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Is It Possible to Change a Lifestyle in a Weekend?
Rome wasn’t built in a day is a common and true adage; but at DTI courses one hell of a great foundation can be built in one weekend.
A recent DTI Basic / Intermediate Defensive Handgun class consisted of students possessing differing skill and life experience levels.
This was my first course as a newly minted DTI affiliate instructor, and I found that I learned as much or more than I taught. Working beside John Farnam is a great honor and opportunity; not everyone has the chance to experience.
John's ability to stay jovial and on task is amazing, allowing for an enjoyable, yet educational experience. Many
instructors choose to stay somewhat distant from their students, John,
however, digs right in by either demonstrating drills, or by keeping
things light by telling a joke and taking the time to acquaint himself
with each student individually. This creates a relationship that helps
with the arning experience.
As the weekend started, it seemed that much of the learning was already happening before the first rounds were fired, as people seemed to be formulating their plans for the weekend and setting expectations for themselves and the class as a whole. With many first-timers, the class was expected to move a little slower than usual, but the class picked up quickly, partially due to the lack of need to unlearn poor and dangerous habits that might have been previously acquired. With open and eager minds, much was able to get done, as the students willingly acknowledged the techniques that were taught.
At the course, the selected firearms consisted of mainly Glocks (as expected), a few XDs, XDm’s, M&Ps, Sigs, a CZ 75 and a few 1911s. Most of the guns ran fine except for one, which the owner guarantees will not be his for much longer. It was also shown, that most guns run fine right out of the box from the major manufacturers, and little modifications are needed other than for personal preference.
A good evaluation for the shooting skills learned is a during the night-shoot, where you must rely on the fundamentals of your grip and lining up the gun in your hand, as at night the sights aren’t as visible and of less use due to this fact. This doesn’t give one an excuse to not hit, as the standards are still the same, just a little harder. This is also a great time to be introduced to a few flashlight techniques and the ability to employ them with firearms. The ability to shoot at night, with a range that allows it, is an invaluable asset that is often not allowed, but the lessons taught during this will help greatly for comfort and use in the future.
As a culmination of all of the skills learned during the long but rewarding weekend, the “test” consists of using all of the abilities that were taught in conjunction with one another. A good percentage of the learning takes place during this because there is pressure applied from being in front of the group and learning how to connect all of these functions together with a time constraint. The test is simply complicated as the processes separately are often easily accomplished, but when together they all work as one to create fluid movements. There are numerous attempts allowed to take this test, as the requirements are 100% accuracy and no safety or procedural errors, but once passed one is awarded the coveted Pin to proudly wear. Ultimately, the class is not just about shooting--one of the many lessons learned--but about life.
The experiences a student brings back from his or her weekend begins to inform many aspects of daily living--and thereby, becomes a life changing event. The rest is for you to figure out as you gain new skills in the Defensive Arts.
A few lessons learned:
Keep an Open Mind: This entails not forgetting other techniques you have learned, but give into learning the new ones. The best learning is when you can put things together to find out what works best for you.
Practice with Your Gear: Work with the items you are bringing for the course to get an idea how they work. One student brought an inside-the-waistband holster but the shirt he had was too short and kept riding up, thus resulting in “holstering” the shirt with the gun. Make sure the gear you have is efficient, and usable for you.
Don’t Rush to Buy so called Tactical: Everyone has seen the ads in gun magazines that extol the virtues of products used by SWAT, but SWAT gear poses problems for the casual user such as drop leg holsters that are difficult to manage. This is a concealed carry class, for the most part, and too often products sold as: tactical products are large and bulky, making them unusable for a civilian end user. As John often says: I don’t know why anyone would do something in a gunfight that ISN’T tactical!
Be sure to check out DTI’s website at www.Defense-Training.com to check the schedule for upcoming--and life changing-- courses in your area.
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