First off I want to say any errors in reporting details about the class or concepts taught in the class are due to my memory or lack of attention during the class. Secondly, I think this class would be very basic for what I imagine to be the experience of most forum members but I hope it will be of some value for anyone finding their way here who is new to firearms or concealed carry.
I signed up for MDFI Foundation Handgun class based on a recommendation from here. I was not disappointed.
Class started at 9, we were instructed to arrive at 830. When I arrived at 815, about 1/2 the class was there and the range was ready. Our instructor, Trek, was checking in arrivals and chatting as we set up.
Promptly at 9 Trek started with about a 1 hour segment consisting of introductions, why we were there, what to expect for the day, proper use of force, safety and medical procedures. I was impressed with the emphasis on range safety and emergency medical procedures. For safety, we reviewed in detail the four rules as presented in his video. For medical, primary, secondary and tertiary medical people were designated as was someone appointed to call 911. Volunteers to meet emergency vehicles at the range entrance were also designated. Everyone was instructed on specific language to use if a 911 call had to be made, e.g., 'firearms training incident (accident?)' rather than 'a shooting or someone got shot'. Trek also explained the trauma kit he uses and how one life had been saved by it. Trek's passion for safety and excellence set the tone early and carried throughout the day.
After a quick water break we hit the range and split up into 2 relays. First drill of the day was to make one hole with 10 rounds at 10 yards no time limit. This is the final assessment from the YSINTG class (You Suck It's Not The Gun). It was used to give the students a baseline for their fundamental shooting skills.
Next session was Inspection and Inventory (I&I). Here we walked through all the checks we should make as a concealed carrier before we leave our 'castle'. To illustrate MDFI's Whole Person Concept the items to be checked went beyond the gun. As we leave our castle we need ensure we are also squared away with any permits / licenses needed to carry, other equipment (knives, lights, etc), medical kits and proper ammo.
Draw from holster was next. Trek presented a four step draw with some variances I'd never seen. One point that stood out was in step two he has the gun at a 45 degree angle indexed away from the body by the thumb on the pectoral muscle. His reasoning is that at this point in close quarters you are ready to fire if need be as you move towards steps 3 and 4. His demonstration showed the effectiveness of this method when having to draw at bad breath distance and move back as you draw. In the demonstration 2 rounds were placed in the lower ab region as he created distance and then delivered rounds to the vital area in the chest.
Threat engagement was the next session. We discussed threat assessment, threat engagement and then threat/environment assessment after the threat has ended. Topics included increasing our awareness to social cues, understanding when lethal force can and cannot be used, follow the threat to the ground, assessing 180 degrees, assessing 360 degrees, when and how to reholster.
After lunch, reloads. Trek pointed out there's two times we reload, 1) when we decide and 2) when the gun decides. When we decide we can reload and keep the magazine we're unloading (retention) or we can discard the magazine we're unloading (speed). When the gun decides, it's an emergency reload. The discussion part of the session covered the details and circumstances of when the three reloads occur and also how to accomplish the reloads. Drills on retention, speed and emergency reloads followed the discussion.
After the reload drills were a couple of intense but friendly competitive drills that gave us a chance to put everything together while working under pressure.
The final session was on stoppages. For my own memory I've dubbed Trek's method of dealing with stoppages TRULR - tap - rack - unload - reload - rack. No time was spent on diagnosis of a problem to figure out how to deal with it, e.g. stovepipe, we just did TRULR. I found the drill for this session very valuable. Trek had us load 2 mags with 5 pieces of spent brass mixed in with good ammo in each mag. Then we had no time limit to fire at our targets and deal with the problems as they came up. What was most valuable for me was Trek's observations and feedback as we worked. In my case I had gotten into a rhythm of TRULR but Trek pointed out that in some cases I was back in battery after the TR and that I should drop the ULR and get back to shooting. This was a point I had missed and following it shortened my resolution time considerably.
The class ended with an assessment comprised of drills that incorporated the skills of the day. I passed the test but it highlighted what I've seen in my own practice - a heavy bias of shots landing left of center when under pressure. Trek was confident he could fix that. I'm going to take him up on it and plan on attending a future session of YSINTG.
Foundation Handgun focuses more on handgun handling skills than shooting skills (YSINTG) and it's perfect for the average concealed carrier who has their license and gun but has not had much experience or formal instruction in the draw, reloads and stoppages. Overall I thought the class was very valuable and I've recommended it to friends.
