I went to the VATA Level 1 tactical pistol course this weekend. I have been to courses from 2 other groups previously and wanted to broaden my exposure a bit. Here are few thoughts about it.
Class make up was a mix of very new shooters, husband and wife duos, and some guys who have been to a lot of courses. Local people to some guys from Tennessee. Everyone was friendly and I really enjoyed meeting a number of the shooters. The instructors did a good job of pushing the guys who were higher level, and helping out anybody who was struggling without making them feel as if they were holding up the show.
The instructors (Destin Mounts being primary) were all great. VERY safe on the range. Friendly, open to questions, and no egos getting in the way. In comparison to my other courses I feel that we put fewer rounds down range, but I got more quality feedback about what I was doing and how to implement what they were teaching us. I view this as a positive. I can shoot all I want when I'm on my own. What I need is one on one feedback about what I need to to better. All good in this respect.
The range at Camp Villere was great. Nice to have running water, a bathroom in easy walking distance, etc. The range was also plenty big enough to allow multiple set ups and a very fun timed shoot at the end incorporating a lot of the things we worked on during the day.
This last thing may be what made me feel best about the experience. There were 3 guys in the group I talked to that had been to several classes by big name instructors. My question to them was "How does this compare?", as I have been thinking about traveling to one of the same guys they had seen. All 3 reported that the quality and content of what VATA is doing is on par with the guys who you would recognize from youtube. They also mentioned specific incidents where they felt VATA was doing a much better job with range safety and student to instructor ratio. I would rather spend my money on more courses, ammo, etc., than on travel if I can get high quality instruction close to home.
I believe I have received good benefit in one way or the other from every course I have attended. Even so, VATA really impressed me. I am looking forward to taking more of their classes soon.
Class make up was a mix of very new shooters, husband and wife duos, and some guys who have been to a lot of courses. Local people to some guys from Tennessee. Everyone was friendly and I really enjoyed meeting a number of the shooters. The instructors did a good job of pushing the guys who were higher level, and helping out anybody who was struggling without making them feel as if they were holding up the show.
The instructors (Destin Mounts being primary) were all great. VERY safe on the range. Friendly, open to questions, and no egos getting in the way. In comparison to my other courses I feel that we put fewer rounds down range, but I got more quality feedback about what I was doing and how to implement what they were teaching us. I view this as a positive. I can shoot all I want when I'm on my own. What I need is one on one feedback about what I need to to better. All good in this respect.
The range at Camp Villere was great. Nice to have running water, a bathroom in easy walking distance, etc. The range was also plenty big enough to allow multiple set ups and a very fun timed shoot at the end incorporating a lot of the things we worked on during the day.
This last thing may be what made me feel best about the experience. There were 3 guys in the group I talked to that had been to several classes by big name instructors. My question to them was "How does this compare?", as I have been thinking about traveling to one of the same guys they had seen. All 3 reported that the quality and content of what VATA is doing is on par with the guys who you would recognize from youtube. They also mentioned specific incidents where they felt VATA was doing a much better job with range safety and student to instructor ratio. I would rather spend my money on more courses, ammo, etc., than on travel if I can get high quality instruction close to home.
I believe I have received good benefit in one way or the other from every course I have attended. Even so, VATA really impressed me. I am looking forward to taking more of their classes soon.
