jblomenberg16
Grandmaster
Tom Givens - Advanced Pistol AAR - Nappanee Indiana
Just wanted to post up a quick AAR from the Tom Givens class in Nappanee on June 28th. First, thanks to our hosts at the Nappanee Conservation club. They did a great job organizing and putting on the class, including snacks and lunch. It is a very nice range for a class of this type.
I've taken a handful of training classes up to this point from several reputable INGO trainers, and have seen my knowledge and skills increase substantially as a result. After a little prodding from member VERT, I decided to take this class. This was my first class with an instructor that has a more national reach. I had a solid foundation going in from the previous courses, and this built on that foundation nicely.
I won't spend a lot of time talking about the details, since as with any training course, going and hearing first hand is going to be the most beneficial for you. Tom's emphasis on tactics and techniques derived from careful study of over 300 shootings involving plain clothed individuals with a concealed handgun comes with proven credibility. My take aways from the instruction were:
One of the advantages of taking a course like this is that it also attracts high caliber students. I learned a lot from the guys and gals that shot the course. During some of the drills with partners there was a chance for immediate feedback on how to make slight improvements to shave off seconds on a reload, or quick reminders on properly indexing the trigger finger during movement. The individual shooting drills with the entire class watching gave us a chance to see what others were doing well (and not so well) and apply it. Plus, the added pressure of not just having Tom and his wife watching, but also having 17 other sets of eyes watching upped the intensity a bit, and drove a few of us to make some silly mistakes that we otherwise didn't in the group drills (wrong number of shots in the wrong target, freezing during reloads, pulling shots off targets).
I would encourage everyone to take one of Tom's classes if they get the chance. His teaching techniques are very effective, and his range drills drive those home very effectively. My shooting improved even more within the first hour of the range exercises simply by doing the little fundamental things right (focus on front sight, even squeeze on the trigger, following through). Those are things that many of us don't do when we are just plinking and shooting at the range. The other advantages of these classes are again the classmates and what can be learned from them.
The course of fire called for approximately 400 rounds. From discussions among the students after the class, many of us that shot double stack guns shot closer to 500rds. Some of the single stack guys may have been a little closer to 450. This was due in part to the class already having the basics down, so we were able to go right into several drills much more quickly, and were able to do several repetitions of the drills. A few of the drills had us shoot to empty, so of course a double stack gun will shoot more rounds than a single stack, if fully loaded.
I didn't take any pictures during the class, but have a good picture after I got home last night of a very dirty, but very happy G19.
Just wanted to post up a quick AAR from the Tom Givens class in Nappanee on June 28th. First, thanks to our hosts at the Nappanee Conservation club. They did a great job organizing and putting on the class, including snacks and lunch. It is a very nice range for a class of this type.
I've taken a handful of training classes up to this point from several reputable INGO trainers, and have seen my knowledge and skills increase substantially as a result. After a little prodding from member VERT, I decided to take this class. This was my first class with an instructor that has a more national reach. I had a solid foundation going in from the previous courses, and this built on that foundation nicely.
I won't spend a lot of time talking about the details, since as with any training course, going and hearing first hand is going to be the most beneficial for you. Tom's emphasis on tactics and techniques derived from careful study of over 300 shootings involving plain clothed individuals with a concealed handgun comes with proven credibility. My take aways from the instruction were:
- Time maters...wasting time in a gun fight means you increase your chance of losing.
- Speed doesn't matter if you don't hit what you are aiming at. We have to make good hits on target quickly (i.e the first shot must count as well as subsequent follow ups) in order to have the advantage and win the gunfight. The range exercises drove this home.
- Trigger control matters more than anything else at close range engagements. I.e. jerking or slapping the trigger will take the front sight off the target and cause a worse shot than a less than perfect sight picture.
One of the advantages of taking a course like this is that it also attracts high caliber students. I learned a lot from the guys and gals that shot the course. During some of the drills with partners there was a chance for immediate feedback on how to make slight improvements to shave off seconds on a reload, or quick reminders on properly indexing the trigger finger during movement. The individual shooting drills with the entire class watching gave us a chance to see what others were doing well (and not so well) and apply it. Plus, the added pressure of not just having Tom and his wife watching, but also having 17 other sets of eyes watching upped the intensity a bit, and drove a few of us to make some silly mistakes that we otherwise didn't in the group drills (wrong number of shots in the wrong target, freezing during reloads, pulling shots off targets).
I would encourage everyone to take one of Tom's classes if they get the chance. His teaching techniques are very effective, and his range drills drive those home very effectively. My shooting improved even more within the first hour of the range exercises simply by doing the little fundamental things right (focus on front sight, even squeeze on the trigger, following through). Those are things that many of us don't do when we are just plinking and shooting at the range. The other advantages of these classes are again the classmates and what can be learned from them.
The course of fire called for approximately 400 rounds. From discussions among the students after the class, many of us that shot double stack guns shot closer to 500rds. Some of the single stack guys may have been a little closer to 450. This was due in part to the class already having the basics down, so we were able to go right into several drills much more quickly, and were able to do several repetitions of the drills. A few of the drills had us shoot to empty, so of course a double stack gun will shoot more rounds than a single stack, if fully loaded.
I didn't take any pictures during the class, but have a good picture after I got home last night of a very dirty, but very happy G19.
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