(December 2013 class)
I’m a civilian in my mid 30’s; no military or law enforcement involvement of any kind. My enthusiasm and experience with firearms started right after hurricane Katrina. I won’t get into why, but since then I dove head first into it. Up to this point I had been self taught with the help of Magpul DVD’s and youtube. I did a little IDPA for a little while and I consider myself a decent shot and decent at handgun manipulation.
Of the 22 shooters attending the class I think a slight majority fall into the category of military, ex military, or law enforcement and I think there was a fireman there. There was a chef, a pilot, two IT people and some others that I’m sure I missed. There wasn’t anyone there with a rambo mentality and as far as I could tell everyone seemed normal.
Before the class started we all got an email stating that Travis Haley wouldn't be able to attend because of an injury. He gave everyone an opportunity to back out of the class and receive all their money back if they wanted. To my knowledge no one backed out. I have to say I was disappointed that I wasn’t going to be able to meet him in person but in the end I don’t think it affected the class at all. I’m not going to lie, I did think about backing out. I really wanted to take training from Travis and I thought the class was on the expensive side. In looking around on the internet at other classes (although none nearby) this class was the most expensive of comparable classes. Spoiler alert - I’m glad I didn’t back out. It was worth the money for me personally when all was said and done. I don’t have any regrets.
The first day started with everyone introducing themselves and saying why they were there and what they wanted out of the class. The answers were all similar in their professionalism regarding wanting to be better at handgun proficiency. This was also a good way to break the ice among the group. Some people came with a friend but for the most part people didn’t know each other.
The range was located about a half hour north of Covington and was a perfect setup. It was in a dugout dirt quarry of some kind with high berms all around. They provided plenty of drink and hot meals every day that were more than adequate. I drove in everyday from my house so I can’t speak to accommodations of the lodge that the out of towners stayed at.
I was originally going to take this class with my older brother but he never ended up getting his CCW (a requirement for the class) so I took it alone. In the end I think that was a good thing and I’ll explain why. If people gasp when you tell them that they will need 1200 rounds for a three day class and don’t want to spend any money on gear and extra mags then this (type of) class isn’t for them. I think you already have to be in the right mindset to really want it and if you are trying to convince someone to take it then it’s just not for them. It’s not that I didn’t mind dropping the cash to go through that many rounds, but I and probably you too know that’s what it takes. When you break it down - 1200 rounds over three days, 400 rounds per day isn’t much. I can go through 100 - 200 rounds at the range in a short amount of time without any problem. So it really isn’t a TON of shooting. I’m not saying don’t invite people, but just that you shouldn’t have to convince them that they need it. They have to want it.
The round count per day should also give you a hint that there is a LOT of instruction. It’s not balls to the wall shooting; which is a good thing for a level one class. The instruction to shooting ratio per day changed each day. Day one had the most instruction with day three having the least… you get the picture. I think all the instruction was great and well suited with only maybe one small exception that I can remember and it wasn't a big deal.
I work in a professional environment, and I’m decently high up where I work. One thing that kind of caught me off guard was people asking me about the class after I got back to work. It wasn’t that they asked, but how they asked and kind of made assumptions. If you are a shooter and/or a 2nd amendment proponent then you know what it’s like deal with people who don’t understand what it means to be a shooter or a 2nd amendment person. I also work in an environment where I can’t voice my personal opinions about things because there is a WIDE variety of people that I work with and around that would get the wrong idea and I’d be in HR every other day. I really like my job so that is a choice I make. Before I took the class I only told a small number of people where I was going. When I got back, people that I didn't tell were asking me about my class. I can’t remember the words they used, but I ended up having to down play it to them (IE non shooters) for various reasons. Again, that is a choice I make because I really like my job.
I learned pretty quickly into the class that my holster was not what I needed for this class. I carry concealed regularly and I love my White Hat Holster, but that isn’t what I took because I didn’t want to shoot 1200 rounds out of a M&P Shield. I used my Glock 19 with a 5.11 thumb drive holster. I’ve since changed it out for a G Code holster which is great. Active retention holsters are a pain when shooting that much. They had a rep (Jose) from G Code there at the class shooting with us and he had a bunch of demo equipment to look at and use. I didn’t get a chance to use any of it, but others did and others already had G Code stuff and I’m now very glad that I changed. I had some blade tech mag holders that worked well, but I’ve also added some HSGI gear as well. They had a nice little care package for each shooter that included a bunch of stickers and patches along with a HSGI pistol taco and a VertX hat.
The instructors were great. Dale from HSP and Brannon from NOLATAC were the two instructors. I can’t say enough good things about them. I’m not even going to attempt to list the good things. Just pay the money and take the class. I however can list the few negatives about the class. Keep in mind that I’m being picky when I list these as there was really nothing negative to say about the actual class at all. If I’m being critical I’d have to say that during some of the breaks when everyone was jamming mags, the stories seemed to get off on a tangent and wasted a little time. That’s me being critical, just trying to find a negative where there really isn’t one. Also, some of the lessons on the human eye and how it tracks objects were kind of pointless.
Daily breakdown:
These are my notes and may not make perfect sense to you. On paper it may not seem like a lot, but keep in mind two things- #1) It is a lot and #2)With the exception of day three I made these notes after the day was over instead of during the day, so I probably missed some stuff.
Day 1
fundamentals
balance - feet slightly offset, tip toes light on heel.
arms not locked out
palms on the grip, thumb placement, finger placement, high hand on back of grip
squeeze palms, not pushing and pulling
search and asses
drawing from holster - efficient, not tense, no wasted movement
reloads - admin, tac
three different ways to send the slide home - big boy rules, use what works. The notion that you can’t hit the slide stop/release under stress is BS
hoarse drill
dummy drill
gear talk
Day 2
start off with one inch dot drill
row one normal, row two focus on sight, row three focus on target, row three focus on trigger
trigger reset, trigger reset drills
times shots, one second apart, half second apart, quarter second apart
timed draw and shoot two
timed shoot and admin reload
malfunctions
kneeling from ready, kneeling from draw at approx ten yards
prone shooting on both shoulders. two different ways to go down. supported and non supported
legal stuff, gun mods etc
Day 3
CET assessment (stop slapping the trigger)
Empty mag drill
movement - left and right
look, then aim and draw
turning drills - working on reaction
get off the X - forward and back with draw. draw during and draw after movement
steel drill - shoot one, emergency reload while running to second cone and shoot. two good hits
induce stress
three target drill - bend at knees. keep upper body square
moving during shooting. try to keep upper body smooth.
barricade shooting - most of the time you will put your outside knee down, but not always.
should not expose yourself. they should see gun first./presentation use inside leg as
I’m a civilian in my mid 30’s; no military or law enforcement involvement of any kind. My enthusiasm and experience with firearms started right after hurricane Katrina. I won’t get into why, but since then I dove head first into it. Up to this point I had been self taught with the help of Magpul DVD’s and youtube. I did a little IDPA for a little while and I consider myself a decent shot and decent at handgun manipulation.
Of the 22 shooters attending the class I think a slight majority fall into the category of military, ex military, or law enforcement and I think there was a fireman there. There was a chef, a pilot, two IT people and some others that I’m sure I missed. There wasn’t anyone there with a rambo mentality and as far as I could tell everyone seemed normal.
Before the class started we all got an email stating that Travis Haley wouldn't be able to attend because of an injury. He gave everyone an opportunity to back out of the class and receive all their money back if they wanted. To my knowledge no one backed out. I have to say I was disappointed that I wasn’t going to be able to meet him in person but in the end I don’t think it affected the class at all. I’m not going to lie, I did think about backing out. I really wanted to take training from Travis and I thought the class was on the expensive side. In looking around on the internet at other classes (although none nearby) this class was the most expensive of comparable classes. Spoiler alert - I’m glad I didn’t back out. It was worth the money for me personally when all was said and done. I don’t have any regrets.
The first day started with everyone introducing themselves and saying why they were there and what they wanted out of the class. The answers were all similar in their professionalism regarding wanting to be better at handgun proficiency. This was also a good way to break the ice among the group. Some people came with a friend but for the most part people didn’t know each other.
The range was located about a half hour north of Covington and was a perfect setup. It was in a dugout dirt quarry of some kind with high berms all around. They provided plenty of drink and hot meals every day that were more than adequate. I drove in everyday from my house so I can’t speak to accommodations of the lodge that the out of towners stayed at.
I was originally going to take this class with my older brother but he never ended up getting his CCW (a requirement for the class) so I took it alone. In the end I think that was a good thing and I’ll explain why. If people gasp when you tell them that they will need 1200 rounds for a three day class and don’t want to spend any money on gear and extra mags then this (type of) class isn’t for them. I think you already have to be in the right mindset to really want it and if you are trying to convince someone to take it then it’s just not for them. It’s not that I didn’t mind dropping the cash to go through that many rounds, but I and probably you too know that’s what it takes. When you break it down - 1200 rounds over three days, 400 rounds per day isn’t much. I can go through 100 - 200 rounds at the range in a short amount of time without any problem. So it really isn’t a TON of shooting. I’m not saying don’t invite people, but just that you shouldn’t have to convince them that they need it. They have to want it.
The round count per day should also give you a hint that there is a LOT of instruction. It’s not balls to the wall shooting; which is a good thing for a level one class. The instruction to shooting ratio per day changed each day. Day one had the most instruction with day three having the least… you get the picture. I think all the instruction was great and well suited with only maybe one small exception that I can remember and it wasn't a big deal.
I work in a professional environment, and I’m decently high up where I work. One thing that kind of caught me off guard was people asking me about the class after I got back to work. It wasn’t that they asked, but how they asked and kind of made assumptions. If you are a shooter and/or a 2nd amendment proponent then you know what it’s like deal with people who don’t understand what it means to be a shooter or a 2nd amendment person. I also work in an environment where I can’t voice my personal opinions about things because there is a WIDE variety of people that I work with and around that would get the wrong idea and I’d be in HR every other day. I really like my job so that is a choice I make. Before I took the class I only told a small number of people where I was going. When I got back, people that I didn't tell were asking me about my class. I can’t remember the words they used, but I ended up having to down play it to them (IE non shooters) for various reasons. Again, that is a choice I make because I really like my job.
I learned pretty quickly into the class that my holster was not what I needed for this class. I carry concealed regularly and I love my White Hat Holster, but that isn’t what I took because I didn’t want to shoot 1200 rounds out of a M&P Shield. I used my Glock 19 with a 5.11 thumb drive holster. I’ve since changed it out for a G Code holster which is great. Active retention holsters are a pain when shooting that much. They had a rep (Jose) from G Code there at the class shooting with us and he had a bunch of demo equipment to look at and use. I didn’t get a chance to use any of it, but others did and others already had G Code stuff and I’m now very glad that I changed. I had some blade tech mag holders that worked well, but I’ve also added some HSGI gear as well. They had a nice little care package for each shooter that included a bunch of stickers and patches along with a HSGI pistol taco and a VertX hat.
The instructors were great. Dale from HSP and Brannon from NOLATAC were the two instructors. I can’t say enough good things about them. I’m not even going to attempt to list the good things. Just pay the money and take the class. I however can list the few negatives about the class. Keep in mind that I’m being picky when I list these as there was really nothing negative to say about the actual class at all. If I’m being critical I’d have to say that during some of the breaks when everyone was jamming mags, the stories seemed to get off on a tangent and wasted a little time. That’s me being critical, just trying to find a negative where there really isn’t one. Also, some of the lessons on the human eye and how it tracks objects were kind of pointless.
Daily breakdown:
These are my notes and may not make perfect sense to you. On paper it may not seem like a lot, but keep in mind two things- #1) It is a lot and #2)With the exception of day three I made these notes after the day was over instead of during the day, so I probably missed some stuff.
Day 1
fundamentals
balance - feet slightly offset, tip toes light on heel.
arms not locked out
palms on the grip, thumb placement, finger placement, high hand on back of grip
squeeze palms, not pushing and pulling
search and asses
drawing from holster - efficient, not tense, no wasted movement
reloads - admin, tac
three different ways to send the slide home - big boy rules, use what works. The notion that you can’t hit the slide stop/release under stress is BS
hoarse drill
dummy drill
gear talk
Day 2
start off with one inch dot drill
row one normal, row two focus on sight, row three focus on target, row three focus on trigger
trigger reset, trigger reset drills
times shots, one second apart, half second apart, quarter second apart
timed draw and shoot two
timed shoot and admin reload
malfunctions
kneeling from ready, kneeling from draw at approx ten yards
prone shooting on both shoulders. two different ways to go down. supported and non supported
legal stuff, gun mods etc
Day 3
CET assessment (stop slapping the trigger)
Empty mag drill
movement - left and right
look, then aim and draw
turning drills - working on reaction
get off the X - forward and back with draw. draw during and draw after movement
steel drill - shoot one, emergency reload while running to second cone and shoot. two good hits
induce stress
three target drill - bend at knees. keep upper body square
moving during shooting. try to keep upper body smooth.
barricade shooting - most of the time you will put your outside knee down, but not always.
should not expose yourself. they should see gun first./presentation use inside leg as
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