Why haven't you taken a class?

[Phil502]

For me it'd the distance. I work all week and have a lot to do at home. If I have to travel 2 hours each way from home to go somewhere for training it makes me not want to do it as much. I think training is a great idea though.

 

[Shay]

Alright. The 24th is here. If you didn't submit an entry, you'll have to wait until the January classes.

Fenway, it's time to pick a lucky winner.

 

[Fenway]

Ok, Let me read through em!

 

[Bunnykid68]

Just wanted to be the first late guy to post here. First time running across this post. Never had any training, and you can teach an old dog new tricks. Will keep an eye out if you do this again.

 

[Fenway]

Great entries! The winner is revance based on a well written post and circumstances that will make the flashlight class most helpful! See you there!

My wife and I are currently foster parents for a medically fragile little boy who's mother, father, and mother's husband are all violent offenders and one of them we are responsible for having thrown in jail. Our safety concerns over this are what finally convinced my wife to take a defensive pistol course.

Unfortunately, we are often required to attend evening meetings, court hearings, etc. with these people where we cannot carry a gun or knife. I religiously carry a flashlight to which I have attached a strike bezel specifically for these occasions. But to be honest, I have no idea how to properly use it.

I feel that the Flashlight Combatives course would greatly benefit me (and my family) by providing the knowledge to use my flashlight as an impact weapon when I have nothing else and to aid in the deployment of my firearm should the need ever arise.

 

[TopDog]

Congratulations revance, good on you and your wife for doing some real good.

Thank You to Shay for this generous offer. I understand that this is not your primary job and you have to find time to do this. People like revance and Shay are what make INGO the great community it is.

Looking forward to reading the after action report here on INGO.

 

[Shay]

Wow, the INGO community steps up once again. I was contacted by a member who wants to sponsor Revance's wife to attend the course as well. How cool is that?

Revance, please hit my website and register for the Flashlight Combatives class. Your wife is invited to attend if possible.

Just a general note, I'll be out of state tonight and tomorrow, so if someone sends me an email or PM I won't be able to respond until Wednesday.

 

[MTC]

There once was a trainer named Shay
Who offered a course for a day
The winner - revance
Was awarded the chance
To learn to keep goblins away

Congratulations to a most deserving recipient.

 

[revance]

Wow!

First, I want to give a big THANK YOU to Shay for making this possible. I really look forward to taking the class and will definitely post a review afterwards.

Also a big thank you to whoever it was who offered to sponsor my wife as well. I don't think they realize how good that makes us feel. She would LOVE to take it. Unfortunately, I don't think there is any way for her to take it. Our daughter has a birthday party to attend that day and we are already going to have to do some shuffling with our "resources" to make everything work out. She is also 5 months pregnant, so she probably isn't in the best shape to be taking such a class. It WOULD be a great class for her. She is a teacher in two "low income urban schools" in some nasty neighborhoods and they don't even let her carry OC.

I originally wrote out a big long essay explaining everything about our situation and then after reading the instructions again saw that it said "brief". So now that we are no longer "in regulation time" I can expand some (but still try to keep it short).

Our foster son was placed with us wen he was 26 days old, he had only been released from the NICU 3 days earlier. At 4 months old he stopped eating when his suck reflex went away and he was placed on an NG feeding tube. That was also when the "baby daddy" claimed to be the father. A few months later he proved to be exactly that. However he still wasn't involved because he went back to jail for a while (thanks to us). During that time our foster son had a G tube placed because we got nowhere on the NG. Now he is 18 months old, has had several G tubes and now has a G-J and is fed by pump into his intestines and has a catheter bag attached to drain his stomach.

Of course we don't want him going back to the father (convicted child molester) and are trying VERY hard to keep him. We don't see how this guy could possibly take care of all his special needs. I think the mother is the real threat to us because they have made it very clear she will not get him, so she has gotten into that "nothing to lose" mode. As the end draws near, the fight is getting more heated and our safety concerns grow. So despite how much I would love to take the FoF class, this one is definitely more needed considering we are forced to interact with these "people" who would love to do harm to us while unarmed.

Ok, my wife is fussing at me for spending so much time writing a book. Again, thank you very much to everyone!

 

[Shay]

Revance,
I received your registration. I look forward to meeting you in class.

Thank you Fenway for your part in this.

 

[revance]

Once again, a big thank you to Shay.

I took the class yesterday and it was awesome. I learned a lot and had a great time.

The class went over fighting mindset, tactics (using flashlights), the effects of using bright white lights, how to use a flashlight as an impact weapon, and briefly covered using them with firearms and searching a building. I might be leaving something out.

Some cool things I learned was how to use a flashlight for different levels of engagement. Starting out pointing it at someone's waist to keep an eye on them and raising it up into their face if the threat level increases.

I also was convinced to swap out the forward clicky tailcap on my EDC flashlight with a temporary on tailcap. My clicky tailcap required a lot of pressure to click, so I was never concerned with it clicking on at a time I didn't want it to... however I hadn't considered striking something with it. Then it always clicks on.

I'd tell y'all more, but you will just have to take the class to find out.

I am surprised at how sore I am today... I didn't feel like I exerted myself that much, but wow, those aren't muscles I use much.

 

[Shay]

Revance,

It was good to have you in class.

This may sound strange, but I really don't want you to have to use what I taught you. But I truly hope that some of the skills and tactics you learned in class can keep you and your family safer if they ever become necessary.

 

[revance]

Well, you know everyone says they hope they don't need to use their weapon...

I hope to need to use a flashlight in self defense much less than to need to use my firearm. After all, if I am going to need to defend myself, I hope I have more than a flashlight :-)

However at least now I can have more options. Particularly when I can't have a gun.