Suarez Intl. Defensive Shotgun and Defensive Pistol Marksmanship Knoxville

[Jamie Jackson]

Suarez intl.  Instructor Randy Harris

Defensive Shotgun and Defensive Pistol Marksmanship Knoxville, TN

April 26 & 27 2014

 

 

First, I would like to express my appreciation to GTG for hosting Randy and providing a place for this very worthwhile opportunity.

It was good to finally meet you GTG.

 

 

Let me word this correctly…

Knowing Randy, I had very high expectations for these classes. My expectations were met and exceeded. :up:

 

There was a great group of experienced folks in attendance. And I am honored to have had the opportunity to meet and train with each of them.

Only one of the guys, my buddy Jericho, was a first-timer. As a matter of fact Jericho had only recently purchased his first shotgun, a very nice Benelli, and had only that week worked with a holstered handgun (one of my Glocks and my gear).

 He did very well (imho) and certainly developed an appreciation of the true value of investing in professional training.

 

It’s been several years since I have been able to attend any professional training venues. I have been blessed with training with several excellent instructors in past years.

Randy ranks right at the top.

 

Randy demonstrates a very professional, and calm, teaching demeanor.

He’s uses “positives” in instruction and corrections as needed, aiding the student in improving techniques therefore formulating “positive” mental conditioning and outcomes.

I particularly like his “crawl-walk-run” methodology, as this imparts an understanding and foundational ground work for the student to build upon.

 

Randy has a great eye for detail and is able to pick up on and help improve subtle details to keep you moving in the right direction. I appreciate that as I was more than rusty in many areas.

 

Randy even had me shooting, and hitting with, my shotgun using my non-dominate side…a pump mind you… something I never considered being able to do efficiently in the past.

 

I thoroughly enjoyed Day 2 (Handgun) as well. Immensely actually…

Again, the “building blocks” methodology shined through.

 

Randy had us shooting at very small dots, reinforcing the principles of proper grip, trigger press, reset, and follow through…then transferred these concepts to plates and poppers at distance.

We worked a variety of drills, each building on the one before, with encouragement to push ourselves to improve and increase speed without sacrificing adherence to the basic principles.

 

 

I have a lot of homework left to do, but thanks to Randy I have a solid foundation to build upon as I try and knock the rust off.

 

 

I firmly believe that the best investment each of us can make is in our skills. New “toys” are nice…but investing in knowledge and skill development is one of the greatest gifts we can give ourselves, and those that trust us to protect them.

 

Randy once again demonstrated he can, and will, do the job....and do it very well.

 

As a wiser man than I once said, it’s up to us to “do the work”.

 

Thanks Randy.

 

I look forward to the next opportunity to train with you Good Sir.

Edited April 30, 2014 by prag

[A.J. Holst]

Prag, thanks for the kind words, it was a pleasure meeting you and Jericho.

 

This was my 4th and 5th training sessions with Randy, so any review I add will appeared biased, but here it goes:

 

What's in it for me: as the host of any SI training event, your fee is waived. That's it. No kick backs, no free ammo, no free t-shirt.

 

The instructor: Randy is very much a low-key, non Type-A kind of guy. Best way to describe his style: teaches doesn't preach, shows doesn't tell. He uses just enough humor to create a fun and relaxed training environment. I will say  Randy doesn't need to brag about skill, he can "do" but is not a showoff! Randy also shared with us the instructors he seeks out for continuing ed so he can be a better teacher today than yesterday.

 

The venue: my in-laws had the shooting area perfect for us and the weather was great. I always provide a pop-up shelter and table - it makes a difference to have some shade.

 

Shotgun day. I am more practical than tactical. I ran my 870 Tactical with a front bead sight, $14 Gander Mtn sling and pants with big pockets for extra ammo. I also have a good belt (leather 5.11 Tactical) I was a little jealous as the other students had much cooler shotguns with accessories - side saddles, improved sights/optics,  etc. harness systems for dump / shell bags, fancier slings, etc. Did I feel out of place - not at all. Did my bare bones Remington do the job - yes and flawlessly. I did learn the pull of my shotgun is too long, especially when transitioning from a ready position to my shoulder. Need to cut it down to 12.5" - 13" from the factory 14" - 14.5". I handled Randy's pump with a 13" pull and it was easier to get consistent placement when brought to my shoulder. Am I more comfortable and confident with my shotgun - yes, do I better understand how to utilize a shotgun in a fight, either from a static position or moving - yes. We also learned how to transition from shotgun to handgun and started the habit of automatically working the slide immediately after firing and topping off.

 

Handgun day. Only 3 students, not good for Randy's pocket, good for us as we got more personal attention. Once again, I'm not tactical, same 5.11 belt, N82 Tactical holster for my P-01 SDP and a High Noon Hidden Ally for my MK9. Started out with PESTS EAT FAST or how to avoid and if it goes bad how to win a fight. Excellent refresher during dry work, grip, sight picture, trigger control and reset. Moved onto draw stroke, all the while, slow is smooth, smooth becomes fast. Live fire exercises were awesome, Prag brought some steels which added a neat dimension to the experience - paper is static, steel falls down. Never though I could hit a target 3 times before it hit the ground. A few things I learned: the sweat protection offered by the N82 Tactical holster is perfect, 2 eight hour days and the back of the holster was soaking wet - no transfer to my pistol. The sweat shield does make it more difficult to get a consistent, good grip on my pistol, so you do have to concessions. I need to work on my transition from DA to SA on the SDP for consistent first shot placement. I will also give a strong endorsement to the MK9 for shootability, it eats up the recoil, is fun to shoot, flawless operation and accurate. The downside are the 6 / 7 round mags which are NOT drop free. With multiple BGs and a low-cap handgun you may have some big pucker action...

 

We also did some alternative sight indexing, meaning you are aware of the sights, but at 3 - 7 yards, a perfect sight picture is desired but not necessarily critical for getting rounds on target --- no we did not learn "point shooting"!!!

 

The last thing to mention is SI teaches "explode off the X" or simply move from your original zip code while drawing and be in a new zip code when you fire.  They give the building blocks from a static position so when you do move, you have the confidence and are able to get rounds on target.

 

As always, I enjoyed the sessions and feel I am better equipped today than before to handle a close encounter of the bad kind, I strongly endorse Randy Harris as my "go to guy" and lastly if you do carry a handgun please seek out continuing ed / ongoing training from a top tier professional expert in the field!

Edited May 2, 2014 by Gotthegoods

[Cruel Hand Luke]

Thanks guys. I enjoyed teaching both classes and hopefully we will be doing some more classes soon in Knoxville.

 

We had talked about offering a "Suarez Regional Training Day" in August if there is interest in that . Those are typically a 6 hour block of working on specific skills with a price range of normally $60 to $80. If there is enough interest we may go ahead and schedule it for Aug 3 since I'll already be in the area for the ORSA SECRET CITY IDPA match on Aug 2.

[Jamie Jackson]

I'm definitely down for the "Suarez Regional Training Day". :up:

 

I've sent out an e-mail to my motley friends and brothers about this offering.

 

I have 2 commitments so far and I'm certain there'll be more. This is simply too good to pass up.

 

Thank you Randy.

[Spiffy]

Thanks guys. I enjoyed teaching both classes and hopefully we will be doing some more classes soon in Knoxville.

 

We had talked about offering a "Suarez Regional Training Day" in August if there is interest in that . Those are typically a 6 hour block of working on specific skills with a price range of normally $60 to $80. If there is enough interest we may go ahead and schedule it for Aug 3 since I'll already be in the area for the ORSA SECRET CITY IDPA match on Aug 2.

 

 

Would be great for me! I'd be down for it.