Thn9mm
03-03-2020, 10:37 PM
Centrifuge Training Vehicle CQB.
https://centrifugetraining.com/courses/vcqb/
February 22-23, 2020
Location: Grandview, TX. Range 35
Costs: Tuition: $550. Range Fee: $40 (covers both days). Hotel $130. Gas $50. Food $40
Students: 15 adult males.
Instructors: Lead Instructor: Bryan Veliz , Assistant Instructors: Bones, Chase.
Student:Teacher ratio= 5:1
Round count: 650 approximately.
Weather: Cloudy, cold. Day one was in the lower 50’s, day two was warmer in the low 60’s with winds and occasional sprinkles.
Day One: 9AM-5:30PM. Day Two: 9AM-3:30 PM
I have no financial conflicts of interest with anyone or any product discussed in this review.
Vehicle CQB (VCQB) is a signature two-day course from Centrifuge Training, of William Petty fame. This course was taught by Bryan Veliz, who is part of the instructor cadre at Centrifuge Training. Bryan was supported by two assistant instructors (AI), who were quite capable themselves. There were fifteen students, six of whom were active LE. Two of the six were in SWAT and one was a federal officer. It was notable that none of the LE/SWAT/Federal students had vehicle CQB training despite decades of service. One student flew from Hawaii to attend. The rest of us were motivated civilians. There were three industry people: a marketing person from Walther and a freelance photographer/writer as his partner, and a representative from Cheaper Than Dirt. I am a civilian without any LE/military experience. This is my third vehicle specific class. My first two classes were both with Aaron Cowan (Vehicle Dynamics) in 2016, and in November 2019. Aaron told us in the last class that he teaches vehicle fighting at the high school level and that Will Petty teaches at the Phd or Doctorate level (this is very modest of Aaron as his class is very good). Although Will Petty was not teaching, this class was challenging enough and at minimum, was at the university level. Since I have had the privilege of learning vehicle training with both Sage Dynamics (SD) and Centrifuge Training (CT), I will highlight the strengths/weaknesses of both.
Equipment: The course encourages you to wear what you normally wear for your profession. LE folks were kitted up with armor/assault gear and civilians varied. Some had “war belts”, others had OWB, and a third carried appendix. Suggested equipment https://centrifugetraining.com/courses/vcqb/
My gear consisted of:
1. Pistol: Shadow Systems MR918 Elite with ZEV PRO Compensator V2, RMR09 (1 MOA), Surefire 300U-B WML. Back up was another Shadow Systems MR918.
2. Magazines: mixture of Glock OEM and Magpul mags.
3. Holster: AIWB with Tier 1 Concealment holster Axis Elite https://www.tier1concealed.com/products/axis-elite
4. Belt: Blue Alpha Gear COBRA EDC belt https://www.bluealphagear.com/product/cobra-edc-belt/
5. IFAK was North American Rescue Mini Responder 4, Hyfin Compact chest seals, Soft-T tourniquet. All of this fit in my back jean pocket.
6. Ear Pro: Howard Leight with Noisefighter Sightline gel ear pads. https://noisefighters.com/products/sightlines1 I doubled up with inside the ear Surefire EP3 plugs for most of the class, especially for the inside vehicle portion.
7. Clothing: Nike compression tights under blue jeans, Under Armour compression long sleeve shirt, Scarf and beanie, Smith Aegis eye pro with prescription inserts. Outer layer was Northface fleece hoodie. The clothing combination worked well, keeping me warm without overheating. Glove only on my left hand. Used hand warmers in the pocket of my hoodie to keep my shooting hand warm. The gear list called for knee pads. I brought some but did not use them.
With already two vehicle specific classes under my belt, I was a little hesitant to enroll in another. However, Aaron highly recommended Will Petty and so off I went. The fact that it was NOT Will Petty teaching was a little disappointment, only because I was not informed as a student. To be fair, when you sign up on the Centrifuge website, it does not specify that Will Petty will be teaching the class. Now Bryan and his two AI did a great job and I would have enrolled anyway but more transparency is always better.
Preparation for class:
1. Reviewing past AARs:
a. https://civiliangunfighter.wordpress.com/2019/07/09/aar2-centrifuge-training-llc-will-petty-chase-jenkins-vcqb-alliance-oh-june-29-30-2019/
b. https://civiliangunfighter.wordpress.com/2019/07/08/aar-centrifuge-training-will-petty-vehicle-close-quarters-battle-alliance-oh-6-29-30-19/
2. Video:
a. Centrifuge Vehicle CQB Video: I purchased this module on Vimeo and reviewed it many times. Although Will Petty recorded this in 2015, the concepts and techniques are fundamentally the same. Bryan presented the information almost exactly as Will Petty did in the video, which was great because if you were familiar with the concepts from the video, then you could concentrate more on application in the class.
b. Reviewed the many videos I took from my Vehicle Dynamics class with Aaron Cowan
3. Physical: the drills were of short duration but high in intensity. Lunges, Kettle bells, Turkish get-ups, and burpees are great exercises to prepare for this course. Work on flexibility, especially of your hips and legs. Travis Haley has a workout routine on YouTube that is directly applicable. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XMpmnDU4nmM
I will not be discussing the details of each day as the AAR above from Civilian Gunfighter was well written and descriptive already. After learning the mechanics of movement inside the vehicle (ITV) and outside the vehicle (OTV), seat belt manipulation, and muzzle management, Bryan taught multiple ITV and OTV drills. These drills were not meant to be scenarios but opportunities to learn movement and shooting in and around vehicles.
Key takeaway concepts (not in order of importance)
1. CQB defined is SUDDEN violence, HIGH intensity, at SHORT distances
2. It is always about the gun. If you have a threat in the immediate vicinity, then the priority is to get good hits on target rather than other tasks (clearing seatbelt). Getting good hits on target ends the threat, not anything else.
3. Sometimes it is about the car. If the threat is far enough away, or you have time, then drive away. If the threat is closer and you cannot get the gun out, then run-over the threat. Lethal force is lethal force whether it is a vehicle or a gun or a knife.
4. It is better to shoot over, around and under a car than to shoot through it. Any rounds hitting the car will be absorbed or deflected so your hits are not predictable. Rounds hitting the car are rounds missing the target.
5. Standing is better than squatting, squatting is better than kneeling, and kneeling is better than urban prone. Visualization and mobility are the priorities.
6. Fight in the position you find yourself in, versus the position you want to be in. Take care of the threat, THEN shift or move to the better position.
7. Sooner is better than faster. Read the situation and initiate your actions (whether it be drawing and shooting or exiting to better position) sooner so that you do not have to react behind the curve and try to go fast. Going fast often makes the wheels fall off.
8. Go to the front line. If you have a partner that is in front already engaging a threat, come up parallel with your partner in front behind cover to support. Do not shoot behind your partner!
9. If you do not have to fight in and around a vehicle then don’t.
10. If you do have to fight in and around a vehicle, then get out of the vehicle as fast as you can. Cars are bullet magnets, get out. Incoming rounds through the windshield deflect down to hit you.
11. If you must engage inside the vehicle and the threat is to the side, don’t just rotate your upper torso. Rotate and center your hips to the threat for a more stable platform. Use the car’s props (center console, door frame) and legs to brace yourself (this is where flexibility of hips and legs is useful). More stable platform = better hits.
12. Don’t worry about whether you should get the gun out first or clear the seat belt. IF there is an immediate threat, then the priority is threat. If there is a lull, then task is seat belt. Priority > task.
13. Solve one problem at a time. When there are multiple issues, prioritize what is most important and solve one problem at a time.
14. Do NOT stand in the V notch (space between an opened front door and the cabin). Rounds will go through that front window and door. Better place is the rear of your vehicle.
15. High ground wins fights. When exiting the car, move asap to the rear where you have high ground and visibility. Statistically, the person at the rear wins the gunfight compared to a person at the front.
16. Stack your pillars when at the rear so that you are behind the A, B, and C pillars. Learn to shoot accurately leaning to side. Do the same at the side, position yourself so that more than one pillar is between you and the incoming rounds.
17. When at the rear, the outside knee is ideally up (but refer to #6).
18. When in urban prone, the opposite knee is draped over and grounded (knee touching ground) to provide stability in the shooting platform. For example, in left urban prone, the right knee drapes over in front and touches the ground.
19. When scanning for and engaging threats, check for all high targets first then check low. In other words, don’t switch from high to low to high. Check for all threats when standing or crouching, then urban prone on both sides to check for low lying threats.
20. The temple or holster index positions are positions of movement, they are not ready positions.
21. When running to a car you don’t know for cover, quickly scan the cabin interior to ensure there are no innocents or accomplices to surprise you.
22. Keep at least an arm’s length from the vehicle. Don’t crowd the vehicle!
23. Check your surroundings at every level before rising to the next.
We ended early on Sunday around 1530 as we had completed all the instruction. According to Bryan, this was in large part due to the class’s solid fundamentals and skills. In many classes, Bryan has had to teach at a slower pace and even then, some classes do not complete the entire curriculum.
We returned to the classroom to analyze more videos, debrief, and end.
Observations
Students: The students in class were outstanding. Everyone was safe, had solid fundamentals, and was friendly. Other than a recent Paul Howe class, I rarely see such a high number of active LE students.
Competition: The students who were competitive shooters tended to run too fast in the drills. They were often reminded to slow down, get better hits, and not go beyond their headlights.
Range Habits: Although we were instructed to treat each drill like a gunfight, some students carried range habits that would have hurt them in combat. For example, picking up empty magazines and re-inserting them into holsters or dump pouches during the fight or press checking too often.
Physical fitness still counts: Several of the students were clearly out of shape. You saw their struggles in movement and stamina. They persevered, however, and completed every drill well. There was never any emphasis on speed in this class. The stress was on proper mechanics and getting good hits.
Assistant Instructors: The AIs challenged us more than Bryan did. They induced more malfunctions for us, they held us more accountable to good hits, they gave us more verbal stress (Come on, fix that gun. He’s shooting at you! Give me four more on black!), etc. I welcomed this and never felt it was malicious. They were also judicious in their stress inducements. Students who were struggling physically or mechanically were left alone except for correcting their techniques. Others who were doing well received more stress stimulation.
Gear: double up on ear protection when doing inside the vehicle drills. If you or your partner have pistol compensators then double protection is key. A Safariland holster snapped from one of the LE students. I do not know what model it was. The problem was rectified with duct tape. No one’s pistol failed. Most had Glocks, two had Walthers, I had my Shadow Systems, and one had an FN 509. A third of the students had RDS and the others used iron sights. Two of us had compensators. If you wear Polar fleece like I did, then expect hay and grass to stick to you. By day’s end, I looked like a human haystack. Preload your mags if possible. I preloaded 18 magazines and this gave me more rest or chat time as needed. Hand warmers were helpful to keep your non-gloved hand warm.
SAGE DYNAMICS AND CENTRIFUGE TRAINING COMPARED
I will now be comparing vehicle training between SD and CT. Both are excellent options for learning how to fight in and out of your vehicle, so take them both. They are more similar than different but there are important differences in instruction, skill sets, and concepts. Do you need both? Yes, absolutely. There are so many concepts and intricacies with vehicle fighting that you need to take at least two courses, with different instructors, and preferably within 6 months of each other to solidify the concepts and techniques. For reference, CT will refer to Centrifuge Training and or Bryan and the assistant instructors. SD will refer to Sage Dynamics and or Aaron Cowan. I will be comparing and contrasting in these categories: Safety, Didactics/classroom, Vehicle Ballistics, Student composition, Range facilities, Instructors, Quality of Feedback and Personal Attention, Use of Targets, Drills and Techniques, Down time and physical exertion, Qualifications and standards, Cost, and finally Customer service.
Safety
I felt safe at all times in both SD and CT classes. Medical kits, evacuation plan and car, designated primary and secondary rescuer, coordinates, etc were all reviewed at the beginning and after lunch of each day. Aaron had big boy rules and ran a hot range as long as you were safe. Bryan did not specify hot or cold but essentially administered a cold range. You were hot on line and between drills but then unloaded and cleared before certain drills, before lunch and at the day’s end. Both styles worked. The students were also a major safety factor. Everyone had safety fundamentals down and no one was “that guy”.
Didactics/Classroom
CT had a classroom portion on both days whereas SD did not. The didactic portion was a short power point presentation on the fundamentals of vehicle CQB. Bryan discussed principles and then showed videos of either police or citizen engagements that applied. Seeing the videos were crucial, as you saw the real-life consequences of positioning, ballistics, sooner better than faster, high ground, movement, etc. Aaron verbally taught principles, but without the videos to reinforce, it was less effective.
Vehicle Ballistics
CT demonstrated with 9mm (115, 124, 147 gr, FMJ and HP), 556 XM193, and shotgun on the A and B pillars of a four-door vehicle, as well as bullet deflection when shooting outside and inside the vehicle. SD did the same but was more comprehensive. Green Tips, 7.62, 308 were also used in addition to the ammunition mentioned. Furthermore, Aaron shot up the C pillars as well (not very effective as cover compared to A, B), through the trunk (M855 went through) and through the side doors and side windows. He also shot from back to front through the rear and front windshields. SD encouraged students to bring their rifles and try them on the cars. Both CT and SD placed targets near the car to show when fragmentation and penetration occurred. CT emphasized that it is better to shoot above, around, or under rather than through a car. SD, however, showed that you can shoot through a vehicle and expect some hits if your threat was behind a side door or side window. Now Bryan did mention that this could be done as well. But without demonstrating the ballistics, students may not be as impressed. The more comprehensive nature of vehicle ballistics in SD was helpful.
Student Composition
The class with SD was larger at 20 students and there was one active LEO. In contrast, there were 15 students in CT and six were active LE/Federal. There were two AIs with CT compared to only one with SD. This made the student:teacher ratio quite lopsided, with CT being 5:1 and SD being 10:1. The smaller student-teacher ratio with CT translated to more personal feedback and attention. The skill level of the CT students was higher than in SD.
Range/Facilities
The Ranch (https://theranchtxclub.com/?showSignUpDialog=true&utm_campaign=15604d1e-cddc-434d-ade0-58a3f5da4610&utm_source=so ) hosted SD while Range 35 hosted CT (https://range35.com/). Both ranges were great, but The Ranch was more conducive to the vehicle work. The SD class was in a large 360-degree berm ( https://theranchtxclub.com/ranges/) so the cars could be positioned in multiple directions and at close or far intervals. This facilitated more diversity in drills and more stations so that you did not have too much down time waiting your turn. More on this later. Range 35, while expansive (they have a helicopter!), used a flat range berm and so there were more limitations on car positioning, which affected the drills.
Instructors, quality of feedback and personal attention
Bryan Veliz and Aaron Cowan are both excellent as instructors. Bryan is soft spoken and Aaron…is not. Sometimes it was hard to hear Bryan. Both were gentlemen and no one was abusive or belittling. Bryan brings the perspective of still being a full-time LE in the border areas of Texas and Aaron is very analytical. Bryan gives you a more feedback during your drills. The AIs, however, were significantly different. I think Aaron only had one AI whereas Bryan had two. The AIs with CT contributed greatly to the learning experience. For every drill in CT, an AI would be behind you every step to give you feedback or to challenge you when needed. “Get low, you’re not behind cover (behind side door instead of pillars), slow down, get your hits, don’t crowd the vehicle, check your area before getting up, good pickup, anchor your knee down, give me four hits on that target, etc” were feedback we all heard at some point. Do not get the impression that they micromanaged you or were always on your back. They were there to ensure safety and help you improve. They also challenged you by inducing malfunctions with a stick (slide out of battery) at seemingly the most inconvenient times. Introducing malfunctions during the drills was a valuable learning experience. It was not always tap rack to clear. Sometimes the stick caused a stove pipe, or double feeds. The AIs for CT essentially made the class awesome. You really felt that you had personal attention with CT and we all know how valuable those pearls are. Aaron and his AI gave you feedback as well but much less often.
There was one aspect of CT methodology that did not appeal to me, and it is very subjective. I will call it the circle of talk. After every live fire drill, and I mean every drill, we would gather in a circle and share one by one any thoughts/insights. This took 5-10 minutes and occasionally, someone would say something insightful. Most of the time, however, the circle of talk consisted of redundant remarks and good-natured teasing. Personally, the circle lost its value to me. Others may find it useful so again, very subjective.
Targets
Both companies used cardboard USPSA/IPSC targets and steel. SD surpassed the norm by also introducing 3D targets with arms. https://www.breachbangclear.com/3d-training-to-prepare-for-threats-in-a-3d-world/ These targets were invaluable by forcing you to think about the shift of vital organs when the threat was turned at an angle. The arms (some with weapons, some without) also allowed Aaron to employ the 3D targets in threat discrimination drills (TDD). There was more creativity with targets in SD and this forced you to think before shooting.
Drills and Techniques
This is where taking both classes would be complimentary. Although there was much overlap in techniques, there were key methods taught in one but not in the other. Techniques were divided into inside the vehicle (ITV) and outside the vehicle (OTV).
Aaron had a very stepwise approach.
Basic movements in and around vehicles. Muzzle safety strategies inside the car and exiting.
SINGLE TARGET DRILLS
Shoot from ITV and clear seatbelt- driver side, then passenger side
Shoot ITV, exit car, and stand in high ready
Shoot ITV, exit car, and backpedal towards rear while shooting front threat
Shoot ITV, exit car, and move to cover at rear
Single target in front, single target on driver side, single target on passenger side.
Once he saw that you could engage ITV and move to rear safely, then he introduced another series
TWO TARGET DRILLS
Shoot ITV at two front targets (one on each side of car but towards front) and move to rear
Shoot ITV at two passenger side targets (taught muzzle safety when reaching over and behind front seat) and move to rear
Shoot ITV at two driver side targets and move to rear
These were practiced with single shooter on driver side, then passenger side, and then with two shooters in front with both exiting to rear.
Due to the large 360-degree berms, Aaron was able to position several stations where each drill could be practiced in different cars. This practically eliminated any down time as you could move from one station to the next and have several repetitions.
THREE TARGET DRILLS
The cars were arranged in different positions for these three target drills.
Car-in-Line Position (one car in front of the other)- three targets scattered around the both cars. You were in the back car at start. This would simulate an engagement while at traffic stop.
Car-in-Parallel Position (one car next to the other like a parking lot). You would start sitting in the right car, then repeat in car on the left.
Car-H-Position. Two cars in parallel and one car in the middle perpendicular.
BUDDY RESCUE DRILLS
These consisted of a shooter and an unarmed passenger in the front. The first iteration had the shooter be also the driver. You would engage a threat, exit, and then provide cover as your buddy crawled to your side and you both moved back to the rear. This was then repeated with the buddy driving and the shooter sitting on the passenger side. Techniques to keep your buddy down while you engaged threats were taught. These rescue drills were not taught in CT.
Three dimensional targets were used for all these drills and positioned at angles. This forced you to adjust the shots as the vital organs were no longer center mass. Once everyone completed these drills smoothly, then Aaron initiated the Target Discrimination Drills.
Target Discrimination Drills (TDD)
With the cars in H-position, the shooter would sit in a car facing forward. Cardboards would block the view of the shooter on all sides while other students would be arranging 6-7 targets around and sometimes inside the cars. Not all targets were threats. You could only shoot targets with arms holding weapons. Aaron would be asking you questions to distract you (what is the value of pi to the fourth decimal point, or what are four African countries facing the Atlantic Ocean). You could use your phone to look up answers. Then when everything was ready, the cardboard blinds would be lifted and Aaron would signal THREAT! You had to look around to see if there were any immediate vicinity threats. If there were none, then you had to exit and use the cars for cover as you looked for threats. Moving from one car to another, you needed to crouch, kneel, sprint, and sometimes shoot as threats were identified.
The next student would then sit in the car and have the cardboard blinds placed. The targets would then be rearranged so that no two scenarios were the same. The TDD was challenging as not only did you have to find the threats while using cover, but sometimes the threats had innocents behind them. You had to find an angle that would hit the threat and no one else. The difficulties were multifactorial: finding the threats, engaging the threats without hitting other targets, and incorporating the 3D angles.
Bryan with CT also had a methodical approach but not as stepwise as SD. Sooner rather than faster was emphasized. Since data from vehicle fights showed that whoever owned the back of the car usually won fights (high ground, visibility), CT felt that moving quickly to the rear was a priority over shooting while backstepping, so the latter was not practiced. Conversely, shooting in urban prone (left and right) was taught in CT but not in the SD class. Bryan emphasized that urban prone is a low probability technique and kneeling, squatting, and standing were much preferable. However, it was something we needed to know (later, he showed us an LE video where urban prone skills would have been vital). Every drill in CT was first demonstrated by Bryan with a bare pistol lower, then each student would run dry with their cleared pistol. Bryan then gave a live-fire demo and students would then run the drill live. You had an instructor with you for every run, even the dry run. They gave you feedback during dry and gave you corrections for your subsequent live run. I have never attended a course where dry runs were so systematically applied. It made sense in many ways. Better to correct issues of muzzle control and movement ITV and OTV when dry than live. It also provided an additional repetition.
CT placed a lot of emphasis on communicating with your partner in two people drills. For example, in the ITV drills with two people, there were targets scattered around both sides of the vehicle. If a target was called on the passenger side, then the passenger shooter would yell “My side! My side!” to alert his partner. There was also emphasis on scanning at each level before changing position, not only to check for threats but also to prevent accidental shooting by a partner behind you (your partner should never be shooting behind you). We saw a video of one LEO in South Africa who shot his partner in the head when his kneeling partner suddenly stood up without checking.
Shooting drills in CT mostly involved two targets, and they were all USPSA targets. If there were two targets, then one would be vertical and the other would be on lying horizontal on the ground. The rule was if a target was horizontal then you had to engage it in urban prone for drill purposes (just to practice getting in and out of urban prone). Multiple targets were deployed in the latter drills. There would be four cars positioned at various angles from left to right of the berm. Targets would be placed at random distances and intervals behind the cars, either vertical or on the ground. Students would go one at a time from left to right, then right to left. As you moved from car to car, you had to engage the USPSA targets while using cover. An instructor would follow you as you performed the drill. Once everyone completed the drills in both directions, then new targets were prepared and arranged. This time, a student would start from the left and another student from the right. An AI would be with each student. Both students eventually crossed towards the middle. As you approached the other student, you had to watch your muzzle and verbally communicate your intentions (“Moving behind you!”). As we had practiced communication and movement in previous drills, this went very smoothly and safely. Again, the AI was always right behind you.
As mentioned, the AI or Bryan caused malfunctions as you engaged. This helped you to train solving one problem at a time. All the students were quite adept in clearing malfunctions. Not all, however, remembered to move behind cover when doing so. Even worse, most of us did not re-engage from a different position. We simply popped back up where we previously were. I was horrified in reviewing the videos that we all did this. Watching the video of Bryan’s demos, however, showed that he chose a different position and angle to re-engage after reloading or clearing malfunctions.
TDD with CT was different. This was the Alphabet Soup drill. Four cars were positioned from left to right with targets (Steel and USPSA) randomly dispersed either behind, on the ground, or within the vehicles. The targets were labeled with letters, numbers, or colors. One student at a time would have to find and engage whatever target the instructor called out. This was performed ITV and OTV. On ITV runs, Bryan would stay in the backseat and call out targets as well as induce malfunctions. To me, this showed an above and beyond commitment. There are additional risks for an instructor in the back: noise from two shooters in an enclosed space and muzzle risks. This is where the dry runs were so important. When OTV, you had to move from car to car to find the called target. The challenge of this drill progressively lessened as you tended to remember the target locations when watching others. It lacked the variety and difficulty of the TDD in SD. Due to the flat range berm, waiting students stood behind and observed.
SD also had an Alphabet Soup drill at the end, but it was only OTV. There was not an ITV alphabet soup with two people in SD. Three vehicles were positioned left to right and targets (Steel and 3D) were randomly dispersed at various distances behind the cars. There were no targets on the ground or inside the cars. Targets were painted in different colors (red, blue, yellow, white). There were numbers painted at the end of each car and the numbers were not sequential. Aaron would call out “5-BLUE”. You had to find the car with #5, run to it, and use its cover to engage all blue targets visible. Each target had to have two hits. This went on for about 3-4 magazines.
Cognitively, the TDD in SD was more challenging and required more thinking. The 3D targets in SD were also better and added a realistic level of complexity. Conversely, the feedback and attention from Aaron and his AI were much less. CT provided valuable input for each student and induced malfunctions during drills to help us problem solve.
Down Time and Physical Exertion
There was much less waiting around in SD than in CT. So much of this related to the range facilities as mentioned. With SD, if felt like you were constantly shooting. However, the up and down movements of urban prone in CT required more exertion and intensity. It was not until the alphabet soup in SD did you really hustle physically.
Qualifications/Standards
Aaron ran a competitive qualification drill at the end. There would be a USPSA target on each side of the front vehicle. Two students at a time would run the QUAL from each car and each student had their own target. The drill consisted of: five shots from sitting ITV, five shots while backstepping to rear, five shots squatting from rear, and five shots kneeling from rear. To pass, all hits had to be within a reduced C-zone or better (everyone passed). Top shooters had to have all hits within a reduced A zone. Best shooter was the student who had the smallest group in the A-Zone and received the coveted SD BLACK PATCH.
CT did not have any qualifications or competitive drills.
Cost
Tuition fees alone, the cost was $550 for CT and $500 for SD. Numerically, $50 is not a significant difference. If you factor in a smaller class, two assistant instructors, and the level of personal feedback with CT then overall value is greater with CT.
Customer service
My expectations for customer service are not high when going to a shooting class. Start on time, run a safe range, don’t finish too early, and teach me something. Having said that, there were a few minor quirks from both SD and CT.
SD Customer Service: my only gripe is that our certificate was not emailed to us until 3 months later. The nice perk is that every student was now a SD alumnus, and qualified for 20% off future courses.
CT Customer Service: More transparency on who is teaching the class would be nice. CT was quite slow to respond or did not respond at all to some of my emailed inquiries. This would have been a non-issue except that the email to welcome us said that they would be glad to answer any questions we had about the course. Well, I had minor questions and asked but received no response. On the plus side, we received our certificates within 2-3 days of finishing the course! It’s not that any of us train for certificates. However, some of us need these for documentation purposes.
CONCLUSION
Unlike other courses, expert instruction in vehicle gunfighting is rare. Hopefully, you will appreciate that both SD and CT vehicle classes are excellent. There were relatively few negatives compared to the wealth of knowledge and skills gained in both. I would definitely take both to solidify the skills. This is a topic that requires repetition and reinforcement. To maximize your learning, I would highly recommend the preparation I outlined. Do your homework. If you cannot take both and must choose only one, then I would train with CT. The rationale is the level of personal attention and feedback from the CT instructors. I don’t know if all their classes have a 5:1 student-teacher ratio, but this afforded a lot of supervision and instruction. If you are new to this (and most people are), then it is critical to have this high-level feedback and to see the many relevant gunfight videos. For the same reasons, I would take CT first and then SD second if you could take both and were wondering which one to take first. Once you have the fundamentals down, then training with SD is highly recommended. The TDD exercises in SD and the 3D targets add a realism that is extremely valuable.
https://centrifugetraining.com/courses/vcqb/
February 22-23, 2020
Location: Grandview, TX. Range 35
Costs: Tuition: $550. Range Fee: $40 (covers both days). Hotel $130. Gas $50. Food $40
Students: 15 adult males.
Instructors: Lead Instructor: Bryan Veliz , Assistant Instructors: Bones, Chase.
Student:Teacher ratio= 5:1
Round count: 650 approximately.
Weather: Cloudy, cold. Day one was in the lower 50’s, day two was warmer in the low 60’s with winds and occasional sprinkles.
Day One: 9AM-5:30PM. Day Two: 9AM-3:30 PM
I have no financial conflicts of interest with anyone or any product discussed in this review.
Vehicle CQB (VCQB) is a signature two-day course from Centrifuge Training, of William Petty fame. This course was taught by Bryan Veliz, who is part of the instructor cadre at Centrifuge Training. Bryan was supported by two assistant instructors (AI), who were quite capable themselves. There were fifteen students, six of whom were active LE. Two of the six were in SWAT and one was a federal officer. It was notable that none of the LE/SWAT/Federal students had vehicle CQB training despite decades of service. One student flew from Hawaii to attend. The rest of us were motivated civilians. There were three industry people: a marketing person from Walther and a freelance photographer/writer as his partner, and a representative from Cheaper Than Dirt. I am a civilian without any LE/military experience. This is my third vehicle specific class. My first two classes were both with Aaron Cowan (Vehicle Dynamics) in 2016, and in November 2019. Aaron told us in the last class that he teaches vehicle fighting at the high school level and that Will Petty teaches at the Phd or Doctorate level (this is very modest of Aaron as his class is very good). Although Will Petty was not teaching, this class was challenging enough and at minimum, was at the university level. Since I have had the privilege of learning vehicle training with both Sage Dynamics (SD) and Centrifuge Training (CT), I will highlight the strengths/weaknesses of both.
Equipment: The course encourages you to wear what you normally wear for your profession. LE folks were kitted up with armor/assault gear and civilians varied. Some had “war belts”, others had OWB, and a third carried appendix. Suggested equipment https://centrifugetraining.com/courses/vcqb/
My gear consisted of:
1. Pistol: Shadow Systems MR918 Elite with ZEV PRO Compensator V2, RMR09 (1 MOA), Surefire 300U-B WML. Back up was another Shadow Systems MR918.
2. Magazines: mixture of Glock OEM and Magpul mags.
3. Holster: AIWB with Tier 1 Concealment holster Axis Elite https://www.tier1concealed.com/products/axis-elite
4. Belt: Blue Alpha Gear COBRA EDC belt https://www.bluealphagear.com/product/cobra-edc-belt/
5. IFAK was North American Rescue Mini Responder 4, Hyfin Compact chest seals, Soft-T tourniquet. All of this fit in my back jean pocket.
6. Ear Pro: Howard Leight with Noisefighter Sightline gel ear pads. https://noisefighters.com/products/sightlines1 I doubled up with inside the ear Surefire EP3 plugs for most of the class, especially for the inside vehicle portion.
7. Clothing: Nike compression tights under blue jeans, Under Armour compression long sleeve shirt, Scarf and beanie, Smith Aegis eye pro with prescription inserts. Outer layer was Northface fleece hoodie. The clothing combination worked well, keeping me warm without overheating. Glove only on my left hand. Used hand warmers in the pocket of my hoodie to keep my shooting hand warm. The gear list called for knee pads. I brought some but did not use them.
With already two vehicle specific classes under my belt, I was a little hesitant to enroll in another. However, Aaron highly recommended Will Petty and so off I went. The fact that it was NOT Will Petty teaching was a little disappointment, only because I was not informed as a student. To be fair, when you sign up on the Centrifuge website, it does not specify that Will Petty will be teaching the class. Now Bryan and his two AI did a great job and I would have enrolled anyway but more transparency is always better.
Preparation for class:
1. Reviewing past AARs:
a. https://civiliangunfighter.wordpress.com/2019/07/09/aar2-centrifuge-training-llc-will-petty-chase-jenkins-vcqb-alliance-oh-june-29-30-2019/
b. https://civiliangunfighter.wordpress.com/2019/07/08/aar-centrifuge-training-will-petty-vehicle-close-quarters-battle-alliance-oh-6-29-30-19/
2. Video:
a. Centrifuge Vehicle CQB Video: I purchased this module on Vimeo and reviewed it many times. Although Will Petty recorded this in 2015, the concepts and techniques are fundamentally the same. Bryan presented the information almost exactly as Will Petty did in the video, which was great because if you were familiar with the concepts from the video, then you could concentrate more on application in the class.
b. Reviewed the many videos I took from my Vehicle Dynamics class with Aaron Cowan
3. Physical: the drills were of short duration but high in intensity. Lunges, Kettle bells, Turkish get-ups, and burpees are great exercises to prepare for this course. Work on flexibility, especially of your hips and legs. Travis Haley has a workout routine on YouTube that is directly applicable. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=XMpmnDU4nmM
I will not be discussing the details of each day as the AAR above from Civilian Gunfighter was well written and descriptive already. After learning the mechanics of movement inside the vehicle (ITV) and outside the vehicle (OTV), seat belt manipulation, and muzzle management, Bryan taught multiple ITV and OTV drills. These drills were not meant to be scenarios but opportunities to learn movement and shooting in and around vehicles.
Key takeaway concepts (not in order of importance)
1. CQB defined is SUDDEN violence, HIGH intensity, at SHORT distances
2. It is always about the gun. If you have a threat in the immediate vicinity, then the priority is to get good hits on target rather than other tasks (clearing seatbelt). Getting good hits on target ends the threat, not anything else.
3. Sometimes it is about the car. If the threat is far enough away, or you have time, then drive away. If the threat is closer and you cannot get the gun out, then run-over the threat. Lethal force is lethal force whether it is a vehicle or a gun or a knife.
4. It is better to shoot over, around and under a car than to shoot through it. Any rounds hitting the car will be absorbed or deflected so your hits are not predictable. Rounds hitting the car are rounds missing the target.
5. Standing is better than squatting, squatting is better than kneeling, and kneeling is better than urban prone. Visualization and mobility are the priorities.
6. Fight in the position you find yourself in, versus the position you want to be in. Take care of the threat, THEN shift or move to the better position.
7. Sooner is better than faster. Read the situation and initiate your actions (whether it be drawing and shooting or exiting to better position) sooner so that you do not have to react behind the curve and try to go fast. Going fast often makes the wheels fall off.
8. Go to the front line. If you have a partner that is in front already engaging a threat, come up parallel with your partner in front behind cover to support. Do not shoot behind your partner!
9. If you do not have to fight in and around a vehicle then don’t.
10. If you do have to fight in and around a vehicle, then get out of the vehicle as fast as you can. Cars are bullet magnets, get out. Incoming rounds through the windshield deflect down to hit you.
11. If you must engage inside the vehicle and the threat is to the side, don’t just rotate your upper torso. Rotate and center your hips to the threat for a more stable platform. Use the car’s props (center console, door frame) and legs to brace yourself (this is where flexibility of hips and legs is useful). More stable platform = better hits.
12. Don’t worry about whether you should get the gun out first or clear the seat belt. IF there is an immediate threat, then the priority is threat. If there is a lull, then task is seat belt. Priority > task.
13. Solve one problem at a time. When there are multiple issues, prioritize what is most important and solve one problem at a time.
14. Do NOT stand in the V notch (space between an opened front door and the cabin). Rounds will go through that front window and door. Better place is the rear of your vehicle.
15. High ground wins fights. When exiting the car, move asap to the rear where you have high ground and visibility. Statistically, the person at the rear wins the gunfight compared to a person at the front.
16. Stack your pillars when at the rear so that you are behind the A, B, and C pillars. Learn to shoot accurately leaning to side. Do the same at the side, position yourself so that more than one pillar is between you and the incoming rounds.
17. When at the rear, the outside knee is ideally up (but refer to #6).
18. When in urban prone, the opposite knee is draped over and grounded (knee touching ground) to provide stability in the shooting platform. For example, in left urban prone, the right knee drapes over in front and touches the ground.
19. When scanning for and engaging threats, check for all high targets first then check low. In other words, don’t switch from high to low to high. Check for all threats when standing or crouching, then urban prone on both sides to check for low lying threats.
20. The temple or holster index positions are positions of movement, they are not ready positions.
21. When running to a car you don’t know for cover, quickly scan the cabin interior to ensure there are no innocents or accomplices to surprise you.
22. Keep at least an arm’s length from the vehicle. Don’t crowd the vehicle!
23. Check your surroundings at every level before rising to the next.
We ended early on Sunday around 1530 as we had completed all the instruction. According to Bryan, this was in large part due to the class’s solid fundamentals and skills. In many classes, Bryan has had to teach at a slower pace and even then, some classes do not complete the entire curriculum.
We returned to the classroom to analyze more videos, debrief, and end.
Observations
Students: The students in class were outstanding. Everyone was safe, had solid fundamentals, and was friendly. Other than a recent Paul Howe class, I rarely see such a high number of active LE students.
Competition: The students who were competitive shooters tended to run too fast in the drills. They were often reminded to slow down, get better hits, and not go beyond their headlights.
Range Habits: Although we were instructed to treat each drill like a gunfight, some students carried range habits that would have hurt them in combat. For example, picking up empty magazines and re-inserting them into holsters or dump pouches during the fight or press checking too often.
Physical fitness still counts: Several of the students were clearly out of shape. You saw their struggles in movement and stamina. They persevered, however, and completed every drill well. There was never any emphasis on speed in this class. The stress was on proper mechanics and getting good hits.
Assistant Instructors: The AIs challenged us more than Bryan did. They induced more malfunctions for us, they held us more accountable to good hits, they gave us more verbal stress (Come on, fix that gun. He’s shooting at you! Give me four more on black!), etc. I welcomed this and never felt it was malicious. They were also judicious in their stress inducements. Students who were struggling physically or mechanically were left alone except for correcting their techniques. Others who were doing well received more stress stimulation.
Gear: double up on ear protection when doing inside the vehicle drills. If you or your partner have pistol compensators then double protection is key. A Safariland holster snapped from one of the LE students. I do not know what model it was. The problem was rectified with duct tape. No one’s pistol failed. Most had Glocks, two had Walthers, I had my Shadow Systems, and one had an FN 509. A third of the students had RDS and the others used iron sights. Two of us had compensators. If you wear Polar fleece like I did, then expect hay and grass to stick to you. By day’s end, I looked like a human haystack. Preload your mags if possible. I preloaded 18 magazines and this gave me more rest or chat time as needed. Hand warmers were helpful to keep your non-gloved hand warm.
SAGE DYNAMICS AND CENTRIFUGE TRAINING COMPARED
I will now be comparing vehicle training between SD and CT. Both are excellent options for learning how to fight in and out of your vehicle, so take them both. They are more similar than different but there are important differences in instruction, skill sets, and concepts. Do you need both? Yes, absolutely. There are so many concepts and intricacies with vehicle fighting that you need to take at least two courses, with different instructors, and preferably within 6 months of each other to solidify the concepts and techniques. For reference, CT will refer to Centrifuge Training and or Bryan and the assistant instructors. SD will refer to Sage Dynamics and or Aaron Cowan. I will be comparing and contrasting in these categories: Safety, Didactics/classroom, Vehicle Ballistics, Student composition, Range facilities, Instructors, Quality of Feedback and Personal Attention, Use of Targets, Drills and Techniques, Down time and physical exertion, Qualifications and standards, Cost, and finally Customer service.
Safety
I felt safe at all times in both SD and CT classes. Medical kits, evacuation plan and car, designated primary and secondary rescuer, coordinates, etc were all reviewed at the beginning and after lunch of each day. Aaron had big boy rules and ran a hot range as long as you were safe. Bryan did not specify hot or cold but essentially administered a cold range. You were hot on line and between drills but then unloaded and cleared before certain drills, before lunch and at the day’s end. Both styles worked. The students were also a major safety factor. Everyone had safety fundamentals down and no one was “that guy”.
Didactics/Classroom
CT had a classroom portion on both days whereas SD did not. The didactic portion was a short power point presentation on the fundamentals of vehicle CQB. Bryan discussed principles and then showed videos of either police or citizen engagements that applied. Seeing the videos were crucial, as you saw the real-life consequences of positioning, ballistics, sooner better than faster, high ground, movement, etc. Aaron verbally taught principles, but without the videos to reinforce, it was less effective.
Vehicle Ballistics
CT demonstrated with 9mm (115, 124, 147 gr, FMJ and HP), 556 XM193, and shotgun on the A and B pillars of a four-door vehicle, as well as bullet deflection when shooting outside and inside the vehicle. SD did the same but was more comprehensive. Green Tips, 7.62, 308 were also used in addition to the ammunition mentioned. Furthermore, Aaron shot up the C pillars as well (not very effective as cover compared to A, B), through the trunk (M855 went through) and through the side doors and side windows. He also shot from back to front through the rear and front windshields. SD encouraged students to bring their rifles and try them on the cars. Both CT and SD placed targets near the car to show when fragmentation and penetration occurred. CT emphasized that it is better to shoot above, around, or under rather than through a car. SD, however, showed that you can shoot through a vehicle and expect some hits if your threat was behind a side door or side window. Now Bryan did mention that this could be done as well. But without demonstrating the ballistics, students may not be as impressed. The more comprehensive nature of vehicle ballistics in SD was helpful.
Student Composition
The class with SD was larger at 20 students and there was one active LEO. In contrast, there were 15 students in CT and six were active LE/Federal. There were two AIs with CT compared to only one with SD. This made the student:teacher ratio quite lopsided, with CT being 5:1 and SD being 10:1. The smaller student-teacher ratio with CT translated to more personal feedback and attention. The skill level of the CT students was higher than in SD.
Range/Facilities
The Ranch (https://theranchtxclub.com/?showSignUpDialog=true&utm_campaign=15604d1e-cddc-434d-ade0-58a3f5da4610&utm_source=so ) hosted SD while Range 35 hosted CT (https://range35.com/). Both ranges were great, but The Ranch was more conducive to the vehicle work. The SD class was in a large 360-degree berm ( https://theranchtxclub.com/ranges/) so the cars could be positioned in multiple directions and at close or far intervals. This facilitated more diversity in drills and more stations so that you did not have too much down time waiting your turn. More on this later. Range 35, while expansive (they have a helicopter!), used a flat range berm and so there were more limitations on car positioning, which affected the drills.
Instructors, quality of feedback and personal attention
Bryan Veliz and Aaron Cowan are both excellent as instructors. Bryan is soft spoken and Aaron…is not. Sometimes it was hard to hear Bryan. Both were gentlemen and no one was abusive or belittling. Bryan brings the perspective of still being a full-time LE in the border areas of Texas and Aaron is very analytical. Bryan gives you a more feedback during your drills. The AIs, however, were significantly different. I think Aaron only had one AI whereas Bryan had two. The AIs with CT contributed greatly to the learning experience. For every drill in CT, an AI would be behind you every step to give you feedback or to challenge you when needed. “Get low, you’re not behind cover (behind side door instead of pillars), slow down, get your hits, don’t crowd the vehicle, check your area before getting up, good pickup, anchor your knee down, give me four hits on that target, etc” were feedback we all heard at some point. Do not get the impression that they micromanaged you or were always on your back. They were there to ensure safety and help you improve. They also challenged you by inducing malfunctions with a stick (slide out of battery) at seemingly the most inconvenient times. Introducing malfunctions during the drills was a valuable learning experience. It was not always tap rack to clear. Sometimes the stick caused a stove pipe, or double feeds. The AIs for CT essentially made the class awesome. You really felt that you had personal attention with CT and we all know how valuable those pearls are. Aaron and his AI gave you feedback as well but much less often.
There was one aspect of CT methodology that did not appeal to me, and it is very subjective. I will call it the circle of talk. After every live fire drill, and I mean every drill, we would gather in a circle and share one by one any thoughts/insights. This took 5-10 minutes and occasionally, someone would say something insightful. Most of the time, however, the circle of talk consisted of redundant remarks and good-natured teasing. Personally, the circle lost its value to me. Others may find it useful so again, very subjective.
Targets
Both companies used cardboard USPSA/IPSC targets and steel. SD surpassed the norm by also introducing 3D targets with arms. https://www.breachbangclear.com/3d-training-to-prepare-for-threats-in-a-3d-world/ These targets were invaluable by forcing you to think about the shift of vital organs when the threat was turned at an angle. The arms (some with weapons, some without) also allowed Aaron to employ the 3D targets in threat discrimination drills (TDD). There was more creativity with targets in SD and this forced you to think before shooting.
Drills and Techniques
This is where taking both classes would be complimentary. Although there was much overlap in techniques, there were key methods taught in one but not in the other. Techniques were divided into inside the vehicle (ITV) and outside the vehicle (OTV).
Aaron had a very stepwise approach.
Basic movements in and around vehicles. Muzzle safety strategies inside the car and exiting.
SINGLE TARGET DRILLS
Shoot from ITV and clear seatbelt- driver side, then passenger side
Shoot ITV, exit car, and stand in high ready
Shoot ITV, exit car, and backpedal towards rear while shooting front threat
Shoot ITV, exit car, and move to cover at rear
Single target in front, single target on driver side, single target on passenger side.
Once he saw that you could engage ITV and move to rear safely, then he introduced another series
TWO TARGET DRILLS
Shoot ITV at two front targets (one on each side of car but towards front) and move to rear
Shoot ITV at two passenger side targets (taught muzzle safety when reaching over and behind front seat) and move to rear
Shoot ITV at two driver side targets and move to rear
These were practiced with single shooter on driver side, then passenger side, and then with two shooters in front with both exiting to rear.
Due to the large 360-degree berms, Aaron was able to position several stations where each drill could be practiced in different cars. This practically eliminated any down time as you could move from one station to the next and have several repetitions.
THREE TARGET DRILLS
The cars were arranged in different positions for these three target drills.
Car-in-Line Position (one car in front of the other)- three targets scattered around the both cars. You were in the back car at start. This would simulate an engagement while at traffic stop.
Car-in-Parallel Position (one car next to the other like a parking lot). You would start sitting in the right car, then repeat in car on the left.
Car-H-Position. Two cars in parallel and one car in the middle perpendicular.
BUDDY RESCUE DRILLS
These consisted of a shooter and an unarmed passenger in the front. The first iteration had the shooter be also the driver. You would engage a threat, exit, and then provide cover as your buddy crawled to your side and you both moved back to the rear. This was then repeated with the buddy driving and the shooter sitting on the passenger side. Techniques to keep your buddy down while you engaged threats were taught. These rescue drills were not taught in CT.
Three dimensional targets were used for all these drills and positioned at angles. This forced you to adjust the shots as the vital organs were no longer center mass. Once everyone completed these drills smoothly, then Aaron initiated the Target Discrimination Drills.
Target Discrimination Drills (TDD)
With the cars in H-position, the shooter would sit in a car facing forward. Cardboards would block the view of the shooter on all sides while other students would be arranging 6-7 targets around and sometimes inside the cars. Not all targets were threats. You could only shoot targets with arms holding weapons. Aaron would be asking you questions to distract you (what is the value of pi to the fourth decimal point, or what are four African countries facing the Atlantic Ocean). You could use your phone to look up answers. Then when everything was ready, the cardboard blinds would be lifted and Aaron would signal THREAT! You had to look around to see if there were any immediate vicinity threats. If there were none, then you had to exit and use the cars for cover as you looked for threats. Moving from one car to another, you needed to crouch, kneel, sprint, and sometimes shoot as threats were identified.
The next student would then sit in the car and have the cardboard blinds placed. The targets would then be rearranged so that no two scenarios were the same. The TDD was challenging as not only did you have to find the threats while using cover, but sometimes the threats had innocents behind them. You had to find an angle that would hit the threat and no one else. The difficulties were multifactorial: finding the threats, engaging the threats without hitting other targets, and incorporating the 3D angles.
Bryan with CT also had a methodical approach but not as stepwise as SD. Sooner rather than faster was emphasized. Since data from vehicle fights showed that whoever owned the back of the car usually won fights (high ground, visibility), CT felt that moving quickly to the rear was a priority over shooting while backstepping, so the latter was not practiced. Conversely, shooting in urban prone (left and right) was taught in CT but not in the SD class. Bryan emphasized that urban prone is a low probability technique and kneeling, squatting, and standing were much preferable. However, it was something we needed to know (later, he showed us an LE video where urban prone skills would have been vital). Every drill in CT was first demonstrated by Bryan with a bare pistol lower, then each student would run dry with their cleared pistol. Bryan then gave a live-fire demo and students would then run the drill live. You had an instructor with you for every run, even the dry run. They gave you feedback during dry and gave you corrections for your subsequent live run. I have never attended a course where dry runs were so systematically applied. It made sense in many ways. Better to correct issues of muzzle control and movement ITV and OTV when dry than live. It also provided an additional repetition.
CT placed a lot of emphasis on communicating with your partner in two people drills. For example, in the ITV drills with two people, there were targets scattered around both sides of the vehicle. If a target was called on the passenger side, then the passenger shooter would yell “My side! My side!” to alert his partner. There was also emphasis on scanning at each level before changing position, not only to check for threats but also to prevent accidental shooting by a partner behind you (your partner should never be shooting behind you). We saw a video of one LEO in South Africa who shot his partner in the head when his kneeling partner suddenly stood up without checking.
Shooting drills in CT mostly involved two targets, and they were all USPSA targets. If there were two targets, then one would be vertical and the other would be on lying horizontal on the ground. The rule was if a target was horizontal then you had to engage it in urban prone for drill purposes (just to practice getting in and out of urban prone). Multiple targets were deployed in the latter drills. There would be four cars positioned at various angles from left to right of the berm. Targets would be placed at random distances and intervals behind the cars, either vertical or on the ground. Students would go one at a time from left to right, then right to left. As you moved from car to car, you had to engage the USPSA targets while using cover. An instructor would follow you as you performed the drill. Once everyone completed the drills in both directions, then new targets were prepared and arranged. This time, a student would start from the left and another student from the right. An AI would be with each student. Both students eventually crossed towards the middle. As you approached the other student, you had to watch your muzzle and verbally communicate your intentions (“Moving behind you!”). As we had practiced communication and movement in previous drills, this went very smoothly and safely. Again, the AI was always right behind you.
As mentioned, the AI or Bryan caused malfunctions as you engaged. This helped you to train solving one problem at a time. All the students were quite adept in clearing malfunctions. Not all, however, remembered to move behind cover when doing so. Even worse, most of us did not re-engage from a different position. We simply popped back up where we previously were. I was horrified in reviewing the videos that we all did this. Watching the video of Bryan’s demos, however, showed that he chose a different position and angle to re-engage after reloading or clearing malfunctions.
TDD with CT was different. This was the Alphabet Soup drill. Four cars were positioned from left to right with targets (Steel and USPSA) randomly dispersed either behind, on the ground, or within the vehicles. The targets were labeled with letters, numbers, or colors. One student at a time would have to find and engage whatever target the instructor called out. This was performed ITV and OTV. On ITV runs, Bryan would stay in the backseat and call out targets as well as induce malfunctions. To me, this showed an above and beyond commitment. There are additional risks for an instructor in the back: noise from two shooters in an enclosed space and muzzle risks. This is where the dry runs were so important. When OTV, you had to move from car to car to find the called target. The challenge of this drill progressively lessened as you tended to remember the target locations when watching others. It lacked the variety and difficulty of the TDD in SD. Due to the flat range berm, waiting students stood behind and observed.
SD also had an Alphabet Soup drill at the end, but it was only OTV. There was not an ITV alphabet soup with two people in SD. Three vehicles were positioned left to right and targets (Steel and 3D) were randomly dispersed at various distances behind the cars. There were no targets on the ground or inside the cars. Targets were painted in different colors (red, blue, yellow, white). There were numbers painted at the end of each car and the numbers were not sequential. Aaron would call out “5-BLUE”. You had to find the car with #5, run to it, and use its cover to engage all blue targets visible. Each target had to have two hits. This went on for about 3-4 magazines.
Cognitively, the TDD in SD was more challenging and required more thinking. The 3D targets in SD were also better and added a realistic level of complexity. Conversely, the feedback and attention from Aaron and his AI were much less. CT provided valuable input for each student and induced malfunctions during drills to help us problem solve.
Down Time and Physical Exertion
There was much less waiting around in SD than in CT. So much of this related to the range facilities as mentioned. With SD, if felt like you were constantly shooting. However, the up and down movements of urban prone in CT required more exertion and intensity. It was not until the alphabet soup in SD did you really hustle physically.
Qualifications/Standards
Aaron ran a competitive qualification drill at the end. There would be a USPSA target on each side of the front vehicle. Two students at a time would run the QUAL from each car and each student had their own target. The drill consisted of: five shots from sitting ITV, five shots while backstepping to rear, five shots squatting from rear, and five shots kneeling from rear. To pass, all hits had to be within a reduced C-zone or better (everyone passed). Top shooters had to have all hits within a reduced A zone. Best shooter was the student who had the smallest group in the A-Zone and received the coveted SD BLACK PATCH.
CT did not have any qualifications or competitive drills.
Cost
Tuition fees alone, the cost was $550 for CT and $500 for SD. Numerically, $50 is not a significant difference. If you factor in a smaller class, two assistant instructors, and the level of personal feedback with CT then overall value is greater with CT.
Customer service
My expectations for customer service are not high when going to a shooting class. Start on time, run a safe range, don’t finish too early, and teach me something. Having said that, there were a few minor quirks from both SD and CT.
SD Customer Service: my only gripe is that our certificate was not emailed to us until 3 months later. The nice perk is that every student was now a SD alumnus, and qualified for 20% off future courses.
CT Customer Service: More transparency on who is teaching the class would be nice. CT was quite slow to respond or did not respond at all to some of my emailed inquiries. This would have been a non-issue except that the email to welcome us said that they would be glad to answer any questions we had about the course. Well, I had minor questions and asked but received no response. On the plus side, we received our certificates within 2-3 days of finishing the course! It’s not that any of us train for certificates. However, some of us need these for documentation purposes.
CONCLUSION
Unlike other courses, expert instruction in vehicle gunfighting is rare. Hopefully, you will appreciate that both SD and CT vehicle classes are excellent. There were relatively few negatives compared to the wealth of knowledge and skills gained in both. I would definitely take both to solidify the skills. This is a topic that requires repetition and reinforcement. To maximize your learning, I would highly recommend the preparation I outlined. Do your homework. If you cannot take both and must choose only one, then I would train with CT. The rationale is the level of personal attention and feedback from the CT instructors. I don’t know if all their classes have a 5:1 student-teacher ratio, but this afforded a lot of supervision and instruction. If you are new to this (and most people are), then it is critical to have this high-level feedback and to see the many relevant gunfight videos. For the same reasons, I would take CT first and then SD second if you could take both and were wondering which one to take first. Once you have the fundamentals down, then training with SD is highly recommended. The TDD exercises in SD and the 3D targets add a realism that is extremely valuable.