G_M
10-31-11, 01:44
Class description: TigerSwan 2-Day Tactical Pistol Course.
Instructor: David Borresen
AI: Matt
Location: Prado Olympic Shooting Park, Chino CA
Cost: $575
Total Round Count: Approx - 900
This is a summary and review of the TigerSwan 2-Day Tactical Pistol course I took on October 29~30. I compiled this so I can look back on what I did even a year from now. Also when I take classes I like to read course reviews before spending $$$ so I hope others that might be interested in this class or instruction from TigerSwan find it informative. I didn't include every single thing but hopefully enough to get a general idea of the class.
Day One:
We started the day with introduction of the instructors and class along with a safety brief.
Next we got into shooting right away and started with a simple assessment of our shooting skills at 25 yards. We shot strings free style, strong hand and other strong hand only for score. We also shot from kneeling and prone. This simple assessment was the first of many assessments throughout the course which allowed us to gauge improvements as we slowly fine tuned our fundamentals of marksmanship. TigerSwan is all about 100% round accountability, each round sent down range generally has a score and or time associated with it.
The first two things we fine tuned were stance and grip. David demonstrated the fundamental stance for shooting and addressed the reasons for it. He then explained the proper grip and we went back to the 25 yard line to shoot another string and score. We shot from the 25 yard line because errors in the fundamentals of marksmanship become very visible on the 5.5” bullseye.
David got everyone together and talked about a few finer points of shooting from the 25 yard line and some concerns that come out of having extreme eye angles when shooting. Then we went on to work on the correct trigger control, draw, sight picture, and presentation. Each time we were instructed on a fundamental we went back to the 25 yard line and shot a string for score. I saw my scores increase steadily with each instruction of the fundamentals.
We winded down the morning with some ball & dummy drills, final 10 round string for score and then a walk back drill.
After lunch IPSC targets were setup and David explained where in the A-Zone he wanted our shots. Now that our fundamentals have been reinforced we started to work on executing them under some stress. In this case stress was induced by adding a time we needed to make on top of shooting the correct place in the A-Zone.
We did a lot of drills at 10 yards working on getting accurate shots under the par times. Starting with single shot strings to the A-zone then working our way to multiple shots and then moving on to target to target transitions. David explained tempo when doing target to target transitions and how it helped you to become better at it. We also worked on changing the speed at which we shot at, i.e. putting on the breaks to take a head shot and then speeding up again for body shots on the next target.
We ended the day working on one handed reloads with each hand and also working on one handed presentations. Multiple methods were presented to us because depending on your body type, gear etc. certain methods might work better for you. I stuck with the methods TigerSwan prefers because to me it seemed to be the fastest.
Day 2:
Safety brief first then we began.
Day two started with assessment of our fundamentals at 25 yards for score but this time with par times added to add an element of stress to our execution of fundamentals.
After that we gathered around David while he instructed us on one handed shooting. Explaining the hows and whys for TigerSwans methods. We then worked on one hand shooting and alternated between each hand shooting from the 25 for score and then we added in time for stress. The “True test of trigger control” was a 5 round string at 25 yards, strong hand only (SHO), in 10 seconds. We shot two strings and scored them.
10 ring = - 0
9 ring = -1
8 ring = -2
7 ring = -3
6 ring = -4
5 ring = - 5
Anything out or over time = -10
Max Possible Score: 100 for two 5 round strings.
After that we worked on different shooting positions (kneeling and prone). Unlike the rifle I did not naturally shoot better in these positions but David did go over a number of reason why you might end up in them or might want to shoot from these positions. Kneeling will definitely be a position I work on. We ended the morning with another walk back drill, this time SHO.
After lunch we ran the same drills we did the previous afternoon to reinforce the fundamentals we have honed. Naturally as the temperature hit its peak we started into movement with the gun.
David instructed us on how to run with a gun and how to shoot on the move with a gun. Matt demonstrated each and then we dove right into different drills working on short and long bounds then firing rounds into the A-zone from different distances.
I’ve seen different target acquisition drills but feel we were introduced to probably one of the best ones out there. David picked the best looking and smartest two guys to demonstrate it and we watched as they ran the drill. David also explained creative variations of this drill that other students have made. It is a really freaking excellent drill.
The last drill of the day was a variation on the zig-zag drill that everyone ran twice. We had to bound with the gun, shoot on the move, speed up for fast shots and slow down for long range shots and SHO shots. This drill is something what some people would call “advanced tactical shooting”.
David explained that you can break down each component involved in this drill to a fundamental that we went over in class. If you had executed each fundamental perfectly under the stress (time, peers onlooking) you would have run it clean. It was a great way to drive home why we had worked so hard on refining our fundamentals and how you will develop as a shooter by working on them.
Opinions:
David is a great instructor and will approach things from different perspectives to help people understand what he is trying to get across even better. He definitely has a lot of great knowledge and experience to pass on and also has the skills to back up what he is teaching. On a serious note ;), if you want to seal the deal on your awesomeness as an instructor, shooting a bug in the face from distance does it as fast as humanly possible.
David mentioned that he would send out a PDF package containing drills and other instructions that we can work with. This is something I haven't had any other company do and I think this is really a great service.
Matt was a great AI ( assistant instructor) and was always there to reinforce what David had taught. He was quick to correct anything he saw out of place and helpful in answering any questions.
TigerSwan is an excellent training school. Their emphasis on fundamentals or “brilliance in the basics” is a really solid platform to base your awesomeness on.
TigerSwan not only teaches the fundamentals of shooting but also teaches the student how to think, how to diagnose, and gives you a training mindset that will carry you forward in a quantifiable way. Not only do they instruct you to shoot better hey teach you how to get better at shooting so you can continue to grow on your own. So I think the worth of attending this class basically keeps going even after the class. In this sense I feel TigerSwan has been the biggest bang for the buck I've spent.
Wanted to also say thanks to Grey Group Training for helping provide this opportunity, SMGLee for hosting it and all the students that were there for being friendly and fun to shoot with.
Instructor: David Borresen
AI: Matt
Location: Prado Olympic Shooting Park, Chino CA
Cost: $575
Total Round Count: Approx - 900
This is a summary and review of the TigerSwan 2-Day Tactical Pistol course I took on October 29~30. I compiled this so I can look back on what I did even a year from now. Also when I take classes I like to read course reviews before spending $$$ so I hope others that might be interested in this class or instruction from TigerSwan find it informative. I didn't include every single thing but hopefully enough to get a general idea of the class.
Day One:
We started the day with introduction of the instructors and class along with a safety brief.
Next we got into shooting right away and started with a simple assessment of our shooting skills at 25 yards. We shot strings free style, strong hand and other strong hand only for score. We also shot from kneeling and prone. This simple assessment was the first of many assessments throughout the course which allowed us to gauge improvements as we slowly fine tuned our fundamentals of marksmanship. TigerSwan is all about 100% round accountability, each round sent down range generally has a score and or time associated with it.
The first two things we fine tuned were stance and grip. David demonstrated the fundamental stance for shooting and addressed the reasons for it. He then explained the proper grip and we went back to the 25 yard line to shoot another string and score. We shot from the 25 yard line because errors in the fundamentals of marksmanship become very visible on the 5.5” bullseye.
David got everyone together and talked about a few finer points of shooting from the 25 yard line and some concerns that come out of having extreme eye angles when shooting. Then we went on to work on the correct trigger control, draw, sight picture, and presentation. Each time we were instructed on a fundamental we went back to the 25 yard line and shot a string for score. I saw my scores increase steadily with each instruction of the fundamentals.
We winded down the morning with some ball & dummy drills, final 10 round string for score and then a walk back drill.
After lunch IPSC targets were setup and David explained where in the A-Zone he wanted our shots. Now that our fundamentals have been reinforced we started to work on executing them under some stress. In this case stress was induced by adding a time we needed to make on top of shooting the correct place in the A-Zone.
We did a lot of drills at 10 yards working on getting accurate shots under the par times. Starting with single shot strings to the A-zone then working our way to multiple shots and then moving on to target to target transitions. David explained tempo when doing target to target transitions and how it helped you to become better at it. We also worked on changing the speed at which we shot at, i.e. putting on the breaks to take a head shot and then speeding up again for body shots on the next target.
We ended the day working on one handed reloads with each hand and also working on one handed presentations. Multiple methods were presented to us because depending on your body type, gear etc. certain methods might work better for you. I stuck with the methods TigerSwan prefers because to me it seemed to be the fastest.
Day 2:
Safety brief first then we began.
Day two started with assessment of our fundamentals at 25 yards for score but this time with par times added to add an element of stress to our execution of fundamentals.
After that we gathered around David while he instructed us on one handed shooting. Explaining the hows and whys for TigerSwans methods. We then worked on one hand shooting and alternated between each hand shooting from the 25 for score and then we added in time for stress. The “True test of trigger control” was a 5 round string at 25 yards, strong hand only (SHO), in 10 seconds. We shot two strings and scored them.
10 ring = - 0
9 ring = -1
8 ring = -2
7 ring = -3
6 ring = -4
5 ring = - 5
Anything out or over time = -10
Max Possible Score: 100 for two 5 round strings.
After that we worked on different shooting positions (kneeling and prone). Unlike the rifle I did not naturally shoot better in these positions but David did go over a number of reason why you might end up in them or might want to shoot from these positions. Kneeling will definitely be a position I work on. We ended the morning with another walk back drill, this time SHO.
After lunch we ran the same drills we did the previous afternoon to reinforce the fundamentals we have honed. Naturally as the temperature hit its peak we started into movement with the gun.
David instructed us on how to run with a gun and how to shoot on the move with a gun. Matt demonstrated each and then we dove right into different drills working on short and long bounds then firing rounds into the A-zone from different distances.
I’ve seen different target acquisition drills but feel we were introduced to probably one of the best ones out there. David picked the best looking and smartest two guys to demonstrate it and we watched as they ran the drill. David also explained creative variations of this drill that other students have made. It is a really freaking excellent drill.
The last drill of the day was a variation on the zig-zag drill that everyone ran twice. We had to bound with the gun, shoot on the move, speed up for fast shots and slow down for long range shots and SHO shots. This drill is something what some people would call “advanced tactical shooting”.
David explained that you can break down each component involved in this drill to a fundamental that we went over in class. If you had executed each fundamental perfectly under the stress (time, peers onlooking) you would have run it clean. It was a great way to drive home why we had worked so hard on refining our fundamentals and how you will develop as a shooter by working on them.
Opinions:
David is a great instructor and will approach things from different perspectives to help people understand what he is trying to get across even better. He definitely has a lot of great knowledge and experience to pass on and also has the skills to back up what he is teaching. On a serious note ;), if you want to seal the deal on your awesomeness as an instructor, shooting a bug in the face from distance does it as fast as humanly possible.
David mentioned that he would send out a PDF package containing drills and other instructions that we can work with. This is something I haven't had any other company do and I think this is really a great service.
Matt was a great AI ( assistant instructor) and was always there to reinforce what David had taught. He was quick to correct anything he saw out of place and helpful in answering any questions.
TigerSwan is an excellent training school. Their emphasis on fundamentals or “brilliance in the basics” is a really solid platform to base your awesomeness on.
TigerSwan not only teaches the fundamentals of shooting but also teaches the student how to think, how to diagnose, and gives you a training mindset that will carry you forward in a quantifiable way. Not only do they instruct you to shoot better hey teach you how to get better at shooting so you can continue to grow on your own. So I think the worth of attending this class basically keeps going even after the class. In this sense I feel TigerSwan has been the biggest bang for the buck I've spent.
Wanted to also say thanks to Grey Group Training for helping provide this opportunity, SMGLee for hosting it and all the students that were there for being friendly and fun to shoot with.