AAR Suarez / Harris Close Range Gunfighting Chattanooga

[Paisan]

I had the pleasure of attending Randy Harris' Close Range Gunfighting class on the weekend of March 23rd-24th. The class was held at a beautiful piece of property on Sand Mtn. My thanks to the property owner and his son. The son had obviously worked with Randy Harris several times before and was a huge help in keeping things running smoothly during the rainy weekend we were there.

 

This class is billed as an intermediate-level course, and it is at least that. We performed a lot of stuff that I have previously seen only at "advanced" classes. Long story short - this was an excellent 2 days of training.

 

I don't post here much, and I believe it helps a reader to have some idea of a reviewer's level of experience to help them decide how much weight to give the reviewer's opinion. Once upon a time, in a galaxy far, far away, I was a decent hand with a gun. I did some cool stuff in the USAF 3 decades or so ago. I have attended many operator level classes and hold NRA Law Enforcement instructor certs in handgun, shotgun, select fire, tactical handgun, and tactical shooting, as well as a few other non-NRA instructor certifications. A few years ago - before a life-changing motorcycle accident - I was lead firearms instructor for a pretty high profile federal facility. All this is to say that I didn't walk into this class all googly-eyed. Old and busted - but not googly-eyed.

 

We began the morning of day 1 by covering the basics of weapon safety, range safety, and other fundamentals. We quickly progressed to a series of drills where we paired up and did some reaction-time work. This was FAR better than the usual "action is faster than reaction, so mind your reactionary gap." We also performed some one-on-one drills to establish the bio-mechanical advantages of certain positions over other positions. The old interview stance was quickly dismissed, and you had seen for yourself why.

 

I can't stress enough the value of Randy Harris' teaching style. He not only tells you, he shows you and lets you experience and internalize the concept he is teaching. He also doesn't beat things to death. He introduces a new technique or idea, has you perform it, answers questions, then moves on - incorporating that new material into future drills. There is no time to do 50 - 100 repetitions of a feedway malfunction clearance during a 16 hour course. Randy is experienced enough that he "sees everything", but he has a low-key, humorous way of dealing with things that seems to keep everyone at ease.

 

Style is great, but if it is not coupled with a high degree of competence, you are not getting your money's worth. Early on, it was clear that Randy operated on another plane from us mere mortals. Spooky fast draws and A zone hits while point-shooting (no sights) were casually done. Often. On one occasion, Randy placed a coin on top of his strong hand at waist level. On command, he drew from concealment (an IWB holster no less) and dry-fired. The tink of the coin came well after the click of the trigger.

 

Brief lectures and just the right amount of stories germane to what we were doing punctuated the drills over the next day and a half. Getting moving - OFF THE "X"! - was job 1. By the end of day 2, we were busting off the x,  drawing and hitting multiple (3) attackers while hauling ass. We drilled on surprise attacks from the rear and both sides. We engaged at grappling distance, working our way around the target, driving contact distance shots into our "attacker". We occasionally reset with accuracy work by ringing steel at 30+ yards to remind us that you can't miss fast enough to win.

 

Put me down for a very satisfied trainee. I WILL be attending more Of Randy Harris' classes in the future. The course material was very good on its own, but the quality of instruction is what really puts this class over the top.

[TGO David]

Very nice AAR.  I consistently only hear the best of things about Randy's classes.  We're very fortunate to have him here.

[mav]

I have taken several classes Randy offers.  He is an excellent teacher, and I enjoyed all of them.

[Cruel Hand Luke]

Thanks guys. I really appreciate the kind words.

 

Hearing a review like that from a guy of Paisan's experience is humbling indeed. I just try to do good work and help folks become more prepared to deal with potentially dangerous encounters. 

 

Paisan, (and Mav) I hope to see you again in the future...maybe at the Zero TO Five Feet class at the end of August?....http://www.suarezinternationalstore.com/aug31-2013-zero-five-pistol-gunfighting-chattanooga-tn.aspx

[A.J. Holst]

Not sure how Randy gets through airport security, cause he's da bomb!

 

I've trained with him twice, number 3 coming up and Paisan's review is spot on.

Edited May 5, 2013 by Gotthegoods

[Jonsaiga]

I attended Close Range Gunfighting this past weekend with Randy. I was all set to write a separate review here but since Paisan's review has already covered everything content wise so well, I figured I would just add my thoughts here. The only thing I can really add is to state my own personal satisfaction. Content and quality of instruction is second to none. I've heard it said that success in business can be measured by the number of satisfied repeat costumers. Well, I have previously attended an AK Armorer class he put on and this is the second "Gunfighting" class I've taken with Randy(my first was Kalashnikov Rifle Gunfighting). CRG was a great class, informative and a lot of fun too. I can guarantee you that this will most definitely not be my last class with Randy. I will be taking 0-5' Gunfighting when funds and scheduling allow. Put me down as another very satisfied customer........ again!

 

Jon