Rob Haught 2-Day Tactical Shotgun via Grey Group Training

Echo Valley Training Center

27-28 October 2012

 

by Archi

I had the great pleasure of attending Rob Haught’s two-day shotgun class at the Echo Valley Training Center over the Oct 27-28 weekend. Our class had 8 students of mixed make-up with LEOs, military, and regular guys but everybody was running Remington 870 of some type. There was a mix of stocks, magazine tube extensions, slings, sidesaddles, and barrel lengths but only one student had gun problems (with both of the 870s that he brought).  Rob did have some loaner 870 shotguns available for that and for teaching sling techniques for those without slings on their guns.

I ran a Vang Comp’d 870 with Surefire forend, +2 Vang Comp mag tube extension, 4-rd TacStar sidesaddle, VCAS padded sling and had no malfunctions except for a user-caused one (note: do not load shells backwards into the tube and expect them to feed) but some students were seeing the occasional QC issue extracting with more inexpensive Winchester Universal ammo. It’s a known issue and students with the problem were able to clear the malfunction each time by mortaring the gun and drive on.

The weather was cooler and at the early part of the Frankenstorm/ Hurricane Sandy system but all we had was some light precipitation and no rain that would impact the shooting at all. Because of the incoming weather we pushed later on Saturday and called it quits a little earlier on Sunday so that those with long drives home could have it a little easier. For most of the class we shot in two relays with guns empty except when on the line, just so that Rob could be specific about how much to load for each skill drill.

He started by discussing shotgun fit and introducing his “push-pull” method, which is simple yet amazing and has made my shotgun vault into the realm of “most fun gun to shoot” because it is easy to shoot and makes a loud boom (I’m easy to please). The technique is very easy to learn and is the basis for a lot of the future skills and lessons over the rest of the class. If you did it right it was amazing and if you did it wrong Rob pointed out that “it’s a self-correcting problem”. After the entire weekend shooting I had no issues with any shoulder soreness.

We had a short aside about equipment and modifications where Rob was not dogmatic but very clear in his reasoning for what he had seen work and what didn’t. He also was honest about what he hadn’t tried enough to comment on yet (red dot sights on shotguns, for example).  His points were bourne out by the end of the class as those shooters without the recommended short stocks or sidesaddles wanted them.

From there it was back to the line to go over ready positions (high and CQ as well as loading techniques (and unloading techniques, which were very helpful).  Rob then introduced his CQB shooting position where the buttstock is not resting in the shoulder pocket but on top of the arm to shorten the overall length. It’s helpful not only to shorten the system but also to begin shooting from unconventional positions and we started including that into drills for turning (90 and 180 degrees) and movement skills in both forward/backward directions as well as laterally.

We finished off the class dealing with multiple targets, sling types and usage, transitions to sidearms, buckshot-to-slug transitions, and a lecture and demo about slugs and sighting systems. Shooting slugs at 50 yards it was obvious that the guy in the class with the 21” rifle-sighted barrel had a leg up on the rest of us but it was possible to get hits with other setups as well. Rob also did a demo with the new Federal Flite Control buckshot which makes my Vang Comp barrel nearly obsolete by making every barrel keep those tight groups.

The final activity was a single-elimination shootoff on multiple targets involving an emergency reload where I didn’t win but at least made it past the first round.

Our overall round count wasn’t as high as I might have expected and was lower than what was recommended in the class handout but I have to say that I learned something from every round. I also wished for some more time on Sunday afternoon to practice and shoot a little more on the steel targets (which I don’t have yet at home) but with the approaching storm and everybody’s drive home I understand why we cut it a little short.

I can’t say enough good things about Rob and his assistant instructors Tom and Gary. They were all very knowledgeable and patient and had lots of illustrations for the points they were making. They also had a great teaching technique of never talking down to you but still making their point clearly and reasonably. More than just talking they taught a skill, illustrated it for you, then had you run a specific drill to learn and reinforce that skill. Once familiarity with that specific skill was set they would incorporate it into a drill with previous skill sets so you could see where it fit into the bigger picture.

By the end of the class we were engaging in square drills which incorporated all of the above - multiple targets, shooting on the move, moving in four directions, shooting from different positions (shouldered and CQ, doing emergency reloads, and transitioning to sidearms.

I filled 17 pages of notes, drawings, and diagrams in my own personal AAR notebook and was impressed enough that I told my brothers I would pay for them to attend Rob’s class in Texas a month later (sadly, pesky things like 10-yr wedding anniversaries interfered). When Rob and crew come back to Echo Valley next year I hope to bring a few more friends and attend again to build on this last experience.

Our Training coordinator is hard at work with the 2013 schedule; but until it comes out he wanted to tell you a little about himself:

I’m not Superman.

Many days I fall into conversations at work about shooting. I have no Superman background, I don't belong to any secret handshake fraternity, I had a normal job as an Officer in the Military, a normal job downrange as a Contractor, and now I have a normal office job.  I do however have a passion for shooting. I love to shoot 3-Gun, IDPA, USPSA, Designated Marksmen and Sniper matches. If there is a shot timer and a course of fire involved I am there.


This weekend I shot Woody’s Designated Marksmen & Sniper match here in North Carolina. Somehow, my partner and I managed to finish 9th out of forty teams. To be truthful, my partner is a much better shooter than I am.  With my gas rifle turning into a single shot musket during the match I became a huge anchor, but I loved the match. I got on my scope, used my hold overs and worked my trigger. The second part of the match was done individually as a Sniper match, where I limped along with my single shot rifle.  The second day it’s fair to say I finished near the bottom in the standings for that match, oh well.

I guess if that was the only match I shot this month one could say I was not addicted to shooting, but no, it was the third large match in the last week.  Last weekend I shot the Tarheel 2-Gun tactical match. There were two divisions; tactical, where the competitor wore tactical equipment, in my case a plate carrier and helmet, and a competition division.  Lord knows I should have shot the competition division and stayed with my normal 3-Gun set up, but I saw this match as an opportunity to do something I do not normally get to do and clear shoot houses in kit.  I would like to think that the 30 or so people I did finish above asked themselves if they fell off the wall in their kit would they have gotten back up and completed a stage?  I did, and I finished.

The day after that match I attended the North Carolina Justice Academy's Charity Pistol Match at the Salemburg academy range complex. It was a pistol match set up by a couple of local IDPA clubs. Good part about the match; I was classified from stage standings in ‘master’ class division. The bad part was that I finished in the middle of the pack in master class and I will not be classified as a master in IDPA because it was a non-sanctioned match. I did enjoy the match because it had a unique mover I had not shot before.  The way it moved made me feel like it was going to run me over.  In the end I had fun shooting the match and helped work part of it.

In the past couple weeks I have competed as a tactical shooter, a gunslinger, a designated marksman and as part of a designated marksmen team.  I can honestly say I was not cut out to be any of these roles in real life.  Some time ago, my initial goal when I started shooting was to not get disqualified at a match.  I will never have a fireplace full of trophies.  I will never have a major firearms company sponsoring me to shoot matches. I am no Superman.


I am a person that measures my wins in minor gains in standings.  I am a person that wants to improve. My goals are a little bigger now, and I try not to blow a stage.  If I get through a match without having a major malfunction I call the match a win for me.  I am always thinking about the next match with my list of lessons learned and focus on the next time the timer goes off.  I’m not a Superman; I’m just a Grey Man always pushing, and fighting to win a match. Who are you?

Location: Carthage, NC at Trigger Time
Date: October 27-28, 2012
I had the great opportunity to take Mac's TAPs class this past weekend.  Mac needs no introduction as I'm sure most of you have already read about his background. He was a Tier One Operator for many many years and has also taught many high speed units and law enforcement agencies for many years.  He is also the author of the TAPs shooting book which includes many many great drills and courses of fire as well as shooting tips and philosophies.  Mac places a very high emphasis on accuracy and accountability for every round fired.
Day One started off with a safety brief.  This was one of the most important and enlightening moments in the class.  Mac believes in constantly thinking about what you are doing and not "paying lip service" to safety rules and such.  Rather than the traditional "All guns are always loaded," statement, he says that not all guns are always loaded.  What is more important is to always know the status of your weapon at all times.  To me and everyone else in class, that makes 100% more sense than "All guns are always loaded."  I mean, what if you are dry firing at home?  Is your gun loaded even with a triple checked empty chamber?  Are you meaning to put bullet holes in that wall or light switch you're dry firing at? Mac's idea of constantly encouraging the thought process was a continuing theme that eliminated and followed us throughout class which was very enlightening.
We started shooting with carbines and zeroed at 50 yards to make sure everyone was on paper at first.  Then we moved the targets out to 100 yards and zeroed again.  Mac talked about how he prefers the 200 yard zero, but mentioned how some do the 100 yard zero, and that the important part is to know the trajectory and where the bullet is going to strike at each distance.  He also did mention that the standard 25m zero is generally a no-go.  We also had a pretty good talk about ballistics and the trajectory of the 5.56x45 round.
After shooting several strings at both 50 and 100 yards for score, we did what Mac called the 4-position shoot.  It was a timed event involving standing, kneeling, sitting, and finally prone.  Everything was timed and scored. Mac did mention to us that the drill can be shot in a whole host of different variations in distances and penalties.

In the afternoon, we shifted gears and went to pistol.  We did pistol marksmanship involving freestyle, strong hand only, and support hand only shooting.  Without spilling the beans, we did several iterations and shot at many different distances utilizing a timer as well.  Next we did some El Prez stuff.  One of the sticking points was that if you screwed up and threw a shot into the C-zone of an IPSC target, you didn't get a time.  It was a No-go.  This is very good in that it forces accountability for every round fired.  
One of the main points that Mac drives hard is to stay in one's home.  One should constantly compete with himself or herself.  There are always going to be people of different skill levels and different experiences in these classes.  One should not try to just blaze away as fast as possible just because the guy next to them is much faster or more accurate etc.  In addition, it is important to be Performance driven rather than Outcome driven.  If one consistently performs well, then the outcome is likely to be good as well.
Day Two started off with a quick rehash of the safety brief, and Mac had some more very good talking points. Then we shifted gears and went to carbine and pistol.
We did some mechanics drills that emphasized a lot of efficiency and weapons handling.  Mac is very big on follow-through.  He does not believe in theatrics where people just drop their gun after the course of fire and shake their head side to side. The gun needs to stay up and one needs to check their work.  
Without going into detail, we did a very good transition drill and had a competition which was very fun. After lunch, Mac went over many unconventional shooting positions, and we tried them out on steel.  

Next, we did the Scrambler shoot as well as many other stations.  Mac had several stations where it really provoked the thought process and thinking.  It would encourage the thought-process and constant thinking rather than the same "up drills." This was very enlightening as well.  
We ended Day Two with more round robin exercises at different stations until everyone was out of ammo.  Then we had a quick debrief, and everyone hit the road.
I would highly encourage people to take Patrick McNamara's TAPs class as well as to buy his book. He puts on a great course.  Mac is able to shift gears and keep the class constantly engaged and interested.  He has very good time management, and can cover a prodigious amount of material in a very short period of time.  He doesn't believe in gimmicks, and constantly encourages the thought process.  I want to thank Mac and Grey Group for putting on a wonderful class this past weekend.  

            Last Thursday (Sept 14^th) eight ladies stepped up to the firing line on the OR at Metacon and took a ladies pistol course.  The class was the first of its kind to be offered in the northeast by Northern Red an organization whose instructors are retired members of the United States Military Special Operations Command.

 

We were about to take the most intense, exciting pistol drill course ever taken, by any of us … these gentlemen know their weapons business!  Our instructor, JD Potynsky, is an Army Special Forces Weapons sergeant, and he teaches his courses with every bit of true sergeant-authority.  JD was assisted by an experienced active duty Special Forces fellow named “Chris”.

 

Without explanation JD commenced the class at 8 AM by directing us to step up to the firing line, pistols unloaded, on safe and holstered, along with 3 or 4 loaded mags – two in our double mag pouch and two in our pockets.  While he cruised the line, he had us load our pistols and fire 10 rounds into targets at 25 feet.  After we made our guns safe and holstered them, he declared the range “cold”, we stepped up to our targets and JD proceeded to analyze our shooting skills (yikes!!).  Little did we know that he needed this preliminary test to work from …

 

We settled back on the firing line and JD gave us an impressive list of his credentials along with a few colorful stories.  At his request, each of us told ours – ours were not too impressive.

 

Then the class began in earnest, we were about to learn every possible detail of marksmanship shooting:

            The basics – proper placement of your feet (stance); proper angle of your body in relation to your stance; proper extension of the arms.  JD was coaching each one of us to ensure we had proper basic positions, then we loaded up and shot 10 rounds.  After we made our guns safe and holstered them it was back to the targets and more analysis.

            Next came grip.  JD’s verbal and visual was phenomenal!  If I had to bet on it, it was the first time most of us or perhaps all of us gripped our pistols properly.  And JD trotted up and down the line moving fingers, thumbs and in some cases hands, until we all were gripping our pistols properly.  Then we loaded up and shot 20-30 rounds.  After we made our guns safe and holstered them it was more target analysis.  The accuracy was improving!

            Next came site alignment; how to evaluate the target; how to draw from your holster; how to align and load a magazine.  Again JD walked the line insisting on perfection, and we shot more rounds of ammo after each demonstration.

            With the completion of each exercise, we became more familiar with our pistols, shooting improved, and safe handling was becoming second nature to us.

So the morning flew by and so did a cool 100 rounds of ammo …

 

            After lunch we were back on the line.  Our targets were different now, and JD was going to make us into shooters that could draw and engage one or more targets. 

First we were taught the “art” of drawing our pistol and engaging the target all in one movement, yes, we were timed!  JD walked the line and coached each one of us until we perfected a smooth draw without fumbling or re-gripping our pistol – not an acceptable safety move.

Now we were ready to do some real shooting in the fast lane.

The remainder of the afternoon was devoted to drawing from the holster while swiping a magazine from the mag pouch while bringing your pistol into position on your chest and inserting the loaded magazine while sighting in on the target, setting the trigger and –BANG, all before the buzzer goes off.  The best time was 2.9 seconds.

Try it, it’s thrilling!  The sense of accomplishment is tremendous!

And at the end of the day there is more work to do, more to learn …

I had the opportunity to attend my 3rd class with Ken at his 2 day Advanced Carbine and I was not going to miss it. As many of you know Ken has recently relocated to Idaho and this was going to be one of his last east coast courses for the foreseeable future. This is written from memory so if any of the details of the class are off please feel free to offer corrections/additions if you were in attendance.

The class was held at the PMSC and consisted of 16 students and 3 AI's for Ken over the 2 days. Ken began the class on the first day with explaining his requirements for a carbine for serious work, they being 1. Reliability 2. Reliability 3. Reliability 4. 2 point adjustable sling 5. Red dot sight ( preferably an Aimpoint ) and a white light. Ken then explained what he felt were the weak links with the carbine system that being magazines and expounded on what he felt were good magazines and which magazines were poor performers.

We had the pleasure of having 3, AI's for this class one being Joe Riedy of S&T Training and Consulting one other being Grant Timberlake of G&R Tactical and the final one being Joe Barnsfather of Superior Firearms. All the AI's were also VSM certified instructors. The AI's provided valuable feedback throughout the class to all students in attendance. It was my pleasure to meet both Grant Timberlake and Joe Barnsfather during this class.

The first day of class was probably what you would call a refresher for most of the students after we verified zeros on our carbines, the main focus of this class was proper trigger manipulation. Most of the drills forced you to focus on trigger control and accuracy throughout the day. Ken talked about the ideal carbine stance several times stating you " must keep you chin forward of your knees " to control the recoil. The range we were on only went back to 40 yards so we were somewhat limited in what we could accomplish with carbines, but Ken made the best of what we had available.

We did circle and figure eight drills so the students would learn to understand their wobble zone. We shot the 1,2,3,4,5 drill and several others throughout the day. Ken covered shoulder transitions with the carbine and we shot drills that required the shooter to make shots from both the dominant and support side shoulders. The range we were on did not allow any shooting after 9:00 PM and with our current summer weather and it not getting dark until approx. 8:30 it was decided to fore go a night shoot for this class.

On the second day of class we shot a lot of the same drills again but this time with added movement. We shot box drills, the V drill, the 1,2,3,4,5 drill with movement and also the Compass drill. Ken covered malfunction clearance and he also showed the students his method for reducing the dreaded type "ate " malfunction. After that we worked transition drills where we were forced to finish some drills with our pistols to meet Ken's required round count. We finished the day with Ken's version of the carbine test, that being 10 rounds in 10 seconds from 25 yards. Ken stated an acceptable score to strive for should be 90 % during this drill, I believe a lot of the students in attendance did in fact attain that 90 % if not better.

My equipment for the class consisted of a BCM mid-length 16" carbine with an Aimpoint ML-3 in Larue mount and a VCAS victory sling. I used PRVI Partizan M-193 with no issues all fed thru Magpul P-mags. My pistol was a Glock 17 with X-300 in a Safariland 6004 on an Eagle duty belt. The students in this class came from all walks of life and to a man were all stand up guys that I would have no problem training with in the future.

In conclusion this class like all others I have attended from Ken Hackathorn more than exceeded my expectations, I believe the drills used by Ken in class are some of the best thought out and easy to put to use on your own when training at your own range. His skill drills and tests are a great use of 100 or 200 rounds in a training session. If you get a chance to train with Ken don't hesitate take advantage of it you will not be sorry as it is money well spent.

From:

AAR – Bob Vogel’s Practical Pistol Class – South Hill, VA
June 28, 2012  |   Filed under: Competition,Training  |   Posted by: Lee Bautista

Last week, I took the opportunity to join a class taught by World Class Champion Bob Vogel. Being self-taught, it seemed timely that I take a class and see how it would affect my performance. I debated taking one with the 2011 USPSA Production National Champion, Ben Stoeger, but his place is far away in a distant land (Wisconsin) and the timing for Bob’s was better (a week after the Carolina Cup). We covered all the fundamentals, then how Bob approaches and executes each of these. Being able to ask questions during demonstrations were invaluable. I am pleased that I took the class.
Currently, Bob also offers private lessons for two shooters at a time if you’re in his area (Ohio). Our’s was a group of eleven shooters of various skill levels that was put together by Grey Group Training and hosted by a local South Hill, VA range.
Here’s how I will approach my practice sessions to improve my shooting in the next few months. What follows are my thoughts based upon his advice, not what he said in class; obviously you should take the class if you want all the detailed shooting goodness.

Grip/Recoil Control: I’d first heard of grip strength training last October and I’ve had the “Trainer” and “#1” Captains of Crush Grippers since February. But, I haven’t really used them; so, yes, I’ll be working on that! I’m actually close to being ready to order the “#2”, not that I can close it, but it’ll be used for negative splits. He can close the “#3” and it shows in his recoil management. Note: Some folks say that Bob’s gun shoots flat. Maybe they mean, “Look how flat it shoots”. In my observation, the sights indeed lift, just not nearly as high as mine and more importantly he gets the sights back on target quickly. How? His grip on that gun is balanced, strong, and his timing of the gun is flawless. It’s something to strive for and something I’ve noticed with all the top shooters.

Gear: Many were shooting Glock 34’s, myself included. I’m committed to the platform, but any modern gun is going to work well if you are intimate with its controls, operation and maintenance. Plenty of top shooters use CZ’s, M&P’s, and 19/2011’s. He uses what works for him and you should too.
Mindset: We spent a part of the morning of Day 2 in lecture about mindset. This is my favorite subject because I’ve been thinking about how to better handle match pressure. I have the books he recommended; but will be studiously re-reading them a few more times and putting the concepts to practice. Hearing his experiences helped me frame some of the ideas that I already had in my head. He’s grounded and confident and that’s a place that helps any athlete compete, especially at the elite level.

Drills: Whichever drills you put into rotation, be mindful of every detail you can. See what you need to see to get your hits and track your times so that you can see your progress. We ran several drills on Day 1 from different distances and he evaluated and corrected the things that he observed that needed correction. Going forward, I will still be focusing on Bill Drills, Transition Drills and El Pres because I still need to nail the timing of the gun and seeing what my sights are doing.

Movement/Stages: I ran all the stages on Day 2 in USPSA Production style, while others did it with full mags using cover or not. We were free to shoot whatever discipline we wanted. Much of the time savings during a stage results from non-shooting actions and I wasn’t particular about setting up the shot while getting into position. I am better at that now.
I had taken the course because I felt like I’ve plateaued. Much of what I do in the practical shooting realm over the last three years has been gleaned from forum posts, YouTube, articles, and books. If you want to “skip” some of this kind research or get pushed to just be better, take a class from Bob. Firstly, he’s a great guy who happens to be a World Champion; he puts things together practically, has the experience to back it up, and he’s open to answering a lot of questions. Moving forward, of course, you’ll still have to practice and nail the fundamentals. There is no magic bullet.

If you can’t make it to one of his classes, by all means get the Mastering IDPA or Building World Class Pistol Skills videos from Panteao Productions. While not a replacement for live instruction, either of them gives valuable insights into world class pistol skills. I have watched them both many times on subscription at the website. In addition, keep an eye out for a brand new video that Bob has just finished recording while the Panteao filming crew was in Oxford, NC. It’s about stage analysis and it’s going to be a good one.

Being a female in a male-dominated industry comes with its own set of complications.  I could entertain any woman and probably a great many men with the stories of what Ramia, Abbey, and I get to deal with on a regular basis.  This would be a tangent though, so perhaps we should just write a book and get it over with. 

There are a great many women that we talk to on a regular basis who, like us, enjoy getting to the range and shooting off the occasional round or 200.  A few have little or no knowledge but know that it is something they would like to learn, while others are capable but lack the confidence to head out to a regular training class.  Our trainers have always reinforced to us that they fully support any female getting out to their classes and a great many do and succeed without reservation.

I could get all serious and highlight the differences for women when it comes to self-defense, home defense, etc. but these are statistics that are just a part of life.  We know that when it comes down to it, women are softer targets than men.  This doesn’t mean that we need to turn into GI Jane or that bad ass Lara Croft, but it certainly does mean that we need to at least take advantage of opportunities to learn the skills that might end up saving us down the road.

I am happy to report that for those women who might want that reinforcement, we have partnered with the great guys at Northern Red for a ladies-only class.  This isn’t just a beginner’s class.  JD and the gang at NR have put together a class that will appeal to any female; whether you have never worked with a gun before or shoot semi-regularly but want to formalize your training.  Many of us fit into this category, including those of us here in the office.

Let’s be honest, I’m a ninja in my own mind but that doesn’t mean I’m comfortable off at the range next to the likes of OUR trainers showing off my mad skills.  However, I challenge you to get there.  I know I will…and I won’t have to drag anybody else there, Ramia and Abbey will be there as well with bells on, or extra mags, because that’s how we do it.

This past weekend (Jan 28-29, 2012) Armed Movement in Structures (AMIS) was held at Steel City Airsoft in Pittsburgh PA through Grey Group training.

Cost:$450 - no live ammo used, just airsoft.
Jan 28 9am-10pm
Jan 29 9am-5:30pm

A little bit on who I am... I'm not in LE or .mil, I'm just a civi that likes training hard. Prior to this class I've had pistol classes from Ken Hackathorn, Larry Vickers, Todd Green, Kyle Defoor and Northern Red. Carbine training from Northern Red, and edged weapon and combatives training from Sayoc Tactical Group/ Tom Kier. I dunno how many hours that is, but I shoot some IDPA in addition, and really put in the drill time on my skill sets whenever possible. If anyone wants to know anything else in particular about by background, just ask.

For those not familiar with SouthNarc, SouthNarc is a brand/pseudonym for Craig Douglas, a recently retired UC LEO from the south (bet you wouldn't have guessed that from the name, huh?). Craig has a strong hands on background from prior martial arts experience, decades of experience teaching for .mil/LE and some .mil experience of his own. Craig's material is heavily geared towards the guy who isn't wearing a uniform, or who doesn't have a team/backup to rely upon. That bring us to AMIS.

AMIS is about developing an answer to a shitty problem...needing to move through a structure where you have reason to believe that something may be going on. It may be a bump in the night, a screaming child, or being out and about when gunfire erupts and you need to get to an exit.

I mention this because most all of us are aware of the fact that running around solo with a gun out in a structure is pretty damn far from a good time, but may realistically be a situation we are faced with. Fortifying the bedroom and staying put tends to stop being a "go-to" strategy when you hear your kid screaming for their life.

Diving right in after Craig went around to get bio's and names (which he instantly remembered for the rest of the class... freakin' amazing), Craig gave us the most direct and brief Powerpoint show I think I've ever seen. Craig quickly outlined the few underlying principles that govern movement in structures... things like adjusting your pace to match your exposure and the problem, how depth and angles changed what you could see and how much you had to give up to see it, how to conform yourself to the visual impediment (cover/concealment) to reduce your exposure, and other tips on moving.

 

We discussed our desired approach - how we wanted to take and hold the initiative (forcing them to react to us), and how we wanted to have a time/maneuver advantage over our opponent.

"You ever see those TV clips of dudes killing baby seals? They roll up on these helpless baby seals flopping around there on the beach and just bash the fuck the out of their heads with a club. That's the kind of win I'm going for... they shouldn't even have a chance... total domination. Clubbing baby seals, man... that's my kind of win." - SouthNarc
With an eye towards the kind of odds we wanted to create for ourselves, and the mental approach being clearly defined Craig showed us a video from a shooting in California. In it, two officers had the drop on a guy they knew had a gun... they didn't take the initiative they had (they let him retake it), they lost their positional advantage and allowed the BG to out maneuver them, the BG maximized his depth from his cover, and he overwhelmed with with violent decisive action.

 

The failure to enact the previously mentioned principles cost an LEO his life. Here was a real world example of just how important these principles are.

We discussed a bit more principles and concepts in the classroom session, like ways to move faster, how pacing would be radically effected by our exposures, and then we took a brief break.

After coming back from our break, Craig broke out the whiteboard and we started to try to think through a problem as a class. Immediately we ran into some problems trying to go whiteboard room, partly brought on by conventional wisdom (muzzle is the 3rd eye). Once we started to think about breaking the gun apart from the eyes, we started to give ourselves a speed advantage.

I guarantee everyone reading this can move their eyes 180 degrees faster than they can transition a pistol 180. We used this principle to prepare our gun for the most dangerous situation, while using our eyes to take a snap-shot of the most likely situation so we could reduce how screwed we were going into a "T" intersection. I never would have through of that on my own... the class was already eye opening and we haven't even had lunch.

 

We worked the whiteboard exercise for a while longer, taking turns guiding our dude through the problem on the whiteboard, then we broke for a brief lunch. Day 1 was packed with 12 hours of class, so we didn't lollygag on lunch... luckily there was a large variety of fast food nearby (Burger King, Wendys, Arbys, Taco Bell, KFC, and about 4 other restaurants within 5 blocks) so we grabbed a fast bite and returned to class ready to tackle more material.

We entered the facility, divided up into groups, and started to work sectioned off areas of the structure.
Craig has a very well thought out, layered approach to training, where you start out at 5 miles an hour with the training wheels on, then you slowly add more and more layers into the mix until you reach your failure point... then you learn from it!

Here's a video that Shawn took of me doing a dry run through an area, while Craig watched my moves and coached me up on everything from footwork on my dynamic movements, to my extension as it related to multiple exposures, to my body positioning and how I could take more of the room externally before committing. The experience was invaluable, and it really corrected some things I was doing wrong. After the guidance I got a lot more comfortable and a lot more fluid with the techniques.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=kga0ax5Yj8Q

After doing dry runs looking for people, we started looking for static people who could shoot back.

After looking for static people who could shoot back, we started looking for people who were shooting back AND moving on us.

Craig was big on giving us "flight time" on the techniques, and that really was what solidified our understanding of the skills. Personally, I'm a pretty good learned when it comes to spacial topics and visualizing things in 3D... I did a lot of engineering classes through high school and have always been pretty decent with my hands... I usually don't have much trouble rendering something in my mind. That said, there was enough going on during the classroom session that my brain was getting fried. Through the "flight time", that fog evaporated and the concepts really stuck. It was just one of those things that I needed to get out and DO. I needed to go out, make the errors, have someone tell me how I screwed up, then I could see the problem in-front of me and correct it. As time when on I got more and more comfortable with the techniques.
As we stumbled, Craig would step in and clarify something for us. A number of us weren't using the best footwork and pacing to get an "orientation reset" out of someone waiting for us, so Craig showed demo'ed it for us again:

www.youtube.com/watch?v=MmDLV-pB948

Craig told us he'd have us get to a pretty high level of functionality with the material by the end of the class... he wasn't kidding.

Everyone rotated through the different areas, different levels of resistance, and in different roles. I can't speak for other groups, but I know my group had some awesome dudes in it. Ego's were gone, we wanted the constructive feedback (not the sugar-coated horseshit) and we were really good at helping each other see what was going on (for better or worse). We were all there to learn and it showed. I hope everyone else has as positive as an experience as I did, but I owe a thank you to my group... you guys rocked!

We broke for dinner, which was us assaulting the fast-food joints again, then we came back and got into the low light portion of the class.

This kicked major ass for me... more on that soon.

Craig skipped the typical traditional "here are 5 ways to hold this light" stuff, and just gave us two guiding principles.
1) Lights draw fire.
2) Lights draw vision.

Craig made the point that if we thought about those two principles, the rest would answer itself.

I ran though our one area (one of the more dark sections) using what I was comfortable with on the range shooting (something close to a neck index with the light). I wasn't using a strobe, as I've never been a fan, but was trying to use minimal flashes to piece the room together, and just keep the damn thing off as much as possible.

Craig reminded me of principles #1...and I thought about it, but I know that I'm a better shooter with my light in a neck index. My thought was that, hey... I don't want to rely on my enemies marksmanship (or lack there of) to change how effective I am dispensing bullets... I didn't want to discount what Craig was offering, I just wasn't sure it made sense for me yet.

Craig brought a number of lights for guys to test out, runs through some sims and see if they like them, etc. One student borrowed a pretty sweet new light Craig just got from Surefire, an L2 Lumamax.

Well, after a few runs Craig called us in... Guess what took an airsoft round straight into the lens? The light that hadn't even been in use for an hour.

 
On the left is an X300 that took an airsoft round in a previous class, and on the right is the L2 that sucked in a round in record time.

Sonofabitch... time to rethink how I use this thing.

Craig took us into one of the darker rooms, and showed us how he uses a light. Craig was big on hunting with a handheld, and only using a weaponlight when you're working the trigger. Craig showed us the contrast between a regular light being moved along with the hunter, and a strobe being used really erratically (changing levels, moving in opposite directions from your direction of movement, etc) to create misdirection (using principle #2 to our advantage).

This is a different demo, but look at the difference between how easily you can track Craig on the first run as opposed to the second.

www.youtube.com/watch?v=jgZzVjhodrk

In the demo he gave our whole class in the dark... he was IN the room next to us before we knew what just happened. I was speechless except to say "that was some ninja shit, dude..." Craig agreed.

Craig lent me his light (a 4Sevens Quark 123^2 Tactical) and I ran that strobe for all it was worth. I started to move the light erratically and not in unison with my movement, and my team-mates that I was hunting had the same facial expression that I had when Craig showed us. I had a shot broken on them before they knew where I was. I'm sold. 4seven... you will soon have some of my money.

I think part of my push back against strobes was that I didn't understand the technique that needed to go along with them. I though "pfff! what, because the light is blinking I'm not going to know where it's coming from? HAHAHA!!!" You get that bitch moving differently than the guy holding it is... um, yea, you do loose track of them.

That technique is a game changer for me, and it changed my comfort level with my movement and pacing. Talking to Craig about that observation, he explained that's why he makes sure he does a Low Light component in every class... it tends to have that effect on people.

I all but had a boner after picking up that material, but it was soon time to call it a night. It was a 12 hour day with minimal breaks, but I was still keyed up and ready to keep going hard. Shawn and I were both grinning like a pair of idiots on the drive home.

The day before:

I met up with two fellow M4C members (GD4 and Hank) when I got to the Rock Castle Shooting Center resort. We sat down for dinner and long behold Kyle walks in. So we invited him to join us.

For me, that’s where the learning began.

We started eating our meals and just chatted with one another. There I learned many things. Between bites of a plain hamburger, Kyle was answering our questions regarding anything. What type of carry rounds to use, cold weather gear, weapon manipulations, etc.
It was readily apparent to see what kind of instructor Kyle was and techniques was going to be. Like his meal, his style of teaching and techniques are simple and to the point; no superfluous bulls**t like I’ve found other training schools to be. Throughout the two days of training, everything Kyle taught was simple, effective, and very logical.

The class was about 75% LE/MIL, the rest civilians. My buddy ran a 1911 that had one mag problem, a 2011 (supped up 1911) that had one minor hiccup (stove pipe or FTF I think), I ran a M&P with no hiccups, most of the students ran glocks. Gen 4 glocks didn’t fare so well in the class, most if not all gen 4 glocks were experiencing all sorts of problems. I saw multiple FTF, FTE, stove pipes from gen 4s. Kyle noted this was his experience with Gen 4s. 1 Gen 3 glock had to have a trigger spring return replaced, but it had seen upwards of 5,000 rounds already. It was due for a replacement anyways.

I was running a TAD gear Hoodie which proved a little less then adequate for the temperatures we where training in. Nonetheless, it held up just fine. I ran a Ares belt, stippled M&P 9 with Apex sear and Ram with TLR-1, Secret City Weaponeers Y-12, and Atomic Dog mag pouches. All which proved to be reliable, I had no problems of any sorts with the mentioned gear. For the class, I got a pair of new SKD PIG gloves. Me and two others ran these gloves. Each of us noted the amount dexterity the glove offered, it was simply awesome. However, the three of us running these felt the SKD PIG glove quality was less then expected. We all found the stitchings were becoming undone near the beginning of the class. Are you kidding me??? I cannot recommend the SKD PIG gloves to take into combat, I have little faith in them. It's simply not durable enough. One of the students switched back to Mechanix gloves after a few hours.

I’ve been to Rock Castle Shooting Center many times for shooting events prior to this class so I knew what to expect. Hotel had this old nostalgic feeling that honestly needed a major renovation. Décor was, to be quite frank, outdated. Food was okay, the menu had definitely shrunk since the last time I was there. The actual shooting range where we shot was more or less a manicured pasture. Ah well, at no fault of Grey Group and Kyle, we worked with what was available.

TD 1

We got the range around 0830, everyone immediately geared up. It took me by surprise as every class I’ve been to, there were always a few shooters lolly-gagging around, holding up the class. Not in this one, everyone was here to train and learn. The students were all top-notch veterans of valuable training.

Due to the weather, I changed up my kit last minute from the original planned IWB to OWB holster. I took Kyle’s advice the night before to run OWB for safety purposes (Layered garments with IWB is not only challenging, but potentially dangerous). Weather was simply put…FREEZING! Morning was roughly 20 or below degrees, with the afternoon at 32 degrees freezing temperature. FML. We never stopped shaking!
Once we got the firing line, Kyle briefed us on safety and made it known that this was an advanced class. He started off not with the standard warm up drills found in many schools, but initiated the class with the Defoor test #1. Reduced A-zone hits proved to be a challenge to many with a 4-second par time. Credit card shots proved even tougher with gloves and 20 degree weather. I don’t think anyone passed. Can you blame us? Our hands were constantly shaking, even when shooting! Regardless, Kyle told us how impressed he was with the shooting and safety displayed by the class. Kyle maintained a positive and optimistic attitude despite the weather.

Note, the Defoor tests are incredibly tough to pass. Even Kyle fails the tests at times. However, the tests are a great benchmark to aim for. Kyle noted that if you can pass these tests consistently, you are damn good with a pistol.

After the test, we went into fundamentals. What he did that I found unique was how he broke down the fundamentals. Kyle did NOT present all the fundamentals all at once, but instead broke it down into more manageable sections. This is where he differs from most instructors I've learned from. Between learning Kyle’s thoughts on grip, sight picture, stance, and trigger control, we shot multiple slow fire ten round groups into a B-8 repair centers. Between each string of 10 rounds, we would focus on the fundamentals that Kyle taught us. I loved this style of teaching, step by step. Too much info at once causes confusion.

Next, the class worked on one-handed manipulations and one-handed shooting. When drawing with OSOH, Kyle noted that putting the gun between your knees makes you immobile. I won’t be doing that technique anymore.
What I took from this portion that really resonated with me was keeping elbows down to maintain recoil. Kyle demonstrated to us the reason, rather than recoiling to the 10 or 11 o’clock, it was possible to let the gun recoil to nearly 12 o’clock. That opened my eyes big time. As well, Kyle explained as to why he doesn’t cant the gun 45 degrees like what a lot of schools do. You’re used to seeing the sights vertical, not 45 degrees. Makes plenty of logical sense. Stance doesn’t matter as much when shooting one handed for combative reasons. Kyle had us alternate feet positions when shooting one handed at 10 yards.

After the very informative basics, we broke for lunch. Eating a light lunch consisting of a sandwich and spring rolls, we went back to the range.
While most schools teach their students how to shoot blazingly fast, Kyle taught us a drill to track our sights. Anyone can shoot fast, but it’s the ability to track sights that separates the talented from the amateurs. This was a definite “light bulb” moment for me. Even though the drill was a real ammo burner, I was glad to do it. For me, being able to track the sights was worth the price of admission.

We ended the day with what I like to call “changing gears”. Knowing when to slow down to make low probability hits and when to speed up to make high probability shots. The following drills had us alternating between making A-zone hits and credit card shots. After those drills, Kyle made it a bit more challenging by throwing in multiple targets. So now we’re transitioning from target to targets, but also slowing down for those headshots.

By the time we finished those drills; it was getting dark. We all prepped for the low-light portion.

Before we started shooting, a surefire rep spoke to the class about lights. After the informative talk and demonstrations on lights, Kyle picked up after by teaching his techniques with low light. Eye opener for me was the discussion regarding Harris technique and modified FBI. The cons with both those techniques were apparent. The flashlight grip he taught us was very simple and effective. With the grip, the shooter can still reload and activate the light. Wicked awesome. Kyle discussed where to hold the torch so that the sights don’t splash the light back in our face. Again, most schools like to back light the sights, but the ambient light from the torch proved more then enough to see the sights. We shot one after another on the firing line. Kyle explained that if everyone on the line lit their targets all at once, it isn’t really low-light shooting.

After the low-light shoot, we went back to the resort for chow. At the bar, Kyle gave one of the best speeches on mindset drawing from his own experiences and real world examples. He warned to everyone that the speech may offend some. I couldn’t help but notice some people walking into the bar and hearing what Kyle had to say. They were not expecting to hear the things Kyle was talking about.

Day 1 overall fine-tuned my shooting; there were many eye openers from the lessons. When Kyle taught something, I could tell everyone was learning something new. It was pure wisdom.


TD 2

Day 2 was quite a bit warmer, meaning mid 30s warm. To many, this would be ridiculous. HAH! Not us. Few of the students were shedding layers! With the weather the day before, this was a figurative warm welcome. As well, this when the training got real fun and interesting.
We started the day running with a drawn pistol. Kyle advocates moving with a pistol in the high ready position, muzzle up pointed up in the air. He discussed the cons with the low ready. From a combative viewpoint, Kyle demonstrated how easy it was for someone to grab the gun in the low ready! Running in the low ready often leads muzzling your leg. From here on out, muzzles up. When done correctly, you can move in a stack with various height differences without muzzling anyone.

Kyle then discussed shooting from prone. His golf grip proved incredibly useful. It raised the gun and sights to manageable position when engaging a IPSC target.

Shooting from barricades was again, very informative. Foot placement was key when shooting from a barricade. Reloading from a barricade was another subject he discussed. A student asked if a shooter should always go back into cover when reloading. Drawing from personal experience, reloading while your head and hands in cover was situational dependent. Example: You put a bad guy down from a position of cover, go back in to reload, pop back out to assess the situation and the bad guy is gone…where the hell did he go? In that situation, better to keep your eyes on target. From the makeshift barricades we had, we punished some plates. Real ammo burner, but lots of lessons learned. Don't be afraid to use the trigger guard to stabilize your position from a barricade.

We shot up close and personal with IPSC targets. Mentioning gun position, you don’t want the gun far out or too high up. Right at the hip is where Kyle suggested to me. As with before, having a aggressive stance up close does wonders. It keeps you from falling onto the ground and you can expose more of the target with the proper stance. It was at the portion of the class that Kyle discussed some aspects of combatives. Real eye opener for me, just because I carry a gun and know how to shoot, doesn't mean I can defend myself in all situations. Anyone that gets within arms reach of me...I may be screwed. This is one the areas I will be working a lot in.

After learning shooting on the move, Kyle discussed blade work. He demonstrated just how fast the blade was compared to drawing and shooting from arms length. Blades smoked drawing and shooting. Kyle was able to the get the blade out to target in .4 to .5 seconds as opposed to a gun that averaged .7 to .8 seconds. Case in point, the knife is faster then a gun when within arms reach. This was when I realized change in my EDC was to be had. I need blade training from Sayoc.

To encapsulate everything I’ve learned,
The four hardest things for shooters to master is 1) Accuracy at a distance 2) Tracking the sights 3) Target Transitions 4) switching from low probability hits to high probability hits.
The trigger guard of pistols can be used as a weapon. It’s damn hard if not impossible to break a trigger guard!
The sun can seriously mess with your sight picture inevitably leading to missed shots.
Not only did I learn the skills to be a better shooter, but the mindset portion Kyle mentions between lessons was a change in paradigm for me. This isn’t just a shooting course, it’s also a mindset course.
It's to time incorporate combatives with shooting. Sooner or later, classes like these will start to proliferate.
The Defoor glock sights are bomb! There's a purpose behind the simplicity of the sights. For one, the sights are not ramped unlike many sights on the market. Why? With a 90 degree angle rear sight, the shooter has the ability to rack the slide on just about anything.
Get blade training! Hell the Sayoc family fought off the Spanish with just knives and sticks, that's a indication Sayoc is doing something right

I cannot recommend this class and Kyle enough to anybody seeking out solid training. Kyle was not only very informative, but humorous, laid back, well spoken and just flat out cool to learn from. His teaching style was simple and to the point. Just how I like it, the meat and potatoes. The amount of knowledge and wisdom the man possesses surely catapults him to the “must train” list of instructors. On the way back, my friend told me just how eye opening this experience was. Kyle is not only a talented shooter, but he is a gifted teacher. He WILL make you a better shooter, but the real significance is the values and morals he teaches. One should not pass up the opportunity to learn from and train with Kyle, a world-class instructor who has the ability to change the way the firearms industry view training.

And to quote from Kyle’s memorable speech,

Die well!
Alvin