Some (most, probably) of you are aware of the annual Rangemaster Training Conference, to be held in 2017 near Little Rock, Arkansas, hosted by Mr. Tom Givens.
http://rangemaster.com/2017-tactical-conference/
As someone very new to Pistol Shooting, I attended the 2016 Conference in Memphis, TN. It was my very first exposure to training.
I wanted to share a few thoughts to those here, who might also be new, that are thinking of attending.
Here are what I perceive to be five key benefits for someone attending the Rangemaster Conference for the first time.
"Jump Start" your Training
This is key.
If you've never taken training, how do you know what 'good training' is?
The Rangemaster Conference offers a three day slate of up-to-date training segments on multiple aspects of self defense. Each and every class segment is taught by an experienced, professional firearms instructor. These folks are some of our foremost national and regional Instructors, and, as frequent students themselves, are constantly improving their course segments as a result.
Instead of committing your training dollar to an expensive, single class, perhaps with only the Instructor's online reputation to guide you, you'll be able to receive instruction from a wide variety of different people. That way, you'll lay a great foundation for any future class you might take.
Assess Your Shooting Ability
If you, like me, shoot only at the square range, going to Rangemaster's live fire segments is an eye opening experience.
There are several live class segments that you can take, focusing on different aspects of shooting.
From Recoil Control Clinics, to Drills and Skills you can bring home, to non-lethal options such as OC spray, the live exercises put you on the line, with your firearm, in situations that you might not ordinarily see shooting paper targets.
During these classes, seeing how other students shoot, and in particular, getting feedback from your instructor, will allow you to candidly assess where your strengths are, and where you need to improve.
Compete with your Carry Weapon
If you, like me, are just starting out in shooting, the thought of being timed and scored in a competition is frankly, a bit daunting. In particular, when that little voice in your head is thinking, "Hey, what if I screw up? Won't people laugh at me?"
Well, actually, no, they won't.
I urge you to shoot the competition.
Wear your carry gun. Load your real Hollow Points. Carry your spare mag. Use your CCW holster.
But shoot the competition.
If you are a little new to carrying, arrange to do one of the live fire exercises before your slot in the competition. That way, you'll have had the opportunity to draw and fire with your carry rig.
Will you finish in the top third? No. Top Half? Unlikely. Last? Probably not.
But the point is, you WILL finish.
The Instructors running the range are the most helpful and supportive folks I've ever seen. Tell them you are new. Tell them you are nervous. They will help you, you will complete the drill, and receive a huge sense of accomplishment from doing so.
*Knowing* you can safely draw and fire to defend your life and the lives of your loved ones, is a huge confidence boost.
Develop a Network of Contacts
Lastly, one of the subtle side benefits of Rangemaster as a noob is you start to see the personalities of the Firearm training world, and can use those contacts to benefit your training.
This doesn't happen in the class.
Introduce yourself to someone sitting by themselves at a lunch table. You might meet Claude Werner, the Tactical Professor.
Say hi to the guy waiting in the hallway for class to begin. He might be Paul Sharp, your next instructor on Recoil Control.
Shake hands with the big guy sporting an HK like yours. He might be Nyeti, who runs a training school in Dalles.
My point is to attend the conference with an open mind. Don't be 'that noob' at the back of class, not interacting.
Overcome the shyness, stick your hand out, and say, Hi, I'm so and so. Ask them, What brought you to Rangemaster? You'll be glad you did.
Well, there you go. I hope these observations will help someone make up their minds, especially if you are new to training. But act fast, they aren't kidding that it fills up fast.
Rich
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Originally Posted by MVS
