When it goes bad....

[Totem Polar]

FWIW, I too would like to know who the instructor is so I don't make the same mistake. Maybe mods could move this to an area where it isn't in open forum. It sucks to shell out good money and travel time just to end up majorly disappointed or worse injured. @Tom_Jones it would be really awesome if we could have a section specifically for reviews in a closed/site supporter area where people can give honest feedback without worry about slamming an instructor openly.

I was just going to lurk in this one, but I changed my mind to second this post. With a backlog of highly reputable instructors that I have yet to train with, it’s not a major concern on my end, but more info before buying in with a rare weekend off and a few hard-earned bucks is always a good thing.

If I had to bail on a class due to safety issues, or related fuckery, I’d want to give other folks a heads up, myself.

JMO.

[ST911]

What were the safety concerns, specifically? You mentioned the safety brief. What transpired thereafter that created safety issues?

[Mike C]

I might be reading you wrong, buy I wasn't disagreeing with the OP; in fact just the opposite, if his instincts were telling him "BOUNCE!" then it's more than likely the right choice.

Dude my apology, I misunderstood what you were saying. Totally my fault.

[RJ]

Responded to PMs.

I don’t want this to become “instructor kick boxing”.

He has a rep. I should have researched him better. A search here would have perhaps saved me time and money. My bad on that. In the end, I did learn what my personal limits are to things such as this. I walked away professionally, politely and most important to me I believe the better person. I’m $500 poorer, but instructionally wiser.

My buddy stuck it out. He texted me at lunch to say “SSDD”. I’m awaiting his AAR.

I’d appreciate a pm with the instructor’s name if possible.

[Sigfan26]

Responded to PMs.

I don’t want this to become “instructor kick boxing”.

He has a rep. I should have researched him better. A search here would have perhaps saved me time and money. My bad on that. In the end, I did learn what my personal limits are to things such as this. I walked away professionally, politely and most important to me I believe the better person. I’m $500 poorer, but instructionally wiser.

My buddy stuck it out. He texted me at lunch to say “SSDD”. I’m awaiting his AAR.

I’d appreciate a pm with the instructor’s name if possible.

Same


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[Duces Tecum]

What's with this general concern with protecting the guilty? How is it different from knowing a certain brand of imported Chinese creatine monohydrate is adulterated at the factory with a toxic substance? Would the proper response be, "I'm not going to mention it to the other guys at the gym, 'cause it might hurt the manufacturer's feelings?"

Consumer reviews have become common in the marketplace. How many stars does a certain Amazon book have? What does Angie's List say about that handyman? Is he even in Yelp? There are significant consumer benefits (in this case, safety) to maintaining a public database of gun-fu instructors, not to slam a teacher but rather to report how the course / comments / behavior was interpreted by one student. Think of it as a post-employment review: "Is he eligible for re-hire?"

[BN]

Spoke to my friend that attended Day 2. Full review coming today.

Maybe a link to the AAR. Or would you PM me the name?

[entropy]

All,

I appreciate the responses that the post has generated. I have responded to quite a few PMs with the name. There are several reasons I am reluctant to post the name however. First, like originally stated, there was a fundamental disagreement with both the instructor and the curriculum. This was profound. It happens though. The answer to a student not being able to keep rapid fire shots within a 10” square at 5yds should not be “shoot faster and shoot more rounds”. It should be a dead stop and a review of the fundamentals needed to get accurate hits. On the contrary, I was told my groups “were too small” and I needed to “speed up”. The other items, including the lack of a genuine safety brief, and general confusion that permeated the class were not limited to me though. I did not mention this prior either, but there was another student that walked before I did. She was clearly overwhelmed by the sheer lack of guidance within the class and felt not only unsafe, but incompetent. I feel truly sorry for her. This was her very first training experience outside her CCW class, and it WILL leave a large training scar forever on her.

Since Friday, I have called and emailed around to other folks in the industry and other instructors I have had the pleasure of learning from. The good news is that several have responded with sincere apologizes and offers to squeeze me in whenever I wish. THAT is dedication to the student. Compare that to my friend who asked yesterday on Day2 where he could get curriculum support material from. The instructors response was “Buy my book.” He did followup with the comment of having “all the content online to view”. The only issue it seems, is that you have to subscribe and pay a fee.

It all becomes much clearer no?

In my opinion, somewhere along the line, this instructor stopped being about the students and became a self-promoter of his own BS. I respect this forum and it’s members tremendously. This instructor is pretty widely known, and I wouldn’t want to tarnish this site with the possible “he said/she said” garbage that might follow if he shows up here. This is too classy a place for that.

The mods should feel free to lock or discard this as well. I said my peace about a crappy training experience, and learning my limits of what I am willing to tolerate. Thanks much.

[CCT125US]

I appreciate the PM response. Without that info in mind, I feel at this point, a reasonably seasoned forum member should be able to connect the dots...

[Devildog70]

I’d appreciate a pm with the instructor’s name if possible.

Same here. I spend to much money training to waste any of it. Thanks in advance.