Canis.Dog

Randy Harris (Harris Combatives // "Cruel Hand Luke" on TGO) conducted his Defensive Concepts for Low Light Environments class during one evening at Windrock Shooting Range in Oliver Springs, TN. I took the class along w/ approximately 14 other local shooters ranging from relatively "untrained" shooters (including myself) to LEO's and former military. The purpose of the class is to introduce shooters to common issues associated with operating in low to nearly no-light environments with an emphasis on flashlight selection and utilization. We started around 1630 with a meet and greet, then went into some extensive classroom work. Mr. Harris gave an in depth briefing on the various types of flashlights available on the market and their associated pros and cons. Following that, a history on the evolution of various flashlight techniques was taught. Mr. Harris' explanation on the reasoning behind each of these techniques and their benefits and drawbacks was excellent. The information was presented in an accessible and easily understood format for students of any background. Additionally, a large portion of the classroom period was dedicated to recognizing and avoiding or responding to potential threats before a suspected aggressor is able to close the gap on you. Following the classroom portion, students were paired up to practice some non-armed drills covered in the class. I'm going to call the drills "blind and move". Students practiced, first unarmed, then later with safed or training pistols, several repetitions of disorienting a potential aggressor and then moving off of the X to prevent the aggressor from making contact while simultaneously drawing. Students then returned to the classroom for a dinner break/classroom work. Much of this period was dedicated to a discussion on what problems had become apparent while conducting the "blind and move" drills. The discussion was particularly useful and allowed students from a variety of backgrounds to explore and share their thoughts which had arisen from the instruction up to that point. We then returned to the range for the live-fire portion of the class. Mr. Harris' instruction on various equipment set ups was put into practice here. Drills started with some low-light back-lit shooting from the 3-5 yd range then progressed to student-held flashlight assisted shooting. Students were allowed to use a variety of flashlight hold techniques based on what fit them best. I thought this was a particularly excellent process. We all have different hand sizes, flashlight sizes, pistols, etc, and Mr. Harris recognized and encouraged students to figure out what worked for them (with instruction interspersed in order to help students refine their thought processes). The course finished around 0030-0100 with each student progressing through a shoot-house set up in such a way as to force the student to transition between a variety of hold techniques to maintain cover while engaging targets. This was also extremely enlightening. Any flaws in your thought process became extremely apparent during this exercise and it gave me a lot to think about and train on in the future. This was an outstanding class that I highly recommend to shooters of any level. Each student gave a short summary of their own most important take-away and it was obvious from those summaries that the class had had the desired effect. Additionally, the facilities at Windrock, from the classroom to the ranges themselves, were excellent. Shooting areas have cover from inclement weather available. The classroom itself was air conditioned, seated all of the students comfortably, and is wired for digital presentations. All-in-all a great experience.