responses you get from viewers?

Honestly, nothing too crazy or wacky. On the contrary, we received a lot of emails and social media messages regarding how a given show truly made them think about something more deeply, or how a guest made them reconsider something very important perhaps through a lens they hadn’t looked through before. What started out as a passion of mine, the sharing of good information, has grown into something way bigger than what I’d ever imagined, and it humbles me to see the information we’ve shared positively affecting others’ lives.

How long did it take to get to where you are today with viewership and following?

Practically Tactical will have its 3-year anniversary on October 23, 2016.

What does Practically Tactical do besides host the YouTube show? Where can folks find the show?

We stream our shows live on Practically Tactical YouTube channel, where viewers can watch and chat with other audience members, ask questions, and interact with us during the show. We are also members of the Firearms Radio Network, so you can listen to our show on podcast, which is home to our largest audience. Along with interviews with industry experts, we also review gear and firearms on our YouTube channel. We offer gear and firearms company interviews on our other podcast, Practically Tactical On Target.