Apparently there is a new (or new to me) training company in Muncie. They appear to do some of their training indoors with UTM ammo and conversions. I assume it includes Force on Force as well.
They are having an open house on August 6th. I may have to go check it out.
Antone familiar with these folks?
******************************* Edit August 7, 2016*****************************
Well, we went up and checked them out. The open house was pretty friendly and welcoming. We were given a tour of the facility and had the opportunity to speak with two of the main instructors, Tony and Eric. I didn't take any notes but I'll give some info and share my impressions.
MTAC uses UTM conversion slides and bolts for all of the indoor shooting. This is not a live-fire range facility. Most of their classes use the conversions for the whole class. There are a couple, like the rifle class, where the live-fire portion is done at an off-site range. Most of the pistol classes are done in a 4 hour format. The classes progress from their Armed Citizen course, which is intro level, mainly "square range" type stuff, up through the Armed in Public, Armed at Work, and Home Defense type classes where it sounds like things get a little more advanced. I was provided with a list of courses, but the course descriptions are not very detailed and don't tell me a lot about what specifically to expect from each one. The list contains 19 different classes ranging from the basic pistol offerings, rifle, shotgun, vehicle, and self-aid medical.
From what I recall of the conversation, not all of the classes incorporate force-on-force. The classes progress from shooting static targets, to force-on-role-player (the role player isn't really shooting back), to force-on-force in later classes. One thing I did ask about was the safety protocol for the FoF environment. They indicated the facility does not allow live weapons or ammo. Lockers are provided at the entrance, and students go through a two-phase pat-down and metal detector wand search before entering the training area.
The training area includes two fairly large class rooms, a dedicated "square range" area, and a large shoot-house. It is set up to simulate a house in most areas, complete with mock furnishings, a garage, etc. It is large and well thought-out, especially if your goal is to teach and train movement through structures, room clearing, or similar issues. Though, I'm not sure they intend to teach those skills to the average citizen (more on that later). Their SWAT background shows in the design of the shoot house. There are L-shaped hallways with offset doors, windows which can be opened and closed, a stairs with a landing, a catwalk area where instructors or observes can overlook the rooms, and more. A few photos should help.
The photos are just a taste. You really have to be there to appreciate what they've done with the shoot house. It's a pretty nice facility. In addition to the courses, MTAC also plans to host some other events. A haunted house, zombie shoot, various competitions, and Mil-Sim type events were described. The facility is also available for rent, and an individual or group can contact them about private events, corporate team-building exercises, or individual private training.
Overall I got a good impression and came away thinking it would be someplace I'd want to go try out. The instructors were nice, easy to talk to, sounded experienced with what they were teaching, and knowledgeable. There were a couple fairly minor things that threw up a caution flag for me. One was a description of a drill I wasn't too sure would have much value (depending on how it's presented). Since I didn't take the class or participate in the drill, I wont describe it or make a judgement. The instructors also tended to describe non-police as "civilians", which I know kind of irks some folks around here.
When I was talking to the instructor about classes that incorporate couples or partners working together and also about some of the finer points of moving through structures, he indicated there were some things he didn't want to teach "civilians" because they could be used against "us" (police). That generally goes against my philosophy. In general, I have some reservations about training somewhere that might hold back info that could help me. I'm not saying they intend to hold anything back, and I have very little knowledge about specifically what they would or wouldn't teach the average citizen. It was just a comment that happened to ride home with me and I thought I'd share. I will have to take a class and see how it goes to form any real opinion.
As I said, overall, the folks we spoke to seemed knowledgeable and willing to teach. They appeared to have a passion for what they are doing and want to make people safer. Force on Force is an important part of a complete training program and I'm glad to see a place with this much potential open in Indiana. I will definitely be checking out a class with them out.
They are having an open house on August 6th. I may have to go check it out.
Antone familiar with these folks?
******************************* Edit August 7, 2016*****************************
Well, we went up and checked them out. The open house was pretty friendly and welcoming. We were given a tour of the facility and had the opportunity to speak with two of the main instructors, Tony and Eric. I didn't take any notes but I'll give some info and share my impressions.
MTAC uses UTM conversion slides and bolts for all of the indoor shooting. This is not a live-fire range facility. Most of their classes use the conversions for the whole class. There are a couple, like the rifle class, where the live-fire portion is done at an off-site range. Most of the pistol classes are done in a 4 hour format. The classes progress from their Armed Citizen course, which is intro level, mainly "square range" type stuff, up through the Armed in Public, Armed at Work, and Home Defense type classes where it sounds like things get a little more advanced. I was provided with a list of courses, but the course descriptions are not very detailed and don't tell me a lot about what specifically to expect from each one. The list contains 19 different classes ranging from the basic pistol offerings, rifle, shotgun, vehicle, and self-aid medical.
From what I recall of the conversation, not all of the classes incorporate force-on-force. The classes progress from shooting static targets, to force-on-role-player (the role player isn't really shooting back), to force-on-force in later classes. One thing I did ask about was the safety protocol for the FoF environment. They indicated the facility does not allow live weapons or ammo. Lockers are provided at the entrance, and students go through a two-phase pat-down and metal detector wand search before entering the training area.
The training area includes two fairly large class rooms, a dedicated "square range" area, and a large shoot-house. It is set up to simulate a house in most areas, complete with mock furnishings, a garage, etc. It is large and well thought-out, especially if your goal is to teach and train movement through structures, room clearing, or similar issues. Though, I'm not sure they intend to teach those skills to the average citizen (more on that later). Their SWAT background shows in the design of the shoot house. There are L-shaped hallways with offset doors, windows which can be opened and closed, a stairs with a landing, a catwalk area where instructors or observes can overlook the rooms, and more. A few photos should help.
The photos are just a taste. You really have to be there to appreciate what they've done with the shoot house. It's a pretty nice facility. In addition to the courses, MTAC also plans to host some other events. A haunted house, zombie shoot, various competitions, and Mil-Sim type events were described. The facility is also available for rent, and an individual or group can contact them about private events, corporate team-building exercises, or individual private training.
Overall I got a good impression and came away thinking it would be someplace I'd want to go try out. The instructors were nice, easy to talk to, sounded experienced with what they were teaching, and knowledgeable. There were a couple fairly minor things that threw up a caution flag for me. One was a description of a drill I wasn't too sure would have much value (depending on how it's presented). Since I didn't take the class or participate in the drill, I wont describe it or make a judgement. The instructors also tended to describe non-police as "civilians", which I know kind of irks some folks around here.
When I was talking to the instructor about classes that incorporate couples or partners working together and also about some of the finer points of moving through structures, he indicated there were some things he didn't want to teach "civilians" because they could be used against "us" (police). That generally goes against my philosophy. In general, I have some reservations about training somewhere that might hold back info that could help me. I'm not saying they intend to hold anything back, and I have very little knowledge about specifically what they would or wouldn't teach the average citizen. It was just a comment that happened to ride home with me and I thought I'd share. I will have to take a class and see how it goes to form any real opinion. As I said, overall, the folks we spoke to seemed knowledgeable and willing to teach. They appeared to have a passion for what they are doing and want to make people safer. Force on Force is an important part of a complete training program and I'm glad to see a place with this much potential open in Indiana. I will definitely be checking out a class with them out.
Last edited:
I like this UTM thing. Are they the only ones using it here?
