What Priority Do You Place on Training?

[smince]

You have to account for ammo, travel, food, and hotel stay as well. A $400 class can turn into over $1000 in a hurry.

If you can find a like-minded training partner, splitting the travel costs can help out a good bit.

 

[Uteridge]

Camping is a great way to cut training costs. I am lucky to work with a number of other Marines that love to train so we pick a course, get seats, pile into one car, throw a cooler full of hotdogs, eggs, and Bacon in the back and drive from state park to state park camping all the way there and all the way back. You can do the training on the cheap if you want to.

 

[DAP90]

Just a quick update:

I got some training today. Well, sort of. I cheated a bit and didn’t take a class. Instead, I got some private instruction at the range I usually shoot at. He did it gratis because we were struggling and there was nobody else around to hold up. He offered to give us some pointers and my buddy and I thought, sure, why not?

It was 5-stand, not handgun, as was kind of the focus of this thread, but I shoot a lot more shotgun than handgun anyway.

Instead of just shooting rounds we spent some time practicing specific shots that troubled us. He’d explain how to shoot a given shot; where to look, where to start with the gun, how to follow through (or lead it), when to shoot, when not to shoot. He corrected a problem with my mount and lead. He’d stand behind us and after every miss he’d tell us where the shot went.

How’d it go you ask? Well, my score went from the 6 or 8 I normally shoot to a 10, 12 and 14. Not bad. Now, some of that is increasing familiarity with that particular game but he gave me some good tips and I definitely saw immediate improvement.

My buddy saw no improvement in scores but he was using a different shotgun than he normally shoots.

I asked about handgun classes. They offer the NRA Basic class and private instructors. I’m thinking about the private instructors. They charge $15 for 15 minutes. How does that rate?

The guy I worked with today recommended two instructors for pistol. He said they were all qualified but those two really know their stuff.

 

[9mmepiphany]

They charge $15 for 15 minutes. How does that rate?

That seems like an odd way to charge...in 15 minute blocks...but then I bet they make more than I do.

When I'm at my home range, I usually charge $50/hour with a two hour minimum, but you'll usually get more than two hours, closer to 2.5 hours...but I only charge for the two. If I have to travel out of town (within a couple of hours), it is $70/hour . Back when money wasn't as tight, $100/hour wasn't uncommon

 

[DAP90]

That seems like an odd way to charge...in 15 minute blocks...but then I bet they make more than I do.

It's a public outdoor range. I don't really know but they probably just pull an RO off another duty upon request. No special scheduling needed.

15 minute blocks means the RO can quickly get back to whatever they were doing before. Just a guess.

It's a fairly large range so they always have a bunch of people around.

 

[nccavediver]

by Uteridge:

I can't say for sure because I am not in the situation, and most of the shooters I know have been to at least one tactical shooting course, but I would guess that the main reason that shooters who carry a gun for CCW don't go to courses is because they never really expect to use their gun. To be honest the chances that someone will have to use their weapon in self defense is very small so it is easy for your average CCW holder to look in the mirror and say that they are better off with the gun than without the gun so they are already far enough ahead of the power curve for someone who doesn't live a particularly dangerous lifestyle. In essence, they odds are already in their favor, they have made the odds farther in their favor by carrying a gun in the first place, so why should shell out a bunch of money to go to a course that teaches something they will almost certainly never need to know. So they gamble with their life that it won't happen to them.

The other possibility is that the just don't know what they don't know. They go to the range, put pretty little holes on a man shaped target, and say to themselves "look I can take care of myself if the situation ever comes up;" then they go about their business. How many of us had no idea what we didn't know before we went to our first professional course? Even military and law enforcement training does not all cover the basics of personal defense. I have some skills that would help me in a civilian gunfight but I doubt that my squad patrolling tactics are going to be of much use. Most people think they already know what they need to know to defend themselves and they probably won't think anything differently until they either get into that situation and find themselves to not be adequately prepared or until they go to a course that shows them how little they really know.

Another possible issue is that some people look at the cost of a course and see that they could buy another gun, or two, with that money. Many people are just gun collectors that happen to carry guns or, they focus too much on the tool and not enough on the one wielding the tool. Like Cooper said, "Owning a handgun doesn't make you armed any more than owning a guitar makes you a musician." Most people buy themselves a Glock and think they are armed; then they look at going to LFI or Gunsite and think to themselves that with $1000 they would be better off getting two more Glocks, one in .40 and one in .45, to go with the 9mm they already have. What they end up with is 3 paperweights instead of 1 because they don't spend the time or money on training or ammo.

I have never taken a class. I would fall into all of the categories you described-you are spot on. Except instead of buying more guns I usually buy other things with my $. Cars, scuba and cave diving gear, motorcycles, boats, vacations, karate tuition and toys, etc. Anyways, I've never taken a course but I would like to. I want to have the most confidence as possible in a bad situation and I'm sure a course would help. I have been taking karate for 1.5 years and am already SO much more confident even without a gun. I can only assume training in how to use your weapon would be equivalent to the confidence I have gained from karate. Having confidence means you are prepared. That goes so far in a situation when milliseconds count. I know that as fact(I have been punched in the face a few times). I have not been shot, but I'm sure those who have understand. Fighting is fighting. No rules. It ain't pretty. I think I'll look into a class.

 

[Cop Bob]

High..
"The more you sweat in training, the less you bleed in combat..."

But practice does not make perfect... perfect practice makes perfect...
Practice as many drills and scenarios and you can, dry fire your way through them..

Learn to shoot, and I don't thumb in your belt one handed, thumb cocking every round...
I mean from the holster, instinctive, rapid, center mass..

But 1ST.. get the basics down pat.. you have to crawl and walk........ well...... before you run. work on grip, trigger pull, breathing, sight alignment. get to where you are comfortable with your current lever before you move to the next...

I cannot over state the value of a GOOD coach... and they are hard to find... there are alot of people who can shoot, but they can't teach... there are a lot of folks who can teach the very basics, but have never moved to the next level...

Excellent combat shooting is NOTHING more.......... than applied basics.... you are doing the exact same thing, just from different positions, and at different speeds.. even hitting accurately from the hip, if you have been taught right, your are getting the gun even with your center mass, and you may not realize it, but in your peripheral vision you areutilizing your sights to a degree. Proper grip and trigger control will control the vertical shot string.

It is all about practice... and it is my prayer, that we all shoot a million rounds, and never have to put one in a live target...

 

[WoodyTX]

I think a lot of CHLs feel that they can shoot well enough to get out of any situation. This may be a false security, but "The Armed Citizen" and similar reports are full of untrained but successful armed responses.

Me? I want to train; it's fun.

 

[jbradley]

Anyone know of any "good" instructors or classes around the Dallas/Ft Worth area?

Thanks

John

 

[Sam1911]

Texas (From our S&T list of schools and instructors: http://www.thehighroad.org/showthread.php?t=396584)

Argyle, TX - Denton County Sports Association, Inc. - http://www.dentoncountysports.com/

Arlington, TX - North Texas Tactical Training, LLC - http://www.northtexastactical.com/ (090822)

Austin, TX - Bransford, Ross and Dottie, CHL-Texas - http://chl-texas.com/ (090725)

Austin, TX - Double Eagle Firearms Training - http://deftraining.com/ (090830)

Bryan, TX - KR Training - http://www.krtraining.com/ (090901)

Cedar Park, TX - Gonzales, Jeff, Trident Concepts - http://www.tridentconcepts.com/index.aspx

Flower Mound, TX - D & L Training Academy LLC - http://www.mychl.com/ (090822)

Grand Prarie, TX - Hairston Handgun CHL & Firearms Training - http://www.hairstonhandgun.com/index.html (090823)

Mingus, TX - Davison, Bill, TacPro Shooting Center - http://www.tacproshootingcenter.com/ (090717)

Nacogdoches, TX - Howe, Paul, Combat Shooting And Tactics - http://www.combatshootingandtactics.com/ (980912)

San Antonio, TX - Wetmore Shooting Sports - http://www.wetmoreshootingsports.com/ (090822)

Terrell, TX - Gunplay USA - http://www.gunplay.us/ (090822)