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A-Tech

Rob Pincus CFS April 11-12

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Pincus is a charlatan of the first order. He is on the level of Yeager, only Pincus is mostly housebroken.

 

The only thing he is an SME on is self promotion on social media, and inventing stupid things that nobody.....and I mean nobody with any experience teaches. He has the uncanny ability to ingratiate himself with rich and influential folks who buy his b.s. and making untrained people who don't know what they don't know think he is a tactical God and defend Pincus' reputation to the death.

 

Here is recent AAR from a SWAT Cop I know from down South that Pincus hasn't been able to scrub from the internets yet:

Location: Orange County range, Orlando. 25 yard range. Never shot past 20 yards or so.

Company: Ice training

Instructor: Rob Pincus

Class: Combat Focus Carbine

Date: 11/9/15

Duration: 4 hours

Gear: DD MK18, Aimpoint PRO, BFG sling, G21 in safarland, BFG 10-speed chest rig.

Recommended ammo: 400 rounds rifle, 50 rounds pistol.

 

My background: LE, SWAT (several years), one of my departments firearms instructors.

 

I competed in SWAT Roundup International last week. As some may know, taking classes while there is mandatory. I signed up for a 4-hour Combat Focus Carbine class put on by Ice Training, not knowing anything about the company or lead instructor, Rob Pincus. I went in with an open mind, hoping to learn something new.

 

Pincus started the class whining about his bad experiences being reprimanded in law enforcement, causing him to quit. He also whined about Travis Hailey and the likes. Whatever you feel, I hate someone trying to build credibility by degrading others. He then had us ditch our handguns at the 3-yard line (I hate giving up my gun). He then had us turn off our optics and check zeros. I stacked my first 5 or so shots, and he flipped out, accusing me of using my optic. As he continued the lecture to the whole class, it seemed like he didn't want us using our sights either.

 

The class progressed, having us basically dump rounds down range with minimal round accountability, then suddenly shifted us to moving drills. Straight from stationary shooting to running 10-15 yard and shooting, including lateral movement. Not real instruction, just move faster, shoot faster, and don't flag anyone.

 

Little instruction was given about proper stance, other than sitting and kneeling. Little instruction was given at all, other than to always to always use the charging handle during reloads instead of the bolt catch, as that would require fine motor skills and you might cut your hand on optics like Eotechs. Just me, but I've found that reloading with the charging handle often gets hung up on a 2 point along when doing this.

 

At one point, a student had a double feed. He took a quick peek and assessed before beginning to clear it. Pincus had issue with this, took the students rifle, and then couldn't clear it. He walked off and returned with it cleared, and began telling everyone how to clear malfunctions. His method was to NOT look at the gun (a waste of time), drop the mag, not strip (let gravity work), keep the rifle horizontal and use the strong hand to hold the charging handle to the ear while using two fingers to enter the mag well and feel around without looking at the rifle. It resembled a sexual act. And it took forever. For a double feed.

 

At the end of the class, in which I felt was a waste of ammo and what not to do/teach, Pincus began pointing out a student from his Combat Focus Pistol class (which was sharing the other half of that particular range) for apparently stating that he could tell when a pistol reload was imminent when his pistol felt significantly lighter than when fully loaded. This went as far as calling the student a "dumb motherfucker" in front of the class. This isn't the way to treat students.

 

On a lighter note, the other instructors (also from Ice) seemed more reasonable and easier going.

Pincus (like Alias Training's Paul Hotalling) is a king of threatened litigation and Internet clean up of any bad AARs, or unfavorable reviews. You have to really dig to find them.

 

He has the classic shitty trainer resume. Little to no military/PMC experience (he went to Annapolis I think), worked as a cop for a short time at more than one agency, then once he feels he has his "chips" he hangs a shingle and fakes it to everyone that doesn't know better and harasses anyone that does and calls him on it.

 

Look around. You will find more. There are tons of guys that know a thing it two out there that have been to his classes and had reactions ranging from "less than pleased" to "outright furious" as to what he teaches and how he treats his students.

 

A-Tech - I would be very interested in an AAR if you do attend.

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Pincus is a charlatan of the first order. He is on the level of Yeager, only Pincus is mostly housebroken.

 

The only thing he is an SME on is self promotion on social media, and inventing stupid things that nobody.....and I mean nobody with any experience teaches. He has the uncanny ability to ingratiate himself with rich and influential folks who buy his b.s. and making untrained people who don't know what they don't know think he is a tactical God and defend Pincus' reputation to the death.

 

Here is recent AAR from a SWAT Cop I know from down South that he hasn't been able to scrub from the internets yet:

Pincus (like Alias Training's Paul Hotalling) is a king of threatened litigation and Internet clean up any bad AARs, or unfavorable reviews. You have to really dog to find them.

 

He has the classic shitty trainer resume. Little to no military/PMC experience (he went to Annapolis I think), worked as a cop for a short time at more than one agency, then once he feels he has his "chips" he hangs a shingle and fakes it to everyone that doesn't know better and harasses anyone that does and calls him on it.

 

Look around. You will find more. There are tons of guys that know a thing it two out there that have been to his classes and had reactions ranging from "less than pleased" to "outright furious" as to what he teaches and how he treats his students.

 

A-Tech - I would be very interested in an AAR if you do attend.

 

 

Thanks for the info.

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Like I said above - do your own research on any instructor/school before you spend your money. Make sure you are getting your money's worth and learning the skills you desire in reference to what your training goals are.

 

I'm lucky that I know a few guys in the industry and I hear the inside scoop on a quite a few. It's like having a friend who is a health inspector - You know where to eat and where not to eat, despite the restaurant reviews.

 

My opinion is Pincus won't get a dime of my money. Ever.

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I have done my research and trained with Rob on many occasions...and Tactical Response and Southnarc and MDTS and Front Sight and US Shooting Academy and blah blah blah...you get the point.  Ive trained with enough people/companies to know who is good and who is bad and who should just be avoided.... and I can tell you money spent on Robs classes is money well spent. Everyone has their own opinions, but I would advise trusting the opinion of someone who has actually been to his training and not just read up on it.  

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Fair enough. I've trained with VTAC, EAG, Sights and Trigger, Spartan, Tomahawk, Blackwater, Northern Red, you get the picture..... I haven't just read up it, I have gotten some gouge from people in the industry, people I trust, and for me - that's enough.

 

Like I said, do your research and get the most you can for the money. If it's the worst class ever, you still learn something - even if it is what not to do.

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A-Tech,

 

Looking forward to seeing you in class in a few days. 

GAPP,

 

Thanks for the post... always good to train with you. 

 

Darren,

 

Check your sources before you rely on "information"... I'm sure I'd love to see you in a class.

 

High Exposure,

 

 I'm sure you mean well... but, you're posting from a code name account and repeating another code name Hit Piece. Whoever that guy is, he had the opportunity just like the other 40 SWAT Cops at the conference who participated in our training to speak up with integrity while he was standing there. He also had the chance to write all that on the review form and turn it into us and the event (SWAT Round Up International). He chose to do neither.... instead, he went to a forum where I am not popular and posted that hit piece.  Everyone one of us in the industry knows that not every student will "like" us, nor will every student agree with our training concepts, methods, ideas. Some of us go to great lengths to encourage students to ask questions, challenge the material and voice their concerns/complaints. Unfortunately, not every student is comfortable doing that. 
The instructor team and I talked about that review when it was posted and we certainly had a pretty good idea which quiet, non-engaged student wrote it.... we laughed about the irony of a guy who is a very capable shooter and probably a great cop not being able to speak up in public about his concerns.  
I've been invited to teach at Swat Round Up International every year for almost a decade and our reviews are regularly amongst the best they get. My company brings a team of instructors and we run multiple classes each year. 30-50 students, just like in 2015. I don't bother to post the overwhelmingly positive reviews, nor do I "scrub" the internet of the very rare negative ones from people who have actually trained with us. I have certainly never threatened any litigation... for anything that I can recall... over an AAR. The reason you have to dig to find them is that the overwhelming majority of our students have very positive experiences. That is a great rumor...but, you should let whoever told you that is either lying out of desperation to explain the lack of negative reviews OR they are just repeating misinformation.

You throw out words like "charlatan" about a guy who has been in the industry providing training for over 15 years full time and a few years before that. My resume and my track record of providing courses to public and private sector students at all levels is very well documented. You post from behind  code name and list a pretty narrow sewing circle of training....  you should expand your research, especially if you are going to bother to jump into a thread started by a legitimate student whose question had nothing to do with your answer. Maybe include guys who've trained with and/or worked with me... very few (if any) are included in your short list of people you've trained with. You repeat tired cliches like the "even if it's what not to do", which also says something about you and where you get your information. It's the mantra of a tired instructor or a jaded student... 

I encourage you to contact the training division at Orange County (FL) Sheriff's Office and ask them about the training I've provided to their agency as well as the event that the hit piece you posted is associated with before you continue to use it as your frame of reference for the value of my companies programs or me as a teacher. You might also reach out to Shooters in NJ.... the course next week will be the 4th or 5th I've done there and they can relate the student experiences/opinions they've observed. Contact New Jersey Second Amendment Foundation and ask the president about his experience in my class.  You've already heard from Cameron (owner of GAPP), who has hosted and taken several courses. Maybe you should show up. Be a student in the class. If you can honestly articulate that you didn't learn anything at the end of it in a meaningful way, I'll refund your money.
Hell,  NJ is a small state ( I grew up there....), you can't be that far away:   Maybe just step out from behind your code name account and show up at the end of the first day and we can go talk about this over a delicious beverage....

-Rob

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Rob, I was just thanking HE for replying and elaborating. If you ever have a class nearby that deals with the most likely scenario in NJ (castle doctrine defense in your home) and it's priced right, I will do my best to be there.

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So I have taken a three day (24 hr) class from Rob Pincus and I enjoyed it, and I learned a lot. The concepts in CFS were not new to me mostly, but th opportinity to move through them under increasing pressure was. I found Rob to be a relaxed and expert instructor who had a very clear focus on what he wanted to convey in that (handgun) class.

 

I would probably take training from him again, including rerunning that same course.

 

I took away exercises that I use in my own range work and I also insert into the work I do with my own students, and that is important I think.

 

I don't recognise the Rob Pincus described above

 

Shoot safe(ly!!, everyone

Grant

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Rob,

 

Thanks for taking the time to post and thanks for the invite.

 

Unfortunately I will be attending an active shooter class that week, otherwise I would take you up on it.

 

I didn't think it was a hit piece. I thought it was an honest AAR from a guy who expected one thing and got another.

 

Good luck with the class.

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H.E., 
 

Fair enough... maybe next time I am in the state. Still have a lot of family there, so I am back a couple of times a year.  As for the AAR.. it would carry more credibility if he had spoken up when he had the chance and, especially, shared _ANY_ of that in his written AAR at SRI. 

Mipafox,

No... it is a relatively rare name, but no relation there that I know of.

NYmetsFan86,

Sorry for not responding earlier... I was involved in the first 3 seasons of Best Defense, pretty much all the firearms content.... also the two seasons we did of Best Defense: Survival. It was a lot of fun and a great experience. I think we shared some  great personal defense content. The end of my time there overlapped with the time that I was producing S.W.A.T. Magazine TV as well. When I decided I had given the program a fair amount of time, Mike Seeklander came into my spot as "gun guy" and has done a great job.

-RJP

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