I have a few questions about tactical training that I was hoping to get some additional insight on. Any help would be greatly appreciated.

[Guest MAWLJ45]

1)   Those that have attended tactical training schools that are multiple day courses, 3 -5 days long, what if any was your preparation before those classes in order to get the most out of the cost and time.

 

Physically - such as any sort of workout routine, building stamina for standing, crouching, lying down and shooting a thousand plus rounds.

 

Mentally – any type of reading materials, visualization drills, scenario rehearsal, meditation/relaxation, practicing trigger reset/control more than what you might normally do?

 

Tactically – such as going to the range more often, shooting more rounds than typical, preparing an extra weapon and extra ammo to take with, replacing parts in weapons whether they need to be or not?

 

2)   What training schools have you attended and how did you choose them?

 

3)   How often do you attend multiple day training courses? 

 

 

Thank you

[Cruel Hand Luke]

I'm not your typical student, but I do still attend classes taught by other instructors regularly so I might have some insight that will help. 

 

Get prepared for class a few days in advance. No one wants to be looking for their mag pouches the morning of the class. Get all your stuff together so that is one less thing to worry with. Pack all your gear and make a checklist. And use the checklist. You don't want to be "the guy who gets to class with no spare mags because they are on the bedside table where he left them" guy. 

 

WEAR A BELT. That should go without saying but I've actually had a person show up to a pistol class where we were they knew we'd be drawing from a holster show up with no belt......and wondered why their paddle holster kept coming out of their pants with the gun when they drew it.... 

 

Take a spare gun and more ammo than you think you'll need. This is especially so if you are running an "oddball" caliber that no one else in class is likely to have. If you are running 357sig, 45gap, 9mm Makarov, 9x21, 9x23 or 5.7x28 no one else is gonna have ammo for your gun so bring extra. 

 

Take a notepad and TAKE NOTES. Many times there will be so much info you simply will not remember it all later and most classes do not hand out workbooks or an outline or "take notes for you". So a pen and notepad is a wise investment. 

 

Make sure you have weather appropriate clothing. Being "environmentally miserable " is not a good learning environment. And don't wear flip flops...again, should go without saying but you'd be surprised. 

 

If the class is going to be physical ( a lot of getting up and down or running) and that is not something you are used to then it is a good idea to do something to get in batter shape before the week of class. At a minimum doing some stretching and walking a mile or two each day several months in advance will help. The less strain it is to do the drills the better experience it will be. But there are very few classes you will ever attend that you need to be in pro athlete condition. If you have questions about a class and whether you are in good enough shape to participate you should always ask the instructor in advance. 

 

Bring plenty of H2O...and DRINK IT. Staying hydrated is important. But most people do not drink enough to stay optimally hydrated. In fact, most people walk around in a state of near dehydration in everyday life. You do not want to be "the guy who passed out from dehydration" in class. If you wait until you are thirsty then you are not drinking enough. 

 

Reading.....if you have 20 years I can recommend some books......Just kidding. If the instructor has written a book it is a good idea to be familiar with it. If nothing else I would recommend Principles of Personal Defense by Jeff Cooper. It is a short book on mindset that everyone should read. 

 

Not knowing anything about your present skill level or what specific class you are looking to take, some general advice would be do dry fire regularly in the weeks leading up to class. Work on drawstroke, mag changes, malfunction clearance.....all the stuff you should be working on regularly in dry fire...

 

And most importantly keep an open mind. Not everyone teaches everything the exact same way. There is nothing wrong with that but a good instructor should be able to tell you EXACTLY WHY they teach something a particular way if it is substantially different than what others do. If they say "just because" then that should be a huge red flag. 

 

How to pick an instructor? Reputation goes a long way. Read reviews of the instructor and ideally talk to people who have been to their classes. Keep in mind also that not all personalities mesh. I have talked to people that were put off by a particular instructor who I happen to think is excellent ...if a bit gruff. Those people and that particular instructor were just not a good mix of personalities. But on a personal level I am more concerned with the knowledge an instructor can help me discover than whether the instructor will pacify my "inner child" or make me "feel better  about myself."  

 

Someone can be a "nice guy" and not be a knowledgeable instructor and someone can be a "been there done that" guy and be a bad communicator and poor teacher. There is more to teaching than being able to do something and more to running an adult learning environment than showing up and letting the students bask in your past glory (unless that is specifically why people come to your class) .... so do your homework in advance and look for an instructor that is good at teaching what YOU are looking to learn. A navy SEAL may be a bitchin' cool guy but odds are he does not do much concealed carry pistol work. And a guy who spends 99% of his time teaching NRA basic classes is not going to be the first guy on the list to teach combatives and close quarters shooting.

Edited November 12, 2014 by Cruel Hand Luke

[Guest MAWLJ45]

Randy,

 

I really appreciate your feedback this was just what I was after. The idea of a checklist is so simple and fantastic, I will be making one asap.  I wish I had been more into the tactical training when we lived in Tennessee it would have been great to attend one of your courses. It looks like we will be back that direction next summer it would be nice to be able to time our visit with one of your offerings. The idea of keeping an open mind is critical, it is easy to be turned off by some instructors early on and not get anything out of a course, make the most of the situation and you can always learn from an experience. 

 

Thanks again