Agreed. Training has the shelf life of bananas. Use it or lose it.
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I did train with John Correia back in 2018. Other than that, it’s monthly trips to the range and semi-annual renewals.
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Training is like trying to describe an elephant.
IMHO trainers and curriculums focus on limited issues for simplicity because the simpler it is, the easier it is to learn and the more successful the training session
The quality of training is judged by success, whatever that is.
That’s well and good but I feel that for CCW it’s not the be all and end all.
Formal training is excellent for instilling discipline and getting good, real time feed back to fix problems as well as providing a variety of scenarios. It’s all good, but it’s not everything.
Here’s why:
When I served on a SAR unit, we mostly operated within the boundaries of one particular National Forest.
We did a lot of formal training both afield and in combination with classroom work with excellent, very professional instructors.
But that wasn’t enough—we were strongly encouraged to just get out there and spend time in that National Forest using both our equipment and our gray matter on outdoor trips with family, friends and even solo, in order to learn that National Forest and be comfortable until pathfinding there became second nature along with developing a kind of sixth sense when it came to recognizing natural hazards.
My point is, while formal training is important, what you practice what you’ve learned outside a formalized situation will help determine the outcome of a real world situation as much. if not more. than training you’ve received.
Of course I could be full of beans.
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I’ve only had CCW/CHL training 3 times and have been to range casually with an NRA instructor and military trainer many times but…. Since moving back to the city I’m way out of practice.
Any shooters here in the San Antonio area?
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TY! I’d like to get more into shooting: both classes and lower level pistol and rifle training & maybe competition. It has been a long time but I want to restart with basic pistol stuff. Local people might be a plus but any info is welcome.
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Thanks! This should be interesting. I’m hoping to meet like minded enthusiasts local to central Texas but distance is ok too.
Have y’all taken any classes that you’ve found particularly helpful?
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I personally think the best instructors are always on the lookout for new information from other qualified sources. By examining differing methods one can confirm if their own knowledge is still current and optimal or if there are new techniques that might be incorporated into their own training to make it better.
I’m always very leery of experts who insist that their way is the only way and it cannot be improved upon. I do think it is possible to train yourself but believe most if not all people will benefit from occasionally seeking out new sources of information and instruction. Even if that instruction only confirms that sticking with what they already have been doing is best for them.
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To the contrary, most of the top names in the field do regularly train with each other in order to learn new aspects and sharpen their skills. I have seen testimonials from John Corriea, John Murphy, Neil Weidner, Massad Ayoob, Tim Herron, and others all talk about the value as an instructor of keeping up with their own regular training under other instructors. I think I recall seeing a report of Tom Givens taking classes from others, too.
A year ago I had Greg Ellifritz as an instructor. Last fall I had him as a classmate in a course we took together.
More broadly, consider that there is not a single top athlete, in either team or individual sports, from Tom Brady to Tiger Woods, who does not train regularly under the direction of a coach or instructor.
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Gun Instructor is like physician. You are good, or even the best, until somebody finds the better or easier way do shoot.
I’ve been always under huge influence of Massad Ayoob. Today he still impresses me, but I found some of his lessons a little outdated.
Most of us are familiar with Rob Pincus, he is the author of USCCA’s DSF1 book. He taught a shooting position which is weird these days and none of local instructors teach this way anymore.
On the other hand there a few big names who keep teaching their way only, because that works for them. I respect this if they do not force the method. Good Instructor always tells you to try and decide if the method is works for you.
I’ve attended classes from dozen different instructors (awesome, great, good, so-so, bad) and always collected the things that worked for me and would work for my colleagues and students.
And I know this is a neverending story, firearm’s circle is evolving all the time. None of Instructors will be good without following new developments on this market.
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4 days
Night class
To the above ^, this was with Jon Dufresne (Kinetic Consulting), whose mentor was Frank Proctor, and Jon has himself, among others, co-trained with Aaron Cowan (Sage Dynamics)
I have taken classes with Jon, Frank, and Larry Vickers over the years (nobody else whose names would be known).
All have trained with or under other big names. Definitely a thing
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Amen jerzy. When an instructor thinks that they were there when gun power was invented haw haw. That no longer matters 
what have they LEARNED ABOUT THE WEPONS OF HERE AND NOW AN WHICH FIRE ARM IS BEST FOR TODAY AND WHAT AMMUNITION IS THE BEST NOT WHAT YESTERDAY HAS OFFERED KAZ I JUST FOUND OUT S&W has a new fire arm and it is so much better than my m&p S&W I feel like Fire Arms Are Like Computers they are just getting better and better every OUTHER day and they come ready for red dot just mount it and you are ready every thing is getting more expensive and more reliable and easy to take apart and clean IT is getting hard to stay up to date with technology thanks Bobby Jean , haw haw I just got the good ammunition for my 22, 6, guns
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For instructor led training, it’s been almost a year now. I was going to a place called Front Sight in NV a few times/year. That place was a lot of fun and had some good instructors (and some bad). Most classes were either 2-day or 4-day so it was also nice to get away for a few days. But the owner was a moron and they went BK; new owners; new training structure in the works…
One I was thinking about recently is a place I’ve heard about in Oceanside, CA. It’s all scenario based (shoot, no-shoot). It sounds like it might be laser trainers or something; no live fire. I was trying to find someone who’s been to get their feedback on it. That could be interesting.
Or if I could find a good instructor with a class on move then shoot and shooting on the move techniques, I’d probably jump on that. I’m usually on a range where everyone is on the firing line and you really don’t want people being fwd or back of that firing line with a loaded firearm. So having a setup where I’d be able to move, and having an instructor watch me while I move is something I don’t often get to practice.
In the meantime, it’s been dry fire practice and range time is about bi-weekly right now. Something about the cold and rain has kept me from reloading as much and kept me from getting to the range as much as I usually do. I’ve got a lot of brass to sort, and inspect, and clean, and inspect…
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My uncle in the nephew of Melvin pervis the he man that got John Dillonjer and baby face Nelson and little boy floid the famous gangsters and I got to check out the Tommy guns and BAR,s guns they used to get the bad guys and the shot gun he shot I was impressed KAZ I got to hold history in my hands and I BLEAVE that should have been in the museum and not in my uncles closet maybe some one donated it after all these years and he had the crime seen pictures it very kool to know I have famous law enforcement family and no my uncle never let me shoot them haw haw Bobby Jean
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I have met four GOVERNORS AND TWO ATTORNEY GENERALS MY SELF WHAT AN HONOR Bobby Jean
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