Never A Victim
Marksman
Low Light and Vehicle Force on Force-Mindset Laboratory-05/21/2016-05/22/2016
This is a review for Mindset Laboratory’s Low Light and Vehicle Force on Force courses taught on 05/21/2016 and 05/22/2016 in Indianapolis, IN. This course review will cover both classes since they were taught in consecutive days.
Mindset Laboratory is a unique training company. To say Mindset Laboratory is only a firearms training company would be partially incorrect. Mindset offers many Force on Force classes, but also offers classes on lock picking, improvised weapons, and flashlight combatives. Lead instructor and owner, Shay VanVlymen, has many years of teaching force on force not only with Mindset Laboratory, but also with Tactical Response.
Low Light Force on Force is based around making good shooting decisions in diminished lighting conditions. The concept might be simple to understand, but the reality of it is very complex. I have for the past year been carrying a handheld flashlight anytime I leave the house. This course very quickly taught me that having a light with me, and knowing when or how to use it were two different things. The day started off with a brief instruction of flashlight techniques and an introduction to night vision. I had taken several low light firearms courses in the past where 4-5 different light techniques were taught. Shay demonstrated the neck index and cross-neck index--the two techniques that would work in just about every situation where you needed to use your firearm and a light at the same time. I liked this simplified approach, rather than being taught many different ways to hold your light. The second half of the day included 4 scenarios. These scenarios (like other Mindset classes) aren’t just about shooting, but are also lessons in problem solving. I left at the end of the day with a new appreciation for my flashlight. There have been times where I forgot or even chose not to carry my light when I left the house. After this course that will never happen again. I now have a new appreciation for how valuable a flashlight can be, rather it be a shooting situation or just trying to find my way down a dark stairwell. To sum up this course it would be: everything is more difficult in the dark.
I returned for a second day to take Vehicle Force on Force. This course is built around how to effectively defend yourself in and around vehicles. I was pleasantly surprised to discover that shooting from inside of a vehicle is just part of the equation. Using vehicles for cover, deploying a handgun from inside of a vehicle, and figuring out where to store life-saving tools inside of your vehicle were discussed. In police work, managing violent encounters in and around your vehicle is a common training topic that is regularly trained at most departments, but Vehicle Force on Force took it to a completely different level. This course changed my thought process and priorities about how I interact with vehicles as it relates to my personal safety.
As I reflect on my two days of training with Mindset Laboratory, I am continually blown away by this training company. Every course I take with Mindset reveals a new layer of my self-defense plan that I need to improve. Each scenario taught me something and provoked my thoughts about how to make myself safer. I learned more in 16 hours with Mindset Laboratory about vehicle tactics and low light situations related to gun fighting, than I have in nearly a decade as a police officer. Over these two days I learned many valuable lessons: carry a handgun with acceptable magazine capacity--rounds go very fast in a violent encounter (especially in the dark); reloading one handed isn’t about being shot in your off-hand it could be as simple as needing to reload while holding a flashlight; blinding your attacker with your flashlight only makes it easier for you to shoot them; lesser-known holster options might have a valuable place while sitting or driving a vehicle; and that your seatbelt doesn’t need to be taken off in order to shoot from the driver’s seat. These specific lessons as well as other general theories of how to better defend yourself in low light or when you’re around a vehicle are all things that I will take away from these courses. Mindset Laboratory should be on your list of companies to train with. Take this course.
This is a review for Mindset Laboratory’s Low Light and Vehicle Force on Force courses taught on 05/21/2016 and 05/22/2016 in Indianapolis, IN. This course review will cover both classes since they were taught in consecutive days.
Mindset Laboratory is a unique training company. To say Mindset Laboratory is only a firearms training company would be partially incorrect. Mindset offers many Force on Force classes, but also offers classes on lock picking, improvised weapons, and flashlight combatives. Lead instructor and owner, Shay VanVlymen, has many years of teaching force on force not only with Mindset Laboratory, but also with Tactical Response.
Low Light Force on Force is based around making good shooting decisions in diminished lighting conditions. The concept might be simple to understand, but the reality of it is very complex. I have for the past year been carrying a handheld flashlight anytime I leave the house. This course very quickly taught me that having a light with me, and knowing when or how to use it were two different things. The day started off with a brief instruction of flashlight techniques and an introduction to night vision. I had taken several low light firearms courses in the past where 4-5 different light techniques were taught. Shay demonstrated the neck index and cross-neck index--the two techniques that would work in just about every situation where you needed to use your firearm and a light at the same time. I liked this simplified approach, rather than being taught many different ways to hold your light. The second half of the day included 4 scenarios. These scenarios (like other Mindset classes) aren’t just about shooting, but are also lessons in problem solving. I left at the end of the day with a new appreciation for my flashlight. There have been times where I forgot or even chose not to carry my light when I left the house. After this course that will never happen again. I now have a new appreciation for how valuable a flashlight can be, rather it be a shooting situation or just trying to find my way down a dark stairwell. To sum up this course it would be: everything is more difficult in the dark.
I returned for a second day to take Vehicle Force on Force. This course is built around how to effectively defend yourself in and around vehicles. I was pleasantly surprised to discover that shooting from inside of a vehicle is just part of the equation. Using vehicles for cover, deploying a handgun from inside of a vehicle, and figuring out where to store life-saving tools inside of your vehicle were discussed. In police work, managing violent encounters in and around your vehicle is a common training topic that is regularly trained at most departments, but Vehicle Force on Force took it to a completely different level. This course changed my thought process and priorities about how I interact with vehicles as it relates to my personal safety.
As I reflect on my two days of training with Mindset Laboratory, I am continually blown away by this training company. Every course I take with Mindset reveals a new layer of my self-defense plan that I need to improve. Each scenario taught me something and provoked my thoughts about how to make myself safer. I learned more in 16 hours with Mindset Laboratory about vehicle tactics and low light situations related to gun fighting, than I have in nearly a decade as a police officer. Over these two days I learned many valuable lessons: carry a handgun with acceptable magazine capacity--rounds go very fast in a violent encounter (especially in the dark); reloading one handed isn’t about being shot in your off-hand it could be as simple as needing to reload while holding a flashlight; blinding your attacker with your flashlight only makes it easier for you to shoot them; lesser-known holster options might have a valuable place while sitting or driving a vehicle; and that your seatbelt doesn’t need to be taken off in order to shoot from the driver’s seat. These specific lessons as well as other general theories of how to better defend yourself in low light or when you’re around a vehicle are all things that I will take away from these courses. Mindset Laboratory should be on your list of companies to train with. Take this course.
