Review of LMS Defense 1-Day Pistol Clinic; Waverly, TN; April 17th

[mike_f]

On Saturday, April 17th my wife, son, and I attended the LMS 1-day Pistol Clinic in Waverly, TN taught by Rob Edwards.

The scheduling of this class was a little unusual and I have to thank Rob immensely for making it happen. Rob already had 1-day Pistol Clinics scheduled for March and May, but we couldn’t make it to either one of those because of other commitments. So Rob actually added the April 17th class for us since it was the one day that we were all available. Thanks again for doing that, Rob.

I have been trying to convince my wife to attend a pistol training class for the past couple of years. She is a competent shooter and has been shooting for over 20 years. She is not a “gun person†that shoots a lot for fun, but she recognizes the need to be proficient with her self-defense handgun. She had a great deal of anxiety about attending a class. My son started shooting at a young age and is up for shooting anytime I pay for the ammo.

Firearms Instructors (like everyone else) all have different personalities. I had previously taken a 2-day LMS Pistol I class with Rob in 2008. I thought his teaching style and personality would be great for a family class. At the risk of over generalizing, some of the firearms instructors that I have had in the past have military backgrounds and personalities/teaching styles that, while very good and effective, might be somewhat intimidating to some people. All of my past instructors have been helpful and courteous. It’s just that for a non “gun person†with a high level of pre-existing anxiety about attending the class an instructor that is blunt or overbearing can make for a long day and sour them on taking future training classes. I hope I haven’t belabored this point too much, but I think that it is important to attracting a wider audience to attend this type of class. I think that Rob’s personality and teaching style is very reassuring while still being efficient and effective.

The range used for the class is a new facility just west of Waverly, TN. It offered wooded hills on 3 sides with a main berm at one end. I estimate that the longest shooting distance would be about 100 yards. The terrain will allow for safe shooting in 3 directions now. Rob said there are plans to construct a berm on the fourth side to allow for 360 degree shooting (with appropriate rules/precautions, of course). The range is still under construction, but already was a nice place to have our class.

The training day started with safety and medical briefings reviewing the firearm safety rules, range rules, radio communication procedures (no cell phone coverage at range), primary/secondary medical care providers, and primary/secondary drivers.

The range work started with dry fire exercises to develop the proper grip and stance. We then moved on to developing a proper draw. It was nice to be at a range that allowed us to draw from a holster (and later shoot on the move). We typically shoot at the public ranges in the area and they generally don’t allow drawing from a holster or movement.

The remainder of the morning was spent learning the various “ready†and shooting positions, and performing shooting drills. The targets consisted of a real human torso image (view from front and behind). The perimeter of the targets also included small individual targets consisting of colored & numbered shapes. The shooting drills included differing round counts and shot placement into the various portions of the target. We learned magazine changing methods and malfunction clearance. The instruction was presented with some options for performing the tasks so that each person could try different things to figure out what worked best for them & their hardware.

The afternoon instruction and drills focused on shooting on the move. These drills were challenging and fun. We were moving up and back, side to side, between/around cones while drawing and firing. Part of the time was spent with each of us firing simultaneously on our individual targets and part firing one at a time at differing combinations of all of the targets present on the range. By the end of the day we were all comfortable with drawing and shooting on the move.

I had a great time at the class. The feedback about the class that I received from my wife and son also was entirely positive. The transformation that my wife made was incredible. She started the day anxious and apprehensive about even attending the class, and finished the day confidently drawing and firing on multiple targets while on the move. Equally as important to me is that she had a good time and was planning future practice sessions to maintain what we learned.

[tnroadrunner]

Glad your wife and son were able to make this class. For the class you and I went through in 2008 was also great and good to have refresher course.

[John]

great review, glad to hear your family had a positive experience and a good time was had by all.

[mike_f]

Thanks for your comments, Bob & John.

It was a good refresher for me, Bob. Rob gave me some suggestions to improve what I was doing, so now I have things to work on during my range sessions.