Kyle Defoor Handgun Class in Princeton Feb 23-24

[acaixguard 37]

Not much more needs to be said...

 

http://defoor-proformance-shooting.myshopify.com/products/copy-of-b-2-day-pistol-carthage-nc-march-4-5-2017

[BullzeyeNJ 104]

Best training I've ever had and I just signed up for a second helping. Can't believe he is coming to Princeton.

[acaixguard 37]

Looking forward to training with D4!

[BullzeyeNJ 104]

The bad news is the class is now full. The good news is the Chris Costa class is still open for enrollment for April 2017.

[n4p226r 105]

I'm taking the defoor class in PA in august.  i HOPE ill be ready enough to not make a fool out of myself by then

[BullzeyeNJ 104]

I'm taking the defoor class in PA in august.  i HOPE ill be ready enough to not make a fool out of myself by then

 

Honestly, the less you know the better. Training scars sometimes never go away.

 

Obviously you need to be familiar with safe gun handling and know how to operate your firearm properly. If you can hit a 6" bullseye at 15 yards slow fire and are comfortable (and safe) drawing from a holster you are in great shape.

[ClangClang 14]

Damn thing sold out before I could get to a computer. I emailed him to inquire about wait lists, but he says he never keeps a wait list because drops are so rare.

[BullzeyeNJ 104]

Just spent the past two days training with Kyle Defoor down in Princeton. $575 was the price of the class. We went from 8am to 6:30 on day one and 7:30 to 5pm on day two. To say I got my money's worth is an understatement. The lessons he taught us are priceless and could save a life. This comes from his many years of real world experience as a tier one operator. The guy has figured out what works in a bad situation and what will get you killed. A little concerning because some of the standards that are taught by many instructors are not the best way to do things. We learned this as demonstrated through his teaching examples.

 

This is my second time training with him. Out of all the premier, elite trainers out there I have gotten the MOST out of his classes. I have trained with most of the top shelf guys out on the training circuit today so keep that in mind. Last years course was on pistol alone. I learned a TON and practiced it over the last year.  This year it was pistol and combatives. We trained pistol in the morning and early afternoon then did combatives on day one late afternoon into evening and blade work on day two into the afternoon. He basically taught us five combative moves that we can practice on pads at home that will quickly neutralize the bad guy. Thats it, practice those things and you have something to use in a fighting situation. Similar training in blade work. He went over the nomenclature and what to look for when buying a combat carry blade which was very useful.  We were taught a template of 9 movements that need to be practiced constantly to become part of muscle memory. Also spend some time defending a knife attack. The combatives and blade work modules were HUGE in my humble opinion. I realize that the pistol is the last thing you use (if you are carrying one) in a self defense situation. Inside of three yards I learned that a pistol is not the weapon of choice. In fact, the guy who wins the fight inside of three yards is usually the one who strikes first. If your opponent throws the first punch and lands with it there is a good chance your not winning that one. He showed us how to neutralize this. He emphasized that you need to have a plan for everything and that plan has to be executed in your training so it becomes second nature.

 

He also did a module on combat trauma and essentials of wound stabilization from a compact med kit that everyone should have access to. Again, what he taught us is the things he learned over the years from real world experience. Some simple stuff like how and when, where to properly apply a tourniquet could easily save a life in a wounded individual. Problem is that most people have never been taught this or have been taught incorrectly which is dangerous. His mindset lecture is pretty famous. You can see a version of it on you tube. It changes every class. Basically comes down to are you willing to do what needs to be done in a fighting situation. Not only that but are you willing to pay the secondary and tertiary consequences of your actions after the deed is done. Some heavy stuff to take in and digest. Nobody gets a free ride but everyone has the opportunity to die well. Where does that line up with your willingness ?

 

If you can,  I highly recommend training with Kyle DeFoor. Its really tough to sign up for his classes b/c he limits class size to 14 and only has a handful of classes a year. His classes sell out within hours.  Understand that about 80% of his work is still done with the military and LE so he doesnt have alot of free time for civilian classes. Even my class of 14 was about 2/3 LE in it. They were blown away with alot of information they were getting too. Things they could use immediately in the field

[acaixguard 37]

Spot on about the class. It was definitely one of the best 2 days of instruction I have received, and like BullzeyeNJ, I have also trained with some of the top tier trainers out there today. Kyle is great at not only passing on information, but also explaining the WHY behind it, and backing it up with data or observations from real world experience. Although a hardened combat vet, he is also a super-chill guy, and will treat everyone as his equal.

Here are just some of the highlights for me...

• 25 yard shooting - Sure, we all try it here and there, but how many of us really practice it regularly to meet a certain standard? We spent a good block of time on this, way more than any other class I've been to. He gave us a few techniques on how to get better hits under a time constraint.
• A zone hits at 7-10 yard - Actually, smaller than A zone on the chest...different techniques used depending on if you are going for the chest or the credit card sized head area.
• Shooting behind cover - Not done enough in many classes, and likely not taught correctly. Kyle gave us a few simple concepts to minimize exposure and still get good hits.
• Combat trauma - as BullzeyeNJ said, most people absolutely need to hear this portion. I notice a huge trend today of people carrying IFAKs. Problem is, many people probably don't know the proper application of a tourniquet or a hemostatic agent. This is especially true of hemostatic agents. Quick hint...a hemostatic agent is not to be used for just any open wound. There's actually a very narrow spectrum of wounds you actually would use them on. You may actually cause more harm if you are not aware of this. This lesson was a real eye opener. I say this as an ER nurse and EMT too, just so you don't think I'm praising Kyle's instruction as a fanboy.
• Combatives - I've spent some time doing martial arts (BJJ), so usually, I'm not a big believer in a short self defense module being effective. Essentially, to be good at fighting, you need to put in the time on the mat or ring and actually do some hard sparring against various opponents. However, Kyle gave us a few very simple techniques that can be easily learned. They rely very much on gross motor skills and basic motions that you can easily practice at home. Same goes for the blade work. After taking this class, I definitely want to followup with some more instruction on the blade. Which leads to...
• Blade selection - Pure gold! Kyle went over some various choices of knives out there, and what features to look for when selecting a knife. Another hint that you may or may not have heard...folding knives are just a broken blade with a pin holding them together