2009 Rangemaster Tactical Conference AARs

[Fred Fuller]

Background information:

http://www.rangemaster.com/2009_RM_Tactical_Conference_Packet.pdf
============================


From Rob Pincus ( http://www.downrange.tv/blog/?p=55 ):

Rob Pincus
About the Author
Rob Pincus is a professional trainer, author and consultant. He and his staff at I.C.E. Training Company provide services to military, law enforcement, private security and students interested in self-defense.
Rangemaster Tactical Conference, 2009.
By Rob Pincus on Sunday, May 17, 2009
Filed Under: Events, Rob Pincus, The Best Defense

For over a decade, Tom Givens and his Rangemaster staff have run what is one of the greatest training and networking events in the United States. This was one of the events that occurred while the blog was down, but I definitely wanted to share it with all of you readers. The event is always outstanding, but this years Rangemaster Tactical Conference was a significant change from previous events, however, as it was moved from Memphis to an outside location for the first time ever!

USSA Instructor Mike Brown teaching during the conference.

If you’re going to take a highly successful event and move it after 10 years, you’ve got to have a good reason. If that move is a couple states away and involves leaving your own home town (and taking a large number of support staff with you!), it’s got to be a really good reason. The US Shooting Academy facility offered that reason and Tom jumped at the opportunity to place his event at this outstanding facility. USSA is a relatively young facility located in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

Director of Operations, Mike Seeklander, and his entire staff did an outstanding job of supporting the event, which was attended by about 150 people. Those attendees had the opportunity to work with a diverse group of instructors including Mas Ayoob, Marty Hayes, Craig Douglas, John Farnam, Mike Brown, Paul Gomez, John Hearne and several others. The course covered everything from live fire pistol and shotgun topics to instructor liability and managing unknown contacts.

On the first day of the event, I taught a Combat Focus Shooting fundamentals session with Paul White (360 Tactical) that had about 30 attendees. We invited those who could to stay after the initial 2 hours and still had a dozen students at the range about 4 hours after we began. Paul ran the second session on the following day on his own, as I had to fly out.

Instructor Paul White watches students practice the fundamentals during our CFS session.

Reading reports around the internet over the past couple of weeks, everyone who attended seemed to really get the incredible value of the event, which only costs $150 to attend, including all the training sessions you could cram in! Of course, some people really enjoyed the competition as well… did I mention that there was a competition? In the background of the training conference, Tom hosts a tactical match that tests skills in a variety of stages. This year’s event took full advantage of the sprawling USSA campus, including the 360 degree shoot house. As many of you know,

The combination of objective rules and subjective tactics is always an interesting mix at defensive shooting competitions!

I’m not much into competition shooting, but when good friend and former course host Jeff Tinsley found me on the first morning to let me know that we had been squadded together and that he would loan me all the gear I needed, I just couldn’t say “no” to a couple of stages. Turns out that the squad was a great bunch of guys, also including reknown gun writer Keith Pridgen! The two stages that we were assigned on the first morning were a “standards” stage which tested our pistol ability from a variety of distances and positions (including some less plausibly defensive ones) and another in which we had to rescue a downed baby from multiple attackers in a crowded parking lot…. really. The first stage offered some great photo ops and some reminders about the need for more practice shooting prone from 25 yards (or so) with a pistol if I want to get good at it. The second one was much more fun. One competitor shot before picking up the baby and another put the baby in the wrong spot behind the truck tire. In competition world, these things are obviously wrong, so they got points deducted… the guy who laid across the hood and shot with his elbows bent at poppers 15 feet away while looking like Elmer Keith shooting .44 magnum pistols at 400 yards didn’t get any penalties though… why don’t I go to more competitions so that I can understand these things? My solution: This is for FUN guys… that’s it… just enjoy it! I locked the baby in the truck before engaging the last targets. Not the best for my score, but it was entertaining and didn’t violate any of the “rules”.

We did not win... but we had a good time!
As far as I am concerned, the Rangemaster Tactical Conference is one of the most fun training events in existence because of the people. It really is a great mix of attendees who are interested in learning and enjoying themselves and instructors who take their topics very seriously, but themselves not as much. The diverse group of instructors even all managed to sit at one dinner table together on Saturday night at an annual event that Tom and his wife host as a “thank you” to us for teaching. It didn’t matter what our backgrounds, preferred ready position or favorite pistol type was, everyone enjoyed the company and agreed that Tom gives us all a great opportunity to meet new students and compare notes in a relaxed and professional atmosphere.

The Instructors, Rangemaster Tactical Conference, 2009.

Thanks to Tom and his staff for a great weekend. If you have the time, I strongly encourage you to consider attending the 2010 event!

-RJP

 

[Fred Fuller]

- from Paul Gomez, http://www.bayoushooter.com/forums/showthread.php?p=237284#post237284

RangeMaster's Polite Society/ Tactical Conference 2009

Over the last ten years, Tom Givens has put together the 'must attend' event in the training community. The Polite Society Tactical Conference began as the RangeMaster IDPA Winter Invitational in 1996 and evolved into the Tactical Conference in 1999. Starting in 1999, Tom began coordinating a large number of trainers who gave of their time to journey to Memphis and offer short blocks of training around the shooting competition. Two years ago, the event shifted to the Memphis Police Department Firearms Training Unit and, for 2009, the event shifted to the best venue yet...the US Shooting Academy in Tulsa, Oklahoma.

This year the competition was divided into two phases, one conducted on the outdoor range and another conducted in a shoot house. Additionally, there was a Back Up Gun side match conducted on each day.

Seventeen trainers offered lecture and/or hands-on blocks running the gamut from Immediate Trauma Management to Combat Focus Shooting. Some of the grand, old men this year included Massad Ayoob, Skip Gochenour and John Farnam. Of course, Steve Moses, Marty Hayes and Rob Pincus were present and, perhaps less well-known, but very competent trainers; Hany Mahmoud, William Aprill, John Hearne, Will Andrews and Glenn Meyer also offered blocks to the approximately 150 attendees. As has become the norm for this gathering, Karl Rehn, offered Force-on-Force scenario training utilizing airsoft guns each day.

As this event has grown, it is impossible for one person to attend every presentation. My first block on Saturday morning was occupied with presenting on the Need for Medical Training for People that Carry Guns/Immediate Trauma Management. I discussed an abbreviated version of the TC3 medical model with the express purpose of 'extending the Platinum 10 minutes to allow the injured party entry into the EMS system'.

From 1000 to 1200 I attended Massad Ayoob's 'Shooting Incidents, Aftermath Management'. Mas is always entertaining and informative. This was no different. Using a series of court cases to emphasize each point, Ayoob offered a simple protocol for post event interactions with authorities.

Mike Seeklander's module was initially billed as 'Grounded/Wounded Shooter Drills' but, more explicitly, it focused on one hand gun manipulations, both right and left handed. Mike is an USPSA/IPSC Grand Master class shooter, as well as having spent more than ten years as working cop and having extensive experience with the Federal Air Marshall program. He is currently the Operations Manager for the US Shooting Academy. This class was very well thought out and executed. I had already developed rather high expectations for USSA prior to being exposed to Mike's block and I was not disappointed. I am looking at making my way back to USSA this year for more in-depth study.

For those not familiar with William Aprill, you are missing out. William offered a presentation entitled 'Violent Actors, Violent Acts, a Conceptual Overview' that was truly outstanding. He provided the attendees with an understanding of a number of psychological theories pertaining to violent criminals & their behavior and explained the best, current theory and the implications as it applies to our behaviors in complex, confusing environments. This was my favorite presentation of the weekend.

My last block for Saturday was John Farnam's wide ranging discussion ostensibly entitled 'Urban Rifle, the AR & its Alternatives'. In all of human history, there has never been a recorded instance of John staying on a single topic and this was no exception! Listening to John is an always worthwhile endeavor and this was no exception. He is one of the last of the first generation trainers and time spent with him is never wasted.

No comments pertaining to Saturday night will be included to protect the guilty.

I spent the first block on Sunday morning visiting with friends and getting a look around the facility. I attended Glenn Meyer's presentation on Modern Psychology and Firearms Usage at 1000. Glenn and I first met during an injured shooter course in 1999. Glenn showed up with a broken arm, broken leg and a couple of broken ribs...he always was an over achiever. His lecture covered a wide range of topics dealing with everything from some classic experiments and findings through some of the research that he was directly involved in regarding jury perceptions in 'lethal force' cases.

SouthNarc offered his block on Managing Unknown Contacts. This was taught from 0800 to 1000 each day with Mike Brown's Fighting & Weapon Access in the Clinch immediately following from 1000 to 1200. Anyone who has not taken advantage of these blocks being offered in this format is truly missing out on some absolutely vital knowledge and skills.

John Hearne's presentation on the Newhall Incident and its Training Implications has continued to evolve and is truly eye-opening. Viewing of this presentation and Tom Givens Miami Massacre Analysis ought to be considered mandatory for anyone involved in training or who carries a gun.

A quick rundown of stuff that I did not get to witness:

Marty Hayes offered a classroom presentation on 'Reducing Firearms Instructor Liability'. It was very well received by those who did get to attend, unfortunately, I didn't get in on this one.

Skip Gochenour spoke on Criminal Behavior. Skip is a wealth of information and I always enjoy listening to him. Between running the National Tactical Invitational and his 'day job', there is no one quite like Skip.

Will Andrews covered Shooting On the Move but the timing coincided with my attending Ayoob's lecture.

Steve Moses offered a live fire block on the AK47 as a Battlefield Pickup Weapon.

TJ Pillings did a live fire shotgun block.

Rob Pincus offered a block on Combat Focus Shooting.

The RangeMaster Polite Society Tactical Conference has grown each year. What began as a fun time has grown into the best value for time and money invested in the training community. My hat is off to Tom Givens for sticking with this thing, his staff for busting their [collective] ass to make this thing what it has become, to USSA for offering their wonderful facility, to all the trainers who devote their time and energy and to all those who show up and make the Polite Society Tactical Conference event the event.

- audio interview with Pail Gomez re. training with the AR and the AK: http://www.downrange.tv/radio/108.htm

 

[Fred Fuller]

- from John Farnam - http://www.defense-training.com/quips/26Apr09.html

Polite Society, 2009

26 Apr 09 Polite Society Event, 2009: I'm down here in Tulsa, OK where the 2009 "Polite Society" Event has just been completed. Tom Givens, of Rangemaster in Memphis, TN, once again put on a wonderful learning program. This year, instead of in Memphis, the Event was held in Tulsa and hosted by the expansive USSA Range Complex. It is the biggest, and most well laid-out series of ranges I've ever trained on! The Conference consisted of a series of classes, taught by Mas Ayoob, Skip Gochenour, Bill April, John Hearn, several others, and me. The shooting events were a live-fire shoot-house, and several "standard" exercises. The shoot-house was the main event, and we all found it challenging and a significant learning experience. You find yourself in the lobby of a luxury hotel, when a Mumbai-style commences. Since the entrance through which you came is blocked, you are compelled to make your way through darkened hallways to the back exit. On the way, you encounter many bystanders and a few terrorists. Halfway through the exercise, a bomb goes off which nearly knocked me on my fanny! Targets, dressed mannequins, were armed with AKs and RPGs. Bystanders, also dressed mannequins, were attired from high-style to low-style, but did not appear to represent a threat. Ranges were two to eight meters, and all shooting was in poor light. When struck, targets collapsed. I shot the event with my SIG/250 (9mm) and my Kahr PM45 as a backup. Both pistols were loaded with Cor-Bon DPX, high-performance ammunition. You had to move quickly through the maze of rooms and hallways, but not so quickly that you failed to take notice of threats. Again, you have to concentrate when shooting, but diffuse the rest of the time, keeping your head up and moving. I ran out of ammunition for my SIG and had to default to my BUG. Both guns ran fine. I thought about using my flashlight, but there was no time. I had to move, and move fast! Some targets required multiple hits, and some were holding hostages and had to be hit in the brainstem. It was an intense and exhausting exercise! Lessons confirmed: (1) There is no substitute for competent gun-handling and deadly-precision shooting. You can't afford to squander a limited supply of ammunition with careless shooting. You must be very adept at first-round hits! (2) You must keep moving! When they know where you are, and you stay there, you'll be quickly surrounded and finished off. You have to move gingerly, using available cover as best you can, and you must be decisive. Dithering, even for a second or two, is fatal! (3) Don't relax too soon! You don't get to know when it is "over." You must stay in the game and finish the fight. You don't get to unwind! Once again, Tom's devotion to this Event has made it a valuable learning experience for us all. Competent gunmen only need apply. Not to be missed! Get hold of Tom Givens at [email protected]_ (mailto:[email protected]) /John

 

[YammyMonkey]

This & the NTI are on my list for next year. My wife has already scheuled time off work for the NTI.

 

[Fred Fuller]

That sort of event is as good as it gets- training and tests of training, in the same venue, over a long enough period of time (several days) to do some real good. I wish there was a regional network of such events all over the country on a regular basis, but they are awfully demanding of physical resources (they require good ranges, and dedicated teams of workers to pull off) as well is financial resources.

But I can dream, right??

lpl

 

[GEM]

It was a blast. I had a great time. I'll have a report on it also for a mag - let you know when it is available.

That and the NTI are really great test venues for yourself. I learned the most when I got 'killed'.

All the presentations were top notch. The only problem is that my picture on Mas and Rob's blog makes me look fat and old (which I am but you can dream).

You'd be surprise how the picking up the baby scenario can screw folks up. We did a similar save your sister run at the NTI one year. I incorporated it in an IDPA match and you should see folks get all discombobulated trying to manipulate their weapon and save the person.

You can see a picture of moi at www.rangemaster.com if you download the latest newsletter. I'm the old guy saving the baby.

The reactive targets are also a great idea - unless you get a good hit, they just look at you. Some folks

 

[TexasRifleman]

Been wanting to attend that. Sounds awesome.

 

[jay524288]

How difficult is it to get an invitation to the NTI? If you ask for one, do you generally get it?

 

[BullfrogKen]

How difficult is it to get an invitation to the NTI? If you ask for one, do you generally get it?

The process involves providing a resume of shooting experience of any formal training classes, competitive shooting involvement, or any occupation which required gun handling skills. The resume is evaluated, and if Skip determines the shooter has the skills to safely operate in a dynamic shooting environment the invitation is sent.

 

[Fred Fuller]

- from the June Rangemaster Newsletter:

http://www.rangemaster.com/ - see issue for pitures

Tactical Conference 2009, After Action Report

On April 24-26, Rangemaster conducted the annual Tactical Conference at the beautiful and spacious facilities of the United States Shooting Academy in Tulsa, OK. USSA has one of the largest and most modern shooting range complexes in the country, and it was a great venue for our event. About 150 defensive arts practitioners from all over the United States attended this year. We ran a
very tactically oriented match, and at the same time, 18 well known trainers conducted instructional blocks at various locations throughout the complex. Attendees were free to take part in as many of these two-hour training blocks as time permitted. The trainers and their topics included:

? Massad Ayoob, “Shooting Incidents, Managing the Aftermath”
? John Farnam, “Urban Rifle, the AR and its Alternatives”
? Rob Pincus and Paul White, “Combat Focus Shooting” (live fire)
? T.J. Pilling, “Defensive Shotgun” (live fire)
? Glenn Meyer, PhD, “Modern Psychology and Firearms Usage”
? John Hearne, “The Newhall Massacre and its Training Implications”
? Steve Moses, “The AK-47 as a Pick-Up Weapon”, (live fire)
? Southnarc, “Managing Unknown Contacts” (hands on)
? William Aprill, “Violent Actors, Violent Acts, an Overview”
? Marty Hayes, JD, “Reducing Firearms Instructor Liability”
? Karl Rehn, “Force on Force Scenarios with Airsoft Munitions” (live)
? Mike Brown, “Weapon Access in a Clinch”, (hands on)
? Skip Gochenour, “Criminal Psychology”
? Paul Gomez, “On Scene First-Aid for Traumatic Injuries”
? Hany Mahmoud, “Islamic Terror Groups”
? Will Andrews, “Shooting on the Move” (live fire)
? Mike Seeklander, “Wounded/Disabled Shooter Drills”, (live fire).

Attendees were treated to extensive live-fire, hands-on, and classroom training opportunities, in addition to an exciting live fire match program. The match consisted of a very realistic problem in the Shoot-House, with reactive, 3D mannequin targets, bystanders, movement through a structure, distraction devices (loud explosions) and other stressors. The outdoor stages included Standard Exercises, a classic Dozier Drill, and a stage in which the shooter had to rescue a toddler. The child rescue stage involved rapid movement, carrying a fat, heavy three-year old (a dummy), engaging targets en route to cover, and engaging threats from cover without hitting bystander targets in the line of
fire. Great stuff!

There were about 150 practitioners on hand, including our staff and the guest instructors. Many of the participants chose to attend more training blocks, rather than shoot the match, so only 91 shooters completed the match. Their scores are listed below. We also had a side match limited to
Back-Up Guns. The BUG match was slugged out by 29 competitors, with Hany Mahmoud taking First Place, Myrin Young in Second, and Massad Ayoob coming in Third.

Twenty members of the Rangemaster staff traveled to Tulsa to run this event, and they did an outstanding job. The staff set up and shot the match on Friday, then spent all day Saturday and Sunday running attendees through the various stages. The event closed on time and with no problems, despite threatening weather. The USSA staff was also highly professional and helpful, making our
job much easier. Our sincere thanks to all who worked this major event.

The 2010 conference will be back at USSA next Spring. Check www.rangemaster.com soon for
details.

PAGE 4 TACTICAL TALK VOLUME 13, ISSUE 6

 

[jay524288]

The process involves providing a resume of shooting experience of any formal training classes, competitive shooting involvement, or any occupation which required gun handling skills. The resume is evaluated, and if Skip determines the shooter has the skills to safely operate in a dynamic shooting environment the invitation is sent.

Thanks.