Training Considerations

[TheWombat 67]

While there are different views by Forum Members regarding training, whether it should be mandated, the value of it etc I thought I'd post some suggestions for new shooters based on my thoughts and experiences to date with regards training.

 

Just for clarity, while I have covered it in other posts, my personal view is that while the right to bear arms is a 2A right, with that right comes personal responsibility. Whether you plan to just shoot at a range, use a firearm for home defense, or conceal carry then I personally believe some level of training should be necessary. I'd also say the level of training increases as you move from "shooting at a range" to "home defense" to "conceal carry". The purpose of this thread however is not to cover whether training should be mandatory/recommended/voluntary - however it is only right that I am transparent about this personal view.

 

Everything below is purely my personal view including how I have categorized between Beginner, Intermediate and Advanced.

 

Beginner

 

If you haven't bought a firearm yet, or have just bought one then I'd recommend taking the NRA Basic Pistol. It is also a useful way to spend the time while you wait for your Firearms Purchaser ID card to be processed! This is a full day theory & practical shooting class with a simple multiple choice test. This class provides a good overview of:

• Basic firearm safety
  
• Safe firearm storage
  
• Introduction to pistol mechanics (i.e. the different types of firearms [revolver & semi-automatic], the parts of a firearm, the types of pistol action [double action, single action etc]
  
• Revolver parts and operation
  
• Semi-automatic pistol parts and operation
  
• Operating double and single action revolvers
  
• Operating double and single action semi-automatic pistols
  
• Ammunition fundamentals
  
• Building pistol shooting skills
  
• Fundamentals of pistol shooting (eye dominance, grip, aiming, breath control, trigger control)
  
• Fundamentals of pistol shooting positions (e.g. weaver, isosceles etc)
  
• Common pistol shooting errors
  
• Clearing common stoppages
  
• Pistol maintenance & cleaning
  
• Considerations on selection pistols, ammunition and accessories
  
• Overview of key local firearm legislation
  

You'll receive the NRA Guide to the Basics of Pistol Shooting book, a certificate and the results of your live fire. The actual pistols and revolvers that you use will vary depending on where you take the class however typically you'll be able to try a variety of manufacturer and models. If there is a specific model you want to try then I'd recommend calling the training provider ahead of time to see if they have it, or if they can provide it.

 

Typical cost varies between $150 to $200 per student. The certificate you gain can be used as firearms proficiency proof for your Florida CCW permit that is valid in 30+ states.

 

There are a number of providers who cover this course so you should be able to find one near you. Try to do a little research to find feedback on others who have undertaken the class and see what range they use for the live fire. I personally had a less than positive experience as the trainer used a very claustrophobic shooting range. If there is a range you are thinking of joining then see if they provide the NRA Basic Pistol as this is a good way to find out what the range is like.

 

Following the NRA Basic Pistol, assuming that common sense and the basic fundamentals are applied, you are good to go to a range and shoot safely and gain more experience! Welcome to the world of firearms!

 

There is no specific set of criteria required to move from Beginner to Intermediate. If you feel comfortable with being able to use your firearm in a safe way then talk to the training providers and see what they recommend in terms of being ready to move onwards.

 

Intermediate Level

 

The Intermediate level is typically for someone who may have been shooting for a few months to a few years, and is looking at getting more proficient with how to use a firearm in scenarios which are more than just shooting paper while standing still at a range.

 

Typical topics covered could include:

• Greater proficiency with use of a holster
  
• Greater proficiency with use of a reloading your firearm (e.g. tactical reloads, one handed reloads etc)
  
• Moving while shooting
  
• Pieing out a room/corridor/stairs with a firearm
  
• Shooting around cover
  
• Cover v Concealment
  
• Low Light/No Light shooting (using a flashlight and/or weapon mounted light)
  
• Improved techniques based on instructor feedback
  
• Defensive shooting techniques
  
• Point Shooting
  
• Clearing malfunctions & jams
  
• One handed shooting (weak & strong hand)
  
• Shoot/Don't Shoot scenarios & training
  

These classes may also include noise and other environmental stimulus to increase stress levels to help you gain some understanding on how you might react in a real situation and also whether you need to make any adjustments to your equipment, technique etc.

 

Examples of courses covering this would be Urban Pistol 1 & 2, or Intermediate Pistol or similar names.

 

You'll gain a much greater awareness of techniques/tactics for moving through houses and other environments and how to maximize the environment to your advantage such as how best to use cover etc.

 

Once again there is no specific criteria for moving from Intermediate to Advanced, and some people may take some Advanced training prior to Intermediate etc. It really depends on your comfort level and your priorities.

 

Advanced

 

The Advanced Shooter is someone who has a level of understanding of techniques such as pieing, use of cover, one handed/two handed shooting, and is looking to get training that provides as realistic as possible scenarios while still within a safe training environment.

 

Topics covered would build upon the Intermediate topics taking them up a notch in terms of more advanced tactics, working in pairs (e.g. with your partner) or small groups. In addition this is where I believe training such as Simunitions and FATS comes in.

 

Simunitions uses real firearms e.g. Glock 17, 1911, revolver which have been modified to fire a 9mm or other caliber projectile that is filled with a detergent-based, water-soluble colored marking compound. The firearms have recoil, eject brass and are very realistic. The projectiles also leave a nice bruise/mark. In some ways it is similar to paintball except the projectiles are much more similar to real rounds. Think of it as the standard pistol cartridge, which instead of having a lead bullet on the end has a small color marking compound.

 

The idea is to take the techniques/tactics you've learnt from the prior training and see how well you've embedded them when you have one or more people firing at you. Scenarios can include innocent civilians as well as the 'bad people' which provides quick decision making on whether to shoot/don't shoot.

 

People who have a lot of experience at airsoft or paintball may be better prepared for Simunitions training force-on-force however it is still a great training aid.

 

I personally recommend trying Simunitions for anyone who is serious about being prepared for a home defense or personal defense (e.g. CCW) situation. It provides a significant amount of self-awareness and learning that cannot be gained by standing at a range and shooting 1 inch groups on paper targets at 7. 10, 15, 25 yards etc.

 

Competition Shooting

 

There are various options here such as IDPA, Steel, IPSC. While I have not started competing (yet) many on the forum compete. The benefit of these competitions includes gaining experience/familiarity with moving, using cover, trigger control, overall familiarity with firearms, dealing with malfunctions, reloading etc. The fact that it is a timed competition typically increases the perceived pressure and helps as part of the training regime.

 

I'll leave others to comment more on this, however it is also a fun and social way to stay with the hobby.

 

Training Providers

 

There are a few options to consider when selecting a training provider. The cost, the feedback from other students, the experience of the instructors (are they LEO, SWAT, Military, Special Forces etc who have seen real 'action'), safety record, location/travel implications, training/range facilities, student to instructor ratio etc.

 

Many training providers will have classes of increasing 'difficulty' e.g. Intermediate Pistol 1, 2, 3. In order to attend the higher numbered ones you typically need to have attended the previous ones. This could be seen as a way to gain extra revenue but also helps ensure that the students have met a basic minimum level for each class. This helps as you probably don't want to be in a class covering more advanced techniques to then find one of the students has never drawn from a holster and hence slows the class down or poses a safety concern. You may also be able to obtain a discount by booking multiple classes in one go.

 

I personally would split the training into a couple of categories:

• Local Trainers which includes:
  
  • Gun For Hire
    
  • ShootNJ
    
  • Green Academy of Personal Protection
    
  • MDTS training
    
  • etc
    

  [*]Multi day training specialists which includes

  • Trident Concepts
    
  • EAG Tactical
    
  • US Training Center
    
  • ITTS (Burbank CA)
    
  • Larry Vickers
    
  • Viking Tactics
    
  • Blackwater/Academi training
    
  • etc
    

The above list is far from complete, and there are plenty of other good training providers. Use Google and also ask on forums and you'll quickly find many recommendations.

 

Alternative & Additional Training approaches

 

YouTube can be useful (depending on what you are watching) for some basic techniques. I personally found the Ruger Beginner Shooting Tips useful when I was just starting out. While these are on YouTube you can also watch them here: http://www.ruger.com...ces/videos.html along with other videos.

 

Books can be great if you are someone who can learn this way. There are many good authors and books including:

• Perfect Practice - Saul Kirsch
  
• Practical Shooting Beyond Fundamentals - Brian Enos
  
• Practical Shooting Manual - Matt Burkett
  
• Refinement & Repetition - Steve Anderson
  
• Principles of Performance - Steve Anderson
  
• In the Gravest Extreme - Massad Ayoob
  
• etc
  

There are many more good books out there, look on the forums and on Amazon etc and you'll find plenty of options to choose from with feedback reviews from many people to help in selecting.

 

DVDs/TV Shows are also another good option, depending on what Cable/Satellite provider you have you may already have access to these.

 

Airsoft can also be a useful training tool. Most modern semi-automatics have very realistic Airsoft equivalents available that you can use in your home to practice trigger control, drawing and other techniques. It provides a complement to dry-firing which some may find monotonous. It can also be a way to introduce firearms to your children, partner, family and/or friends. Good Airsoft replica pistols typically cost between $100 to $160 and ammunition is cheap enough to be almost free. The Airsoft pistol can use your standard holster, laser/lights etc.

 

In closing I hope this thread provides some useful insight as others add their own experiences. I have posted specific training reviews of many of the courses I have attended and you can also see them listed in my signature. Out of all the training I have been on the Simunitions is the one I rate the highest in terms of real eye-opening experience gained. In addition the Urban Pistol 1/2 provided the opportunity to learn some good techniques/tactics that can't be easily taught at a standard shooting range and provided the basis for moving onto Simunitions. The recent Low Light/No Light course I attended was the first opportunity I've had to try the darker environment and that presents some interesting challenges/experiences as well.

 

You'll see the majority of my training is with Gun For Hire, that is due to their training facilities being less than a 20 minute journey for me, due to the general high quality of the instructors and also the facilities of the Essex County Police Academy range they use and the Simunitions office building.

 

Please feel free to join in the thread and add some additional suggestions/recommendations.

 

TheWombat

[blksheep 466]

Good post.

[Rifleman1 32]

I like it...

[dgstinner 11]

This should be a sticky/pinned.

[Zell959 40]

I think that your lists are pretty good. The one observation I might offer about your intermediate list is that, to me, it sort of seems tailored to the interests of someone who is 'into' firearms and has a long term goal of ultimately becoming pretty darned good at shooting. That's absolutely a great goal and there certainly is no such thing as having "enough training" to handle any situation, but I'm not sure everything you've got on that list is something worth teaching to someone that just considers firearms a necessary emergency option and doesn't gain much recreational value out of them. For example, your list includes:

• Moving while shooting
  
• Pieing out a room/corridor/stairs with a firearm
  

Now I imagine that, when we're talking about an intermediate shooter, you're probably thinking in terms of just introducing the fundamentals of these skills [as we can probably agree that it takes extensive practice to actually get GOOD at doing these things].

 

If the trainee is someone that is going to go on to take more advanced classes/compete in shooting comps/etc, then that makes a lot of sense.

 

But what if we're dealing with someone that's not necessarily going to turn around and log in A LOT of time working on those skills and/or pursue more advanced [and likely more expensive] training later on? Again, picture someone that doesn't necessarily enjoy firearms, but just doesn't want to be helpless if their home ever gets invaded. Are they really going to get much return out of emerging from that kind of training with the ability to very slowly backpeddle while shooting? I'm inclined to say, not really.

[TheWombat 67]

These are good points. My personal view point is you need to take a conscious and ongoing effort to embed training if you are looking to really benefit from the training in an emergency.

 

If someone covered some basic pieing techniques and/or moving when shooting a number of years ago and nothing since (whether formal training or informal practice at home) then the chances are that in the heat of the moment they would not recollect the training due to adrenaline/fright/stress etc.

 

I base this viewpoint on general human psychology and from observations from recent Simunitions courses.

 

Hence my belief that if someone is serious about wanting to be able to protect themselves effectively with a firearm then it becomes necessary to undertake training and to continue to embed the learning. This could be through practicing clearing your own home at night using a empty/training firearm and a flashlight etc.

 

For someone who doesn't necessarily enjoy firearms, then I'd go as far to say that maybe the answer is to save their money and not take training other than the basic introduction such as NRA Basic Pistol. These people may be lucky and be able to point and pull the trigger at the right moment if they are in their home, however what if they need to clear the home (e.g. because they have family members also in the house) or are CCWing and are caught in an active shooter situation?

 

The above however is just my personal view. I actually would encourage everyone to try Simunitions at least once.

 

It's a tricky subject that I don't think there is a single correct answer for.

 

TheWombat

[Old Glock guy 1,127]

Nice post Wombat! From having trained with you a bit, and having taken some of the same classes, I admire the time and effort you put into sharing your quite insightful observations with the rest of us.