AAR: ACT's Defensive Pistol, Mar 21 2015

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  • RobbyMaQ

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    My wife and I attended ACT's Defensive Pistol class at Riley Conservation Club yesterday.

    My experience: Intermediate. Some pistol training, appleseed, FNS, intro to USPSA stuff. tend to be long winded in AAR's
    My wife's experience: Annette is a beginner, having shot at some FNS events. Interested in carrying.

    I had previously taken their separate DP101 & DP 201 classes. This class combines the two into a single day of instruction. My wife has recently begun the journey to carry, and we had been looking for a beginner training class for her. When I saw this class pop up, I signed both of us up.

    The bonus in all of this, is you get the full gamut of two days instruction, at essentially half the time and half the cost (when compared to having previously run through both courses separately as I had).

    Morning:
    The drills were the same (for the most part) as my previous experience with ACT with a few minor discrepancies.
    After a very brief classroom instruction that lasted maybe 20 minutes, we went to work on the range. All of the fundamentals were covered starting with drawing the firearm, fundamentals of aiming/shooting, movement, and malfunction clearing/reloads.

    The morning was chilly, which gave me an opportunity to work with heavy clothing from concealment, and I learned quite a bit about my carry style. We had broken up into two groups of about 7 students each, with one group shooting strings, while the other group reloaded and (if given time) watched the other group shoot, picking up additional instruction along the way.

    Riley is a great range, and we had use of 3 pistol bays for the day. This turned out to be helpful for the staff, as they could pull students aside to work with them individually as needed, in one of the empty bays, while class instruction continued. In very short time, they would rejoin the class, having sorted out whatever issues or problems they were having. We were prepped and working on the Henk Drill before breaking for Lunch. ACT provided lunch for everyone & featured the usual hotdogs, snacks & plenty of water. This helps to keep everyone at the range (no stragglers coming back late), and offers us all a chance to socialize a bit, and of course is less crap to pack. :)
    The weather had warmed up by now, and for the rest of the afternoon, most had stripped off the sweatshirts or coats.

    The Henk Drill:
    [video=youtube;aGkZ3Vj1x5k]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=aGkZ3Vj1x5k[/video]
    Video by iChokePeople
    As usual, the more I train & practice, the more I learn and want to fail (so that I can find a way to improve). Even the simplest things strike me sometimes, and many overhead my saying very obvious things throughout the day. Such as "As I get closer it's much easier to score hits", "Well that sucked, I need to slow down", etc. Oftentimes I talk myself through the problem I am having, breaking it down for my very simple mind
    smile.png


    Afternoon:
    Returning to the range, we worked individually on the Henk Drill (each of us running through it twice), and of course got lot's of feedback on how we could each improve. Many (myself included) had issues with movement during reloads & malfunction clearances. We also worked on drawing and shooting from seated positions. This was new material to me, which I found very useful.

    Moving to another bay, we put everything together to run a box drill that involved 4 'pillars' for cover, and a single target. The goal, was to move around all 4 barrels while engaging the target. Again, we ran through this drill twice each, picking up feedback along the way. The most common issue here seemed to be wanting to get too close to cover, thus offering more of one's self as a target when trying to engage.

    The Box Drill:
    [video=youtube;oP0aCm_jNLQ]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=oP0aCm_jNLQ[/video]
    Video by iChokePeople
    One small thing that really got me, was on the box drill. It was pointed out that shooting from the weak side around cover would reveal less of your body, so one could transition to weak side shooting as permissible. I shoot weak handed often spending 10 rounds of practice each shooting session. What I had never bothered to do, was use my strong hand as support. I quickly discovered I had ALWAYS shot one handed from the weak side. I actually had to spend like 3 seconds figuring out how to get my strong hand supporting my weak hand lol.
    pat.gif


    Finally we moved to the third bay, where we each ran through the figure 8 drill twice. This drill was setup differently from my previous experience, and I prefer this one over the former.
    Several 8" round steel targets were setup, painted different colors, others with numbers. Intermixed was a myriad of silhouettes, representing innocent bystanders. One double stacked barrels for high cover, and another single barrel for low cover was set out from the targets. As one walked in a figure eight around the barrels, a target would be called out. We were to find cover, and engage the target(s). In some cases, multiple targets existed of one color. ie there were two red targets. But there were also two numbers, written in red.

    The previous time I ran through this class, all targets were cardboard silhouettes, and time was spent seeing if hits were scored. As the day wore on, more existing holes made it difficult to tell if hits were being scored.
    In this class, the steel targets offered immediate feedback, and as John politely pointed out "There is no cheating" with the steel.

    The Figure 8 Drill:
    [video=youtube;l0sh_LaKwUY]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=l0sh_LaKwUY[/video]
    Video by iChokePeople
    You'd think, my being an artist, that I could have put two and two together to attack 'purple' much quicker than I did. Also, moonwalking in boots and on gravel is more difficult than it appears.

    Personal Viewpoints:
    Great day. It seemed really fast paced, almost too much for a beginner, as they'd be drinking from a firehose. Pulling students aside to help with accuracy or issues was a bonus here, as it offered them a chance to slow down & refine/address whatever problems they were having. We had a solid group, most of which had been through this training before.

    Working with the safety on my M&P compact is not as difficult as I had thought it might be, but it does take some practice. The mag's don't drop as easily as my full size, and I need to strip them out to insure they'll drop every time. My unholstering with heavy garments/multiple layers still needs lot of practice.

    Annette's Viewpoints:
    My wife & I discussed the day during our drive home. She was very pleased with how the day went, and how cordial everyone was. I had previously told her that in every class I had taken there were usually 2-3 women in attendance. Much to our surprise, she was the only woman in this class. She admitted to feeling very out of place during the morning's meetup.

    But I think it was the 2nd string we were shooting, when she turned to me and smiled saying "I like John. He is a VERY good teacher". Coming from a public school math teacher, I think that was saying a lot. She said she felt a little bit encroaching, when she'd overheard a 'locker room' joke or comment made, when everyone would suddenly remember a woman was present and clam up. She didn't feel offended by any stretch (as we're pretty hillbilly). She simply wished she knew everyone better, so that they would have felt more comfortable with the jokes. I managed a couple good & crude "That's what she said" :naughty: jokes to make her feel right at home :)

    Annette on the Henk Drill:
    [video=youtube;5OmT1Ns-2sI]http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=5OmT1Ns-2sI[/video]
    Video by iChokePeople
    Overall she was very comfortable with everyone, and did not feel intimidated despite having little experience. The encouragement and instruction received by both Teachers, and students alike were encouraging and helpful.

    She hopes that any woman thinking about taking an ACT class, would sign up for it without hesitation. I continually hear praises of how helpful and cordial INGO'ers are whenever she attends events with me.

    Once we hit the Henk drill (and remaining drills for the day) I could see she was getting out of her comfort zone. She hadn't realized it yet, that this is needed. But, even with the option of backing out and skipping the drills, she still went through each one twice.

    The best for me, was watching her on the last drill... the figure eight. She really didn't want to do this one, and when it came time for it, she failed horribly. The lc9s she chose (and we went through quite a few guns to find one that she was comfortable with) was too small and too light for her to score hits on the steel rounds.
    Immediately afterwards, she was determined that she wanted to try again, but this time with my full size m&p. Having left mine in the car (backup), Chezuki offered to let her shoot his M&P pro decked out in an apex competition kit. Granger worked with her a bit on another range to quickly settle into the gun, and she came back to the drill, this time bound and determined to beat the snot out of that steel. And she did! Often scoring hits on her first shot with each press of the trigger.

    To see her a bit :nailbite: scared, & unsure of her ability one moment, and then do a complete 180 :xmad: 'hell hath no fury like a woman scorned' the next, was just awesome and inspiring to me.

    An Aside: She is still mixed on carrying the lc9s. A single stack is certainly needed for her small hands. And her primary criteria is a small compact size so as to conceal carry. We'd discussed the smaller sight radius, more recoil, etc in a small platform countless times before this class. But I think she finally saw it for herself. She did fair at 7-10 yards, and will continue to practice to see if she can improve her aim and handling with the lc9s before she plunges into a larger
    or heavier firearm. With more time and practice, I feel she may come around, we'll get to purchase another handgun, and I'll get the lc9s as a backup
    :)

    Critiques:
    John, Joe & Granger always have a chat at the end of their classes, offering a chance for students to give feedback on likes and dislikes. Everyone had positive things to say, and I think matched my thoughts very well.

    Discussing the day with Annette further, I can only think of a few small things that could be modified, catering solely to newish shooters.
    I never thought I would say this, but I missed some of the classroom instruction. The first time through, this took up a large portion of the day, resulting in less range time. I realize it is difficult to make everyone happy, but I also think some of the classroom instruction about what to do AFTER one has been involved in a shooting is pertinent, and should be re-introduced into the class. Some things about blood pressure coming back to someone who's horizontal, and being the first to call 911 was mentioned off the cuff throughout the day. Most of us got it, because we had sat through the instruction before. But I think a cliff's notes version added to the morning would be helpful to new shooters.

    Less time was spent refining accuracy in the morning. Again, most of us having been through it before, realize we can take the knowledge and drills home with us to work on accuracy and speed on our own time. New shooters however, might get frustrated, not quite putting two and two together to realize this. They might be expecting to come home a better shooter (generally speaking, being a more accurate shooter), not realizing they have all the tools in their brand new toolbox to work on that. I do realize that pulling students aside to work on accuracy and such may have helped those struggling. They would have more input in this area.

    But the day is so fast paced, I am not sure how you add those things without stripping something away. My thoughts are to possibly remove the box drill, and handle use of cover in the figure 8 drill. As the box drill seemed to be the only lull in the progression of training throughout the day. or possibly extend the day by an hour, but I am no expert in assembling classes.

    But the bottom line is, my wife having very little experience in defensive pistol shooting, managed to get through the day with few questions. She learned an awful lot, and discussed doing many of the drills on our range to try to improve. So maybe I am over thinking things, and what you've managed to teach a noob is just what she needed!

    :rockwoot: Job well done. I give this class a 9 out of 10 :)
    We will definitely be back for more!

    P.S. Special thanks to iChokePeople for the video!!!
     
    Last edited:

    iChokePeople

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    Great AAR, RobbyMaQ. I was going to do one today, but you beat me to the heavy lifting, so I'll just tag along on yours.

    It was great to spend a PERFECT spring day on the range with such a great crew. Some I'd met before, some new faces, but always a very friendly, down to earth bunch at the ACT events. Well, other than Nigel, of course...

    RobbyMaQ did a great job of covering the course of the day, so I'll just leave my main thoughts from the day, in no particular order.

    One thing I noticed was those those I've seen shoot before had all improved dramatically since the first time (or other previous times) I saw them. It's great to see people learning and improving together.

    Another: Every time I go to a group class, vs. a private session, I'm impressed with how much people can learn from fellow students. Don't get me wrong, private instruction is great and has its own distinct advantages, but I think someone who ONLY does private instruction misses out on a lot. Every single time I do a class, I learn something from the other students.

    Another: Small guns are difficult to shoot well and difficult to keep fed and running. If you're a very experienced shooter, not that big a deal, but it is a factor. If you ever doubt it, go to a beginner class and watch nearly every student with a pocket gun. I say "nearly every student" because some may be very experienced shooters retaking a 101 and using a pocket gun -- those people may do just fine with it. The newer shooters will struggle. I've never personally seen an exception to that rule. That's not to say they're WRONG or EVIL, but they are more difficult to run and shoot well. Normally I'd add "IMHO" to a statement like that, but I'm pretty confident that it's somewhere beyond just the rantings of a crazy old guy.

    Another: You've all heard (read) this rant from me before, and everyone heard it yesterday, but here it comes again -- there is value in spending time with a good instructor. We had some experienced students there yesterday and some newer ones. Here's the thing, though, and I didn't mention this yesterday: I think those who were "newer" in this group are probably the norm. I suspect that if we could magically get every member of INGO out on a firing line, we'd find that these guys were as good as 90% of the people out there who have never had formal training of some sort. It's not that they were bad shooters. They were putting all of their shots on torso targets and most were solidly in the center. What you find, though, when you go to something like this is that you can have a much higher standard. In this case, the standard was a 6" box. For some, that 6" box was still a difficult standard at the start of the day. But after just a very short time with competent instructors, those same students were banging the center out of it. It was a truly remarkable thing to see so much improvement so quickly. Night and day. I stopped and watched because I was so impressed at how good those guys had gotten in just PART of a morning. For those of you who think you can reach your potential with just throwing a few rounds down range now and then, let me reiterate that a little time spent with an instructor will SAVE you money and time over just slinging lead on your own. If you don't believe me, ask ANYONE who was at that class yesterday. I wish I had started shooting video early in the day and captured that change. Crazy.

    Another: rhino's new york reload is hawt. No, really. It's HAWT.

    It was a great day. As Robby said, maybe a little firehosey for the newest students, but they'd have to confirm or deny that. It was clearly advertised as a 101/201 smash, so moving quickly was to be expected -- definitely no false advertising or anything. For someone reviewing, the pace was great. The ACT crew always runs a solid event, with helpful drills and good instruction, and the people who seem to attend are all good, fun people who are easy to get along with. I'm probably the most difficult of the bunch, and I'm like a soft, cuddly bunny. It was great to see some old faces again and meet some new folks. It's always great to do things someone else asks you to do, with the added pressure of people watching and wanting to avoid borking it like a complete idiot.

    Thank you to ACT and to all of my fellow students.

    Also, I have video. If you'd like to offer... "tributes" , you know, to make sure your biggest mistakes don't go viral, I'll send you my PayPal address. If you really don't want video/pics of you posted publicly, let me know quickly and I'll try not to put you out there for the world to see. Rhino, too late.
     

    nad63

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    What: Defensive Pistol
    Where: Riley Conservation Club (near Terre Haute, IN)
    When: 21MAR15 0830-1730
    Cost: $165

    OK I will jump on the bandwagon also !
    As always the ACT crew John, Joe and Granger put on a great class. Thanks to them and ALL my fellow students....Yes even ICP.

    Here’s a quick view of what really went down!
    14 Students (13M, 1F); 3 Instructors
    We started with a very quick Introduction and overview of the days activities in the club house then off to the bays.
    Three bays were already set up for this class and were used over the course of the day.
    The morning focused upon some fundamentals. Draw stroke, shot placement, magazine changes, type one malfunction drills, threat scans and then onto movement. Focusing on moving of the line of engagement when not actually shooting. While drawing the weapon, while reloading, while clearing malfunctions….basically anytime that you are not engaging the target/s. Movement while closing the target, moving away from the target and also lateral (left/right movement) and finally a combination of all the above. In addition to moving, then stopping to shoot, we also got to practice shooting while actually on the move. The goal for the morning was to get everyone to the point where we could run the ‘Henk’ drill which would combine all of what we had learned/practiced in the morning sessions.
    We took a break for a picnic style lunch furnished courtesy of ACT (hotdogs, chips & cookies). 30-45 minutes or so before reconvening for the Henk drill.
    Henk Drill
    Start with a round chambered. Partner loads five live rounds and a dummy round into your mag (dummy not to be 1[SUP]st[/SUP] or last round in mag). The drill is to put 10 rounds in the kill zone. Put all 6 shots in the kill zone followed by a mag change and 4 more kill zone hits. Anytime you are not shooting "move". Move as you draw, move when malfunction clearing induced by the dummy round (tap, rack, bang), move during mag change, move during threat scan. Objective being all alpha hits in less than 18 seconds.
    After lunch we all ran the ‘Henk’ drill twice each student. This slowed things down a little since only one shooter was ‘up’ at a given time and their were 14 of us. Personally I would have liked to have run more of this drill. First timers benefit from being able to watch it being performed and also had time to run through it mentally. Great advice from I Choke People on this one….Just focus on shooting the FOUR rounds after the mag change. Exposure to some of these drills and personal shortcomings is worth the price of admission alone.
    We did some shooting from the seating position. Frontal, left side, right side and rearward. Not a highlight for me personally but it definitely showcase the need not to sweep yourself or other people and again here’s something that I can’t normally practice.
    Cover & Concealment. We moved to another adjacent bay and practiced shooting from cover and using cover. Reload while behind cover. Off hand shooting to lessen your exposure. Learning not to crowd cover. Use it to your advantage and you are often best served by backing away and lessening the angle between you and the target. This was a great opportunity to shoot off hand and for some people it was the first time.
    Figure Eight drill The class wrapped up with each of us running the figure eight drill. 55 gallon barrels were set about 20 feet apart and you took a walk in a figure 8 pattern. Instructors called out numbers, colors, both or combinations and you had to neutralize those threats. This involved simultaneous multiple target engagement, using cover, movement, mag changes, offhand shooting and basically everything we had practiced all day.
    Just a few things I took away:
    · I cannot practice all these drills at my local range.
    · Critiques and advice from the staff and fellow students provides feedback you otherwise might not get.
    · You get to practice drills and methods outside or what you would normally do. Get outside your comfort zone where someone else controls your environment and learn what skills you need to focus on/improve.
    · You get to feel the elevated stress from competing and putting yourself out there and getting off the couch
    · Meet new and old friends and learn from their experiences
    · The class was applicable to experience veteran shooters and newer students alike. There was something for everyone.
    · Personally I prefer smaller sized classes but ACT did a good job of keeping things moving along.
    · Several times over the course of the day one on one instruction or small group instruction occurred to helped shooters get the most out of the class.
    Check out ACT if you are in the market for some training you won’t come away disappointed.
    Nigel
     

    gpjerry

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    This was my first ACT group class. I have shot with John on few occasions and took a few hours of private instruction. Most of the material and drills were new to me.

    First off the weather was great. John took credit. The pace was quick but everything was covered in sufficient detail with exercises immediately following to reinforce the lesson. The instruction was friendly and professional. The added stress of performing before an audience on the individual drills helped to amplify week areas in technic and gave me plenty to work on.

    The figure 8 drill was just plain fun.

    The gourmet meal was everything it was advertised.

    I can't recommend this class highly enough. Well worth the money and looking forward to the next opportunity to train with ACT.
     

    RobbyMaQ

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    I barely touched on it, but iChokePeople identified learning from other students. I can't agree enough on this, as I've observed it every time I've trained in a class. Being split into groups gives ample opportunity to learn from watching others.
    Also, he is a cuddly teddy bear.
     

    obijohn

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    I think I may be the most strict critic of this class. We needed more time. I left out xxxxxx. Kicked my own ass all the way home. In all fairness, the level of competence shone by the class as a whole was very encouraging. ACT would like to take all the credit, but I think it more individual effort.

    Watching Annette switch to a full sized pistol and just smash the figure eight...priceless. Rob, your are in trouble my friend. Be very kind to that woman. The progress made by each and every one of the attendees was very gratifying.

    Huge thanks to all who attended and for your kind and critical comments.

    We will not be using photo realistic targets of ourselves to encourage better marksmanship. Thank you brother Nigel.
     

    OneBadV8

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    iChokePeople, I have no preference.

    As for my AAR....

    Check back later, I'll have it posted up tonight. :thumbsup:
     

    rhino

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    I'm a little disappointed that I haven't gone viral yet. If for no other reason than people criticizing me for being fat or for the egregiously unsafe act of dropping a gun!
     

    RobbyMaQ

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    How it feels, and how it looks are two entirely different things. Much like dancing, the video is an invaluable mirror for me.
     
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