Annette Evans “Technical Handgun: A Road Map to Mastery.”
On 7 September I had the good fortune of hosting Annette Evans’ inaugural “Technical Handgun: A Roadmap to Mastery” on my range in Culpeper, Virginia.
Executive Summary: 9.5/10, will host again!
Now for some details.
I have known Annette for several years, during which she has impressed me as a true student of multiple self-defense disciplines. She has subjected herself to a blistering pace of training, while at the same time holding down a job and trying to get a business started. Throughout she has always impressed me with not just enthusiasm for acquiring knowledge and increasing personal performance, but with an intellect that demands to understand the meta. I suspected that would translate into Annette being an excellent instructor, and asked her to present a class on my range.
More Details.
The class title pretty much described the desired end state…teaching people what to teach themselves. Here’s the description:
Technical Handgun: A Roadmap to Mastery
Whether you're interested in handguns for self-defense or competition, you need strong gun-handling and shooting skills. This class will not only build and refine those skills, but give you a set of tools for practicing and improving them on your own. We'll cover shooting quickly and accurately on single and multiple targets, draw, reload, and shooting with one hand. You'll leave knowing your baseline skill level and what you need to do to get better. You should be familiar with the operation of your handgun and know how to draw from a holster safely.
Students: And essential ingredient!
There were 12 students in the class…the usual eclectic mix of law-abiding, gun ownin’ ‘Murrricans looking to improve their skills. (Most notable was a police officer that recognized his department’s training was sadly lacking.) The weather on the FPF Range in Culpeper in early September can be unpleasant, but we caught a break and it was perfect. Best of all…everyone was on time! This is usually an indicator of serious students looking to learn.
The course started with the usual safety and med plan briefs. Expectations for safe behavior were established, and consequences for failure clearly explained. With that out of the way, Annette presented a brief bio of herself and her philosophy on the topic at hand…mastering the pistol. And it was in these minutes that the Socratic nature of her pedagogy was revealed. As she spoke in detail on numerous topics, she seamlessly shifted from perspective to perspective, tracing the development of the art as well as her own path. Throughout, questions were both asked of the students, and questions from the students were encouraged and explored in full. Finally, it was time to go to the range.
Range Time: Extreme Dot Torture!
Annette essentially dissected the skills involved in shooting a Dot Torture target to perfection, and demonstrated them on demand. Using an incremental, building block approach, she masterfully connected these skills to both competitive and defensive shooting disciplines. Recognizing her debt to others, she always was careful to give attribution, but then would go on to expand those points with her own thoughts and experiences. Truly the mark of a professional.
More Range Time:
Target transitions, reloads, and other hard skills interspersed with hard won lessons and wisdom. Tips on getting better….such as partnering up, micro-drills, and how to incorporate timers and video…the course was content rich and superbly paced to challenge everyone.
Even More Range Time:
Take the class 😊.
Conclusion
Annette presented an excellent class on the foundational skills required to master a pistol. She challenged the students to think about…challenges, to define ”what they want to get good at” and gave them a pathway to meet those goals. She also held them to standards, and in so doing, she enabled the self-discovery she intended to impart. This was simply an excellent class and well worth your time, regardless your skill level.
