Pennzoil
03-13-2013, 11:09 AM
Mike Pannone 2-Day Covert Carry Class – March 9-10, 2013 – Casa Grande, AZ
Range: Casa Grande PD Range
This remains my favorite range to take classes at in Arizona. It is located far enough away from other bays that you can clearly hear instructors and don't have people unrelated to the class wondering around. The range is in good condition regardless of the weather with cement walkways and a large covered portion with tables. The instructors had plenty of study target stands and some steel targets available. No excessive unnecessary safety rules while not having to police brass at the end of the day.
Instructor: Mike Pannone
I think Mike Pannone is well known but in case you haven’t heard of him here is his background related to the course material listed in his class description.
This course is based upon training I received at 1st SFOD-D, provided to the Federal Air Marshal Service while I was the head range instructor at the FAMS school, the chief in-service instructor at the Seattle Field office of the FAMS, taught and used during protection operations in Iraq and refined for a course recently taught to high level SOF assets prior to high threat deployment.
Overview:
In this class I felt every round fired counted with no rounds being wasted. Mike runs an efficient class ensuring targets are pasted often and utilizing a shot timer on almost every drill. It amazed how much that shot timer was used without slowing down the class one bit. Depending on the drill Mike would either run the class all together calling out first and last shoot with par time beep, run in groups of 3 students using timer and finally running students individually. As a student you could actively track your performance during the class with the way Mike ran the drills, shoot timer, reduced size steel targets and paper targets with pasting. No time is wasted in this class you are learning the full day with little down time.
I think this class is for people who have a firm grasp on marksmanship fundamentals wanting to learn how to quickly engage targets from your preferred concealed carry position. Also for how your concealed carry equipment will perform under use while increasing your dexterity with your carry gun. If your marksmanship skills are lacking I think you are going to struggle in this class with aggressive time goals and A zone or better hits required.
The class entails 500 plus draws and 100 reloads from concealment. When I first heard those numbers I just thought of just sitting in front of a target mindlessly doing draws/reloads. This couldn’t be further from the truth in this class with the way Mike has the class set up. You are constantly adding components to drills, changing directions in movement, changing distance, switching weak hand, strong hand, etc. Time went by fast during the class and I felt the balance of enough repetitions to learn the skill at hand before becoming overly redundant was perfect. If Mike didn’t tell us this was the first open enrollment covert carry class I wouldn’t have ever known. To me it seemed he had been teaching this exact class for a while.
One thing I enjoyed about Mikes teaching technique is he ensured you understood why he recommends a certain technique and not to just do it because he says it’s the way to do it. One example from the class was a discussion around the best way to put as many rounds on multiple targets in the quickest time. Mike explained the why behind his technique then demonstrated it on the clock against an accomplished competition shooter that was in the class.
It’s important to note that while Mike encouraged us to push the limit regarding speed in drawing from concealment safety was a main priority and you have plenty of time to do a hard break after a drill then holster reluctantly. Being an AIWB person this is important to note. I thought Mike did a great job of ensuring a safe training environment while not slowing down the class.
TD1: Start Time 0800
Day one started off with lecture by Mike on different equipment options around carrying concealed regarding types of pistols, holsters, magazine carriers and different techniques of concealed carry including the pro’s and con’s of all these options.
The rest of the day was spent working on different individual components we would need for day 2 of the class. This involved working from 3-20 yards throughout the day. First was an accuracy warm up, working on two hand draw from concealment, strong hand only draw from concealment, weak hand only from concealment, reloading from concealment, reloading from concealment weak hand only and shooting while protecting someone like family member. All of this was completed while maintaining accuracy standards of IPSC A zone or better with aggressive time requirements. Almost all drills were based around 1.5 second draw from concealment.
http://imageshack.us/a/img545/872/666nu.png
Next came incorporating movement in different directions while drawing from concealment with two hands, strong hand or weak hand. Drills differed in round counts from 1-3 rounds shot.
After working on short movement drills while drawing from concealment timed. We worked into mental agility type drills with one example being walking normal with eyes in boat parallel to the targets. When Mike would randomly sound the timer buzzer you had to draw from concealment and address a target as quickly as possible while on the move.
http://imageshack.us/a/img443/2232/66666y.png
TD2 Start Time 0800
Training day two was spent putting the components we learned on day one together and to use. This included movement drills involving drawing from concealment also covering proper way to kneel or get to roll over prone. Mike discussed how to address multiple targets if you are unable to avoid threats through awareness or avoidance. Drills included movement around a crowd and having to draw and shoot a target through no shoot targets at the sound of the buzzer. Having to draw and shoot two targets with two rounds per target in 2 seconds and a number of different drills including reduced size steel targets and paper targets. At the end of the day we completed the navy covert carry qual.
http://imageshack.us/a/img805/9454/66666666666666666.png
My Gear used:
M&P 9mm FS with Thumb Safety
Kytex magazine holders
JM Custom AIWB holster extra tuck
Conclusion:
I almost didn’t take this class due to my left elbow getting infected in the actual joint and swelling up from a minor cut while hiking in the desert. Thanks to modern medicine and my wife telling me to sign up I didn’t miss out on a great class. Elbow ended up pretty much being a non-issue when compressed in an ace bandage. Only reason I mention this is because I decided not to take notes during the class trying to limit movement so AAR may seem light on specifics. I wasn’t going to write an AAR on this class but after going through it I think it may help some decide if it’s right for them with it being such a new offering.
This class was exactly what I need at this stage in my training and managed to cover a number of gaps in my training. This class also validated that a lot of my equipment choices and exposed a few gaps in my gun setup. Like other quality classes I’ve taken from other trainers I would recommend this class in a heartbeat if you want to improve concealed carry skills and I could see value in myself taking this class again.
The day after the class I went out to the desert like I do after all the classes I take to check for improvements on test drills I run. Do to the way the class was ran I already knew I improved my speed & accuracy while shooting on the move but was curious is the large number or low round count draws affect my grip at all. I ran 3 FAST drills with it being the first time cleaning all 3 attempts below 6 seconds. My largest improvement was in my draw/ first shoot I cut almost a half second with my reload time staying the same but my grip after the reload being greatly improved seeing the benefit in my final 4 shot splits. After that I just picked up my 18 casings and headed home.
Here is some more good reading regarding the class from another student in the class. (http://gmindsite.blogspot.com/)
Range: Casa Grande PD Range
This remains my favorite range to take classes at in Arizona. It is located far enough away from other bays that you can clearly hear instructors and don't have people unrelated to the class wondering around. The range is in good condition regardless of the weather with cement walkways and a large covered portion with tables. The instructors had plenty of study target stands and some steel targets available. No excessive unnecessary safety rules while not having to police brass at the end of the day.
Instructor: Mike Pannone
I think Mike Pannone is well known but in case you haven’t heard of him here is his background related to the course material listed in his class description.
This course is based upon training I received at 1st SFOD-D, provided to the Federal Air Marshal Service while I was the head range instructor at the FAMS school, the chief in-service instructor at the Seattle Field office of the FAMS, taught and used during protection operations in Iraq and refined for a course recently taught to high level SOF assets prior to high threat deployment.
Overview:
In this class I felt every round fired counted with no rounds being wasted. Mike runs an efficient class ensuring targets are pasted often and utilizing a shot timer on almost every drill. It amazed how much that shot timer was used without slowing down the class one bit. Depending on the drill Mike would either run the class all together calling out first and last shoot with par time beep, run in groups of 3 students using timer and finally running students individually. As a student you could actively track your performance during the class with the way Mike ran the drills, shoot timer, reduced size steel targets and paper targets with pasting. No time is wasted in this class you are learning the full day with little down time.
I think this class is for people who have a firm grasp on marksmanship fundamentals wanting to learn how to quickly engage targets from your preferred concealed carry position. Also for how your concealed carry equipment will perform under use while increasing your dexterity with your carry gun. If your marksmanship skills are lacking I think you are going to struggle in this class with aggressive time goals and A zone or better hits required.
The class entails 500 plus draws and 100 reloads from concealment. When I first heard those numbers I just thought of just sitting in front of a target mindlessly doing draws/reloads. This couldn’t be further from the truth in this class with the way Mike has the class set up. You are constantly adding components to drills, changing directions in movement, changing distance, switching weak hand, strong hand, etc. Time went by fast during the class and I felt the balance of enough repetitions to learn the skill at hand before becoming overly redundant was perfect. If Mike didn’t tell us this was the first open enrollment covert carry class I wouldn’t have ever known. To me it seemed he had been teaching this exact class for a while.
One thing I enjoyed about Mikes teaching technique is he ensured you understood why he recommends a certain technique and not to just do it because he says it’s the way to do it. One example from the class was a discussion around the best way to put as many rounds on multiple targets in the quickest time. Mike explained the why behind his technique then demonstrated it on the clock against an accomplished competition shooter that was in the class.
It’s important to note that while Mike encouraged us to push the limit regarding speed in drawing from concealment safety was a main priority and you have plenty of time to do a hard break after a drill then holster reluctantly. Being an AIWB person this is important to note. I thought Mike did a great job of ensuring a safe training environment while not slowing down the class.
TD1: Start Time 0800
Day one started off with lecture by Mike on different equipment options around carrying concealed regarding types of pistols, holsters, magazine carriers and different techniques of concealed carry including the pro’s and con’s of all these options.
The rest of the day was spent working on different individual components we would need for day 2 of the class. This involved working from 3-20 yards throughout the day. First was an accuracy warm up, working on two hand draw from concealment, strong hand only draw from concealment, weak hand only from concealment, reloading from concealment, reloading from concealment weak hand only and shooting while protecting someone like family member. All of this was completed while maintaining accuracy standards of IPSC A zone or better with aggressive time requirements. Almost all drills were based around 1.5 second draw from concealment.
http://imageshack.us/a/img545/872/666nu.png
Next came incorporating movement in different directions while drawing from concealment with two hands, strong hand or weak hand. Drills differed in round counts from 1-3 rounds shot.
After working on short movement drills while drawing from concealment timed. We worked into mental agility type drills with one example being walking normal with eyes in boat parallel to the targets. When Mike would randomly sound the timer buzzer you had to draw from concealment and address a target as quickly as possible while on the move.
http://imageshack.us/a/img443/2232/66666y.png
TD2 Start Time 0800
Training day two was spent putting the components we learned on day one together and to use. This included movement drills involving drawing from concealment also covering proper way to kneel or get to roll over prone. Mike discussed how to address multiple targets if you are unable to avoid threats through awareness or avoidance. Drills included movement around a crowd and having to draw and shoot a target through no shoot targets at the sound of the buzzer. Having to draw and shoot two targets with two rounds per target in 2 seconds and a number of different drills including reduced size steel targets and paper targets. At the end of the day we completed the navy covert carry qual.
http://imageshack.us/a/img805/9454/66666666666666666.png
My Gear used:
M&P 9mm FS with Thumb Safety
Kytex magazine holders
JM Custom AIWB holster extra tuck
Conclusion:
I almost didn’t take this class due to my left elbow getting infected in the actual joint and swelling up from a minor cut while hiking in the desert. Thanks to modern medicine and my wife telling me to sign up I didn’t miss out on a great class. Elbow ended up pretty much being a non-issue when compressed in an ace bandage. Only reason I mention this is because I decided not to take notes during the class trying to limit movement so AAR may seem light on specifics. I wasn’t going to write an AAR on this class but after going through it I think it may help some decide if it’s right for them with it being such a new offering.
This class was exactly what I need at this stage in my training and managed to cover a number of gaps in my training. This class also validated that a lot of my equipment choices and exposed a few gaps in my gun setup. Like other quality classes I’ve taken from other trainers I would recommend this class in a heartbeat if you want to improve concealed carry skills and I could see value in myself taking this class again.
The day after the class I went out to the desert like I do after all the classes I take to check for improvements on test drills I run. Do to the way the class was ran I already knew I improved my speed & accuracy while shooting on the move but was curious is the large number or low round count draws affect my grip at all. I ran 3 FAST drills with it being the first time cleaning all 3 attempts below 6 seconds. My largest improvement was in my draw/ first shoot I cut almost a half second with my reload time staying the same but my grip after the reload being greatly improved seeing the benefit in my final 4 shot splits. After that I just picked up my 18 casings and headed home.
Here is some more good reading regarding the class from another student in the class. (http://gmindsite.blogspot.com/)