Tactical Response Fighting Pistol Course Review On the weekend of March 7<SUP>th</SUP> and 8<SUP>th</SUP>, 2009, I had the distinct pleasure to take Tactical Response’s (www.TacticalResponse.com) Fighting Pistol Class. It was held in Bastrop, Texas and was taught by James Yeager, the founder of Tactical Response. Assisting James were two other instructors, Allen Webb and Brian “The Aussie”. The purpose of this class, as stated on the Tactical Response website is not to just learn to shoot, but to learn how to fight with a pistol. Believe me, this course delivers! <FONT size=3><?xml:namespace prefix = o ns = "urn:schemas-microsoft-comI could go step by step through the things we did and learned over the two days, but I’m not going to. I know there are many great reviews about this course that can do that better than I ever could. You can read many of them at www.GetOffTheX.com . What I want to share with you are my personal achievements with a pistol during this class and why this class helped me to accomplish them. While I don’t want to bore you with a bunch of boring crap, I need to tell you a little about myself so that you will know where I am coming from. I have been shooting for almost 30 years. I enjoy it immensely, but I have no natural talent for it. I was before this class, at best, a mediocre shooter. I have a full time job that pays the bills, but I am also a part time martial arts instructor. I teach karate mostly to kids, but I have adult students as well. I do it for two reasons. First, it gives me money to buy guns, ammo, and training. However, the main reason I do it is because I love to teach. To see the look in a child’s eyes when he begins to believe in himself is a reward that money cannot buy. Because of this, I am always looking at how others teach what they do, whether it’s karate or plumbing, to pick up methods and techniques that I can use in my classes. In school, work, the martial arts, and even a few shooting schools, I have observed hundreds of instructors. Some I learned a metric ton from and others taught me very little except for perhaps what not to do. In a nutshell, I am a student of how others teach. I tell you all of this to put into perspective this statement. The Tactical Response instructors are among the best I have ever seen. They are professional, knowledgeable, and caring. They not only know how to “do”, they know how to teach. While it might seem that the ability to teach would be a common quality in instructors, I can assure you that it is not. The Tactical Response crew understands how we learn and they structure their lessons so that you are able to absorb the most information in the shortest amount of time. They know how to read the students and tailor the coaching to make sure that each individual is grasping the concepts and improving no matter the level they are at. Only the best of the best can do this. We had about 20 students in our class. It was quite an eclectic group. One gentleman had purchased his first gun that week. Some had never had any instruction, while others were very experienced shooters. Two of the students were women who were very apprehensive about taking a class. Several of the guys had taken this course before. Some were military personnel. One was a teenager and another was as he put it, “Older than dirt.” Every single one of us learned a tremendous amount in this class. Even the guys who had taken it before said they learned a lot. One of them told me he though he learned more the second time because he didn’t need to worry about improving his shooting as much. The ladies told me they were at ease almost immediately once the class started. I also noticed that the girls were the best students in the class. I wasn’t surprised, as I have noticed in the martial arts that women are typically better pupils than men. The brand new shooter was performing on par with everyone else by the end of the class. Everyone I talked to walked away from this class not just a little better, but vastly improved. I don’t know if I have ever learned so much in so little time. Allen fixed my grip in the first few minutes of class. I had been taught this grip two times before, but he noticed that I wasn’t quite doing it correctly. The instructors I had in the two classes I took before hadn’t noticed. In fact, in the last class I took, they total wrecked my confidence in my shooting ability. I came out of that class a worse shot than when I started. My shooting improved dramatically with only this seemingly insignificant change in my grip. However, these guys weren’t through with me yet. I had so many little problems that they noticed that no one ever had. I also had a big problem with trigger control that no one had ever been able to fix. These guys did. On the second day of class I was putting five shots on a one-inch dot. If anyone had told me I would have been shooting that good, I wouldn’t have believed it. All of a sudden, I became the kid that was beginning to believe in himself. My shooting ability soared and with it my self-confidence. But the vast improvement in my marksmanship wasn’t all I experienced. I learned to move and shoot, to shoot from retention, and to shoot from a multitude of positions. We practiced clearing malfunctions, scanning for multiple assailants, drawing, reloading, and holstering our pistols while keeping our heads up where we can see what is happening. We learned about the mindset and tactics it takes to win a gunfight. We also heard about the legal, moral, and psychological effects of being in a shooting. I learned more in two days than I would have thought possible. I believe that anyone at any skill level who wants to learn can benefit from this class. I will be taking my son and daughter next year. Whether you’ve never had any training or are a veteran shooter, are a man or a woman, had a bad experience with another school, or are just plain scared of being embarrassed in front of others, this is the class for you. It might even save your life! It has been a long, long time since I have had as much fun and achieved so much as I did in the Fighting Pistol class. It has not only given me the skills and confidence that I can defend myself and others with my pistol, it has also renewed my desire to improve my own teaching skills. Thanks James, Allen, and Brian. Words just cannot tell you how much I appreciate you all. You will be seeing a lot more of me! That’s not a threat…it’s a promise. David Crawford PS - I also want to make two other small points. First, I thought I would need time after I took Fighting Pistol to work on the skills I learned before I took Advanced Fighting Pistol. That assumption was wrong. Don’t be afraid to take the classes back to back. Second, the top item on the gear list for all of the Tactical Response classes is One (1) Open Mind. There is a reason it is listed first. As an instructor in another field, I can tell you that how open you are to listening and trying what is being taught is directly proportional to how much you will learn. My primary martial arts instructor has an old saying…“When the student is ready, the teacher will appear.”
I am envious of you. I wish we had those courses in Australia but sadly it is not allowed. Maybe one day I might afford to come to the States and take one there, if they are allowed to take in 'foreigners'!! Glad you enjoyed it.
Thanks David, that's a very positive review. Most people do not realize the importance of proper training and believe that just owning a firearm and going to the range once in a while will keep them safe. I shoot competitively regularly against some of the fastest guns around and can say without reservation, that there is a world of difference between shooting paper or steel and being in an armed confrontation. Get the training; it may save your life or the life of someone else.
I found that there is a big difference between shooting a pistol and fighting with one. It is the same difference as hitting a heavy bag and climbing into the ring with a live opponent. These guys are fantastic and I would reccomend them to anyone. They do training around the country. Check their website for places and dates. I'm sure they would let an Aussie train with them. After all, one of the instructors is from down under. Unfortunately, it is not my school, so I can't speak on a discount. I know that James will take trades. Email him and see what you can work out. However, if you would like to come to Texas, I can give you your first karate lesson for free.
