[npolley]

I was thinking about taking a course for pistol improvement. I would like to take a tactical style course and/or competition course.

has anyone taken one of these courses and is it worth it. for example u.s. shooting academy or gunsite

i live in henderson, ky which is across the river from evansville, in would it be worth it to travel to one of these courses or are there any courses close to this area that are good?

any help would be greatly appreciated

thanks

[Revopop]

Not until spring, and it's not cheap, but this is as good a class as you'll find and it's right in your backyard.

linky

[ima45dv8]

Tactical- or Competition-oriented training? I think that's a question only you can answer. Decide what your goal is; what you want to accomplish from the training.

If you're looking for instruction on how to win matches - competition training. If you're looking for tools to use to survive a seriously degraded social situation - tactical training.

[chirpy]

As stated, I would wait until next spring/summer. TDI in central Ohio has a good rep. (I know several intructors but am not on their payroll!) and is closer to you than the two you mentioned. That being said, I believe you should go on line and check their sites out to see what they say. I believe you can get whatever you want/need as far as training at either.

JMHOFWIW

Richard

[DUKE]

I have been to both types of training in question. As stated above figure out which training you want then go for it ,remember you can not absorb too much knowledge and keep an open mindset.

[maineshootah]

ima45dv8, on Sep 30 2009, 12:25 AM, said:

Tactical- or Competition-oriented training? I think that's a question only you can answer. Decide what your goal is; what you want to accomplish from the training.

If you're looking for instruction on how to win matches - competition training. If you're looking for tools to use to survive a seriously degraded social situation - tactical training.

+1 It really depends on what you are looking to get for instruction, while they use similar tools, they are two different animals.

[Graham Smith]

I have only been to one place so far (PFT), but I try and go there once a year and am going next month. The training is billed as defensive pistol and that's what it is, and it does cover stuff I don't really need in competition, but a lot of stuff is useful. Here is what I get the most out of:

Malfunction drills are covered in depth - which is really of use when you need it.
Shooting on the move.
Engaging multiple targets.
Shooting from cover.
Shooting off axis.
Shooting squatting, kneeling, prone.
Moving targets.
etc.

Basically, it gets you out on the range for 2-3 days putting a lot of rounds (1000 - 1500) down range. The facilities are not at all fancy, but the cost is reasonable and the instructors are very good. The only limitation is that they don't do a lot of civilian training and split their time between WV and MT, which means there are only one or two chances a year for me to choose from.

This post has been edited by Graham Smith: 30 September 2009 - 06:01 AM

[kevin c]

I've taken both types. Each is good for advancing the skills needed for the application intended, but I would say, beyond basic gun handling techniques, that they don't translate across directly. Pick to one (or both) type of training depending on what you want to improve - tactical or competition skills.

Also, you get out what you put in - not just the money, ammo and time over that weekend, but in an improved, better directed training program afterwards. I took several courses, but really didn't practice or apply much of what I learned. My progress was, consequently, sort of marginal.

[npolley]

well i put both on there just for post purposes. i really want to learn the tactical training first and then get more competitive with things. do you all have any recommendations on tactical handgun training like whos the best, whos the worst or just good places to go.

also where are the best places to go for competitive shooting training?

i do want to get into the competitive side of things which will probably be sooner than later. i think there is a shoot by me on oct 14 which will be my first taste of things.

i want to learn as much as possible so let me know what info youve got for me

thanks

[ima45dv8]

npolley,

Here's a link to a recent thread that covered that exact topic. Also try the search function. Tons of info available.
http://www.brianenos...ctical+training

[MarkCO]

npolley, on Sep 30 2009, 03:48 PM, said:

well i put both on there just for post purposes. i really want to learn the tactical training first and then get more competitive with things. do you all have any recommendations on tactical handgun training like whos the best, whos the worst or just good places to go.

also where are the best places to go for competitive shooting training?

i do want to get into the competitive side of things which will probably be sooner than later. i think there is a shoot by me on oct 14 which will be my first taste of things.

i want to learn as much as possible so let me know what info youve got for me

thanks

Wow, what a question! I was a "tactical" trainer for years, and I competed, still do. I do not teach tactical courses anyomore except some advanced weapons for Law Enforcement and friends. In some respect, shooting 3 or 4 IDPA/USPSA matches will teach you more than any 1 or 2 day class. When you shoot 500 rounds in ANY class, you will improve some, but it is short lived. I also took classes from some of the "big" name "tactical" trainers, and frankly most of them were pretty bad. Teaching "tactical" training on a square range has a poor transfer to "tactical" and most of them would not be able to plan their way out of a paper bag, must less a lethal force encounter.

Now why have I put "tactical" in quotes? Because most people, including most trainers, have no clue what it means, and the definitions are all over the board. Adding "tactical" to a name means you can charge more money because people will buy it. I had a Airborne Ranger with a lot of missions and combat experience as a student in one of my classes. He KNEW how to shoot, so I challenged him by saying he shoud be teaching. He answered that he knew how to seek and destroy any enemy of America, in any environment, at any time, just needed a ride to get there. But, he had no idea how to think and act and defend in civilized society. He was in fact a phenominal military tactician ("tactical") and became the teacher to me due to this insight. Let's be real, there are several forms. IF you are a civilian, you need different training than military, which is different from Law Enforcement. If you want Military, I hear the Marines, Navy, Army and even the Air Force teach some pretty good military "tactical" stuff. There are also Police Academies across the US that teach "tactical LE stuff. While the weapons and shooting might cross over, the tactics, mindset, planning, and legal implications are different. Tactical training to civilians, in a large sense, is selling the Kool-aid. The primary goal of most is making money and there are a ton of fakes out there. They can sell the Kool-aid, but you can not, in most cases, verify the voracity of their claims, training or tactics. You have to find a tactical trainer who is himself a student, teaches planning and the mental aspects as well pistolcraft. Make sure you get a good shooting skills test that stresses movement, cover, concealment, low light and close contact. And not last, because there never is a last in this arena, get a trainer who is a large proponent of Force-on-Force and includes it in the training. I'll never go to a Doctor who read a book on how to be a surgeon because that is foolishly betting your life...How is "tactial" training any less important?

Competition shooting, by its very nature is simpler. Find a guy who is articulate, has a good rep, and posts decent (not always winning necessarily) match scores in big matches and you have a good trainer.