Cruel Hand Luke

16 Years for me. 

And as they follow, you shoot them...a lot.....pretty simple.    Unfortunately a large number of people think that guns only work if YOU are stationary. They think they must stand still and shoot. I assure you...at 3 yards and closer you can make high quality hits while you are moving IF that is something you practice.    This is why Force on Force training is so critical. If ALL you ever do is shoot paper then you are really just training to be a member of a firing squad or to execute deaf dumb and blind people because they are the only ones who would not move or react to you. To have a feel for what can be done against live opponents you have to train some against...live opponents.    Shooting paper is like hitting the heavy bag. It is important but it is not the ONLY thing. If all you do is hit the bag then you will probably get really good ....at hitting a bag. But you would get demolished in the ring if ALL you ever did in training was hit the bag. You have to spar to get a feel for the speed that things take place and to determine what YOU can actually do in real time.    Right now from a dead stand still could you win a 5 yard foot race against an opponent who you had a 3 yard head start on?   Think of it THAT way. Yes. If you stand perfectly still and try to draw and shoot him before he gets to you then YES you will get stabbed....a lot.   But if you QUICKLY move your feet FIRST and then draw AS YOU ARE EVADING THEM  you will probably beat them. The reason I mention a 5 yard race is that if you are 3 yards away from him and you take 2 running steps that will cover 2 yards...putting you 5 yards from his start position(hence the race to 5 yards with you having a 3 yard head start).   It should take you 2 steps to draw your pistol.If you turn and take 2 steps that will put you 5 yards from where his starting point was and still keep you ahead of where he is now (probably about the 3 yard mark - or where you previously were). But he still has not touched you.   But if you go laterally (to the side) instead as he is trying to go 3 yards straight ahead, you will now also get out from in front of him and he will have to turn and redirect to continue the attack and that buys you even more distance and time to get your gun out and get hits on him before he catches you. It is simple physics and body mechanics.

  No? ....if you move your feet first you CAN beat the Tueller drill at 3 yards.  Come to our Zero To Five Feet Gunfighting class....you'll see. The key is not standing still like a statue, but getting off the X and NOT being there when the knife gets there. 

Yet if you know what you are doing you can beat it at 9 feet......

This one is coming up soon.....

April 27-28, 2013 Defensive Pistol Skills Chattanooga, Tennessee Instructor: Randy Harris Price $400 All training must begin with fundamentals. This comprehensive fundamentals class is designed to prep you for the more advanced courses such as Close Range Gunfighting. Through a carefully designed and detailed curriculum we are able to bring you up to a level of skill in a short two day class that previously would take over 4 or 5 days to achieve at other schools. You will learn a complete presentation of the modern combative technique of the pistol which will put you in good standing for any defensive situations you may encounter in the real world. No experience or prior training is needed to attend this class and it is specially suitable for beginners, or as a tune-up for accomplished shooters. DURATION: 2 days TIME: 9:00AM to 5:00PM (CST) PREREQUISITES: NONE AMMUNITION: PISTOL: Approximately 300 rounds (Minimum) YOU NEED TO BRING: Spare clothing appropriate to the weather, lunch/snacks and water (minimum of 1 gallon per person) for the entire day, baseball or other style hat, sun screen, bug repellent, allergy medication (if needed), chair (if you have a problem with sitting on the ground, note taking paper/pen/pencil and a boo boo kit (band aids, gauze pads, antiseptic wipes, antibiotic ointment and tape) REQUIREMENTS: Modern Defensive Pistol, Holster specifically made for that pistol and designed to be worn on the belt at the "strong side", 3 Magazines and One Magazine Pouch, A Belt of the same width as the belt loops for the holster and magazine pouches, Range Safety Gear (Eye protection and ear protection) For more info and to register for this class.......http://www.suarezinternationalstore....anooga-tn.aspx  

March 23-24, 2013 CLOSE RANGE GUNFIGHTING Chattanooga, Tennessee Instructor: Randy Harris Price $450 This is our flagship course and goes as far as you can safely go on a square range with live-fire pistols. The dynamic curriculum surpasses the traditional handgun methods commonly taught in most institutions and focuses of the use of the pistol in aggressive close range applications likely in individual civilian street encounters. The class begins with a tune-up of the fundamentals, then we progress quickly to new skills such as Proactive and Reactive Manipulations, Shooting While Moving Off The X, Reality-Based Multiple Hostiles Engagement, 360 degree CQB Movement, Danger-Close Fighting, Bilateral Shooting, 360 degree After Action Assessment Methods, and Integrating the Flashlight and Other Tools into the Firing Platform. This is the life-saving material that is often ignored in many other programs. In two days, you will receive more information than most armed professionals ever get! We must point out that THIS COURSE IS NOT FOR THE NOVICE SHOOTER. If you have not received basic instruction, or have a question about your skill level, please call us first. DURATION: 2 days TIME: 9:00AM to 5:00PM (CST) PREREQUISITES: NONE AMMUNITION: Approximately 500 rounds (Minimum) YOU NEED TO BRING: Spare clothing appropriate to the weather, lunch/snacks and water (minimum of 1 gallon per person) for the entire day, baseball or other style hat, sun screen, bug repellent, allergy medication (if needed), chair (if you have a problem with sitting on the ground, note taking paper/pen/pencil and a boo boo kit (band aids, gauze pads, antiseptic wipes, antibiotic ointment and tape) REQUIREMENTS: Modern Defensive Pistol, holster specifically made for that pistol and designed to be worn on the belt, 3 Magazines and Magazine Pouch, A Belt of the same width as the belt loops for the holster and magazine pouches, Range Safety Gear (Eye protection, and ear protection) For more info and to register for this eye opening class...........http://www.suarezinternationalstore....anooga-tn.aspx

Just a reminder, this class is about a month out and we are already about half full. You might not want to wait until the last minute for this one.  This will be the first Suarez Int class in Mississippi and is very close to the Memphis/ tri state area. So if you have been waiting for a rifle class that teaches you how to best fight with YOUR rifle and YOUR gear, not how someone's SWAT team or some military unit did it 10 years ago, then this is the class for you.  Looking forward to seeing you there!!!!!!!

Here is what we have so far.....   Jan 5-6 Cqb fighting in structures (chattanooga Tn) Feb 1 Dynamics of Shotgun (Chattanooga Tn) Feb 2-3 Fighting Rifle Skills (Chattanooga Tn) March 9-10 Rifle Gunfighting (Tunica Mississippi) FIRST TIME FOR A SUAREZ CLASS IN MISSISSIPPI!!!! March 16-17 Close Range Gunfighting (Louisville Ky) March 23-24 Close Range Gunfighting (Chattanooga Tn) April 13-14 0-5 Feet Gunfighting (Rochester In) April 27-28 Defensive Pistol Skills (Chattanooga Tn) May 4-5 Force On Force Gunfighting (Alexandria Al) June 22-23 CQB Fighting in Structures (Fort Branch In) July 6-7 Close Range Gunfighting (Chattanooga Tn) July 20-21 Advanced Rifle Gunfighting (Louisville Ky) Aug 3-4 Defensive Pistol Skills (Chattanooga Tn) Aug 17-18 Close Range Gunfighting (Tunica Ms) Aug 31-Sep 1 Zero To Five Feet Gunfighting (Chattanooga Tn) Oct 12-13 Force on Force Gunfighting (Columbia SC) Oct 18-19 Zero To Five Feet Gunfighting (Columbia Mo)     My Suarez International schedule........http://www.suarezinternationalstore.com/search.aspx?find=harris

This one is just a little over a week away! 

This one is coming up in a few weeks. 

If the object is to make yourself more prepared to deal with likely situations you might face then you really need to train with the same kind of equipment and clothing you will likely be wearing when you have to use it for real.    If the object is to have a fun "dude ranch " type experience then bring and wear whatever you like...it is your fantasy dress however you like.    People ask me what to bring to pistol class. If it is a pistol class I tell them to bring what they really carry and wear what they really wear as THAT is what they will be using when they get jumped in a parking lot.    People ask me what to bring to rifle classes. I ask them to do a SERIOUS assessment of their likely use of the rifle and then dress accordingly.   Are they Mil guys? Bring your gear and wear it for the whole class.   Police? Wear your vest and duty rig if you like.   Civilian? Bring whatever you REALLY will use to carry mags. If that is one mag in the gun and a spare in your back pocket of your pants then good for you for training the way you are really going to be using it.    Train as you will fight. Otherwise it is just tactical entertainment. 

This one is coming up next weekend!

I think what he meant was to UNDO the NFA and return to pre 1934 laws where there was no NFA and no restrictions on buying MGs.   Good luck with that. Too many people have too much money invested in NFA stuff for there to be much support for undoing the National Firearms Act, allowing newly produced MGs to be bought and the price of their registered transferable MGs plummeting...... and even if folks were willing to take the financial hit, the general public would never go along with anyone and everyone who can afford a glock and pass a background check being able to buy a machinegun and take it home the same day.....  

They were not included because they are already "banned". You cannot build new machine guns. You can build new SBRs , SBS and suppressors,and AOWs but as far as MGs go they are in effect already "banned" from further production for civiian consumption.    The new ban (if Feinstein gets her way) will END ALL FUTURE PRODUCTION for civilians of guns that will take ALL existing hicap mags. Any new mag fed guns will have to be build in such a way that the old mags won't work in them. Everything going forward will only be able to use 10 rd mags....this does not need to pass.     We ALL need to call and write senators and congressmen and make sure they do not let an emotional knee jerk reaction bring an end to freedom that generations have fought and died for!

No one wants to hear it but...the system worked as it was intended to.   The kid was STOPPED from buying a gun at a gun store earlier in the week. He did not acquire the murder weapons by purchasing them from an unscrupulous dealer , or through a "gun show loop hole" .   He MURDERED someone to get them!    He then broke God knows how many laws and used the rifle to shoot a hole in the glass of the building and gain entry. He then shot the unarmed (by laws intended to keep the children safe) employees and then shot the kids. The laws that kept the employees helpless and unable to defend themselves were simply IGNORED by the little psycho. The "System" worked just as it was intended.   The criminal BY DEFINITION ignores the laws he does not care to follow.    This was not a "failure of the system" it was a criminal deviant showing extreme persistence to bring about a horrific act.    Oh and did I mention that before he launched his attack he destroyed the hard drive to his computer so he would not leave information/evidence behind....wonder exactly what he was hiding?   Maybe communication with someone else? Wonder who?   Not to be all "conspiratorial" but we still really do not know yet whether this was JUST the work of an unstable kid or whether he had help/mentoring from someone else online... THAT is what the authorities should be more concerned with than banning rifles LEGALLY used by MILLIONS of gunowners the overwhelming majority of whom never use them for evil purposes. 

Reminder about this one coming up in early February!

Yes we still have spots in this class.   And if you sign up before Jan 1 you still save $50 on the class!

Reminder! If you sign up for this class before Jan 1 you will save $50!

Reminder ! If you sign up for these classes before Jan 1 you will save $50!

Reminder this one is coming up in January. This class will be indoors so January weather will not be an issue. Also there is no live ammo needed for this class so you do not have any ammo expense. I have a few airsoft guns if someone needs to rent one, and if you sign up for class before Jan 1 you save $50 on the class. Hope to see you there!

We will be offering our 1 day Dynamics Of The Shotgun and our 2 day Fighting Rifle Skills classes on Feb 1 and Feb 2-3 2013 in the Chattanooga area...... These are both "entry level" classes that do not require you to have had any other prior training. These are the perfect place to start if you want to get some work with your rifle and shotgun. The shotgun class is on Friday and the rifle class is Saturday/Sunday. [b]February 1, 2013 DYNAMICS OF THE SHOTGUN Chattanooga, Tennessee Instructor: Randy Harris[/b] [b]Price $ 250[/b] [b]DURATION: 1 day[/b] [b]TIME: 9-5 CST[/b] [b]PREREQUISITES: None[/b] [b]AMMUNITION: [/b][color=#000000][font=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=3]Approximately 100 rounds of Birdshot, 50 rounds of Buckshot, 15 Slugs and 50 rounds of pistol ammunition.[/size][/font][/color] [b]YOU NEED TO BRING:[/b][color=#000000][font=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=3]Clothing appropriate to the weather. Lunch, snacks and water (minimum of 1 gallon per person) for the entire day. Baseball or other style hat, sunscreen, bug repellent, allergy medication (if needed), folding chair, note taking paper/pen/pencil and a boo boo kit (band aids, gauze pads, antiseptic wipes, antibiotic ointment and tape).[/size][/font][/color] [b]REQUIREMENTS:[/b][color=#000000][font=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=3]Shotgun (any caliber pump or semi-auto). All shotguns must be equipped with a sling and a stock. Pistol with at least two magazines, suitable belt, holster, and magazine pouches. A method of carrying extra shotgun ammo (for example: shoulder bag, ammo pouches, side saddle, or butt cuff). Ear & eye protection.[/size][/font][/color] [color=#000000][font=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=3]For more info and to register....[/size][/font][/color][url="http://www.suarezinternationalstore.com/feb1-2013-dynamics-of-the-shotgun-chattanooga-tn.aspx#.UKuNyIfoR9A"]http://www.suarezint...px#.UKuNyIfoR9A[/url] Then on Saturday ....... [b]February 2-3, 2013 FIGHTING RIFLE SKILLS Chattanooga, Tennessee Instructor: Randy Harris[/b] [b]Price $350 (Special discount until Jan 1) $400 after that. [/b] [b]DURATION: 2 days[/b] [b]TIME: [/b][color=#000000][font=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=3]9:00am to 5:00pm (CST)[/size][/font][/color] [b]PREREQUISITES: [/b][color=#000000][font=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=3]NONE[/size][/font][/color] [b]AMMUNITION: [/b][color=#000000][font=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=3]Appx 500 Rounds (Minimum) / 100 Rounds of pistol ammo[/size][/font][/color] [b]YOU NEED TO BRING: [/b][color=#000000][font=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=3]Spare clothing appropriate to the weather, lunch/snacks and water (minimum of 1 gallon per person) for the entire day, baseball or other style hat, sun screen, bug repellent, allergy medication (if needed), chair (if you have a problem with sitting on the ground, note taking paper/pen/pencil and a boo boo kit (band aids, gauze pads, antiseptic wipes, antibiotic ointment and tape)[/size][/font][/color] [b]REQUIREMENTS:[/b][color=#000000][font=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=3]Rifle, sling, at least 2 magazines if using a semi-automatic, manner to carry extra ammo, pistol, holster and range safety gear.[/size][/font][/color] [color=#000000][font=Arial, Helvetica, sans-serif][size=3]For more info and to register....... [/size][/font][/color][url="http://www.suarezinternationalstore.com/feb2-2013-fighting-rifle-skills-chattanooga-tn.aspx#.UKuRGYfoR9A"]http://www.suarezint...px#.UKuRGYfoR9A[/url]

And "what works most of the time" can be stretched to mean anything...a J frame .38 will work MOST of the time...that is until you need more than 5 rounds right now.... Don't mistake my posts. Where you chose to shoot someone has no affect on me so I'm not "arguing" with you. And where I choose to shoot someone has no affect on you. And I hope this is all academic and you never have to shoot someone for that matter. I'm merely stating why I do not go to the pelvis as plan B. I know what I can do and in what time frame I can do it in and I know what the shooters I consider my peers can do and I base my solutions on that, not merely on what "most people" can do. Like I said before, it is not necessarily what I'd recommend for the typical CCW carrier. But it is attainable by anyone motivated enough to do it. If I can do it they can do it..just requires some work.

The marksmanship is marksmanship no matter where the gun started. Once it is out you either hit what you aim at or not. The draw merely adds somewhere between .75 to 1.5 seconds to the equation....if you know how to cut corners and buy time (exploiting their OODA cycle ) you can buy that time back...and then some. As to training and your logic, the point was that since you seem to be saying that since you are not likely to be killed in training that the stress is so different that the training is either irrelevant or makes no difference in performance......yet we have volumes of stories of people in life and death stress situations where they say "I didn't think about what might happen to me I just did what I had been trained to do". And I have experienced that myself. I didn't think about what might happen I just did what I knew I had to do. Afterwards it was "damn...I'm lucky to be alive". In the middle of it that never crossed my mind....I didn't have any time to think about it until later.... Again I'm not interested in what the typical" least common denominator" level guys can do under stress. If in the moment you are worried about death and not intently focused on performing the skills then you are probably going to lose anyway.

Well under that logic then there is no point in ANY kind of training since we are never going to have a 100% replication of the real thing since we are not likely to be killed in training.....yet the Delta and Seal Team (and SAS and a mile long list of other folks) operators routinely are able to perform high levels of shooting under real life and death stress ....why? Training. A big part of it is knowing what to expect. Not just some nebulous "danger" but seeing how the scenarios actually play out be they military or civilian.From civilian perspective it goes a LONG way just to have seen what it looks like for someone to approach you and pull a weapon on you. What does an assault look like? How does the bad guy close the distance? What are the cues of impending criminal assault? What will it take to get ahead of him in the OODA cycle? These are what you get from training and while no you are not likely to get killed in training it comes a lot closer to the real thing than just reading books. Now, just shooting paper? No. I'm talking about well structured FOF training that acts as stress innoculation. We hear it all the time from mil and police guys who say "my training just took over". There is a reason for that.