Jeff Gonzales_Combative Pistol 2_March 18-20, 2016

[Thn9mm]

I'm a decent pistol shooter and I have girly printer repairman hands

There you go! This just proves that my biases are inaccurate! Someone shaking my hands would probably say they were too soft as well. It is all relative, right?

[GRV]

4. First Best Sight Picture (FBSP): FBSP is defined as the first instant that you see an “appropriate” sight picture for that target. It may not be a perfect sight picture, but for that size target and for that distance, it is good enough. Trying to find that perfect sight picture (PSP) will hinder more than help. The longer you try to find the PSP, the more likely you will jerk the trigger and miss the shot. Conversely, firing as soon as you see the FBSP will more likely achieve both an accurate and a fast shot. In other words, when you draw and as soon as your sights are on the target, prep the trigger so that as soon as you see the FBSP, squeeze. The longer you wait for a better SP, then the more likely stress, anxiety, and fatigue will throw your shot. I found this to be true and was amazed that I could be both accurate and fast if I just trusted my instincts rather than my brain. Don’t overthink your shot.
Drawing consistently to your natural point of aim optimizes the FBSP. Close your eyes and draw and extend to a target. Open your eyes and see if your sights are properly aligned with the target. If not, adjust your body and keep your draw/extension natural. Practice until you can achieve a good SP even with your eyes closed.

So much yes. Only now finally learning this from experience.


Great writeup. This was totally not on my radar, but should have been. Has a lot of elements I've wanted to incorporate into my training... Definitely pretty high up on the list now, but, like SLG, Cecil and Southnarc are on the top of my list right now well before I take another firearms class. Lot of pennies to save.

[DI1]

Jeff has been a longtime friend of mine, he is an excellent instructor.
I have taken numerous classes from Jeff. They are always challenging and rewarding.
The round count is relatively high depending on how much you shoot.
I can no longer shoot 1000rnds a day of .357 Sig without experiencing hand pain, but 9mm is no problem.

[43Under]

I think that is very interesting regarding round count. many of us are used to 1000 rd days, so 1300 in two days is getting a break :-)

If you are not used to it though, it can definitely sour your outlook, so I think that is a valid concern. OTOH, too many jobs today do not toughen or strengthen your hands, and I think that is an important part of life, so while you can look at 1300 rds in 2 days as excessive, it might be worthwhile to look at it as a learning point - that is, time to work on toughening your hands.

This is not a criticism of 43under, just a different way of looking at it. For me, 1000 rds is my limit for the day. Doesn't affect my hands, but it does affect my head.

As for Jeff's attitude, what do you want, he's my pocket SEAL:-)

No offense taken about my wimpy hands.

On the other hand (no pun intended), I've taken classes with a number of other instructors (Pannone, Howe, Fisher) and never shot more than 700 in any two day class before. And Fisher's class was a lot like this one, i.e. not a tactics class, just marksmanship and manipulations. So I was certainly not used to it. Plus, it gets expensive, like a whole extra class's worth of ammo.

Taking Defoor's pistol class this year so it'll be interesting to see how it compares.

[SLG]

On the matter of rd count, I generally believe more is better. My perspective comes from a time when I shot between 2,000 and 5,000 rds a week (during a training week, not every week, week in and week out), so take it as an outlier if you wish. When I pay for a class, I want little to no down time, long hours, and lots of shooting. Not for the sake of making brass, but in order to get TRAINING value out of a drill, it really needs to be done a whole bunch. Each drill is different, of course, but in general, more is better. More also gives the instructor more time to watch everyone, and that is critical. More also allows you to see potential issues (or not) with your guns and gear. I almost never decide "gun stuff issues" based on my personal experience with one item. I'm used to seeing 100 of them at a time. Sometimes way more than that. Never less. Most people will never have that opportunity, and a class is the closest thing. It's not an apples to apples comparison, as eqipment fails in classes for all sorts of reasons that you msy not be privy to at the time. nonetheless, some things are there for the learning. More bullets means more opportunities.

As for cost, even when I don't pay for the class or ammo, I'm looking at close to $1000 right off the bat. That's expensive, especially if the class disappoints. If I pay for the class, it only goes up in cost. It has to be worth my time to be away from my family. Truthfully, for me, a 500 rd day is almost never worth it.