I had the privilege this week of attending a carbine class offered by Haley Strategic Partners, the Disruptive Science D5 Carbine course at Hillside Shooting Sports in Roanoke, just SW of Ft. Wayne. Since there are myriad threads about Travis Haley and links to his training videos, I won't repeat what has already been offered. The intent of my AAR is to focus more on Travis Haley the man than on the course.
When I started training locally a few years ago, I was a blank sheet of paper. Knowledge base = nil. I can be a slow learner, too, so that offered significant challenges to my mentors as well. However, they molded me into a marginally competent shooter who now looks for more opportunities to learn.
Like many modern students, when I began my journey I looked to the internet. I stumbled upon the Magpul Dynamics DVDs and ordered them, clueless about the instructors. As I devoured the videos, I found that I gravitated more toward Travis Haley than Chris Costa. Go figure.
I was pleasantly surprised to discover that the principles that they taught on the videos were nearly identical to what I'd been taught locally, which gave me confidence in the methodology that I'd been taught. I also determined that someday, should the opportunity present itself, I would train with Haley in person.
Fast-forward to today. The Magpul Dynamics guys have parted ways, each has garnered a measure of celebrity in the shooting world, and training has evolved. When I saw that Travis was coming to a range nearby, I had to sign up.
There were something like 29 students in the 3-day class. Most were either LEO, military reserve, or former military. Perhaps 1/3 were Joe Civilian like me. It was a bit intimidating at first, but once we hit the range that dissipated. I think my buddy and I were the oldest ones there, but the range went from young 20-somethings on up. Who says that 60-somethings can't run with the young pups?
The first morning was spent in the classroom. Although the AV portions left something to be desired, it was evident why this course is entitled "Disruptive Science," because nearly every aspect of what we do shooting was examined from a scientific perspective. Beyond just saying, "Do it this way because it works and because I said so," Travis and his training partner, Nate LeCompte, delved into WHY we do what we do and why we often do what we shouldn't. They touched on things like shooting positions and why doing it one way causes stress on the body and decreases accuracy, or why our muscles act a certain way in a given position. It was all pretty interesting, and it was evident that a lot of learning went on behind the scenes at Haley Strategic to present the material in a form that could be understood by students who can't even spell "kinesiology."
Every aspect of shooting, from stance to follow-through, was examined from a scientific perspective, including anatomy, physiology, kinesiology, and psychology. Being a scientific kind of guy, I appreciated the logic behind it all, even if I am pretty much incapable of incorporating some of the minutiae into my own shooting form. At times it was like sucking on a fire hose -- lots of information really fast. However, most of it was dumbed-down to my level and I didn't see anyone dozing off.
After lunch and a safety briefing, we headed out to the range. Big Boy Rules were in play. They must have done a pretty responsible job screening the students, because there was very little need for supervision from a safety standpoint. A few times a student or two would begin to move before engaging their safeties, but the entire class was pretty competent and respectful of others' safety.
Naturally, the first order of business was zeroing our rifles (BZO.) I took two M4s with me for the course -- a Colt with a Trijicon 4x32 ACOG and a Huntertown Arms suppressor, and a Rock River sporting an Aimpoint PRO -- and had hoped to use them both to further familiarize myself with each.
I immediately learned something that I hadn't considered -- I can't shoot from prone without neck pain. Getting down on the deck as low and stable as possible forced me to raise my head at a very uncomfortable angle to see through the ACOG. I would literally start to pass out by the 5th zeroing shot -- things got blurry, causing me to hurry the shot. Makes zeroing a rifle pointless.
Turns out I wasn't the only one with that problem. Pretty much everyone over 40 was complaining about neck pain by the end of the day from shooting prone.
We zeroed our rifles at 50 yards (I had previously zeroed mine at 100 and was happy with that) and moved back to 100 and 200 yards, an exercise that was called "telling the story." Since each rifle is different, even with the same ammo, our results could be evaluated by marking the center of each group and looking at the resulting lines on the target, essentially letting our rifles tell us their story about where they will impact at a given distance. The story my Colt told was that my impacts at 50 yards were right where I would expect them to be, about an inch low. My 100-yard group, which should have been dead nuts on, was a little high. And my 200-yard group was all over the place, which I attributed to nearly passing out by shot #3. I had to solve this neck issue if I was expected to shoot from prone for the whole class.
Once we had our rifles' stories in our heads, we used that information to shoot steel at 200, 300, 400, and 650 yards. With Travis and Nate spotting for us, we took turns at the distant targets. After a couple of tries, I found that even I could ring steel at 650 yards with my M4 consistently. It was a pretty windy day, but with a little help from Travis with the dope, I found my spot and hit the mark repeatedly. I could barely even see the target at that distance, even with a 4x scope! That was certainly a confidence booster.
With Day One over, I headed to Wal-Mart for a solution to my neck pain. A bipod would have been an ideal solution, or even using a backpack as a rest. However, I had neither, so I decided to improvise, adapt, and overcome, and where better than Wal-Mart? With some Gorilla Tape in hand, and a roll of digi-camo Duck Tape to make the solution a tactical one, I McGuyvered my way to a solution. Ladies and gentlemen, I give you the Mag-O-Pod!
Laugh if you must, but it worked. While the other old geezers were whining and rubbing their necks the next morning, I was putting rounds on target without nearly blacking out. I could settle in, concentrate on efficient breathing and not just breathing to survive, and focus on the target. The proof of the pudding is in the tasting, as they say.
Since the HSP dragonfly logo was everywhere, and since I was looking for investors to fund my new invention, I changed the name to the "Drag-O-Mag-O-Pod." I had at least 6 pre-orders before we left the range.
The rest of the course involved far fewer move-and-shoot drills than I had expected, and far more drills that focused on fundamentals of timing, trigger control and fluid movements. Travis is all about the conservation of motion and energy, and emphasized that at every opportunity. We practiced getting on target from a ready position to a metronome, which was a fun exercise. It was apparently difficult for some students to wait a full second before firing the next shot, and very common for most of us to slap the trigger when shooting fast. I have things to work on, for sure.
Travis and Nate were great on the range. Always right there, approachable, always ready with suggestions to fix whatever problem we were having. We took regular breaks for more info, where Travis would call everybody around and expound on something pertinent to the drill we were currently engaged in. Often, he would intersperse personal stories of combat that would enhance the practicality of a given drill. Even though most of us will never use our rifles in combat (until the Zombie Apocalypse, of course), hearing those little nuggets of practical wisdom were insights into who Travis Haley is and how his philosophies toward shooting were formed. I think I appreciated those moments as much as the actual training.
The one particular move-n-scoot drill we did on the last day was one that incorporated all of the skills -- shooting accurately, moving efficiently, and reloading on the move. We staged at an ammo box on one side with one round in the pipe and an empty mag, engaged a target then moved to the next ammo can about 25 feet away while reloading, putting 5 rounds (or so) on a second target. Rinse and repeat. It was a nice exercise that allowed me ample opportunity to demonstrate how easily I can be unable to find the mag release button while running, or find my BAD lever once I am reloaded. Or forget to flip off the safety and just stand there pointlessly pressing the trigger. Oh, how I love looking like a moron in front of others.
In my defense, I did switch from the Colt/ACOG carbine to the RR/Aimpoint for Day Three. I discovered how difficult it is to come up on a target quickly and accurately looking through a magnified optic like the ACOG. Besides, this was the only opportunity in the foreseeable future that I would have to zero the RR out to 200 yards. And although each rifle functions basically the same, there are subtle differences in the safeties and mag releases that I'm using that as my excuse for fumbling around more on Day Three than on the previous two days. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.
We wrapped up the day with a drill similar to how we ended Day Two -- two single-file lines starting at 50 yards. First shooter puts 2 hits on steel from any position, then gets up and out of the way of the shooter behind him, who then does the same. First shooter takes his position at the end of the line, one arm's length away from the guy in front of him. Each subsequent shooter does the same from where he stands, thus the line eventually works its way back to the 200-yard line, ending the race (and for the record, the other team cheated.) On Day Three, however, the game changed a little. First shooter put 1 shot on steel, then went to the back of the OTHER line. It went faster, and involved a lot more running and up-and-down. My old knees weren't too happy after that, I have to admit. I learned that it was a lot faster for me after about 150 yards to just drop to prone (with my Drag-O-Mag-O-Pod, of course) and fire once and hit the target rather than try 3, 4, or 5 times from standing. My ego can take it.
We all assembled for the obligatory group picture, then retired to the classroom for a final debriefing and our graduation certificates.
At the beginning of this AAR, I said that this was more about the man than the course, and it is. Celebrity in the training world takes many paths, and some instructors become pretty egoistic. Some become living action figures, some dogmatic dickheads, and some remain real people who literally live to serve. I found Travis Haley to be one of the real people. Both he and Nate have a love of instructing, and that is apparent in their knowledge, experience, approachability, and genuine friendliness. They make a great team, and I look forward to training with them again one day.
Anybody can get on the internet and research Travis Haley's history. It's all out there -- Force Recon Marine, contractor work, Magpul, Haley Strategic Partners, etc. There are stories and videos galore which give glimpses into what he has accomplished in his life. However, having watched those videos and read the stories, I still didn't know The Man. Meeting a guy once hardly qualifies as "knowing," but coupled with the stories and history, I now have a more complete picture of who Travis is. It's like admiring a painting and then getting to meet the artist, or listening to a favorite song and then meeting the singer.
I learned that Travis continues to live life on the edge through extreme sports -- an adrenaline junkie of sorts, not uncommon for those who have experienced combat. He's a family man who takes his relationships seriously, whether family or combat brothers.I'm sure others have had similar experiences with other instructors, which is why we continue to train with them. That's mine about Travis Haley.
Thanks for reading.
When I started training locally a few years ago, I was a blank sheet of paper. Knowledge base = nil. I can be a slow learner, too, so that offered significant challenges to my mentors as well. However, they molded me into a marginally competent shooter who now looks for more opportunities to learn.
Like many modern students, when I began my journey I looked to the internet. I stumbled upon the Magpul Dynamics DVDs and ordered them, clueless about the instructors. As I devoured the videos, I found that I gravitated more toward Travis Haley than Chris Costa. Go figure.
I was pleasantly surprised to discover that the principles that they taught on the videos were nearly identical to what I'd been taught locally, which gave me confidence in the methodology that I'd been taught. I also determined that someday, should the opportunity present itself, I would train with Haley in person.
Fast-forward to today. The Magpul Dynamics guys have parted ways, each has garnered a measure of celebrity in the shooting world, and training has evolved. When I saw that Travis was coming to a range nearby, I had to sign up.
There were something like 29 students in the 3-day class. Most were either LEO, military reserve, or former military. Perhaps 1/3 were Joe Civilian like me. It was a bit intimidating at first, but once we hit the range that dissipated. I think my buddy and I were the oldest ones there, but the range went from young 20-somethings on up. Who says that 60-somethings can't run with the young pups?
The first morning was spent in the classroom. Although the AV portions left something to be desired, it was evident why this course is entitled "Disruptive Science," because nearly every aspect of what we do shooting was examined from a scientific perspective. Beyond just saying, "Do it this way because it works and because I said so," Travis and his training partner, Nate LeCompte, delved into WHY we do what we do and why we often do what we shouldn't. They touched on things like shooting positions and why doing it one way causes stress on the body and decreases accuracy, or why our muscles act a certain way in a given position. It was all pretty interesting, and it was evident that a lot of learning went on behind the scenes at Haley Strategic to present the material in a form that could be understood by students who can't even spell "kinesiology."
Every aspect of shooting, from stance to follow-through, was examined from a scientific perspective, including anatomy, physiology, kinesiology, and psychology. Being a scientific kind of guy, I appreciated the logic behind it all, even if I am pretty much incapable of incorporating some of the minutiae into my own shooting form. At times it was like sucking on a fire hose -- lots of information really fast. However, most of it was dumbed-down to my level and I didn't see anyone dozing off.
After lunch and a safety briefing, we headed out to the range. Big Boy Rules were in play. They must have done a pretty responsible job screening the students, because there was very little need for supervision from a safety standpoint. A few times a student or two would begin to move before engaging their safeties, but the entire class was pretty competent and respectful of others' safety.
Naturally, the first order of business was zeroing our rifles (BZO.) I took two M4s with me for the course -- a Colt with a Trijicon 4x32 ACOG and a Huntertown Arms suppressor, and a Rock River sporting an Aimpoint PRO -- and had hoped to use them both to further familiarize myself with each.
I immediately learned something that I hadn't considered -- I can't shoot from prone without neck pain. Getting down on the deck as low and stable as possible forced me to raise my head at a very uncomfortable angle to see through the ACOG. I would literally start to pass out by the 5th zeroing shot -- things got blurry, causing me to hurry the shot. Makes zeroing a rifle pointless.
Turns out I wasn't the only one with that problem. Pretty much everyone over 40 was complaining about neck pain by the end of the day from shooting prone.
We zeroed our rifles at 50 yards (I had previously zeroed mine at 100 and was happy with that) and moved back to 100 and 200 yards, an exercise that was called "telling the story." Since each rifle is different, even with the same ammo, our results could be evaluated by marking the center of each group and looking at the resulting lines on the target, essentially letting our rifles tell us their story about where they will impact at a given distance. The story my Colt told was that my impacts at 50 yards were right where I would expect them to be, about an inch low. My 100-yard group, which should have been dead nuts on, was a little high. And my 200-yard group was all over the place, which I attributed to nearly passing out by shot #3. I had to solve this neck issue if I was expected to shoot from prone for the whole class.
Once we had our rifles' stories in our heads, we used that information to shoot steel at 200, 300, 400, and 650 yards. With Travis and Nate spotting for us, we took turns at the distant targets. After a couple of tries, I found that even I could ring steel at 650 yards with my M4 consistently. It was a pretty windy day, but with a little help from Travis with the dope, I found my spot and hit the mark repeatedly. I could barely even see the target at that distance, even with a 4x scope! That was certainly a confidence booster.
With Day One over, I headed to Wal-Mart for a solution to my neck pain. A bipod would have been an ideal solution, or even using a backpack as a rest. However, I had neither, so I decided to improvise, adapt, and overcome, and where better than Wal-Mart? With some Gorilla Tape in hand, and a roll of digi-camo Duck Tape to make the solution a tactical one, I McGuyvered my way to a solution. Ladies and gentlemen, I give you the Mag-O-Pod!
Laugh if you must, but it worked. While the other old geezers were whining and rubbing their necks the next morning, I was putting rounds on target without nearly blacking out. I could settle in, concentrate on efficient breathing and not just breathing to survive, and focus on the target. The proof of the pudding is in the tasting, as they say.
Since the HSP dragonfly logo was everywhere, and since I was looking for investors to fund my new invention, I changed the name to the "Drag-O-Mag-O-Pod." I had at least 6 pre-orders before we left the range.
The rest of the course involved far fewer move-and-shoot drills than I had expected, and far more drills that focused on fundamentals of timing, trigger control and fluid movements. Travis is all about the conservation of motion and energy, and emphasized that at every opportunity. We practiced getting on target from a ready position to a metronome, which was a fun exercise. It was apparently difficult for some students to wait a full second before firing the next shot, and very common for most of us to slap the trigger when shooting fast. I have things to work on, for sure.
Travis and Nate were great on the range. Always right there, approachable, always ready with suggestions to fix whatever problem we were having. We took regular breaks for more info, where Travis would call everybody around and expound on something pertinent to the drill we were currently engaged in. Often, he would intersperse personal stories of combat that would enhance the practicality of a given drill. Even though most of us will never use our rifles in combat (until the Zombie Apocalypse, of course), hearing those little nuggets of practical wisdom were insights into who Travis Haley is and how his philosophies toward shooting were formed. I think I appreciated those moments as much as the actual training.
The one particular move-n-scoot drill we did on the last day was one that incorporated all of the skills -- shooting accurately, moving efficiently, and reloading on the move. We staged at an ammo box on one side with one round in the pipe and an empty mag, engaged a target then moved to the next ammo can about 25 feet away while reloading, putting 5 rounds (or so) on a second target. Rinse and repeat. It was a nice exercise that allowed me ample opportunity to demonstrate how easily I can be unable to find the mag release button while running, or find my BAD lever once I am reloaded. Or forget to flip off the safety and just stand there pointlessly pressing the trigger. Oh, how I love looking like a moron in front of others.
In my defense, I did switch from the Colt/ACOG carbine to the RR/Aimpoint for Day Three. I discovered how difficult it is to come up on a target quickly and accurately looking through a magnified optic like the ACOG. Besides, this was the only opportunity in the foreseeable future that I would have to zero the RR out to 200 yards. And although each rifle functions basically the same, there are subtle differences in the safeties and mag releases that I'm using that as my excuse for fumbling around more on Day Three than on the previous two days. That's my story and I'm sticking to it.
We wrapped up the day with a drill similar to how we ended Day Two -- two single-file lines starting at 50 yards. First shooter puts 2 hits on steel from any position, then gets up and out of the way of the shooter behind him, who then does the same. First shooter takes his position at the end of the line, one arm's length away from the guy in front of him. Each subsequent shooter does the same from where he stands, thus the line eventually works its way back to the 200-yard line, ending the race (and for the record, the other team cheated.) On Day Three, however, the game changed a little. First shooter put 1 shot on steel, then went to the back of the OTHER line. It went faster, and involved a lot more running and up-and-down. My old knees weren't too happy after that, I have to admit. I learned that it was a lot faster for me after about 150 yards to just drop to prone (with my Drag-O-Mag-O-Pod, of course) and fire once and hit the target rather than try 3, 4, or 5 times from standing. My ego can take it.
We all assembled for the obligatory group picture, then retired to the classroom for a final debriefing and our graduation certificates.
At the beginning of this AAR, I said that this was more about the man than the course, and it is. Celebrity in the training world takes many paths, and some instructors become pretty egoistic. Some become living action figures, some dogmatic dickheads, and some remain real people who literally live to serve. I found Travis Haley to be one of the real people. Both he and Nate have a love of instructing, and that is apparent in their knowledge, experience, approachability, and genuine friendliness. They make a great team, and I look forward to training with them again one day.
Anybody can get on the internet and research Travis Haley's history. It's all out there -- Force Recon Marine, contractor work, Magpul, Haley Strategic Partners, etc. There are stories and videos galore which give glimpses into what he has accomplished in his life. However, having watched those videos and read the stories, I still didn't know The Man. Meeting a guy once hardly qualifies as "knowing," but coupled with the stories and history, I now have a more complete picture of who Travis is. It's like admiring a painting and then getting to meet the artist, or listening to a favorite song and then meeting the singer.
I learned that Travis continues to live life on the edge through extreme sports -- an adrenaline junkie of sorts, not uncommon for those who have experienced combat. He's a family man who takes his relationships seriously, whether family or combat brothers.I'm sure others have had similar experiences with other instructors, which is why we continue to train with them. That's mine about Travis Haley.
Thanks for reading.
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