AAR: Pistol Shooting Solutions with Gabe White, Sep. 5th-6th, 2020

Watkinsville, GA
Google says we had a high of 88 degrees. We had full sun and it felt hotter.
12 students attended, roughly 1/3 LEO from hosting agency, roughly 1/3 instructors
7 striker-fired weapons, 1 1911, 4 TDA
3? of us running irons, everyone else with a RDS
A couple of students had front sights come off, that they then repaired. I had a couple of light primer strikes which I will blame on the reloaded ammo I was using.

There are already some excellent AARs for this excellent class. Rather than re-hash what has already been covered by offering a factual play-by-play, I am going to attempt to write a review from a the perspective of what I got on a mental and emotional level from the class. My hope is that someone out there will find this useful, though I imagine my report may not connect with everyone. I am going to include many details here that are relevant to my personal experience and perspective as a student, but not relevant to the class in and of itself. I would encourage anyone considering this class to use the Google box in the upper-right-hand corner of their screen to read some of the other AARs as well.

Thanks to a post here at PF, I learned of last-minute available slots in this class. I had been looking for a class to take in the metro ATL area, and I perceived this class to be of very high quality. Carpe Diem

I had a lot of anxiety about my performance going into this class. In my pursuit of giving TDA a fair shake, I was determined to go into the class with a platform that I've had limited use with. There is also the fact that I knew I would have to shoot the class using reloaded ammo. Internal questions about whether or not this was a good idea, and whether or not I would be able to get enough from the class abounded. I wouldn't consider myself 'advanced' or even 'intermediate.' I could meet Gabe's minimum requirements listed on his web site, but I was really concerned about being at the "back of the class" and either slowing things down, or not getting enough from the class.

I have always been fairly accurate using a pistol given enough time to make the shot. What I have not been able to do is to shoot accurately at speed. My line of thinking has always been, "OK, I just need to slow down and master this at slow speed. Then I can speed up and 'get there.'" In the first 1.5 hours of class, Gabe spent a good deal of time talking about mindset and helping me realize the fallacies in my thought process. Paraphrasing Gabe, "If we are constantly trading speed and accuracy back-and-forth in a never-ending shell game, we get nowhere. It is much better to expand our skillset in order to achieve both." One key in doing this is focusing on the PROCESS, rather than the OUTCOME. Gabe's notes about mindset feel like an actual paradigm shift for me. As a side note, much of what he said can be applied to many things in life other than pistol shooting. Great stuff.

Gabe gave us a handout at the beginning of class with applicable notes for the coursework. This is VERY helpful for me. I know that I learn best in a classroom setting by making sure I am attentive and being involved. Note-taking always takes my concentration away from instruction, and I can miss a lot. It was great knowing that my only responsibility was to remain present.

Gabe presented us with exercises (both dry and live) that struck me as well thought out and presented in a logical order. We progressed through the coursework and it came time for our first Technical Skills Test.

In preparation for the class, I had spent some time attempting the Technical Skills Tests the week prior. I only did a few runs of each, but my runs were either clean and epically slow, or fast(er), but with Charlies and Mikes that made my scores suffer terribly. Going into the class, I was unable to make a Dark Pin run on my own. As it got closer to my first tested run (Bill Drill), I took some deep breaths and attempted to clear my mind. When the buzzer went off, I focused on the PROCESS of everything Gabe had taught--drawing, gripping properly, manipulating the trigger, and tracking the sights. The first run didn't feel 'fast,' but it didn't feel 'slow' either. I would have loved to shot a tighter group, but they were all in the A-Zone. Scored time was 3.04 That was good enough for a Dark Pin. This gave me a pretty big boost of confidence. Going into my second timed run, I had no worries about my performance and my mind was clearer. Scored time was 2.73. Wow!

My mental 'clarity' continued to have direct effects on my test results for the rest of the class. When I was able to put all the bullshit out of my head, and just focus on the process, I would do well enough for a Dark Pin. The moment I started thinking about the clock, or how my shooting looked to everyone else, or anything not relevant to what I was doing, I would throw Mikes, or get my shirt caught in my draw.

Going into the last test (Split Bill Drill), I was on track for a Dark Pin. I reminded myself to breath, relax, get the thought of the Pin and everything else out, and focus on the process. Scored time was 3.77! I had secured my coveted Dark Pin.

What happened next was surprising, and maybe my biggest lesson of the class. My very last run didn't "matter." As such, I was completely relaxed, but still focused on the process. Scored time was 2.99! Holy shit! That run was good enough for a Light Pin! This really reinforced for me that I have the capability to be much better than I am. Shooting a pistol accurately at speed is as much a mental and emotional game as it is one of correct physical manipulation. At least it is for me.

A lot of the other AARs mention how there is no time wasted in this class, and Gabe is a constantly-moving machine. I just wanted to underline this point. He is hyper-focused on delivering what was promised, and does does so in machine-like fashion.

During our last block, Gabe took a moment to talk about What Would Gabe White Do? He really stepped away from pure instruction and put his heart on the table for us to see. He was impassioned and it was beautiful to see what his refined confidence--free of bravado looked like. "if not me, then who?" struck an emotional chord with me, I very much appreciate his willingness to share. Thank you Mr. White.

I came away from this class knowing that I have potential inside--that I just need to refine. I came away knowing I can make A-zone hits while moving quickly. I learned more about use of cover while gunfighting, and overall have a higher confidence not only in my existing skill level, but in my potential. To say that I got my money's worth feels like an understatement.