Tactical Response "Fighting Pistol" course review...
Tactical Response “Fighting Pistol” course review
David Giuffre
May 26, 2009
Back in October, I was fortunate enough to be able to travel to Tactical Response in Camden, Tennessee to take an amazing tactical shooting course called “Active Shooter.”
My wife knew I wanted to take my shooting training to another level, so she contacted James Yeager at Tactical Response and booked me on one of the more advanced courses they offer.
Normally, one would take the Fighting Pistol and Advanced Fighting Pistol courses before taking Active Shooter, but they let me come anyway, as it was a surprise 40th birthday gift from my wife, and I was so excited to be there.
Needless to say, the course was life changing.
I established an excellent and continuing relationship with James Yeager and everyone at Tactical Response, and regularly compose electronic music for the newer Tactical Response videos. When I discovered that Tactical Response was “going mobile” and bringing the Fighting Pistol course to Winslow, NJ (which is a scant hour plus from my dwelling in Morrisville, PA) I jumped at the chance to take more training from James and the crew.
DAY ONE
I arrived 10 minutes early to the firing range at the South Jersey Shooting Club, May 18 2009, deep in the Pine Barrens of New Jersey, and figured I was in good shape. I sat there like a jackass for 8 minutes, wondering where everyone was! James called my cell moments later and asked where I was. They were downrange, at an outdoor pistol range out of sight. I promptly got myself down to the class, and started what was to be a wonderful cementing of things I had learned in a more cursory manner in the Active Shooter course. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND following Tactical Response’s advice and taking the courses in the order in which they have been designed! You will get the maximum benefit when taking the classes in order, as they build on each other. (They also now require shooters to take these classes in order, so no worries there.)
I was pleasantly surprised to see James standing next to his famous and Armageddon-ready pickup truck, with six other gentlemen. I wasn’t sure that James would even be there to teach the course, as he has many highly competent and effective instructors working at Tactical Response with him. I might have expected to se Aaron or Brian or one of the others there, but there he was, smiling at me and telling me to get my ass in gear so they could get started. James doesn’t mince words or stroke your ego; he gets the job done!
We began the course with introductions and telling each other about our background and experience, including James, who described his past learning, jobs and training, which I always find fascinating. It seemed like in interesting bunch of guys, including two IT professionals, two hardcore ammunition re-loaders and a plumber! (He was a wonderful Italian guy, who reminded me of some of my relatives, and who shot the longest Glock I had ever seen!) Everyone seemed like they were there to be serious, but also to have fun at the same time, which is essential in a course like this. You don’t want to be stuck in the Pine Barrens for two days with a bunch of stuffed shirts!
We then listened to James as he described basic safety procedures, medical procedures and what we would be doing and covering in the two-day class. Both days were sunny, and warm, but not too hot. I recommend following Tactical Response’s protocols of lots of water, (I have a Camelbak hydration system, well worth the money) sunblock and bug repellant. Wear a hat! (Yes, even if you are like me, and look like a dork in a hat.)
We then learned about tactical gun-handling, and how to clear various malfunctions. I loved the malfunction drills, as we were constantly required to load dummy rounds into our magazines, and had to clear these malfunctions on the fly, in high stress shooting situations. There is nothing quite so humbling as pulling your trigger on a bad guy and hearing a click instead of a bang! Most new people freeze in place when this happens, I noticed, including myself!
The next part of the course was involved with drawing and presenting your weapon properly. This was something that I had learned in Active Shooter and had been practicing nonstop since then, and after Fighting Pistol, it has been permanently etched into my muscle memory, just like “getting off the X” when drawing, topping off and clearing malfunctions, which moves you out of the line of your enemy’s return fire, giving you an advantage in the gunfight.
Even handling my firearm at home, I employ the techniques taught at Tactical Response; it has become a part of my routine. The techniques also make you a much safer gun handler, and are so refined that there is a wonderful economy of movement: there is nothing in there that isn’t needed, and looks very elegant to a bystander who is watching you shoot. As James says, “Tactical Shooting is the only true American Martial Art.” Watching one of James’s accomplished students looks much like watching a martial artist.
I won’t bore the reader or spoil the experience by writing blow by blow over both days of the course. Get out there and take a course from Tactical Response yourself!
We spent the rest of the day learning fundamental but elegant techniques to make us deadly accurate shooters under pressure.
One invaluable skill we learned was the 360 degree scan after shooting. We would put the gun into a safer, barrel to the sky grip, and then do a detailed, full-circle scan of the surrounding area, to look for other bad guys who might be sneaking up on us. We also learned the need to top off our pistols immediately after shooting, to get them back into the fight and back up to full fighting capacity. I can speed reload my Glock extremely fast now, during a confrontation. (Which is something else I practice on a regular basis now.) We had to get used to racking live rounds out of the gun to make sure the new magazine was interfaced properly with the gun. It took some guys (as it took me, in Active Shooter) to get used to dumping half-full magazines on the ground, but we all got it in the end. It is better to have a fully running gun, than to worry about a half-empty mag on the ground!
We then took it to a new level, with drills about shooting and the structure of the human body, myths about miracle shots and one-shot stops. We engaged targets from every imaginable position (something my body is still feeling the effects of) and constant moving while shooting.
We ended the day with a great dinner together at a steakhouse, and had good conversation about the day and many other things. James is a charismatic and effective teacher, who is a blast to hang out with before, during and after class. We truly had a great time.
It was displayed to me yet again that Glocks are the best handguns made, period. My personal weapon had NO malfunctions during the entire two day course, the same experience I had with Active Shooter in October, where I saw almost all other types of firearms fail, jam consistently and just plain break down! One 1911 had pieces fall off of it. James started Fighting Pistol class by hurling his loaded Glock 19 twenty yards out onto the blacktop of the parking lot. No problems, just a few small scratches. THIS is the weapon I want with me in the heat of battle, should that ever happen.
The one non-Glock shooter in the course had constant feed problems and jams, malfunctions of every sort. One of the hardcore re-loader guys had put green nail polish on every round of 9mm he shot, and after half a day, the nail polish started to cause malfunctions in his Glock, and they were spectacular failures. Lesson One: No nail polish on your brass, just your fingernails!
DAY TWO
Day Two started bright and early with a wonderful lecture from James on many diverse topics that were of utmost value to us. This was actually one of the most valuable parts of the course, and for the folks out there who think that they just want to shoot, shoot, shoot, be patient. The lecture is jam-packed with info and stories from hard-earned experience that you can’t get anywhere else. Pay attention and take notes! I learned many things that could help save a life one day.
We shot from cover and concealment (there is a BIG difference between these!) and shot right up close to the target in “retention position” which was very intense! Drill after drill, we learned how to be top notch tactical shooters, where the mindset was so focused on staying in the fight at all times, until no threat remains.
One of the best drills was the Allen DEA dot drill, where we let the firearm surprise us by adding pressure to the trigger SLOWLY until it goes off unexpectedly, all the while watching the front sight of the gun. This broke us of flinching and anticipating the report of the gun, and we were then able to consistently hit small, 1 inch diameter dots on a paper target DEAD CENTER, every time. I was amazed at how my accuracy improved!
Right after the course I traveled to Canada, where possessing defensive firearms is pretty much prohibited, and I couldn’t believe how naked I felt without my Glock riding in its Galco strongside belt holster. Instead of just feeling naked, however, I practiced my awareness drills and was able to experience a new level of preparedness, just by keeping my head up, and really LOOKING at people and things. I found myself looking for possible cover, and making threat assessments on people I encountered.
Day Two ended with a great debrief of the experiences we had, and even more great information from James on various subjects related to the course. Overall, it was a complete blast (pun intended) and just as influential on me as Active Shooter had been, albeit in a slightly different flavor. James told me after the Active Shooter course that certain folks would become “Training Junkies” and that he thought I was one of those folks. Well, dammit, he was right again, and I can’t wait to train more with Tactical Response, as well as other schools I might encounter later in life. James encourages any good training, as he logs hundreds of hours a year himself in many other disciplines, including medical training, which, he says, is sadly neglected by most tactical shooters.
Although this is the premier tactical pistol class offered by Tactical Response, this is by no means a mere “beginner” course. I daresay that many “hardened operators” out there, who might never take this course thinking that they were “well beyond it,” would be humbled by the drills, and amazed at the wisdom and nuggets of exclusive, useful information and technique to be found in the course.
I even learned by personal experience in this course that after years of owning Glocks and trying different holster/Glock combinations, that I have more changes to make in my carry kit. I have owned four different Glock pistols in my lifetime, in the search for the “perfect” carry pistol that is concealable and powerful enough. My latest Glock is the Glock 26 in 9mm, which is definitely the most concealable, but unfortunately not the best “fighting” pistol. There just isn’t enough gun to hold on to, and the capacity is a bit low, at 10 rounds per magazine. It seems that my other Glock, the 10mm Glock 29 (which I shot at Active Shooter) is a slightly better choice, but the 10mm round can be expensive and hard to find, as well as a bit recoil-heavy. I believe a third Glock is in my future, the middle of the road Glock 19, which James let me try in class. It is the best of both worlds, and really isn’t that much bigger than my current Glock 29. See, still learning! It never ends...
Good training like this demands the utmost seriousness and open mind that you can bring to it. There is no room for ego, whining or “your way” of doing things. Several people in class (probably every class) had some initial difficulty in shutting up and listening, wanting to tell James what they were doing, instead of listening to him, and setting aside their preconceptions and opinions, as well as being blank slates, ready for new data. They all got it in the end, though. James and the folks at Tactical Response have a way of breaking through our thick-headedness and making us realize that there are better ways to do things. I am happy to say that this course impressed me just as much as Active Shooter, and I look forward to taking my training to the next level with Advanced Fighting Pistol as soon as I can. I feel like a competent tactical shooter who could now hold his own in a gunfight, and probably help save a life or two, even if it was only my own.
Cheers, James and company, and as before, I can’t wait to come back, again!
Sincerely,
David Giuffre
from the band, Brainclaw
David Giuffre
May 26, 2009
Back in October, I was fortunate enough to be able to travel to Tactical Response in Camden, Tennessee to take an amazing tactical shooting course called “Active Shooter.”
My wife knew I wanted to take my shooting training to another level, so she contacted James Yeager at Tactical Response and booked me on one of the more advanced courses they offer.
Normally, one would take the Fighting Pistol and Advanced Fighting Pistol courses before taking Active Shooter, but they let me come anyway, as it was a surprise 40th birthday gift from my wife, and I was so excited to be there.
Needless to say, the course was life changing.
I established an excellent and continuing relationship with James Yeager and everyone at Tactical Response, and regularly compose electronic music for the newer Tactical Response videos. When I discovered that Tactical Response was “going mobile” and bringing the Fighting Pistol course to Winslow, NJ (which is a scant hour plus from my dwelling in Morrisville, PA) I jumped at the chance to take more training from James and the crew.
DAY ONE
I arrived 10 minutes early to the firing range at the South Jersey Shooting Club, May 18 2009, deep in the Pine Barrens of New Jersey, and figured I was in good shape. I sat there like a jackass for 8 minutes, wondering where everyone was! James called my cell moments later and asked where I was. They were downrange, at an outdoor pistol range out of sight. I promptly got myself down to the class, and started what was to be a wonderful cementing of things I had learned in a more cursory manner in the Active Shooter course. I HIGHLY RECOMMEND following Tactical Response’s advice and taking the courses in the order in which they have been designed! You will get the maximum benefit when taking the classes in order, as they build on each other. (They also now require shooters to take these classes in order, so no worries there.)
I was pleasantly surprised to see James standing next to his famous and Armageddon-ready pickup truck, with six other gentlemen. I wasn’t sure that James would even be there to teach the course, as he has many highly competent and effective instructors working at Tactical Response with him. I might have expected to se Aaron or Brian or one of the others there, but there he was, smiling at me and telling me to get my ass in gear so they could get started. James doesn’t mince words or stroke your ego; he gets the job done!
We began the course with introductions and telling each other about our background and experience, including James, who described his past learning, jobs and training, which I always find fascinating. It seemed like in interesting bunch of guys, including two IT professionals, two hardcore ammunition re-loaders and a plumber! (He was a wonderful Italian guy, who reminded me of some of my relatives, and who shot the longest Glock I had ever seen!) Everyone seemed like they were there to be serious, but also to have fun at the same time, which is essential in a course like this. You don’t want to be stuck in the Pine Barrens for two days with a bunch of stuffed shirts!
We then listened to James as he described basic safety procedures, medical procedures and what we would be doing and covering in the two-day class. Both days were sunny, and warm, but not too hot. I recommend following Tactical Response’s protocols of lots of water, (I have a Camelbak hydration system, well worth the money) sunblock and bug repellant. Wear a hat! (Yes, even if you are like me, and look like a dork in a hat.)
We then learned about tactical gun-handling, and how to clear various malfunctions. I loved the malfunction drills, as we were constantly required to load dummy rounds into our magazines, and had to clear these malfunctions on the fly, in high stress shooting situations. There is nothing quite so humbling as pulling your trigger on a bad guy and hearing a click instead of a bang! Most new people freeze in place when this happens, I noticed, including myself!
The next part of the course was involved with drawing and presenting your weapon properly. This was something that I had learned in Active Shooter and had been practicing nonstop since then, and after Fighting Pistol, it has been permanently etched into my muscle memory, just like “getting off the X” when drawing, topping off and clearing malfunctions, which moves you out of the line of your enemy’s return fire, giving you an advantage in the gunfight.
Even handling my firearm at home, I employ the techniques taught at Tactical Response; it has become a part of my routine. The techniques also make you a much safer gun handler, and are so refined that there is a wonderful economy of movement: there is nothing in there that isn’t needed, and looks very elegant to a bystander who is watching you shoot. As James says, “Tactical Shooting is the only true American Martial Art.” Watching one of James’s accomplished students looks much like watching a martial artist.
I won’t bore the reader or spoil the experience by writing blow by blow over both days of the course. Get out there and take a course from Tactical Response yourself!
We spent the rest of the day learning fundamental but elegant techniques to make us deadly accurate shooters under pressure.
One invaluable skill we learned was the 360 degree scan after shooting. We would put the gun into a safer, barrel to the sky grip, and then do a detailed, full-circle scan of the surrounding area, to look for other bad guys who might be sneaking up on us. We also learned the need to top off our pistols immediately after shooting, to get them back into the fight and back up to full fighting capacity. I can speed reload my Glock extremely fast now, during a confrontation. (Which is something else I practice on a regular basis now.) We had to get used to racking live rounds out of the gun to make sure the new magazine was interfaced properly with the gun. It took some guys (as it took me, in Active Shooter) to get used to dumping half-full magazines on the ground, but we all got it in the end. It is better to have a fully running gun, than to worry about a half-empty mag on the ground!
We then took it to a new level, with drills about shooting and the structure of the human body, myths about miracle shots and one-shot stops. We engaged targets from every imaginable position (something my body is still feeling the effects of) and constant moving while shooting.
We ended the day with a great dinner together at a steakhouse, and had good conversation about the day and many other things. James is a charismatic and effective teacher, who is a blast to hang out with before, during and after class. We truly had a great time.
It was displayed to me yet again that Glocks are the best handguns made, period. My personal weapon had NO malfunctions during the entire two day course, the same experience I had with Active Shooter in October, where I saw almost all other types of firearms fail, jam consistently and just plain break down! One 1911 had pieces fall off of it. James started Fighting Pistol class by hurling his loaded Glock 19 twenty yards out onto the blacktop of the parking lot. No problems, just a few small scratches. THIS is the weapon I want with me in the heat of battle, should that ever happen.
The one non-Glock shooter in the course had constant feed problems and jams, malfunctions of every sort. One of the hardcore re-loader guys had put green nail polish on every round of 9mm he shot, and after half a day, the nail polish started to cause malfunctions in his Glock, and they were spectacular failures. Lesson One: No nail polish on your brass, just your fingernails!
DAY TWO
Day Two started bright and early with a wonderful lecture from James on many diverse topics that were of utmost value to us. This was actually one of the most valuable parts of the course, and for the folks out there who think that they just want to shoot, shoot, shoot, be patient. The lecture is jam-packed with info and stories from hard-earned experience that you can’t get anywhere else. Pay attention and take notes! I learned many things that could help save a life one day.
We shot from cover and concealment (there is a BIG difference between these!) and shot right up close to the target in “retention position” which was very intense! Drill after drill, we learned how to be top notch tactical shooters, where the mindset was so focused on staying in the fight at all times, until no threat remains.
One of the best drills was the Allen DEA dot drill, where we let the firearm surprise us by adding pressure to the trigger SLOWLY until it goes off unexpectedly, all the while watching the front sight of the gun. This broke us of flinching and anticipating the report of the gun, and we were then able to consistently hit small, 1 inch diameter dots on a paper target DEAD CENTER, every time. I was amazed at how my accuracy improved!
Right after the course I traveled to Canada, where possessing defensive firearms is pretty much prohibited, and I couldn’t believe how naked I felt without my Glock riding in its Galco strongside belt holster. Instead of just feeling naked, however, I practiced my awareness drills and was able to experience a new level of preparedness, just by keeping my head up, and really LOOKING at people and things. I found myself looking for possible cover, and making threat assessments on people I encountered.
Day Two ended with a great debrief of the experiences we had, and even more great information from James on various subjects related to the course. Overall, it was a complete blast (pun intended) and just as influential on me as Active Shooter had been, albeit in a slightly different flavor. James told me after the Active Shooter course that certain folks would become “Training Junkies” and that he thought I was one of those folks. Well, dammit, he was right again, and I can’t wait to train more with Tactical Response, as well as other schools I might encounter later in life. James encourages any good training, as he logs hundreds of hours a year himself in many other disciplines, including medical training, which, he says, is sadly neglected by most tactical shooters.
Although this is the premier tactical pistol class offered by Tactical Response, this is by no means a mere “beginner” course. I daresay that many “hardened operators” out there, who might never take this course thinking that they were “well beyond it,” would be humbled by the drills, and amazed at the wisdom and nuggets of exclusive, useful information and technique to be found in the course.
I even learned by personal experience in this course that after years of owning Glocks and trying different holster/Glock combinations, that I have more changes to make in my carry kit. I have owned four different Glock pistols in my lifetime, in the search for the “perfect” carry pistol that is concealable and powerful enough. My latest Glock is the Glock 26 in 9mm, which is definitely the most concealable, but unfortunately not the best “fighting” pistol. There just isn’t enough gun to hold on to, and the capacity is a bit low, at 10 rounds per magazine. It seems that my other Glock, the 10mm Glock 29 (which I shot at Active Shooter) is a slightly better choice, but the 10mm round can be expensive and hard to find, as well as a bit recoil-heavy. I believe a third Glock is in my future, the middle of the road Glock 19, which James let me try in class. It is the best of both worlds, and really isn’t that much bigger than my current Glock 29. See, still learning! It never ends...
Good training like this demands the utmost seriousness and open mind that you can bring to it. There is no room for ego, whining or “your way” of doing things. Several people in class (probably every class) had some initial difficulty in shutting up and listening, wanting to tell James what they were doing, instead of listening to him, and setting aside their preconceptions and opinions, as well as being blank slates, ready for new data. They all got it in the end, though. James and the folks at Tactical Response have a way of breaking through our thick-headedness and making us realize that there are better ways to do things. I am happy to say that this course impressed me just as much as Active Shooter, and I look forward to taking my training to the next level with Advanced Fighting Pistol as soon as I can. I feel like a competent tactical shooter who could now hold his own in a gunfight, and probably help save a life or two, even if it was only my own.
Cheers, James and company, and as before, I can’t wait to come back, again!
Sincerely,
David Giuffre
from the band, Brainclaw