GrandPooba
09-26-11, 13:08
First off, thanks to LAV, Grey Group, and the assistant instructors for an exceptional class.
This course took place at the Trigger Time range in Carthage, NC. Start time was 8:30am. Weather in the morning was cloudy, wet, and humid, progressing to sunny, hot, and humid in the afternoon.
First thing LAV did was to ask if anybody was using a SERPA holster, as he had banned them from class a while back. Several people raised their hands. Luckily, some people brought extra holsters. Evidently, word has not gotten out fully. I would suggest that Grey Group add a note on this in the class description on their website.
After going through safety rules and range expectations, we went up to the 3 yard line to commence. First up for the day was the tried and true "shell casing on the front sight" drill. Obviously, the goal is to squeeze the trigger in a controlled, smooth manner so the case does not fall off. LAV explained how trigger control was the most important thing in shooting a pistol accurately, not sight alignment or grip. Since the trigger pull weight is usually double or more the weight of your standard service pistol, you are already at a great disadvantage. Any jerking of the trigger will result in throwing shots.
LAV is highly accuracy oriented, for obvious reason. Any miss in the real world has the potential for negative consequences. Because of this, it is important to hold yourself to a high standard of accuracy when you practice. We shot on NRA B8 bullseye targets and were expected to keep all shots in the black. At 3 yards, shots were to land in the x-ring. As we moved back, we were to keep shots in the 10 and 9 ring. Anything out of the black was considered a bad shot. I particularly liked LAV's philosophy on accuracy. Real world shootings are physically and mentally stressful. Engagement ranges and number of shots fired are dictated solely by the bad guy and are impossible to predict. If you do not hold yourself to a high standard of accuracy when you train, you will probably miss.
As the day progressed, we did dummy-and-ball drills. Your partner either chambered a round or not, and you were expected to hit small paster dots. This was another drill to reinforce the importance of trigger control and to get rid of flinch. Next up, LAV demonstrated proper trigger reset. You should relax your trigger finger directly to the slack point right as the slide recoils back. Then, you will be immediately ready for your follow up shot.
We did several team based drills to inject some competition into the class. Teams captains were picked by answering gun trivia questions, and teams were picked 'playground style.' Also, we did walk-back confidence building drills where we were allotted 2 rounds to hit steel at steadily increasing distances. By the end of the day, I was hitting steel at the furthest distance available, which was roughly around 65 yards back.
LAV then worked on holster draws and reloading. Efficiency of movement is definitely the theme for both of these. He explained the disadvantage of the "Step 1, Step 2, Step 3..." method of teaching the holster draw. LAV's technique is much smoother and more efficient. Reloads were done by bringing the weapon up closer to your face and canting it so there is a straight line path from your magazine to the magazine well. Again, the theme is to be efficient and not make excessive movements. LAV also explained some disadvantages of other reloading methods.
The rest of the day was filled with more drills covering trigger control, holster draws, and reloading. Team competitions and walk-back drills were mixed in throughout. Class ended at 4pm.
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We had about 20 people in the class. Some of us had definitely taken courses before and/or shoot competitively. There were some other people that were pretty new to shooting and obviously had never been in this sort of training environment before. Regardless of experience, I think everybody learned a lot. I personally shoot IDPA/USPSA twice a month and I probably learned more by lunchtime in LAV's class than I have in anything I've done so far.
Guns were mostly Glocks and M&Ps. Bunch of 1911s as well. A couple of very questionable gun choices and holsters were present, but given that this was a basic course, it was unsurprising. My Beretta worked flawlessly.
LAV doesn't hold back on his opinions of certain guns, equipment, and training techniques. He backs up everything he says with his own experience as an instructor, operator, and industry consultant. This, of course, was invaluable. I think several students realized that the equipment they used was severely lacking.
As a class, we only ended up shooting around 200 rounds each for the day. We didn't get to cover shooting on the move. Me and a couple of guys ended up staying after class for about 30 minutes to shoot off a few more rounds at steel. Total round count for me was 300.
This course took place at the Trigger Time range in Carthage, NC. Start time was 8:30am. Weather in the morning was cloudy, wet, and humid, progressing to sunny, hot, and humid in the afternoon.
First thing LAV did was to ask if anybody was using a SERPA holster, as he had banned them from class a while back. Several people raised their hands. Luckily, some people brought extra holsters. Evidently, word has not gotten out fully. I would suggest that Grey Group add a note on this in the class description on their website.
After going through safety rules and range expectations, we went up to the 3 yard line to commence. First up for the day was the tried and true "shell casing on the front sight" drill. Obviously, the goal is to squeeze the trigger in a controlled, smooth manner so the case does not fall off. LAV explained how trigger control was the most important thing in shooting a pistol accurately, not sight alignment or grip. Since the trigger pull weight is usually double or more the weight of your standard service pistol, you are already at a great disadvantage. Any jerking of the trigger will result in throwing shots.
LAV is highly accuracy oriented, for obvious reason. Any miss in the real world has the potential for negative consequences. Because of this, it is important to hold yourself to a high standard of accuracy when you practice. We shot on NRA B8 bullseye targets and were expected to keep all shots in the black. At 3 yards, shots were to land in the x-ring. As we moved back, we were to keep shots in the 10 and 9 ring. Anything out of the black was considered a bad shot. I particularly liked LAV's philosophy on accuracy. Real world shootings are physically and mentally stressful. Engagement ranges and number of shots fired are dictated solely by the bad guy and are impossible to predict. If you do not hold yourself to a high standard of accuracy when you train, you will probably miss.
As the day progressed, we did dummy-and-ball drills. Your partner either chambered a round or not, and you were expected to hit small paster dots. This was another drill to reinforce the importance of trigger control and to get rid of flinch. Next up, LAV demonstrated proper trigger reset. You should relax your trigger finger directly to the slack point right as the slide recoils back. Then, you will be immediately ready for your follow up shot.
We did several team based drills to inject some competition into the class. Teams captains were picked by answering gun trivia questions, and teams were picked 'playground style.' Also, we did walk-back confidence building drills where we were allotted 2 rounds to hit steel at steadily increasing distances. By the end of the day, I was hitting steel at the furthest distance available, which was roughly around 65 yards back.
LAV then worked on holster draws and reloading. Efficiency of movement is definitely the theme for both of these. He explained the disadvantage of the "Step 1, Step 2, Step 3..." method of teaching the holster draw. LAV's technique is much smoother and more efficient. Reloads were done by bringing the weapon up closer to your face and canting it so there is a straight line path from your magazine to the magazine well. Again, the theme is to be efficient and not make excessive movements. LAV also explained some disadvantages of other reloading methods.
The rest of the day was filled with more drills covering trigger control, holster draws, and reloading. Team competitions and walk-back drills were mixed in throughout. Class ended at 4pm.
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We had about 20 people in the class. Some of us had definitely taken courses before and/or shoot competitively. There were some other people that were pretty new to shooting and obviously had never been in this sort of training environment before. Regardless of experience, I think everybody learned a lot. I personally shoot IDPA/USPSA twice a month and I probably learned more by lunchtime in LAV's class than I have in anything I've done so far.
Guns were mostly Glocks and M&Ps. Bunch of 1911s as well. A couple of very questionable gun choices and holsters were present, but given that this was a basic course, it was unsurprising. My Beretta worked flawlessly.
LAV doesn't hold back on his opinions of certain guns, equipment, and training techniques. He backs up everything he says with his own experience as an instructor, operator, and industry consultant. This, of course, was invaluable. I think several students realized that the equipment they used was severely lacking.
As a class, we only ended up shooting around 200 rounds each for the day. We didn't get to cover shooting on the move. Me and a couple of guys ended up staying after class for about 30 minutes to shoot off a few more rounds at steel. Total round count for me was 300.