PDA

View Full Version : AAR: Insights Street & Vehicle Tactics II in Redmond, Wa (8/16-8/18)



zacbol
08-19-2013, 06:59 PM
https://sphotos-a-sea.xx.fbcdn.net/hphotos-prn2/1146599_10151590842097686_1188907774_n.jpg

I attended Insights Street & Vehicle Tactics II from 8/16 – 8/18, held at the National Guard Armory in Redmond, Wa. The primary instructors were John Holschen and Greg Hamilton. About 70-80% of the class lectures were from Holschen, the remaining portions from Hamilton. There were approximately six to seven other Insights instructors and coaches, who provided coaching during the drills, and helped run the scenarios and played both bad guys, bystanders, and family members in various scenarios. Some of them were only there for one or two of the three days, but we consistently had 4-5 instructors and coaches at all times. With maybe 12 students, this meant the instructor-to-student ratio was around 3-to-1 for most of the class.

This was the first time Insights has offered SVT II. I attended SVT I two years ago which is more focused on specific SOPs and skill building. One the final day SVT I culminates in two or three FoF airsoft scenarios. Holschen explained that the objectives of SVT II were for those who have established SOPs but are looking for further integration and further refinement of those skills and to apply them in realistic situations.

The general structure of the class was to practice drills in isolation, for example movement or the draw, then immediately in scenarios. The class made exclusive use of SIRT and airsoft and included no live fire. SVT I included live fire until recently. Hamilton remarked the value of training the material with live fire was very limited and they have now removed it from SVT I as well.

Greg explained this was “a ‘software’ class, not a fantasy camp where you pretend you are in Delta.” In flying a plane there are a limited number of things that can go wrong. But with humans there are infinite possibilities, the entire situation can change before you figure it out, then it can change again, while you’re reassessing, and again. Hamilton later added that maybe you’d come away realizing you didn’t need more gun classes, but you should sign up for an improv acting class. “Oh, but what will people think of me?” That’s what often holds us back from focusing on the right thing.

Greg talked briefly about the way he learned scuba diving and how he learned sky diving. In sky diving, they simply told him what to expect. But he didn’t really know. How many times have you fallen all the way to the earth to know how long you actually have to fix a malfunctioning parachute? Zero. In contrast, with scuba instruction (at the time he learned it), the instructor would simply shut off his oxygen without having told him. That experience of figuring it out in real time is vital to real skill acquisition.

We artificially constrain our problems and make them unrealistic. On paper, we say 1.5s to draw and make a hit is good. For two targets, 2s is good? If two people are attacking you, do you have less time to deal with them? No, you probably need to be quicker actually.

Hamilton talked about having done thousands of repetitions of drawing his gun in a vehicle until he felt he was pretty damn good. But what if that’s not enough in a real situation? Simple mechanical skill is not enough.

The purpose of this class was to move away from artificial stimulus response such as a voice command or a buzzer to start shooting. SVT II would attempt to create real stimulus response and see what works and what doesn’t. We will give you all the tools to solve the scenario, Hamilton explained, and you will still fail. While in general positive reinforcement is preferable, an experience with a significant emotional component can also be effective.

Some of the techniques and skills practiced were:

Feigned compliance and a deceptive drawstroke
Initiating movement while drawing and firing
Limiting assailant’s weapon access while drawing and firing from CQB position
Slow pie/building clearing
Quickly moving through a structure during something such as an active shooter, where you see what you can in each room but have somewhere to be (either escape or to get to someone)
Two man clearing techniques
Optimized use of cover and specifically appropriate use of vehicle as cover.
Moving through a structure with an untrained person


All techniques were practiced man-on-man, often with multiple assailants. We made heavy use of SIRT during initial practice. Most scenarios were performed with airsoft, though a few were done using SIRTs. Some of them included:

In a convenience store, when an argument erupts and one patron begins to stab another.
Several different knife attack scenarios
Ambushed by three assailants while exiting an elevator
Retrieving a developmentally disabled child during an active shooter incident
Working through an active shooter event while attempting to shepard ‘someone you care about’ but who lacks any training
Car jacking while along in a stopped vehicle
Car jacking while approaching vehicle with groceries in arm and wife


In all scenarios, the Insights instructors were the opponents with students either being the primary actor or in some cases role playing victims, etc.

I have some minor criticisms of the class. Having attended many other Insights classes, including General Defensive Handgun, Street and Vehicle Tactics I, General Defensive Rifle (multiple times), Intensive Handgun Skills (multiple times), Close Quarters Confrontations, and Tactical First Aid this felt a bit ‘rougher’. The lecture material was a bit less focused and organized than some of their other classes. Additionally, I felt that day one in particular was a bit lecture heavy. There was also a bit more downtime, particularly on day one, while the scenarios were being set up. To be fair, they were running multiple scenarios at the same time, but there was still a bit of waiting time since we generally performed them one student at a time. Because it was important for students to be unfamiliar with the scenario before it was encountered, we also were generally not watching others--though some were smart enough to observe subsequent students *after* having completed a given scenario. I expect that if Insights continues to hold this class these minor issues will be ironed out.

Then again I almost didn’t mind the waiting time since for most of that time Greg Hamilton just hung out and shot the breeze while we waited. The subjects ranged from driving through road blocks, to NLP, to dozens of other subjects. I almost felt it was worth the price of the class to hear some of the stories he shared.

I want to reiterate that my above criticisms are minor. This was an absolutely fantastic course and was ranks right up there with ECQC as one of the most practical and useful classes I have ever taken. Personally, I think the material of the two are wonderfully complimentary. Each takes a different and uniquely illuminating approach to the problem of the types of situations one might realistically encounter.

What was the most interesting to me was how rarely I used anything approach a square range stance and how marksmanship was generally not what limited me, but my ability to choose the right moment to act, my ability to move and make use of cover, and my decision making. I made a ton of mistakes, sometimes wondering how the hell of so many good options available I picked such a crappy answer, but they were emotional experiences and I learned as much from my failures as any of my successes. I’m hoping Insights makes this a regular class, because if they do I will definitely attend again.