Good teachers are constantly learning. While that does not always entail attending formal training, it surprises me just how many well-known instructors in the industry never take another class. I always jump at a chance to attend good training.
This year, my focus is on rounding out some of the skills where I’m weak. That’s not to say I couldn’t learn things about running a pistol, but my proficiency there is a lot higher than in other areas. The two I’m looking at this year are the true “close quarters” fighting problem and my driving skills.
When most people talk about Close Quarters Combat, they’re talking about fantasy games where six guys who’ve never met each other before and will never see each other again spend a weekend learning how to clear rooms without pointing guns at one another (usually). That can be fun and even a little educational. But if we look at realistic needs, most of us are never going to stack up with a handful of guys and go raiding room to room. Instead, we’re more likely to get bum rushed by a couple of hoodlums on the street, or need to make it from one end of a building to another under unpleasant and possibly violent circumstances.
The recognized expert when it comes to those skills is SouthNarc of SHIVWORKS. This year, I’m signed up to take both his A.M.I.S. (Armed Movement In Structures) class as well as his signature ECQC (Extreme Close Quarters Concepts … follow link for video) class.
The other area I’m looking to improve this year is my driving skill. Let’s face it, the majority of us spend much more time each year behind the wheel than we do in gunfights. No, it’s true! I’ve also always been of the opinion that driving a car at high speed in traffic has a lot of crossover to shooting: you need to develop great hand-eye coordination; you need to be good at judging distance, angles, and movement; you need to make split second decisions; you need to cultivate and maintain excellent situational awareness; and, you need to do all those things while acknowledging that a mistake could lead to serious injury or even death.
I took the 1-day Accident Avoidance program at Summit Point in West Virginia a decade ago. This Spring I’m signed up for their 2-day Evasive Driving Course, which I’ll then get to follow up with the 2-day High Performance Driving Course at Porsche Sport Driving School in Alabama.
OK, I admit that last one is just an excuse to drive Porsches around a track really fast for two days… but at least I can pretend it’s related to my personal safety skills.
So, what are you going to improve this year?
Train hard & stay safe! ToddG
I’m glad you made a point of mentioning driving classes. I’m always amazed at guys who spend thousands of dollars on shooting classes because their “life could depend on it one day,” yet they haven’t spent one dime on a driving classes outside of what they may have learned at the academy.
My buddy on DC Metro broke two vertebrate after being in an on-duty car accident two years ago, and he’s just recently been able to return to work full time. He’s yet to be in a gun fight (knock on wood).
Man, it’s been way too long since I had any professional driving instruction.
I did a number of race car training courses back when I was into car racing. Most of it circle track, but some street level stuff too. Pludthe highway truck training course and years spent driving them, understanding your vehicle and being able to control it are far more valuable skills than gun handling is likely to be to most people. Having said that, this year I’m taking more shooting classes. First will be four days with Ken Hackathorn in late May, then hopefully something with Chris Tilley or another similar level IPSC instructor before the World Shoot. Somewhere in between I’m hoping to do a GSW first aid course and more force on force/sims training.
Given the chance I’d do any of the vehicle stuff Todd’s doing, and training with SouthNarc would be awesome.
First off—way to go Todd… I want to be like you when I grow up.
I want to take more FOF [having done only one] and the Immediate Action Medical type courses. Like you mentioned about driving, we are much more likely to have an opportunity to save a life that be forced to take one.
Of course, the driving course would be beneficial and a ton of fun too!!
I congratulate you and anyone getting outside the ol’ comfort zone.
As far as I’m concerned, you’ve just addressed the missing link that exists within the shooting community — integrating shooting skills with *fighting* skills. Most people are shooters; few take the time to learn how to integrate their gun-handling into the real world, where bad guys don’t stand motionless and shoulder-to-shoulder at 7 yards while announcing their intention to kill you.
While I’ve never trained with nor met Southnarc, I’ve read enough of his material to recognize that he’s an industry leader in applying practical and defensive skills to real situations.
Kudos to you.
Todd-
Good on you for pushing yourself outside your comfort zone and trying to fill the gaps in your game. For me it has been a humbling experience in a lot of ways, but it’s also a transformative one.
My experience with SouthNarc’s stuff at ECQC was a “road to Damascus” for me. I’ve been a cop for almost twenty years, with several years on a tactical team, and I had never experienced anything like what he showed us. I came out of that class bloodied and bruised from head to toe, and fundamentally changed in how I see the empty-hand/knife/handgun/proxemics/control paradigm.
Most fun I’ve ever had, too.
Just think, soon you’ll be able to clear your house in the middle of the night, kill all the bad guys there, get to your car and race your Porche through town, fight someone INSIDE your Porche, then get out, roll on the ground with mulitple attackers, get dominant position, and smoke ’em in the grape.
Then you can go back home and watch TOP SHOT.
For CQC, you might consider Rory Miller at http://www.chirontraining.com
Rory Miller (along with MacYoung) does some great stuff.
Having trained with both, I can say that SouthNarc’s ECQC shooting material shares many of the same principles with your AFHF material – there’s just a greater emphasis on employing those principles and techniques in VERY close, tight, constricted quarters, i.e. within 1-2 arms’ length, next to non-aggressors, and inside vehicles. The grappling, groundfighting, in-fight weapons access, weapon disarming/retention, and Managing Unknown Contacts material is absolutely invaluable and eye-opening. Training with SouthNarc definitely helps to fill a gap in the typical shooter’s skillset that most never realize they have to begin with, or dismiss out of hand due to overconfidence in their current skillset and experience – which, by and large, is decidedly less-than-optimal…
You can shoot, you can fight, and now you can drive. The missing link is usually fitness, being athletic can usually get you out of a tough dog fight. When you’re fit and have the skill set then you really become Johnny bad ass.
after all those courses you should do a couple races, I recommend Hit to Pass races and Figure 8 races. sigh, those were the days.
Cars, guns, and hand-to-hand combat. What’s next – taking lesson in baccarat and wooing the ladies?
Don’t be so quick to discount the benefits of a HPDE event… especially one where you can take your own personal car. Having the opportunity to drive your vehicle at or near its limits can provide you with invaluable insight into what the car (and you!) can and cannot safely do. Those insights can make a world of difference when out on the public roads dealing with the “moving traffic cones” that we all encounter on a daily basis. Every one I’ve been to I’ve also had the pleasure of having an instructor available to me, and I can honestly say I never turned them down. Many if not all of them are active racing drivers, some are even famous! The knowledge and advice they can give you if you’re willing to listen is truly impressive. As you have mentioned before it’s always great to have a coach.
You are correct in that alot of people will spend sums of money on improving their gun handling skills yet not consider channeling some of those funds to improve a skill set they use every day of their lives.
What a great post. I wish this concept were posted on every forum for every topic: Don’t just practice what you’re good at, practice what you need to get better at.
I can tell you I’ve gotten a lot more mileage out of my Emergency Vehicle Operators Course training than my firearms training in most of my “real life” time.
I’d be really interested in your feedback on SouthNarc’s classes. The in-car fighting is probably more realistic a scenario than Advanced Tactical Carbine.
As for me, I made myself get back into hand-to-hand martial arts (I consider shooting a Martial Art) after having to stop that when I got sick and never picking it up again. I’ve got a long way to go, and it’s an uncomfortable ride, but it’s practicing what I need to get better at, not what I like to practice.
Thanks for the heads up on Summit Point. I had been looking for a driving class and had not been able to find one that enrolled civilians.
Good choice going with Southnarc. His ECQC class is an incredibly intense and valuable experience, and I’m signed up to take AMIS this year as well.
My first performance driving class was as eye-opening and ability-improving as my first tactical pistol class (I’m reminded of your previous blog post on the learning curve). You will love it and wonder why you didn’t do it sooner. Have fun!
My ears also perked up when you said it was in Alabama. If your driving class is at the Talladega Grand Prix road course I can even give you some tips! 🙂 That’s where I went.
Tony — It’s held at Barber Motorsports Park.
Give Tony Scotti’s Vehicle Dynamics Institute a try. I’ve taken several courses with them and at Summit Point. VDI is better, hands down. They are better because they understand how to explain what the car is doing in terms of the laws of physics so they can quantify and measure performance to give useful feedback.
http://www.vehicledynamics.net