What does "adaptive" really mean?

[soopafly]

So, from a 3rd party perspective, and as someone who works in marketing, my curiosity was piqued...what does "adaptive" really mean? I've heard "adaptive carbine", "adaptive light mount" and others. It initially strikes me as a marketing buzzword someone came up with to promote the Travis Haley brand.

thoughts?

[G60]

If you have to ask, you don't have the mindset and need to stock up on some ludus.

[voiceofreason]

Haley pushes "thinking" in shooters.

Although the whole point of training is... "if A, then perform A"

but the "adaptive" concept is that you are thinking your way through everything and doing the exact opposite of what the military teaches

my wild guess

[xpbprox]

When I hear that word, I think Travis Haley

[MrEd]

Adaptive means , not set in stone or even better having the ability to set up something or perform a certain task many different ways .
Bacon example , back in the days there were no rails on carbines , if one wanted to mount a light , one had to purchase the hand guard that would accomodate it and therefor there was just one option at to where that light is .

Today you have the rails and a multitude of options where to mount that light , what light you wish to mount and how you activate it . Therefor you can adapt the light to whatever conditions or preference .

Adaptive is more a school of thought , it attempts to go away from certain doctrines , the basis of the "adaptive" mindset is accomplish the task However you want using whatever tool you want and Technique you want . It allows to accomodate limitations , either of a person or equipment but also maximizes on the capability of said person and/or equipment .

[orangeusa]

haha, in the Engineering world, adaptive means a controller which 'learns' and reacts to reduce error - purely mathematical. Examples - speakerphones - echo canceller - to stop feedback..

I've heard it used in Tactical pistol classes to 'prepare for the worst' and have a plan for any contingencies you might run into - malfunctions, change your shooting position.

MrEd also brought up the military concept of adapting your tactics based on the immediate situation..

As to gun parts being adaptive - wouldn't that just mean it attaches to multiple gun setups? I dunno....

I tend to overthink these things..

[G60]

In this case, it's a snazzy marketing/branding/brand identity term.

[NoHeavyHitter]

When I hear the word "adaptive", I'm reminded of the prescription lenses (photogray) that turn darker in the sun and lighten when indoors...

My definition would be something that is able to dynamically self-adjust to changing conditions.

[soopafly]

Do you think, then, that "adaptive" is becoming the new "tactical"?

Are "adaptive pens" in store for the near future?

Will CMMG be releasing "adaptive bacon" to the public?

Will Larue Tactical undergo a restructuring as Larue Precision Concepts, with Larue Tactical and Larue Adaptive emerging as 2 separate companies under the parent banner?

[G60]

Do you think, then, that "adaptive" is becoming the new "tactical"?

No, the term is meant to brand Haley Strategic's type of training and product. Adaptive, dynamic, reactive, and what have you.

It's branding. Some companies do it right, some do it wrong.

I bought a pair of pants from Vertx the other week. They're great pants, and I'm going to buy a couple more pairs, and their little branding phrase is "operational athlete." Go to their Facebook page, and they're using the term ad nauseum. So much so, that I feel it's pandering. I'm not .mil or LE, I just want a good pair of pants that doesn't scream "tactical!" (and the Vertx pants do a great job at that.) Almost every post of theirs uses the term "operational" or "operational athlete" as if buying the product makes the wearer so. It's really kind of silly.

It's psychological. Especially with gun stuff. Give a product a high speed low drag name, and more people will buy the stuff because they think they're buying skill.

[SuperSet]

I imagine Travis took the term from the emerging style of leadership that's being pursued and reinforced for combat arms junior officers and NCOs. Some of the characteristics of adaptive leaders:

Calm and deliberate under pressure, Constant perception about surrounding environment, Mentally flexible enough to consider divergent opinions, rapid and precise decision making, technical and tactically proficient, autonomy from command or doctrine

Quite a bit different from the usual 'kill people and break things' dogma. Sorry, probably more than you wanted to know..

[mycrstuff]

"Adaptive light mount", Adaptive rail", Adaptive anything" means to can take duct tape and tape to to you gun and now you have an "Adaptive Carbine"

[USMC 82-86]

Haley pushes "thinking" in shooters.

Although the whole point of training is... "if A, then perform A"

but the "adaptive" concept is that you are thinking your way through everything and doing the exact opposite of what the military teaches

my wild guess

That is not a true statement, at least a far as my experience in the Marines. We were trained to perform tactics and techniques but we were always pushed to think outside the box. Remember we " Improvise, Adapt and Overcome" Marines are always thinking though some would deny that statement. They are a small force compared to the others, and although they have the brawn it is the way Marines conduct their business,thinking through a situation and making the best use of what they have is what gets the job done. We are disciplined not robots.

[FatalKitty]

Do you think, then, that "adaptive" is becoming the new "tactical"?

Are "adaptive pens" in store for the near future?

Will CMMG be releasing "adaptive bacon" to the public?

Will Larue Tactical undergo a restructuring as Larue Precision Concepts, with Larue Tactical and Larue Adaptive emerging as 2 separate companies under the parent banner?

hmmm.. adaptive bacon...

to me. "adaptive" means just that
Like orangeusa said - it's the ability to take corrective action. an "adaptive carbine" might be a rifle that has the ability to serve many roles (home defense, target, competition, combat)
being "adaptive" may mean that you understand and train using various methodologies that make you more competent under differing circumstances.

[Maddog5150]

No, the term is meant to brand Haley Strategic's type of training and product. Adaptive, dynamic, reactive, and what have you.

It's branding. Some companies do it right, some do it wrong.

I bought a pair of pants from Vertx the other week. They're great pants, and I'm going to buy a couple more pairs, and their little branding phrase is "operational athlete." Go to their Facebook page, and they're using the term ad nauseum. So much so, that I feel it's pandering. I'm not .mil or LE, I just want a good pair of pants that doesn't scream "tactical!" (and the Vertx pants do a great job at that.) Almost every post of theirs uses the term "operational" or "operational athlete" as if buying the product makes the wearer so. It's really kind of silly.

It's psychological. Especially with gun stuff. Give a product a high speed low drag name, and more people will buy the stuff because they think they're buying skill.

theh heh. when i think of operational athletes, i think of