Shivworks – ECQC – Review
Highview, WV
11/09/2012 – 11/11/2012
“And then there were Banjos”
Roughly 8 months ago, I took ECQC for the first time.
http://pistol-forum.com/showthread.p...12-Culpeper-VA
So, the other weekend in Highview, WV was my second helping of ECQC. And it won't be the last time I take the course either.
The class started out with a discussion of how criminals go about committing crimes. After that is the first topic of instruction: Managing Unknown Contacts (MUC), which in short is a way to handle approaching strangers and hopefully determine their intent. However, because criminals use both ruses and ambushes, Craig teaches a non-diagnostic response, “The Default” to help survive the first seconds of the later. These techniques are drilled multiple times Friday evening along with the first offensive technique shown, the eye jab.
Saturday and Sunday mornings involve instructing, practicing and refining the Four Count Draw Stroke as it applies to violent confrontations at various ranges. It also includes firing the handgun while in two different fending positions. I personally don’t see the class as a shooting course, but more as a refinement of shooting techniques to the specific context of a criminal assault. So, knowing how to shoot accurately is a pre-req in that regards.
Saturday and Sunday afternoons are spent learning clinch grappling techniques that are applicable to a weapons based environment. Everyone gets a chance to learn and apply techniques with increasing resistance up to the culmination of using them against opposing malevolent will during the class’s Evolutions. In order to facilitate learning of these techniques quickly the follow teaching method is used:
Demonstrations (explained slowly, and then at speed)
Working with partners:
Crawl: Cooperative, Non-Competitive
Walk: Non-Cooperative, Non-Competitive
Run: Non-Cooperative, Competitive
I’ve seen people go from zero experience with unarmed techniques to be able to apply them against realistic pressure in a very short amount of time. So, no one gets thrown into the deep end without knowing how to swim first.
Some of you might be wondering why I would take this course more than once. As many have said when talking about the course, “it shows you your weaknesses” which I totally agree with. The important part is taking those realizations to heart and doing something about them. Overweight? Go on a diet. Gas too quickly? Work out more. Get twisted into a pretzel on the ground? Seek out a BJJ gym. Etc, etc. After my first ECQC I went about making self improvements. And that made a noticeable difference with how well I handled the course work the second time. I’m not tooting my own horn here, because now I’ve identified new areas that I need to focus on making improvements on. It’s a process of growing and then auditing, one I’m looking forward to continuing.
