RustyFalcon
Regular Member
imported post
I take training at Tactical Response in Camden, TN. I had been trying to schedule their "Fighting Pistol" class for some time now but for one reason or another the schedule never worked out.
I took Tactical Rifle (now they call it Fighting Rifle) back in 2005 and Force on Force Primer and Force on Force Scenarios in 2006. Plus I've benefited from Andy Stanford's Surgical Speed Shooting I/II class that was held in Camden last year as well.
Fighting Pistol is a two-day class that covers many many topics about fighting with a handgun, including threat awareness, fighting mindset, tactics, deadly force issues, and other pertinent lectures. Live fire drills are the core of the class covered grip and trigger control, one and two-handed shooting, shooting on the move, use of cover and concealment, loading techniques, and other topics. Tactical Response as a whole teaches the FASTTTT protocol: Fight, Assess, Scan, Top-Off, Take Cover, check for Trauma, Talk on the phone or radio. The FASTTTT protocol is prevalent in every one of their fighting classes regardless of weapon: rifle, pistol, shotgun.
My class consisted of nine shooters with a very wide range of previous training, ranging from absolutely none, up to folks that have taken many more classes then me. I felt comfortably in the middle of the pack and decided to keep my eyes and ears open and my mouth shut and see what I could learn. I knew from previous classes that I lean well in the TR environment.
Day One was a very logical progression – we started in the classroom for a few lectures before lunch then moved to the range after lunch. First couple drills we shot DEA dot targets. These are basically numbered circles on a cardboard target and are used for everything from trigger reset drills to cross target engagement. DEA dots are engaged with the number of shots numbered on the dot. e.g. “On the signal engage 6…2…..3….” and you put six rounds into dot 6, two rounds into dot 2, three rounds into dot 3. Additional drills added one step at a time to the FASTTTT protocol, building up to the point where every engagement included every step of the protocol. Each shooter had their own target to engage, so the class moved swiftly up to this point. Now we all KNOW that weapons malfunction but we never seem to train enough on how to clear them. During this class the instructors presented techniques on clearing Type 1 malfunctions (gun didn’t go bang), Type 2 (stovepipe), and Type 3 (round stuck in chamber failure to extract). Adding to the excitement we were expected to load a dummy round in every magazine we loaded, so everyone had plenty of Type 1 malfunction clearing practice until it became second nature. The afternoon ended with single-handed firing and loading drills both weak and strong hand. You can reload your weapon from slide lock with one hand – TR teaches a technique that uses the holster. Interestingly enough, during one-handed shooting we also practiced clearing Type 1 malfunctions with a single hand. Yes it can be done but you have to be creative how to rack the slide.
Day Two started in the classroom for additional lectures, then we were back on the range around lunchtime again. Drills started with 1-inch dots from 5 yards for trigger control and reset practice, then more FASTTTT drills to get back into the swing of things. The bulk of this afternoon was spent doing shooting on the move drills front-back, back-front, side-side, weaving through a serpentine set of barrels, etc. The day ended out with some distance shooting drills, pistols from 25, 50, and 75 yards on a steel target. It can be done, but you need to have good reset control and followthrough after the shot.
I have to say the best part of the Tactical Response class experience is that lodging in their "Team Room" is included with every class. The Team Room is a 2000 square foot space in the basement of James Yeager’s home that he has remodeled into the ultimate man-cave. There is a large common area, bathroom with shower, refrigerator, entertainment center with many movies, comfortable furniture, and two bunk rooms (snoring and non-snoring) with 12 or 16 bunks between the two rooms.
While this class is not a ‘pistol 101’ class, the instructors are very accommodating of a wide range of training backgrounds. We had a student in my class who had only fired a pistol a few times in her life. By the end of the class she was performing the drills and functioning safely along with everyone else.
I highly recommend Tactical Response for your training needs. With the wide variety of classes they offer, they have plenty to suit everyone’s needs.
I take training at Tactical Response in Camden, TN. I had been trying to schedule their "Fighting Pistol" class for some time now but for one reason or another the schedule never worked out.
I took Tactical Rifle (now they call it Fighting Rifle) back in 2005 and Force on Force Primer and Force on Force Scenarios in 2006. Plus I've benefited from Andy Stanford's Surgical Speed Shooting I/II class that was held in Camden last year as well.
Fighting Pistol is a two-day class that covers many many topics about fighting with a handgun, including threat awareness, fighting mindset, tactics, deadly force issues, and other pertinent lectures. Live fire drills are the core of the class covered grip and trigger control, one and two-handed shooting, shooting on the move, use of cover and concealment, loading techniques, and other topics. Tactical Response as a whole teaches the FASTTTT protocol: Fight, Assess, Scan, Top-Off, Take Cover, check for Trauma, Talk on the phone or radio. The FASTTTT protocol is prevalent in every one of their fighting classes regardless of weapon: rifle, pistol, shotgun.
My class consisted of nine shooters with a very wide range of previous training, ranging from absolutely none, up to folks that have taken many more classes then me. I felt comfortably in the middle of the pack and decided to keep my eyes and ears open and my mouth shut and see what I could learn. I knew from previous classes that I lean well in the TR environment.
Day One was a very logical progression – we started in the classroom for a few lectures before lunch then moved to the range after lunch. First couple drills we shot DEA dot targets. These are basically numbered circles on a cardboard target and are used for everything from trigger reset drills to cross target engagement. DEA dots are engaged with the number of shots numbered on the dot. e.g. “On the signal engage 6…2…..3….” and you put six rounds into dot 6, two rounds into dot 2, three rounds into dot 3. Additional drills added one step at a time to the FASTTTT protocol, building up to the point where every engagement included every step of the protocol. Each shooter had their own target to engage, so the class moved swiftly up to this point. Now we all KNOW that weapons malfunction but we never seem to train enough on how to clear them. During this class the instructors presented techniques on clearing Type 1 malfunctions (gun didn’t go bang), Type 2 (stovepipe), and Type 3 (round stuck in chamber failure to extract). Adding to the excitement we were expected to load a dummy round in every magazine we loaded, so everyone had plenty of Type 1 malfunction clearing practice until it became second nature. The afternoon ended with single-handed firing and loading drills both weak and strong hand. You can reload your weapon from slide lock with one hand – TR teaches a technique that uses the holster. Interestingly enough, during one-handed shooting we also practiced clearing Type 1 malfunctions with a single hand. Yes it can be done but you have to be creative how to rack the slide.
Day Two started in the classroom for additional lectures, then we were back on the range around lunchtime again. Drills started with 1-inch dots from 5 yards for trigger control and reset practice, then more FASTTTT drills to get back into the swing of things. The bulk of this afternoon was spent doing shooting on the move drills front-back, back-front, side-side, weaving through a serpentine set of barrels, etc. The day ended out with some distance shooting drills, pistols from 25, 50, and 75 yards on a steel target. It can be done, but you need to have good reset control and followthrough after the shot.
I have to say the best part of the Tactical Response class experience is that lodging in their "Team Room" is included with every class. The Team Room is a 2000 square foot space in the basement of James Yeager’s home that he has remodeled into the ultimate man-cave. There is a large common area, bathroom with shower, refrigerator, entertainment center with many movies, comfortable furniture, and two bunk rooms (snoring and non-snoring) with 12 or 16 bunks between the two rooms.
While this class is not a ‘pistol 101’ class, the instructors are very accommodating of a wide range of training backgrounds. We had a student in my class who had only fired a pistol a few times in her life. By the end of the class she was performing the drills and functioning safely along with everyone else.
I highly recommend Tactical Response for your training needs. With the wide variety of classes they offer, they have plenty to suit everyone’s needs.