Expert CCW instructors

[oldtexan]

If your looking for top notch contextualized training I suggest you get yourself to a southnarc course

http://shivworks.com/

Amen.

My wife, the PhD in education, has been teaching people for twenty five years, critiquing teachers for about the same amount of time, and certifying people to be teachers(and denying certification to some) for about five years. She says that Southnarc has demonstrated the best teaching ability that she has seen in almost ten years of taking classes from various instructors. He knows the subject matter, from experience and from having approached it analytically.

Southnarc takes an integrative approach. He looks at how bad guys operate, and what environments we encounter them in. He teaches students how to interact safely with unknown folks that we encounter in our daily lives and how to sort them from bad guys. He teaches awareness, movement, verbalization, unarmed techniques, bladed weapons, and gun, and helps his students learn how to decide which to use, and how to use them, alone or in combination. He does this using dynamic interactive scenario-based training, which means working against one or more motivated thinking resisting role players much of the time. Very good training.

[ST911]

CCW tactics incorporate a variety of sub-sets of skills. In no particular order of priority...

• Force law
• Firearms safety
• Equipment selection
• How to conceal
• Mission planning/conflict avoidance
• Threat identification
• Deployment from concealment
• Fundamentals of marksmanship
• Continuity of fire (stoppage reduction/reloading/etc)
• Combative marksmanship/gunfighting/defensive shooting/etc
• Immediate post-shoot action
• Post-shoot aftermath

As you seek out an "expert" in CCW concepts, you will find instructors with different levels of ability and experience in each sub-set. They will have strengths and weaknesses in both the teaching of the material, as well as the execution. Finding one with a reasonable mastery of all, and the ability to teach it back to you, is a great find.

"Experts" are more likely to be found within particular disciplines. Think of what a UC, narc, or certain gov-types could offer. Or a bullseye coach. Or an attorney. I like the concept of interdisciplinary instructional teams, and feel that too few outfits use them.

One can always take successive training experiences and merge them, but the success of the integration depends on the student's ability to learn, understand, and implement it across time.

Everyone I have known that went to a Southnarc course came back with glowing reviews, and some were a tough crowd to impress.

[Failure2Stop]

There are those that can blend the two, or aspects of the two sides, but I don't think that in a traditional two or three day format you will get as much as two separate specific classes. The biggest issue to me is that it is very difficult to be an "expert" in employment from concealment, just as it is very difficult to be an "expert" in knife fighting. I see undercover police officers as a source for good information on the topic, and I take their advice very seriously on the topics of concealment and getting the gun into the fight from concealment. Then there is the aspect of the gunfight that is beyond contact distance, and finding those that are proven in that application of the pistol.

There are few people currently teaching that I would consider to be an "expert" on employment from concealment. The top of the list, to me, is Craig Douglas (SouthNarc). His experience alone tops everyone else I know, add to that his teaching approach and you have a clear winner.

However, I think that he is one side of the coin.

The other side is shooting ability/mechanics. I believe in seeking out those that know how to teach speed precision shooting for practical application. Specifically (for this context) those that know how to deal with lethal threats and the speed/precision requirements of their elimination. There are quite a few of these guys (and I include myself in this category) that put out a good product.

[davisontp]

The topic of what a expert CCW class to me is more than just going to the range and learning "tactics". I was assistant instructor for a outfit in Arizona for a bit when I lived there. One thing about AZ was they required 16 hrs class room instruction folowed by range qauls, our tactics class was taught the day after the initial CCW course. The best CCW courses out there, in my opion are the ones that cover not only the tactics, but also the laws involved, actual cases that can be learned from. The main instructor for us was a retired LEO with 28 yrs experience, he was involved in 6 seperate LEO shootings in which he discharged his weopon, lots of experience.

As for the question of "how does the military experience transfer in the civilian", tactics might be different but the stress one feels can be passed on. Our bodies are designed by the same dude and during a "OH SHIT, GOING LOUD!!!" moment, the fundementals of a armed encounter are, in my opinion, universal for the most part. But there are alot of companies and instructors that are quick to label themselves as "EXPERTS". If you find yourself in need of professional instruction, which we should all constantly be searching for it, look at their methodallogy and experience for starters.

On a course's substance point, the better ones will cover everything from carry positions, firearms, ammo, cover positions, and everything else mentioned in skintop911 post above. There are really great instructors and really bad instructors. Some of the really bad instructors tend to fall under the "hey I've memorized some videos and logged some serious hours on Call of Duty". Those are generally easy for me to spot after talking with the guy for a couple of minutes. And they are usually really quick to point out that practical real world experience isn't the most important quality in a instructor, but to me it is better to learn from someone that has that first hand knowledge of what you are going to experience in those SHTF moments, it isn't theory based to them, it is reality. Until you find yourself at the 2 way rifle/handgun range everything you learn and drill is a theory, generally followed by a swift kick in the ass by reality. After it is said and done hopefully you are still around to process just what happened and get a chance to tell others about it. I am by far not the greatest, but my time down range has definately helped me pass along my experiences to help others. Looking back on those incidents I have been able to identify my mistakes and my success's. Like I said before I had my baptism by fire, I had alot of the "ok this is what I think it is going to be like", afterwards there were definately some areas and stresses that I under estimated. I have gotten the chance to share what I learned with people and hopefully it cemented in them that you will not bridge the gap between boy scout and jedi knight if you chose not to train to higher level.

Hopefully good instructors will continue to be ID'd on this site, so more people can get great instruction.

[John Hearne]

Tom Givens of Rangemaster in Memphis, TN (www.rangemaster.com) has had 58 armed private citizens in shootings and they've all won. He might know something about CCW for the armed citizen.

[SteyrAUG]

With the things I've seen I'm really starting to think I need a website so I can start teaching.

I figure all I need to do is hook up with some LEO and former military guys I know and we can present ourselves as the supreme tactical team, after all I've seen ALL of the youtube training videos out there and have season one of Tactical Impact on DVD.

If that doesn't make me a special operations qualified dude I don't know what does.

[theblackknight]

Southnarc, Kyle D and Tom Givens have been on my radar.


Skintop's bulletpoints are money.

[xpd54]

SouthNARC and Massad Ayoob are recognized as being experts in that field.

No can do. They're cops. So they obviously don't know what they're doing.

Ask yourself this....What makes someone a expert on carrying a gun or rifle? Cops even though they carry guns everyday in my eyes are still not considered experts.. They have accidental discharges and shot people with handcuffs on etc. Or people that have "guns" which turn out to remotes or cell phones etc..

[PT Doc]

Posted twice

[PT Doc]

Craig and Tom team up periodically to teach a combined skills class which is the best of both worlds. Tom owns Rangemaster and is hosting their annual Tactical Conference next March 1-3 and Craig will be there.