“There is no end to education. It is not that you read a book, pass an examination, and finish with education. The whole of life, from the moment you are born to the moment you die, is a process of learning.” – Jiddu Krishnamurti
Those who know me and for those that don’t, I am a military veteran, father, firearms instructor, and a dude who takes training and education seriously. Does that mean I am constantly practicing what I preach? NOT ONE BIT… That’s on me; as I can come up with all the excuses in the world to NOT do what I should to prepare myself for the possibilities of life. If that makes me unqualified to speak on for the next few paragraphs, tune me out!
But…
If you are still here, I am about to turn that “high powered” perceptive eye inward and give my reactions to some of the “punch you in the face” reality I witnessed this past weekend. All at the hands of Craig Burris and his cadre of awesome instructors from Tactical Training Solutions. There was blood, sweat, laughs, friendships made, and ultimately an understanding (humbling) of what I lacked and where my starting point should be to get better at the art of Pistol Craft!
Federal Ammunition – American Eagle 124gr FMJ 
25yrd – B8 – 94/100 – 10 shots under 30 sec.
I went into this knowing that I hadn’t taken a class of any sort (shamed to admit) in over 3 years. I like to think I shoot on a regular basis, be it USPSA, product testing (for my 9-5), or with family and friends. Over the last couple years things have been interesting, as we all know, so shooting with purpose or specific training focus has been few and too far in between. So when I expressed to my wife that I was interested in the PPC3 course through TTS, she thought it a good idea to lay it on me as a birthday present… YES, I know I have one of the good ones and she supports me in my attempt to hold onto what’s left of my youth! One of the best birthday presents EVER! Other than knowing I needed a case of ammo, a gun, mags, holster, and an open mind; I was flying blind on what to expect. But that’s ok… Right?!
Craig has been doing this for years… And you can tell! The way he delivers his message, analysis the individual student, gives correction (or praise), and reinforces lessons with action is top notch. He, like most great instructors, is always looking to improve his/hers skills by constantly learning from others. I can speak specifically to a situation in class where we were shooting dominate hand only, at distance, and all of a sudden my groups started to jump to the 12’oclock high 6 inches or more, off the center of the target. I instantly thought it was my equipment, (for background, I was shooting a stock-ish Glock 19, Holosun 507K X2, with some mill and mounting done by C&H Precision Weapons) and nothing I could have been doing, because, hey, I was doing great till this point. Craig went the extra mile, used slow motion video, observation, and even proved through demo that it wasn’t the gun. He was able to help me modify my grip pressure and ultimately help me to reduce the issues I was having. This may not seem like a lot, but the skill and professionalism that Craig and the cadre have make things like that possible. There were 10 students in class and we all got that individual attention. THAT to me, is a mark of a good class and great instructors!
The PPC3 class wasn’t in the “tactical” category as some advance level classes can be. I appreciated this, A LOT… We did things like shooting on the move, barricade drills, and some speed drill; but, the design was to build on fundamentals at distance, with added stress, on small targets or tight time limits. The idea is that there is crossover and skills that work in most if not all situations. Being able to engage a 6 inch circle at 25 yards from the holster, fire 10 rounds, all under 30 seconds, and do it over and over; has it’s place in competition, self defense, or just a good day at the range with friends. It’s drills like that, that force us to find where our wheels fall off. You truly can’t start to build the foundation of improvement if you don’t know where your limits begin and end. You have to know what you can and can’t do if you want to progress past where you currently are, no matter what you do, shooting or otherwise!
The meat and potatoes of class were simple… We shot just shy of 800 rounds, from 3 to 147 yards (pistol class remember), with small targets, tough time constraints (often doing the most difficult drills cold), all while finding time to enjoy ourselves. It was a class full of great shooters and we ALL got something out of it. I learned about my grip, how to effectively run a red dot, the fact that my cardio SUCKS, that you can STILL get slide bite even if you have a backstrap on your Glock, and that some of the stronger bonds in life can be made when you “chew some of the same dirt” as others. I don’t want to give away all of Craig’s secrets, you have to take one of his classes for yourself…
There is an old saying somewhere out in the world that goes, “Those who can do, do… And those who can’t, teach”. The group at Tactical Training Solutions don’t fall into this category. Each and everyone of them can do and can teach. This class was an eye opener for me, on many levels, and I will do it again to help gauge my training and validate my plan to improve.
Do yourself a service and take one of his classes, you need it (I mean that in the nicest way possible), TRUST me!
Until next time…
Stay Safe!
