Taking Classes

[O.C.]

Has anyone ever gone to take a competitive pistol or carbine course? If so:
was it worth it
what equipment did you take
what equipment did you wish you had taken

I'm thinking about taking a class but being so close to DC, I would probably have to travel either West or South to catch a good class.

[sc281]

Reid Henrich's Valor Ridge is a good course. In tennessee.

His and Tactical Response in Camden TN. Some people don't like him because of youtube, but their fighting pistol and advanced fighting pistol classes were well worth it to me.

Sage Dynamics does really good training as well. I want to get to some of his night vision classes when/if I take the plunge on nods and their accoutrements.

[Jose]

Define competitive.

[GE]

I'm taking Tim Herron's 2-Day Practical Performance Class in Dallas in October.

Then I'm taking Chuck Pressburg's No Fail Pistol class in Phoenix in November.

[GE]

Has anyone ever gone to take a competitive pistol or carbine course? If so:
was it worth it
what equipment did you take
what equipment did you wish you had taken

I'm thinking about taking a class but being so close to DC, I would probably have to travel either West or South to catch a good class.

Most instructors will outline all of the "needed" equipment. Here's some good stuff:

• Electronic ear pro. Nothing worse than not being able to hear what the instructor is saying.
• Eye pro
• Water, snacks
• Reliable handgun/rifle, and a backup
• Reliable holster that is not a Blackhawk Serpa. A lot of instructors will simply not allow them in class. Depending on the class, they usually recommend that you bring the holster you normally conceal carry with.
• Sufficient # of spare mags, and a mag pouch.
• Enough ammo! Every instructor will tell you the round count for their class.
• Something to take notes with. It sucks trying to remember course material a year later.
• Rain gear. Rain happens. A lot. And it absolutely sucks having to shoot when you are soaked. You can get some Frogg Toggs for relatively cheap at Academy and the like.
• Sunscreen. Everyone regrets this by day 2.
• CAT or SOF T tourniquet that you can attach to your belt. You'd be surprised in the more entry level classes how few people think about any med gear.
• LTC. A lot of instructors make having an LTC a requisite, as it doubles as their background check and ensures you have a least *some* level of knowledge.

Make you sure you research about any instructor you want to train with. Just because they look cool, doesn't mean they're a good instructor. Try and find online AAR's of the class. Ask around from your buddies. Read the course description. ASK the instructor about the class if you are not sure if you're up to speed for the class. There's nothing worse than someone showing up to class with a gun that isn't zeroed and they have to wait an hour while the instructor works with you on this. Additionally, some classes sound cool, but they will only spend a couple hours of static line shooting and then it's time to drink from the firehouse. Not only will you not learn anything, you could be a danger to others. Several of us were at a class and one of the students was LE out of Austin. His skills were not up to par and he started to become a liability to others. He had to leave class early in Day 2 due to a family emergency, and we all breathed a sigh of relief that he was gone. Don't be that guy.

Myself and Jose have a pretty solid training background. By far from being experts, we can definitely give you some guidance if you have any questions.

[dsrtuckteezy]

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