AAR: Invictus Alliance Group – 3 Day Gunfighter Pistol/Carbine November 9-11
Time
Invictus Alliance Group held a stellar 3 Day Pistol/Carbine class at Trigger Time in Carthage, NC on the weekend of November 9-11. This also happened to be a long weekend for Memorial Day so the schedule fit most of the students’ schedules well. There were roughly 10 students, mostly military with a few law enforcement professions and civilians. Most all of the students have had prior classes and some shooting experience before.
Gear
As far as equipment goes, most all of the students shot Glocks and Smith-Wesson M&Ps in 9mm for pistol. I did not notice hardly any malfunctions with pistols as no students had serious problems with their handguns. For long guns, every student used an AR-15 type variant. One student used an HK MR556 or HK416 type carbine. He also had a Schmidt-Bender Short Dot 1-4x optic. Other than one student’s SBR with a Suppressor, all of the carbines pretty much ran 100% as well. On the 3rd day, I believe the gun with the can ran into an issue, but Javon (the Assistant Instructor) was nice enough to lend the student his carbine to allow him to keep shooting without missing any instruction or courses of fire. I did not see any major equipment issues or malfunctions throughout the entire 3 days which is somewhat unusual for a class. Oftentimes, one will see a student or two have a weapon that continuously malfunctions where the student will either have to use a backup gun or borrow someone else’s for an entire class. As far as optics were concerned, every student ran an Aimpoint or EOTech with the exception of the S&B Short Dot.
About half of the students in the class wore kit that they worked in for their LEO/Mil job. The other half wore Battlebelts and other rigs that held ammo and equipment. As far as that was concerned, I also did not see many problems with gear either. Normally, some students will lose some equipment or gear when they run/move in kit, finding out what works and what does not for them. I didn’t see this for the most part.
Instructors
For those who do not already know, Invictus is headed by Tom Spooner and JD Potynsky. Both have some of the most seriously impressive credentials in the gunfighting community. Tom has over 20 years in the US Army with over 15 years in Special Operations and over 40 months of direct action combat experience in SFOD-D. JD was an 18B Weapons Sergeant with 3rd Special Forces Group’s direct action element with multiple combat tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. Both are BTDT and have a tremendous amount of real world combat experience. Simply put, they know what works and what doesn’t and are at the top of their game. Their Assistant Instructor Javon is also a Marine Vet with combat deployments overseas and has been overseas as a contractor with JD before.
Day 1:
After a safety brief, the first day started off with a diagnostic for the pistol. JD ran us through tests which involved shooting at NRA B-8s at 25 yds and also some close up work on IPSC/USPSA targets at 7 yards. The diagnostic was pretty comprehensive in both close and long range skills. They tested the fundamentals of marksmanship, speed, and weapons handling skills. This was done cold without any warm up or practice so the instructors could see where the students were in terms of skill level. After scores were recorded, the class gathered for a more formal introduction of everyone.
After that, we went over the fundamentals of pistol marksmanship. JD and Tom went over one fundamental at a time between strings of fire. All strings of fire were shot for score. One thing that Invictus emphasizes is 100% round accountability. They do not waste rounds. Since every string of fire is scored, the students know that they cannot just yank rounds off and make noise. Every shot serves a purpose. It keeps the students on their toes, and forces them to improve and try harder. Most all of the students saw their scores improve throughout the strings of slow fire. We also did drills that greatly reduced moving the gun while pulling the trigger. JD and Tom explained to us different kinds of deviation and pistol movement and how they may or may not impact where the round will hit. Right before lunch break, all of the students got to shoot one 10 round string at 7 or 10 yards. I believe every single student shot 100 except maybe one or two with a 99 or so. Several students completely shot out the X-Ring. That shows two things. 1) At 7 yards, many problems in the fundamentals of marksmanship can be masked and cannot be easily diagnosed. 2) It is testament to how effective Invictus’s teaching methodology is in terms of improving the fundamentals of marksmanship.
In the afternoon, we broke out the carbines and shot a carbine diagnostic. Just like with pistol, the diagnostic was done cold and on demand with a Pro-timer on most every course of fire. The students were not allowed to zero or confirm their zero on their rifles either. This makes tons of sense to me. The instructors wanted to see who showed up with a zeroed weapon and who didn’t. As it turned out, most of the students did show up with a zeroed or at least roughly zeroed weapon. This also serves another great purpose, especially with LEO SWAT shooters. If an officer shows up to a class with a non-zeroed carbine, are they also riding around their patrol vehicle or SWAT vehicle with a non-zeroed carbine? What if there is a call-up for a shooting and you have to grab that M4? Is it zeroed? Wouldn’t it be grossly negligent for a SWAT Officer to run into a life or death situation involving hostages with a weapon that isn’t even zeroed?
The carbine diagnostic was also very thorough involving both fundamentals of marksmanship at distance and speed work up close. The instructors got to evaluate the students in not only their fundamentals at 100 yards, but also their ability to present the weapons, reload, and whether they understood hold offs and line of bore-line of sight at CQB distances. As JD said, he could generally tell how someone is going to shoot just by looking at how his or her gear is set up and how he or she manipulates his or her weapon.
After refining our zeroes and shooting more strings of fire for score on the carbine, we shot a few more drills and courses of fire. We had a few fun competitions using BC Steel. The students got to run the events a few times as JD explained to us the importance of being able to do certain tasks and being able to do the drills well. These exercises made a tremendous amount of sense as far as applicability to real world scenarios go. For example, the ability to get rounds off on target at distance with a carbine from standing to prone at a certain distance is certainly a very high priority skill for a deploying soldier.
Day 2:
Day 2 also started off with a safety brief as safety is always paramount when firearms are involved. As with Day 1, we started the first course of fire involving the fundamentals of marksmanship. Tom explained to us that oftentimes one will be able to tell if he or she is having a good shooting day by the first course of fire testing the fundamentals. Everyone has good and bad days. Oftentimes, that first course of fire cold will tell one how the rest of the day may go.
We covered a lot of material the second day with pistol in the morning including the presentation, draw, reloading, target transitioning, multiple shots, multiple targets, multiple shots on multiple targets etc. We also covered different pistol shooting positions including kneeling and prone. JD and Tom went over each topic thoroughly and answered any questions the students had. For example, for the kneeling position with a pistol, Tom and JD detailed very well exactly where to position one’s hands and feet and where to put more or less pressure etc. They also explained different angles a shooter may position their legs to become more effective and how to reduce muscle tension in the kneeling position.
During this day and throughout the entire course, we ran through numerous competitions as the students competed against one another. JD explained to us the importance of adding stress to training and how there are different ways to induce stress during the training. Also, different students will handle different kinds of stress differently, but overall, it must be induced to order to help students perform should they ever need to really use their firearm in a real world scenario. “Performance upon demand” is one of Invictus’s mottos, and this class surely lived up to it as Tom and JD called students off the line and had them compete against one another. This was both fun and challenging in a very good way as well. Stress was induced, but only in a good way. JD explained to us that peer pressure and certain “shit talking” can quickly become negative if done in a wrong way.
In the afternoon, we shifted gears again to carbine and did many iterations of drills involving ready positions, shots from the ready, multiple shots, multiple targets, reloads, and transitions etc. We also went through the standing and kneeling positions. Once again, accountability for every shot was emphasized. If a student threw a shot out of the A-zone on an IPSC, he did not get a time. 100% round accountability is emphasized. We also did several tests which were all shot for score, keeping the students on their toes and forcing them to try to bring their A Game.
In terms of talking about the carbine, Tom and JD went over the weapons from buttstock to muzzle, going over most everything pretty thoroughly. Most of the students’ carbines were setup reasonably well. Very few students had a lot of unnecessarily accessories on their weapons. We went over slings, optics, muzzle devices, pistol grips, etc. Tom and JD explained to us what they preferred and more importantly why and what works in the real world.
On Day 2, we also shot on some VTAC targets. We did a very good target discrimination drill that was extremely fun and challenging. JD explained that in real life the decision making aspect of shoot/no shoot is what takes the most amount of time. It is extremely important to be able to think while the stuff is happening. We broke up into 3 lines, and every student shooting was under the watchful eye of at least one instructor at all times. When someone screwed up and shot a target he wasn’t supposed to shoot or did not shoot a target he was supposed to engage, he definitely found out. This was a great drill.
We ended Day 2 with a walkback drill on BC Steel with pistol. I believe every single student made it to at least 50 yards with a pistol. The majority went back to 75 yards, and a few to 100. Once again, this is testament to JD and Tom’s teaching ability.
Day 3:
After a quick safety brief, Day 3 took off with shooting a string of fire cold on NRA B-8s at 25 yds to get the day started. In the morning, we did pistol and shot the famous “Humbler” or 700 pt Aggregate test. As the name implies, this was a very humbling experience. It is a great test in that it really shows the students where they need to work on in terms of fundamentals.
After the 700 Aggregate, Tom and JD taught us strong hand and “other strong hand” shooting. The students were taught how to maximize use of one hand, and how to properly and effectively engage a threat using only one hand. JD emphasized that it is often overlooked that in real life, one may only be able to use one hand because the other hand might have to be doing something else. In addition, we talked about how important mental attitude may be, and how it may not be a good idea to label one hand “weak.” Different techniques were also taught on how to draw, reload, and manipulate the pistol with the other strong hand.
Before lunch, we did shooting on the move with the pistol. We did the drills in two different iterations, but also at two different distances. This was very telling and enlightening because it completely demonstrated to the students what the limits of distance can be for being able to effectively shoot on the move. Under the watchful eye of Tom, JD, and Javon, they were able to make very good tweaks in each students’ technique which helped tremendously, at least for me.
After a lunch break, we moved back to carbines. Right off the bat, we did more tests for score including the 400 point aggregate test as well as another test involving standing, kneeling, and prone. Everything was done for score so the students could get a good measure of how much he had improved. For most students, the kneeling position was one of the most difficult positions.
Next, we did shooting on the move both forwards and also laterally. The instructors demonstrated the potential difficulties of shooting laterally particularly with a carbine. We also did target transitions and target discriminations drills all on the move. At this point, it was basically putting many skills we learned in the class together. The students were shooting a drill where they had to decide whether to shoot/no shoot, present the weapon, shoot on the move, transition from target to target, multiple shots on multiple targets, and also transition to pistol if their carbine ran dry or malfunctioned. All of this was done on the move as well. Simply put, it was a very effective and efficient way to train and practice the skill sets. After this, we did a few more courses of fire on BC steel including the famous El Prez but with a carbine. There was plenty of friendly competition, and the students thoroughly enjoyed it.
The last event on Day 3 was the stress shoot. Tom, JD, and Javon set up a large array of steel and VTAC targets down range. The students ran the drill in pairs. The stress shoot involved running, communicating, carrying Javon a certain distance, and shooting using simulated cover and barricades. The purpose was for the students to be able to shoot while under stress and with an elevated heart rate. This was also a great time for students to really be able to test their kit out and see what works and what doesn’t. Everyone learned a lot from this drill in terms of shooting positions, moving, and about their own kit. JD and Tom also gave a lot of extremely valuable feedback and made a lot of good teaching points after each pair of students went. It was a wonderful way to end the class with everyone tired but extremely happy and satisfied. Last, we cleaned up and had a good question and answer session.
Summary
“Performance on Demand” would be a great way to summarize this class. I really like Invictus’s philosophy in making the students take tests cold and shoot for score all the time. They emphasize 100% round accountability. This is really the only way of gauging a student’s skill level and making the students honest with themselves. If someone practices shooting for 2 hours and then does 50 practice draws, what will their draw time mean then? At Invictus, the person’s draw time will be the one he or she does cold and on demand. That is a much more realistic test of what his or her true performance will be. It is also excellent that Invictus forces students to compete against each other, and they add elements of stress to the shooting. These are all good for training that will help a shooter improve his or her skills. JD, Tom, and Javon were also all completely open to any questions and ideas that students had. They would not only explain how to do something, but also why they did it, and why it worked. Furthermore, due to their real world combat experience, they could almost always truly give you a real world example of how it worked.
This was definitely an A+ class. If you get a chance to train with Invictus Alliance, you should definitely take advantage of the chance and sign up. You will most definitely see your shooting skills improve and learn a lot. I would like to thank Trigger Time in Carthage for hosting the class, and also JD, Tom, and Javon for putting on such a wonderful class. A great learning experience was had by all.
Reply With Quote
Bookmarks