Hackathorn CQB 101 Class AAR

[keller]

Big thanks to all in attendance. Learned a lot and had a great time. Now its time to practice, practice, practice.

[Leonidas]

It really hurt having to look at those photos knowing I had to cancel the class.

[30 cal slut]

Amen! As far as I am concerned, CQB training is the single most important thing you can learn (as a civy).

C4

i strongly agree.

in most introductory personal protection and firearms safety training, the consensus by RKI's seems to be that the ordinary citizen should NOT clear his or her own house, on the premise that it is too dangerous.

"let the cops do it" seems to be the mantra.

that's fine if you can account for every family member in your home while a bad guy is rummaging around in your dining room.

but there are times when you may have no choice but to clear your house (spouse/kid is in another room, in imminent danger of grave bodily harm or death).

learning (rudimentary) cqb is not a slam-dunk. i fully appreciate that undertaking it is downright dangerous. having tasted a bit of it, i don't want to walk away with a false sense of security, but it's nice to have the tools to at least have a fighting chance of managing an event like a home invasion. and i believe i have an edge, because, as ken hackthorn says, "you know your own home best."

re: the 2,4,6, and 12 man runs through the house . what i took away from it as relevence to individual clearing is ...

repetition and working through various scenarios.

there is an algorithm with the strong wall technique, and like any other skill/tactic it needs to be practiced.

the front door to the shoothouse where 4 guys are nuts-to-butts could just as well be your bedroom door.

grant, i greatly look forward to upcoming classes if KH plans on making this a regular offering.

[Rob Haught]

I had a chance to stop by and watch a while and the level of skill displayed by the guys was very good for their first exposure to a CQB type scenario. A live fire shoothouse puts the Mojo on most people the first few runs. With the benefit of a world class instructor like Ken and a good facility like OVT it makes it much faster to
get over the hump. To those folks who wonder why you should'nt just wait for the cavalry to arrive I like to say " when every second counts, remember the cops are just minutes away". And you should carry a gun because a cop is too heavy! Being able to defend and properly navigate your home in an emergency is vital. It was nice to meet everyone and good luck to you.

Rob Haught

[Tuukka]

Individual clearing was also taught (fyi).

Knowing how to properly clear a home, which is 100% relevant, is always a good idea.

So who is on your two/four man team you ask? Your wife, child, friend, neighbor, etc.

The MOST realistic shooting situation you will be in (as a civy) is a home invasion AKA CQB.


C4

Grant, the answer from you and the others explains the situation quite clearly.

I take it that the course participants were experienced/advanced shooters with good shooting skills to begin with?

What I'm after is that people just dont kit up for a CQB course when it is available, but have more basic training under their belts.

[KellyTTE]

The answers above are excellent, and I'll add one small facet that I think is relevant. Most of these CQB type courses have higher expectations, performance requirements and qualifications. These types of classes are excellent ways to push your personal standards to a new level and to expand your tool box.

Just like there are other steps to fire arms competency, practice, competitions, quality firearms classes, etc. Moving in a shoot house with other people, both for the 'crowding' aspect and for the teamwork/camaraderie, all while placing precision fire on target is another huge step forward for expanding your comfort zone..

Just my .02 kopeks

[C4IGrant]

Grant, the answer from you and the others explains the situation quite clearly.

I take it that the course participants were experienced/advanced shooters with good shooting skills to begin with?

What I'm after is that people just dont kit up for a CQB course when it is available, but have more basic training under their belts.

Several people in the class had no formal weapons training so you do not have to have any.

I would generally suggest that you have a basic pistol/AR class before going through a CQB training.


C4

[502adamh]

I had a chance to stop by and watch a while and the level of skill displayed by the guys was very good for their first exposure to a CQB type scenario.
Rob Haught

Thanks for the kind words Rob Its nice to hear a pro say we did well.

[John_Wayne777]

I take it that the course participants were experienced/advanced shooters with good shooting skills to begin with?

What I'm after is that people just dont kit up for a CQB course when it is available, but have more basic training under their belts.

Generally you're right, as this is the sort of thing you want to go after after you've mastered the fundamentals.

That being said, the crawl-walk-run way that Ken breaks down the instruction makes it possible to take someone who is relatively inexperienced and make them safe and competent in basic CQB drills.

[Failure2Stop]

Single man clearing techniques are one of my glaring weaknesses. While I have spent a lot of time doing and teaching team-based CQB/urban tactics, I have very little experience doing single-man ops (one of our mantras is "never go into a room alone), it is definately a skill set that is needed for anyone that has a firearm for home defense or may need to work alone.