Welcome back to another After Dark episode here on the Iron Sights Podcast. My guest today is Cliff Byerly — former U.S. Marine, LAPD Gang & Narcotics Officer, and founder of Hill Country Combatives.

Cliff has spent decades immersed in high-risk environments — both in law enforcement and in training — and he’s one of those guys who brings a raw, unfiltered honesty to everything he does. I met Cliff out at the Combatives Summit 2025 in D’Iberville, Mississippi, and after missing the chance to sit down with him the year before, I wasn’t about to miss it again.

In this episode, Cliff and I dig into his background, his time in the Marines and LAPD, and his mission with Hill Country Combatives — teaching realistic, force-on-force tactics to help law enforcement professionals survive high-stress encounters. We talk about training philosophy, mindset, and the hard truths about what it really takes to be effective in violent situations.

Cliff doesn’t sugarcoat anything. He’s straightforward, opinionated, and deeply experienced. You’ll hear stories, lessons, and perspective from someone who’s lived it — both on the street and on the mat.

If you’re into combatives, law enforcement training, or just honest conversations about performance and survival, this episode will hit home.

Sit back and enjoy this After Dark conversation with my guest, Cliff Byerly of Hill Country Combatives.

Timestamps:

00:00 Intro

04:17 Cliff’s Background

08:04 LAPD Experience

18:02 Law Enforcement Today

28:41 Training Mindset

38:60 Fitness & Growth

46:45 Policing Evolution

57:40 Grappling in Policing

01:17:46 Lessons & Mindset

01:29:29 Training Gaps

01:47:15 Closing Thoughts

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