A friend of mine heard about a pre opening special that the company was having to introduce themselves to the community and we jumped on it. I have been shooting guns for almost 35 years starting with BB guns and moving into semi-automatic firearms as I got older, but I knew from looking at the instructors qualifications on their website, that there was much to be learned.
I communicated with one of the owners, Joe, via email prior to the scheduled class. He was very professional and friendly. He answered all of my questions and made me feel at ease with the coming training class. I had a few friends who were interested as well, but due to competing priorities only two of us were able to make it.
We arrived just before 5:00PM at the small business park where the company is located. Upon entering we were greeted by Joe. We proceeded to the training room and we began a very compressed training course. He explained to us that this was indeed a compressed class which would give us an introduction to some of the basics and principles of firearms, personal protection and safety. The full class which is multiple days and hours was indeed compressed. We took in a great deal of information and Joe was extraordinarily with the stories and anecdotes that completely enhanced the training. The class instruction was very in-depth and was good information. Some of the information I had learned over the years via my father, reading and other training, but again, the knowledge that was inherent from years in the service were very obvious. Once we finished in the class room, the really fun part came up - the shoot house!
We were joined by Aaron, the co-founder, and did a walk through of the shooting house. We were introduced to the various rooms which were set up as a normal every day house. From there, we were provided with firearms configured to use simunitions. These are kind of like paint balls, but on steroids. They are loaded into converted semi-automatic handguns, a Beretta for me and a Glock for my friend. We donned protective gear and started. From there we both were able to test out the guns on a target. Joe and Aaron took the time to help both of us with some tips and feedback on our stance, grip and motion as we tested them out. The feedback was helpful in making some changes to our shooting style and then we were able to start the force on force drills. Aaron, in a protective suit, illustrated how quickly someone could be upon you with a blunt object and our objective was to avoid and stop him. We were able to see how we needed to keep moving the "x" and non-lethally "stop" Aaron. Again, we got feedback and instruction and did the drill again.
After the "attack" we moved into another drill in the shoot house rooms proper. Aaron positioned himself in one of the rooms. We worked with Joe to learn how to come downstairs after hearing a window break in the house. We were able to do a few dry runs and then we were dropped into the scenario. Here is where it goes beyond anything you can do at a normal shooting range. Paper targets don't fire back first off, and you are static. Joe and Aaron were both adamant on the process of constantly being in motion. Outside of removing yourself from the situation, you must keep moving. We both began the process of moving through the rooms until we made contact. We each did this a couple of times, with feedback after each session. The situation, even though we knew kind of what to expect, was much more realistic with the weight of the converted guns and the simunitions. You can feel the intensity and it brings the lethality and responsibility of carrying a weapon fully into focus.
Finally, we returned back to the class room and went over the video footage. They have cameras throughout the facility recording from overhead which gave us a birds eye view of the goings on. The other footage was via GoPro cameras that gave us a FPS view from our own standpoint as well as from Aaron. It was awesome watching, but also humbling as you realize that there is so much more to learn. Overall, it cost $72 for 3 hours of personalized instruction and all of the above. It was well worth it and I hope to be able to go again as the instruction was top notch IMHO. read more
