This is my first AAR of 2015, with at least 3 to follow through the year.
The class was "Shooting Under Pressure", taught by two of the training cadre at FreeState Gun Range in Middle River. The class ran from 8:00-11:30 AM. There were 9 students and two instructors, and the entire class took place in the back warehouse area of FreeState. I am not affiliated with FreeState in any way except as a paying customer. Cost of the class was $89.99 via an email discount offer that said it's regular price was $125.
This was a fun little class. I will admit that, with so many firearms classes under my belt, I took this class primarily so that I would be certified by FreeState to be able to practice draw and fire at their range. I figured for $90 it would be worth it, and anything else I got out of the class would be a bonus.
The 9 total students (8 men, 1 woman) clearly had a mix of abilities and experience levels, including at least one security guard and one or two police and a few ex-military. The instructors (and I) were happy this didn't seem to be anyone's first experience handling a handgun, but this seemed to be the first training class for at least a few of the students. Some showed up without magazine pouches, spare magazines, etc.
This course included no live fire. Instead, we did everything dry or with SIMS guns. We started with the usual safety brief and range rules and made sure no one had a loaded firearm. We then got in a line and the instructors did a great job taking turns explaining different concepts about the draw to us. I was happy that we weren't limited to outside the waistband holsters and 3:00 carry like a lot of basic classes, since I prefer to, whenever possible, "train like I fight", which for me means inside the waistband appendix carry.
We were instructed in the four count draw stroke and practiced it dry from our uncovered holster and then, a surprise to me, got to do it from concealment as well. Other elements were introduced as well, such as scanning and assessing, the Sul position, and checking one's six. Reholstering, I was happy to see, included a visual check to be sure the holster was clear of any obstructions before holstering. We were also instructed in performing a sidestep on the draw, and I was happy to see this movement incorporated in the curriculum. We also covered how to switch hands and shoot weak handed. It was obvious that most students in the class had never tried this before.
We took a break and then came back in to do the SIMS portion of the class. We weren't shooting each other, just the targets. We were introduced to movement while firing and how to properly utilize cover in a firefight. There were a variety of targets and barrels and other items for us to use as cover, and we got to practice strong and weak hand shooting around cover through a variety of drills that we did one at a time. This was great because we got to learn from each other's mistakes.
I was happy to see that my classmates shot pretty well with the SIMS guns, so at least most had their marksmanship at a decent level (I doubt we shot more than from about 30 feet away from targets, and most were much closer). Some made more glaring "tactical" errors than others (I made a few myself....Not tooting my own horn here), and for some, mobility seemed to be hindered by bad knees, being overweight, etc. (EDITORIAL COMMENT: ever seen bad guys working out in jail? Those same dudes are on the street. The gun you have or carry is only part of the solution. Get yourself in shape!).
My best moment came during and after the box drill, where we shot at multiple targets while moving in a box shape around the room. An instructor complimented me and asked who I've trained with, so I told him Paul Howe, Mike Pannone, Steve Fisher, and he just nodded and said, "it shows". :)
The one thing we were supposed to cover but didn't have time for were reloads and malfunctions, but to their credit, the instructors told us to stop by on a slow day and they'd be happy to teach us one on one. Good stuff.
The course included a packet of handouts on what was covered in class, which help reinforce all we covered in class and gave things for the students to practice at home or the range. We went over out takeaways in a roundtable at the end, and it looked like everyone had plenty and also some food for thought. Collectively, it was clear no one left as Rambo, but rather realizing we had only scratched the surface.
Overall, I thought this was a really good class. I think this would be a great class for someone who is maybe right off the heels of the NRA basic pistol class who wants to get his or her feet wet in more of a "combat handgun" training environment. The facility was great, if cold, and the instructors were courteous and clear in their instructions.
This was $90 well-spent by me. We covered a lot more than just drawing and firing (which was all I was expecting, really), and I hope this class pushes the students who were in the class to seek out more training.
-H
Edit to add: this was my 800th post on MDShooters!
The class was "Shooting Under Pressure", taught by two of the training cadre at FreeState Gun Range in Middle River. The class ran from 8:00-11:30 AM. There were 9 students and two instructors, and the entire class took place in the back warehouse area of FreeState. I am not affiliated with FreeState in any way except as a paying customer. Cost of the class was $89.99 via an email discount offer that said it's regular price was $125.
This was a fun little class. I will admit that, with so many firearms classes under my belt, I took this class primarily so that I would be certified by FreeState to be able to practice draw and fire at their range. I figured for $90 it would be worth it, and anything else I got out of the class would be a bonus.
The 9 total students (8 men, 1 woman) clearly had a mix of abilities and experience levels, including at least one security guard and one or two police and a few ex-military. The instructors (and I) were happy this didn't seem to be anyone's first experience handling a handgun, but this seemed to be the first training class for at least a few of the students. Some showed up without magazine pouches, spare magazines, etc.
This course included no live fire. Instead, we did everything dry or with SIMS guns. We started with the usual safety brief and range rules and made sure no one had a loaded firearm. We then got in a line and the instructors did a great job taking turns explaining different concepts about the draw to us. I was happy that we weren't limited to outside the waistband holsters and 3:00 carry like a lot of basic classes, since I prefer to, whenever possible, "train like I fight", which for me means inside the waistband appendix carry.
We were instructed in the four count draw stroke and practiced it dry from our uncovered holster and then, a surprise to me, got to do it from concealment as well. Other elements were introduced as well, such as scanning and assessing, the Sul position, and checking one's six. Reholstering, I was happy to see, included a visual check to be sure the holster was clear of any obstructions before holstering. We were also instructed in performing a sidestep on the draw, and I was happy to see this movement incorporated in the curriculum. We also covered how to switch hands and shoot weak handed. It was obvious that most students in the class had never tried this before.
We took a break and then came back in to do the SIMS portion of the class. We weren't shooting each other, just the targets. We were introduced to movement while firing and how to properly utilize cover in a firefight. There were a variety of targets and barrels and other items for us to use as cover, and we got to practice strong and weak hand shooting around cover through a variety of drills that we did one at a time. This was great because we got to learn from each other's mistakes.
I was happy to see that my classmates shot pretty well with the SIMS guns, so at least most had their marksmanship at a decent level (I doubt we shot more than from about 30 feet away from targets, and most were much closer). Some made more glaring "tactical" errors than others (I made a few myself....Not tooting my own horn here), and for some, mobility seemed to be hindered by bad knees, being overweight, etc. (EDITORIAL COMMENT: ever seen bad guys working out in jail? Those same dudes are on the street. The gun you have or carry is only part of the solution. Get yourself in shape!).
My best moment came during and after the box drill, where we shot at multiple targets while moving in a box shape around the room. An instructor complimented me and asked who I've trained with, so I told him Paul Howe, Mike Pannone, Steve Fisher, and he just nodded and said, "it shows". :)
The one thing we were supposed to cover but didn't have time for were reloads and malfunctions, but to their credit, the instructors told us to stop by on a slow day and they'd be happy to teach us one on one. Good stuff.
The course included a packet of handouts on what was covered in class, which help reinforce all we covered in class and gave things for the students to practice at home or the range. We went over out takeaways in a roundtable at the end, and it looked like everyone had plenty and also some food for thought. Collectively, it was clear no one left as Rambo, but rather realizing we had only scratched the surface.
Overall, I thought this was a really good class. I think this would be a great class for someone who is maybe right off the heels of the NRA basic pistol class who wants to get his or her feet wet in more of a "combat handgun" training environment. The facility was great, if cold, and the instructors were courteous and clear in their instructions.
This was $90 well-spent by me. We covered a lot more than just drawing and firing (which was all I was expecting, really), and I hope this class pushes the students who were in the class to seek out more training.
-H
Edit to add: this was my 800th post on MDShooters!
AAR: Shooting Under Pressure, FreeState Gun Range, 2/28/15
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