First off, what a unique, fun, and memorable experience! Highly recommended if you want to improve…read moreyour overall knowledge and skills of how to effectively use firearms in any capacity. From seasoned shooters to people just starting out, I think you'll come away from this having learned something new.
Recently, my husband and I were visiting family in San Diego, and while we were there, his brother organized a half day firearms and range training session for us with Wraith Defense Group (myself, my husband, his brother, and his brother's fiancé).
Prior to the training session, we received an email asking what our experience level and goals for the session were, as well as an extensive list of what to bring (pistols, ammo, holsters, eye and ear protection, notebook, water, etc.).
When we arrived at the private outdoor range, our instructor Rob (a Marine Veteran with many years of experience shooting and training others to shoot) met us, and we got to work. Rob went over general range safety, the basics of aiming using iron sights or red dot optics, proper posture and stance, how to hold a pistol for accuracy, the repeatable process he uses when drawing from a holster, aiming, firing and holstering again, and more.
We practiced drawing our weapons using his 4-step method, smoothly taking aim, and dry firing to get accustomed to the process. Once everyone felt fairly comfortable with that we added ammo, and began aiming for smaller targets from a shorter distance (5m), which is comparable to what you might encounter in a home invasion type of scenario, then backed up to 10m and aimed for slightly larger targets.
We also practiced reloading mid-session when one magazine ran out of ammo, and then we practiced moving while shooting targets (harder than it sounds!). Envision trying to remember all the good shooting form you've just been taught while walking towards (or perpendicular to) a target (and then throw in swapping out magazines on top of it all). I think moving while shooting was the most enjoyable of all the exercises we did with our group. We ended our session with a competition between iron sights and optics to see who could score the most points for hitting certain areas on our targets.
All the while, Rob was checking form, reminding us of the steps we'd gone over earlier, and making suggestions as to how to improve our accuracy: take the slack out of the trigger as you're aiming, don't lock out the arms fully, relax the shoulders, don't anticipate the shot, etc. Not only was he extremely skilled himself, demoing every exercise for us before we did it without missing a shot, but he was very professional, encouraging, and great at communicating why we were doing things a certain way, as well as how to do it better the next time.
By the end of the afternoon, everyone was hot, sweaty, and pumped from the experience we'd just had. Personally, I came away with a much more thorough understanding of how to repeatedly and systematically take aim each and every time I draw a pistol, steps I'll be able to practice the next time I'm at the shooting range at home. It was a great experience both from a learning standpoint and from a fun, team building activity standpoint - with everyone cheering each other on as we practiced.
After the session I have a few tips I'd pass along for future attendees: bring lots of cold water, sunscreen, hats with brims, eye protection with dark tinted or polarized lenses, and wear a long sleeved, light colored shirt. The range is fully outdoors and once the sun starts to climb, there's very little shade so staying well hydrated and doing your best to protect yourself from the sun's rays is a must.
Overall, Wraith Defense Group has a very valuable, unique offering, and I would encourage anyone to take a training session with them. It's well worth it.