This past week I attended Paul Howe’s Tactical Pistol Instructor course in Nacogdoches, Texas. I attended the 2 day Tac Pistol last winter along with Debo and Blacksheep. This time I was going for the 6 day instructor class that would culminate with assisting Paul in running the 2 day class. I had extremely high expectations going into the week and I can relay that the experience greatly exceeded my expectations.
Paul is currently expanding his CSAT operation by adding instructors to the fold and developing the range facility. Of those I know, he has added Steve Claggett (formerly Dallas SWAT) and Eric Corley to the permanent instructor cadre. This will allow for an expanded schedule and allow Paul to focus more attention on training development and other things. Paul will continue to teach and be involved in most of the classes. He has also made great improvements to the facility since the last time I was there in June. The lodge is complete with bunks, showers, washer/dryer, classroom, workout area, etc. You gotta love the “breakfast bar” replete with climbing ropes, rings and kettlebells.
There were 6 students in the instructor course. We came from varied backgrounds: 2 very squared away LE tac team members from Midland, a local LEO, an ex-mil/ex-LEO commercial helicopter pilot and myself. Additionally John Holschen, a well regarded professional instructor in his own right, was a student in this class. John has a Special Forces background and has extensive overseas PSD experience. He has previously worked as an instructor with Insights and has a very broad instructing background. John was a great asset to the group. I have a great deal of respect for all members of our group and was able to learn something from everyone. I think everyone felt that way by the end of the week. It was an honor and a privilege to work with these guys and I feel as if I made some very good friends.
The purpose of Paul’s Tactical Pistol course is to give the individual a shooting system that can be trained and applied across tactical situations and contexts. The objective is to develop a shooting system that will work on where ever your battlefield may be, whether civilian concealed carry, LE, military or overseas contract work. The emphasis is on fundamentals and uncompromised safety, discrimination and accuracy.
The shooting system is developed and refined by very close attention to fundamentals. It revolves around a set of drills and standards that will provide a foundation for nearly any shooting scenario on the battlefield. Master these skills and the rest will fall into place. This is the basis of the 2 day Tac Pistol class. The instructor class is designed to develop instructors that can deliver the 2 day course on their own. Many of the instructor-students go back to teach this material to their departments or units.
Day 1
Introductions and objectives. We spent a short amount of time in the classroom discussing the “shooting plan”: stance, natural point of aim, weight distribution, arm lock, grip, sight picture/alignment, trigger control and “follow through and cover.” The latter gets great emphasis throughout the course. You must be in the practice of an EFFECTIVE follow through and cover with every time you pull the trigger, in dry or live fire. This should be engrained.
Then we went to the range for dry and live fire. The critical importance of dry fire is emphasized throughout the week. We started with some diagnostics on pasties and lines at 7 yards. We spent the rest of the day on the range going through the 10 drills that compose the standards. We discussed each in detail while developing an understanding of where each critical skill fits into the grand scheme. Near the end of the day we videotaped each of us doing a series of drills. We would analyze the tape as a group the following day. We finished out the day with shooting the standards for score. In order to complete the course, each instructor-candidate must pass 8 out of 10 of the standards in one course of fire.
Day 2
We started out watching our video from the day before. This is an extremely valuable diagnostic tool. We followed with shooting the standards cold. We then moved on to shooting from cover and working the barricades.
One of the best features of the class was that as individual students passed the standards they would move into a coaching and admin mode. They would begin running the line and would be given more responsibility for planning and leading each evolution.
In the afternoon we did a series of diagnostic drills for trouble shooting and identifying areas for improvement with the individual shooter. We continued remedial work with the standard drills and shot the standards on shirts. Shooting IPSC targets covered with shirts will help teach you quartering and to rely less on the visual references provided by the paper target. Bad guys don’t have an A zone marked on their chest. Shooting shirts can be an eye-opener.
Day 3 and 4
In the first 2 days we basically went through an intensified version of the 2 day class with greater attention to the theory and rationale for each lesson block. In days 3 and 4 we continued to shoot the standards with additional attention to the drills that were problem areas. As a group we fine tuned and diagnosed. This was an invaluable experience.
We spent time on the car range for individual and team movement drills. In addition to continued emphasis on accuracy, these drills develop 3 dimensional awareness, use of cover/concealment, communication and coordinated movement. Good times.
We also began to prepare for the weekend course. We assigned lesson blocks to be led by the instructor-candidates. We rehearsed as a group and individually on our own time. We may have been leading a particular block, but Paul holds the instructor-candidate to a very high standard and we were responsible for delivering a high quality production.
While we continued to get plenty of trigger time, the emphasis had shifted to developing instructors. We used our fellow students as models for problem shooters with attention to diagnosing and correcting problems with technique, gear, etc.
Day 5 and 6
Showtime. The class went really well and the students really seemed to be enjoying themselves. The nature of this class is that ANY shooter, regardless of skill, is going to learn something about themselves and walk away with a system and plan for their further development. There was a wide range of experience and skill in the group, everyone from brand new shooters to some real gun slingers. There were civilians, LEO and military present.
It was really amazing to watch the progression of the students over the weekend. The benefit of having instructor-candidates is the low instructor to student ratio. Each of us had 3-4 students that we hung with through the 2 days. This affords great continuity over the 2 day class. It is a great learning opportunity on both ends. You can learn so much just by helping others to do the same. It was really gratifying to see your students improve and leave better shooters, knowing that you had some hand in their development.
Throughout the weekend the instructor-candidates face pretty close scrutiny from Paul, as one should expect. We would huddle after each block and discuss what went well and what could’ve been improved. Paul was overseeing all blocks, so he could add to or clarify anything that needed it.
This was a great exercise in planning, coordination and teamwork. It is an opportunity to develop skills as a leader and an educator.
Reflections
The beauty of this shooting plan is its simplicity. Focus on the fundamentals and train them until you can deliver them… on demand… every time.
Accuracy is everything. Some systems out there will make allowances for compromise here. When there may be innocents in your background there is NO room for compromise. It is amazing how LITTLE time it takes to pick up your front sight and make good hits from a ready position. There is no good reason not to use your sights. To steal from Plaxco: You must learn what is an acceptable sight picture and trigger control for the shot required.
This is my own personal conjecture, but I think Paul’s insistence on accuracy and discrimination comes from his specific special ops background. His Unit’s mission would often call for surgical action, operating in danger close proximity to buddies and innocents. In that setting every round is accountable. Every law enforcement officer and civilian should have the same mentality. A gun fight with innocent people around is not a volume of fire scenario. You should train to deal with any threat with optimal efficiency and the least possible risk to innocents in your background.
Gear
I ran my Glock 19 and went through about 1700 rounds of Blazer brass/aluminum. I purposefully didn’t clean my 19 before I came and didn’t clean it all week. No malfunctions or ammo related issues. Everyone should own several Glocks.
One instructor-candidate was ready to trash his Kimber after the first day. He went through an HK before finally settling on a Glock 19.
All instructor-candidates and Paul were running Glocks.
I used a CTAC OWB holster. Very nice holster and worked well.
Conclusions
This was a great class. I highly recommend both the 2 day and 6 day instructor courses. ANY shooter will benefit greatly from the class. Rank beginners made great leaps in 2 days. There were some real gunslingers in the class and they learned things about themselves that will make them even better.
The facilities are top notch and the bunks are a real bargain.
Paul is putting together a great team. Eric Corley assisted with our class and he was a great asset. He is a great shooter and instructor.
The schedules are up at www.combatshootingandtactics.com . I’m going to try to return for the Tactical Rifle class in May. I would do this same instructor course again in the fall if I can get away from work.
I know there is much more that I’m forgetting. It’s late and I’m tired. I’ll put up more later.
I'll put up some pictures later.
Paul is currently expanding his CSAT operation by adding instructors to the fold and developing the range facility. Of those I know, he has added Steve Claggett (formerly Dallas SWAT) and Eric Corley to the permanent instructor cadre. This will allow for an expanded schedule and allow Paul to focus more attention on training development and other things. Paul will continue to teach and be involved in most of the classes. He has also made great improvements to the facility since the last time I was there in June. The lodge is complete with bunks, showers, washer/dryer, classroom, workout area, etc. You gotta love the “breakfast bar” replete with climbing ropes, rings and kettlebells.
There were 6 students in the instructor course. We came from varied backgrounds: 2 very squared away LE tac team members from Midland, a local LEO, an ex-mil/ex-LEO commercial helicopter pilot and myself. Additionally John Holschen, a well regarded professional instructor in his own right, was a student in this class. John has a Special Forces background and has extensive overseas PSD experience. He has previously worked as an instructor with Insights and has a very broad instructing background. John was a great asset to the group. I have a great deal of respect for all members of our group and was able to learn something from everyone. I think everyone felt that way by the end of the week. It was an honor and a privilege to work with these guys and I feel as if I made some very good friends.
The purpose of Paul’s Tactical Pistol course is to give the individual a shooting system that can be trained and applied across tactical situations and contexts. The objective is to develop a shooting system that will work on where ever your battlefield may be, whether civilian concealed carry, LE, military or overseas contract work. The emphasis is on fundamentals and uncompromised safety, discrimination and accuracy.
The shooting system is developed and refined by very close attention to fundamentals. It revolves around a set of drills and standards that will provide a foundation for nearly any shooting scenario on the battlefield. Master these skills and the rest will fall into place. This is the basis of the 2 day Tac Pistol class. The instructor class is designed to develop instructors that can deliver the 2 day course on their own. Many of the instructor-students go back to teach this material to their departments or units.
Day 1
Introductions and objectives. We spent a short amount of time in the classroom discussing the “shooting plan”: stance, natural point of aim, weight distribution, arm lock, grip, sight picture/alignment, trigger control and “follow through and cover.” The latter gets great emphasis throughout the course. You must be in the practice of an EFFECTIVE follow through and cover with every time you pull the trigger, in dry or live fire. This should be engrained.
Then we went to the range for dry and live fire. The critical importance of dry fire is emphasized throughout the week. We started with some diagnostics on pasties and lines at 7 yards. We spent the rest of the day on the range going through the 10 drills that compose the standards. We discussed each in detail while developing an understanding of where each critical skill fits into the grand scheme. Near the end of the day we videotaped each of us doing a series of drills. We would analyze the tape as a group the following day. We finished out the day with shooting the standards for score. In order to complete the course, each instructor-candidate must pass 8 out of 10 of the standards in one course of fire.
Day 2
We started out watching our video from the day before. This is an extremely valuable diagnostic tool. We followed with shooting the standards cold. We then moved on to shooting from cover and working the barricades.
One of the best features of the class was that as individual students passed the standards they would move into a coaching and admin mode. They would begin running the line and would be given more responsibility for planning and leading each evolution.
In the afternoon we did a series of diagnostic drills for trouble shooting and identifying areas for improvement with the individual shooter. We continued remedial work with the standard drills and shot the standards on shirts. Shooting IPSC targets covered with shirts will help teach you quartering and to rely less on the visual references provided by the paper target. Bad guys don’t have an A zone marked on their chest. Shooting shirts can be an eye-opener.
Day 3 and 4
In the first 2 days we basically went through an intensified version of the 2 day class with greater attention to the theory and rationale for each lesson block. In days 3 and 4 we continued to shoot the standards with additional attention to the drills that were problem areas. As a group we fine tuned and diagnosed. This was an invaluable experience.
We spent time on the car range for individual and team movement drills. In addition to continued emphasis on accuracy, these drills develop 3 dimensional awareness, use of cover/concealment, communication and coordinated movement. Good times.
We also began to prepare for the weekend course. We assigned lesson blocks to be led by the instructor-candidates. We rehearsed as a group and individually on our own time. We may have been leading a particular block, but Paul holds the instructor-candidate to a very high standard and we were responsible for delivering a high quality production.
While we continued to get plenty of trigger time, the emphasis had shifted to developing instructors. We used our fellow students as models for problem shooters with attention to diagnosing and correcting problems with technique, gear, etc.
Day 5 and 6
Showtime. The class went really well and the students really seemed to be enjoying themselves. The nature of this class is that ANY shooter, regardless of skill, is going to learn something about themselves and walk away with a system and plan for their further development. There was a wide range of experience and skill in the group, everyone from brand new shooters to some real gun slingers. There were civilians, LEO and military present.
It was really amazing to watch the progression of the students over the weekend. The benefit of having instructor-candidates is the low instructor to student ratio. Each of us had 3-4 students that we hung with through the 2 days. This affords great continuity over the 2 day class. It is a great learning opportunity on both ends. You can learn so much just by helping others to do the same. It was really gratifying to see your students improve and leave better shooters, knowing that you had some hand in their development.
Throughout the weekend the instructor-candidates face pretty close scrutiny from Paul, as one should expect. We would huddle after each block and discuss what went well and what could’ve been improved. Paul was overseeing all blocks, so he could add to or clarify anything that needed it.
This was a great exercise in planning, coordination and teamwork. It is an opportunity to develop skills as a leader and an educator.
Reflections
The beauty of this shooting plan is its simplicity. Focus on the fundamentals and train them until you can deliver them… on demand… every time.
Accuracy is everything. Some systems out there will make allowances for compromise here. When there may be innocents in your background there is NO room for compromise. It is amazing how LITTLE time it takes to pick up your front sight and make good hits from a ready position. There is no good reason not to use your sights. To steal from Plaxco: You must learn what is an acceptable sight picture and trigger control for the shot required.
This is my own personal conjecture, but I think Paul’s insistence on accuracy and discrimination comes from his specific special ops background. His Unit’s mission would often call for surgical action, operating in danger close proximity to buddies and innocents. In that setting every round is accountable. Every law enforcement officer and civilian should have the same mentality. A gun fight with innocent people around is not a volume of fire scenario. You should train to deal with any threat with optimal efficiency and the least possible risk to innocents in your background.
Gear
I ran my Glock 19 and went through about 1700 rounds of Blazer brass/aluminum. I purposefully didn’t clean my 19 before I came and didn’t clean it all week. No malfunctions or ammo related issues. Everyone should own several Glocks.
One instructor-candidate was ready to trash his Kimber after the first day. He went through an HK before finally settling on a Glock 19.
All instructor-candidates and Paul were running Glocks.
I used a CTAC OWB holster. Very nice holster and worked well.
Conclusions
This was a great class. I highly recommend both the 2 day and 6 day instructor courses. ANY shooter will benefit greatly from the class. Rank beginners made great leaps in 2 days. There were some real gunslingers in the class and they learned things about themselves that will make them even better.
The facilities are top notch and the bunks are a real bargain.
Paul is putting together a great team. Eric Corley assisted with our class and he was a great asset. He is a great shooter and instructor.
The schedules are up at www.combatshootingandtactics.com . I’m going to try to return for the Tactical Rifle class in May. I would do this same instructor course again in the fall if I can get away from work.
I know there is much more that I’m forgetting. It’s late and I’m tired. I’ll put up more later.
I'll put up some pictures later.
High Ready Doc!