Thus class is going to be awesome. We’ve got three if The Gun Dudes coming out to attend the class. These guys are a riot. If you’ve been thinking about coming out to train, this is the class to be at. Come on, nut up and do it.
Category Archives: Training
Training against the Flinch
I’ve been reading a lot of articles by Keith Code. You cats might not know who he is… His subject is training Motorcycle Riders at his school “California Superbike School”. But this article I just read translates directly to Firearms Training. Check this out.
One of the primary purposes of training is to help a rider ramp up acceptance of the unknown. Any breakthrough in riding has some physical sensation attached to it. It’s the delicious price we pay to approach the unknown.
What did it feel like when you let out the clutch that first time? Nervous but thrilling, right? Take that a step farther and imagine what it would feel like to be a stunt rider doing wheelies and stoppies or a MotoGP racer with his knee on the deck? Improvement begins once the rider can embrace those mysterious limits of riding.
Each barrier is based on the unknown. What will it feel like to go into that corner 2 mph faster; brake that much harder; lean that much further; roll on the gas that extra bit? Breaking through those barriers is the challenge, and on the other side is the confidence all riders desire.
When you see a rider falter, you are witnessing in him the fear of the unknown. You see him flinch. Anticipation of some imagined bad result keeps us from moving forward into that uncharted territory of new sensations. When we flinch, we waver from our purpose to execute the control inputs necessary to achieve the intended result.
Read the rest of that article here. As I said, this translates very cleaning into Firearms Training, and I’ve seen this a bunch of times in students. This is about pushing your limits… pushing yourself farther than you are comfortable. Everyone has a comfort zone… a speed limit on time from draw to first shots fired, for example. That’s one area that shooters have a hard time pushing. In the last pistol class I had a couple shooters who were doing very well on accuracy. I’d coach them “Your accuracy is good, but you have a larger area to work with… this means you can go faster!” But pushing themselves faster was pushing them outside of the comfort zone. One shooter, when he tried to push just a little faster than his normal speed went from shooter fist sized groups to not even hitting the target paper. Another shooter actually got slower. He “Flinched” according to Keith Code.
When you go to a Training Course, or you are Training with your Buddies and working on a Skill… you are not training to look cool and smooth. You are not Steve McQueen, and because of that, the universe has dictated that you will never will be as smooth and cool as Steven McQueen… so give it up. You need to push harder. You shouldn’t be trying to impress your buddies or your Trainer. Don’t worry about that. You are the only person that matters here and if you know your not pushing your comfort zone marker… you know you are not really Training. You’re just Practicing. That’s fine… but you are not learning anything new when your Practicing.
It’s been said that “Amateurs train until they get it right. Professionals train until they get it wrong.” What they are talking about is pushing your limits past that comfort zone. So what if you fumble that draw or forget to sweep the safety off. Learn the mistake, file it away, and try it again. Training is where you need to make those mistakes. If you go to a training class and you are not pushing yourself to be faster and smoother and more accurate… then you are not really training. Your Maintaining. Your standing still and stagnating. If you are not going forward your going backwards, is another way of putting it… your developing Training Scars and this is going to bite you very hard one day. So what if you can do the Fast Drill in 5.9 Seconds every time. When are you going to try to go faster? Try for 5.6 next time!
When I push myself when I’m riding… even just a couple MPH faster through a curve… I get a visceral thrill through my whole body, like nothing else. When I’m training… when I’m pushing it, I get a different feeling, but it too is a thrill… I know I’ve pushed it and I did it! I can get out of breath from that feeling. Normal shooting, I don’t get that thrill. I don’t get that surge inside. And I know I’m not pushing myself. Ultimately I feel disappointed with myself if I’m honest about it. Fear is what keeps us from exploring that void that’s on the other side of our comfort zone. Fear of negative peer response. That social pressure that makes us more comfortable in doing the same thing again and again as long as you’ve done it well enough. Well enough isn’t good enough if we want to take things seriously. Forget your buddies ribbing. Just imagine yourself having done something, say that FAST Drill in 5.0 seconds. We are all very good at imagining the bad outcomes of failure. This mental image of failure is what locks us out of achievement. You need to lock into the mental image of success.
In riding a motorcycle fast, it’s absolutely critical that you look through your turn… if you look at the side of the road straight ahead of you, that’s where you are going to go and you are going to end up in that very ditch you are looking at and fear. You go where your head goes. Shooting is the same way. You lock into what you are afraid of and just run straight into it. Look past that. Turn you head and look to that target and look at that spot on the target you want to hit. Bring the weapon up to your eyes and mentally close that distance between you and that target – and you will hit that target! You have to believe that you can do it. Your three second draw and fire routine is a prime example of seeing the ditch and being afraid you are going to run into it.
Not happy
The more I think about it, the more I’m pissed. The Defensive Pistol Class last Saturday. It wasn’t my best work as an Instructor. I could have been better. The only thing I could have done about the wind would have been to postpone the class. But no one really wanted to put off the training. As brutal as the wind and sand was… the problem was that it threw me off my game. I didn’t teach as well I could have.
Damn it.
Desert Training After Action Review
Saturday’s Defensive Pistol Class was the hardest class we’ve ever put on. In the morning, an hour before the class started, we arrived and started setting up the targets. It was a beautiful morning and we were looking forward to having a great day of training.
As the students started to arrive, so did the wind. The wind was brutal. We had Veterans from Iraq and Afghanistan that said it was just like over there. The wind was picking up sand and dust and blasting us all day long. Sand would get in the guns, in your eyes, ears and teeth, and in your sinuses. And that wasn’t the worst of it. We’d watch helplessly as the target boards were snapped off the stands and carried up over the berms, over the mountains. Paper targets that were taped to the boards were shredded, and then ripped off the boards, and then the boards were ripped off the stands. This was the worst training environment I have ever trained in. I wanted to Postpone the class… But the students wanted to train, so we trained.
The students all did a great job. They worked hard and trained hard in these horrible conditions. One guy was having problems with sand getting into his contacts, but he stayed and trained through the end.
It really felt like being Sand Blasted, it would sting, the skin and eyes. This was unpleasant. With the sand getting into everything, we did have some problems with some weapons. One of the Walthers started jamming very badly and was failing to go into battery with more consistency than not. Sand in the magazines started getting troublesome for an XD shooter. The worst of it though was the sand contamination that brought a S&W Revolver to it’s knees.
If there is any lesson to be learned from training in these conditions… it’s that these are the same conditions experienced by our troops over in Iraq and Afghanistan. We expect them to perform in it. Such conditions make doing everything more difficult and unpleasant to say the least. But with following the basic core fundamentals of shooting technique and malfunction clearing… you can overcome the environmental difficulties. These students can no handle shooting in situations like these… they can handle anything. Great job to everyone that attended.
But right here is what made this class, as brutal as it was, very special to me. Our good friend brought out his daughter to train. She’s 13. She had never done anything like this before and really took to it.
She did a great job in some of the worst conditions, with a gun that was jamming like a jazz band. Dad was proud of her, fit to bust. I was proud of her too… I’ve known her since she was just a little tiny thing and it’s good to see her being raised right.
After the class, some of our Crusader 870 Shotguns came out to play, one had been transferred to a customer the day before and the other was Joe’s personal training gun.
The actions were so smooth it felt like I was shooting Semi Autos. Cycling was effortless and fast. There were no failures of any kind and the patterns were good with the loads used. With the Rifle Sights, I was able to pick up targets and engage them fast and accurately, just as fast as with a Ghost Ring set up, but with much more precision. It doesn’t have the Cool Guy winged rear sights that are popular because they look cool… These sights just work better. When you start launching slugs, Ghost Rings are no help. Rifle sights are what you need.
I want to personally thank my assistant instructors who were dealing these these conditions and the environmental issues we were having. Joe and Zack, hopefully we never have to teach a Sand Storm again… but if we do – we know we can get it done.
This was not a Fun Day at all. It was hard. It was unpleasant. It was draining. And that’s what Training is all about.
Training on a very limited budget.
First off, we need to lay down that Training is not just going out with your friends or alone and shooting things. Training has a purpose, so before you do anything, set down a few goals for your training. What you want to accomplish specifically.
At this point, I’m talking about Pistol Training. Reading through a number of Paperback and Hardbound sources of firearms wisdom, I’ve found one consistent trend. Going back to a Shooter’s Bible that was printed back in 1958 PIE – Pre Internet Era – I found an article written by a champion competitive shooter. (He must had had a holster lashed to his Loin Cloth) The article specified that the key to good shooting with a handgun is Trigger Control. Such a simple thing as how you pull the trigger, effects everything.
Defensive Pistol Class Update
WEATHER REPORT for SAT MAY 26th Training Has the Potential for Rain Showers.
SLC will be Raining. Uintah Basin, might not be. Regardless… We Will Be Training. Class will Only Be Cancelled if we are having a SEVERE Thunder Storm or active sky to ground lightening.
Bring Warmer Clothes, Layers, and Wet Weather Gear. From Experience – You never know what sort of weather we could have.
I suspect we will have most of the day for good training with little problem. We might get a little damp late afternoon, but I bet we’ll have great day.
Bears in the woods.
BYU conducted a recent and poorly conducted study of firearms used in bear attacks. Just having a gun isn’t enough. A. You have to have a gun and ammunition capable of stopping a bear. B. You have to know how to use it. That requires training.
The news report in the Trib makes mention that people don’t practice in a realistic manner… That part is very true. Just punching paper isn’t training.
The key in a sudden bear attack scenario is an accurate first round hit made fast. Very fast. You have one shot and no time to take it. Thus is the 21 foot rule to the extreme.
Practice with your bear gun from slung on the shoulder, snapping the gun off and breaking that shot accurately. The time to strive for is about 1.5 seconds.
Good luck with that.
Protection.
We talk about packing guns for many reasons… one of them is protection. But have you really thought about it, taking in the ramifications? You use a weapon to save your life… there was a man with a large knife, coming at you. You moved behind the hood of a car and use your handgun to drop that threat. You are alive and the goblin is on the ground dead and twitching. You did it… it happened. Now you hear the sirens coming. Here comes the police. What happens next?
Depending on what you say and do and where you are at… you could have saved your life only to end up living in a prison cell for the rest of your life.
You need more protection than just a good handgun loaded with good ammo. You need a Legal Weapon and Legal Ammunition. Brothers and Sisters, that Legal Weapon is the USCCA’s Shield program. You get this simply by joining the USCCA. Along with that, you get Concealed Carry Magazine… one of the best “Gun Rags” out there. One you can read start to finish, cover to cover… filled with good information and not just a collection of advertisements like some Rags. There are no ads in it anymore. It’s worth reading, every month. But most importantly is that Shield program. Read through that link… Legal Defense that’s worth joining the USCCA for alone. I have it, and it really gives me peace of mind.
Also, The Gun Dudes is hosting another MAG-40 course. Mas is one of the Nations best instructors. He is the source that a lot of instructors get their information from. But no one teaches the “What Happens Next” like Mas. He’s the best there is, because he has literally written the book on it… several books actually. Okay, a whole library. Here’s why you want to takes this. Once you graduate Massad Ayoob’s MAG-40 class, Mas will come to your defense and testify as an expert witness for you, on your behalf – at no cost to you. This is like an additional insurance policy… this is the ammo in your Legal Weapon. This will keep your ass out of The Cooler. And the stuff Mas teaches you can also help you save your life as he does teach an impressive shooting course.
Do this. Go to the Gun Dudes and take that class with Mas. Join the USCCA and get that SHIELD. This will give you a very high degree of Protection…. Legal Reactive Armor for your Life and Lifestyle.
Crusader Defensive Pistol: May 26th.
May 26th.
Buckskin Hills Shooting Complex.
9:00 AM – 5:00 PM
Cost – $200.
DEFENSIVE PISTOL
“The police cannot protect the citizen at this stage of our development. It is up to the private citizen to protect himself and his family, and this is not only acceptable, but mandatory.” – Jeff Cooper
Self defense and personal safety should never be taken for granted, and Crusader is committed helping you learn the skills you need to survive an encounter. Our Defensive Pistol course is the most entry-level of all our courses and is structured with the novice and intermediate level student in mind. In this course you’ll learn everything you need to run your pistol efficiently and effectively. From basic safety procedures and guidelines to aiming, proper grip and stance, trigger control, movement and cover, and tactics, we’ll give you the skills and you’ll run the drills. Consistency, accuracy, speed. These are our goals.
COURSE OUTLINE
Safety Brief
General Assessment
Grip and Stance
Trigger Control
Aiming and Accuracy
Draw and Fire
Effective Distance
Movement
Ground and Cover
Basic Tactics
PREREQUISITES
This is an entry-level course and as such does not have any prerequisites.
If you have special medical needs, inform us beforehand.
REQUIREMENTS
Handgun of your choice
Holster of your choice
300 rounds of ammo (minimum!)
Proper eye and ear protection
Hydration and a light snack
Appropriate dress for the expected weather conditions.
NOTE that our range facilities are spartan, so if there is a creature comfort you want you will need to bring it yourself. Shade, something to sit on… and of course beverages and snacks. We don’t cater. However, after the course, students and instructors alike have been known to congregate at a local Mexican food restaurant for good food and discussion.
BE PREPARED FOR ANY WEATHER CONDITIONS. We shoot no matter what, rain or shine!
Why Compete?
Not very long ago the topic of Competition was a heated one.
GUNS Magazine answered it very well.
“Why do Defensive Handgun Owners Compete? For the same reason Professional Fighters spar.”