Gabe White - AAR February 10-11th 2018 Lakeland FL.

[Ckossmann]

Gabe White Pistol Shooting Solutions - February 10th-11th 2018 Lakeland Florida

You’ve got the foundational elements of defensive pistol use firmly grasped. You’ve got your draw, you’ve got your grip, you’ve got your sights and you’ve got your trigger press, such as they are. What now? The logical solution is incremental improvements with regards to speed and accuracy. If you can’t make your hits and can’t do it faster than the other guy then nothing else matters. After all, as Gabe mentions during the course, the victor is generally the guy who screws up the least.

Class Structure -

Gabe’s class structure takes you through myriad drills that focus on reasonably likely defensive engagements IE. six shots to the A zone (chest) “Bill Drill” two shots to the head “Immediate Incapacitate Drill” and other variations. The emphasis here is not on accuracy (though accountability is still important) because you should be walking into this class with a proper foundation already in place. The emphasis is rather placed on pushing the proverbial envelop until the “wheels fall off”. Where is the breaking point where the speed at which you perform one of these drills exceeds your current ability to reliably obtain hits? Once this has been identified you’re provided with a multitude of opportunities to refine your current skill set and push to become faster while still maintaining accurate shots. Each drill culminates with a test in which each student is timed one by one and asked to perform the drill at the rate “they can shoot it” not at the rate “they would like to shoot it”. I believe this underscores an important element in training and progression; you’ve got to be realistic with what your current capabilities are without being restrictive in discovering what is eventually possible given the correct type and frequency of practice. Each of these drills allow for three different tiers of accolades for performance - Dark “Tier three” Light “Tier two” and Turbo “Tier one”. Turbo is exceedingly difficult to obtain and allows for very little mistakes during your draw stroke, presentation and splits/transitions. Gabe mentioned that he rarely awards Turbo to class participants and it normally amounts to 1-2 students annually. All of the aforementioned tiers are difficult to obtain but allow for students at various levels to determine where they are and still walk away satisfied with a sense of accomplishment though it is still possible to fall below “Dark” and not obtain any reward (carrot meet stick).

Trainers Style -

Gabe has a particular way of communicating and articulating which I greatly appreciated. He keeps his language in conveying points very clear and concise and attempts to leave as little room for confusion as possible and regularly succeeds. Often times we as students are confronted with “high level” talk that’s largely meaningless to us in the context of how we will use the information, or a dumbed down version that fails to convey the salient points that are necessary for a student to fully immerse themselves in the content and understand it. Gabe’s energy is contagious. He manages to constantly keep you engaged while cramming as much content as is reasonably possible in the limited time he has with you. Striking the perfect balance of maintaining your students attention, keeping the content entertaining and applicable, while also ensuring students get the most for their money is difficult to say the least - Gabe manages to hit every element in spades. There is INCREDIBLE value here. The cost for the course was inline with what one would expect for a two day course but it cannot be overstated how much Gabe earned every single penny. He was constantly running about ensuring new targets were up/pasted and generally doing some of the annoying busy work in between drills that normally bogs other classes down. This provided us with an opportunity to jam magazines, get water etc and waste no time getting to the next block of instruction. The best way to summarize my perception was that Gabe treated his students like customers, not employees. Many instructors take downtime in between drills as an excuse to slack off or go on their phones while demanding the students do all of the work. Gabe absolutely created an atmosphere where he made certain that we understood time was at a premium and wanted to ensure we got as much as we could. Class even ran until 6PM every evening with a start time of 8AM. Many other trainers are in a rush to complete content so we can get out “early” with little regard to the quality. Gabe has created a product and curriculum where value to the student is top priority. This is something that I think will differentiate instructors in the future. We’ve all been to the class of the prior MIL/LEO guy with a resume longer than your arm but left disappointed because their heart is not in it. Gabe is not that guy, he’s a professional student turned instructor and the care he takes with the class is demonstrative of him not being so far removed from where the student sits.


Final Thoughts -

Go. To. This. Class.

I’ve been yearning for a training experience like this for a while in the wake of other disappointing experiences with other trainers. Gabe delivered in every way possible and greatly exceeded even my most optimistic expectations. I’m not entirely sure where Gabe wants to take his company or if he would like this to become full time etc but I firmly believe that he is deserving of a place among some of the big names you’ve probably heard of in the industry and even exceeding them. While this class does not necessarily focus on the fighting mindset there was a small nugget at the end of Gabe’s use of cover block that was extremely profound. It left you with the sobering understanding that this man was prepared and willing to utilize his training to the extent that is necessary to protect innocent lives. It literally touched my soul and left my skin tingling and was a great reminder of why we spend such an inordinate amount of time chasing this unobtainable goal of perfection. Gabe manages to influence you on a level that transcends the confines of the square range and extends into your life after the class. He has inspired me to become better at everything I do. I am greatly looking forward to his return visit in September when I can turn my Dark Pin in for a Turbo.

- “I’ve been in love, I’ve been loved and I’ve reproduced, if not me, than who?” - Gabe White

[Mr_White]

Thanks so much for coming to the class Ckossmann and writing up such a glowing review! I really appreciate it and it means a lot to me! It makes me very happy that I was able to help provide the experience that you wanted. I'm amazed, every time, at how there is this thing I love (training to preserve our lives), and now other people who love it too want to come to class and we all love it together! I'm pretty damn lucky.