Origin Shooting LLC CQB Pistol Tactics and Techniques
February 17, 2018
Berkeley County, West Virginia


Course Intro

This is a one-day course designed to teach tactics and techniques for a single person to move through a building. The class was focused on civilians armed with a pistol who need to move through their own house effectively and giving them the best chance of success. At the start of the course the instructor emphasized that moving within a structure alone is far from an ideal situation, let alone with only a pistol and no ballistic protection. The instructor stated that even with proper knowledge and perfect execution, clearing a building alone has about a 25% survivability rate against a prepared defender.


Course Overview

This is not a shooting course. In fact, no ammunition was fired at all. Each student was provided an empty Glock 17 UTM gun and holster. The gun was used as a prop that could be pointed 360 degrees inside, and the holster simply to store the gun when not in use. The lack of shooting meant there was complete focus on learning the tactics and techniques.

The shoot-house is designed to almost be like a puzzle that the students must learn from. Certain techniques taught in the course worked better than others based on the student’s location. By the end of the course it was up to the student to know which skill is needed and perform them on the fly. Due to the large space, there are plenty of opportunities to utilize the learned skills and movements for the various placement of doors, windows, and hallways. It seemed as if every aspect of the floor plan was thought out specifically to teach the individual tactics and techniques.

The course was structured so that the most basic things were taught first. Each area of the building was set up to teach a different skill. Starting in one room, the instructor demonstrated a tactic and technique. After we practiced the skill multiple times under the instructor's supervision we moved on to another room for the next lesson. While one performed the newly taught technique, others were also allowed to practice on their own in adjacent rooms. Rooms with doors or windows and hallways were used to teach different skills. Each skill built upon the one before it. Eventually the instructor had students individually going through multiple rooms in order to chain together previously taught skills. By the end of the course students were required to combine everything they learned in order to move throughout the entire structure against hidden enemies.


My Thoughts

I came into the course not sure of what we would be doing. I had an interest in the topic but wasn’t sure if it would be classroom lessons or running and gunning. I was pleasantly surprised that this was neither. We didn’t fire a single round of real ammunition or UTM sim rounds, nor did we sit in a classroom learning from a lecture. The entirety of the class was taught by demonstration then by practicing it. There was a lot of walking and holding a pistol during the day, but nothing physically exhausting. Instead, this class was a constant brain exercise. It was like a chess game played against the building itself and potential enemies it held. Constantly students would get caught not checking angles or spaces that could hide a potential enemy. Once we learned the skills, we needed to mentally work through the spaces and make a decision on the spot in order to see the enemies before they could see us.

Overall the course was excellent. The instructor had clear demos and answered all questions perfectly. The facility itself was very clean and provided chairs, tables, and an indoor bathroom. Although there was a lot of material in one day, the instructor put everything together by the end. It was surprising to see how each student’s progression as they stitched movements together in order to cover the areas they needed to go as well as double check the areas they had already been. If this class is offered again I’d like to go a second time to reinforce what I’ve learned and be smoother in my movements.