AAR: LTT Advanced Tactical Pistol Skills 25-28MAR2022, Doswell, VA

[Controlledpairs2]

Bottom Line Up Front: Ernest’s explanations of the fundamentals (particularly about reset), his emphasis on the mental aspects of shooting, his guidance about “seeing what you need to see,” the night-shoot experience, and finally the moving targets make the LTT Adv. Tact. Pistol Skills 3-Day format a MUST EXPERIENCE class.

If you are on the fence, do not hesitate. My only regret is not being able to train with Ernest many years ago.

Day 1: Ernest starts the class with some introductions. This was excellent because it instantly created a sense of community amongst the students. In his words “it’s important to know who you are sharing the range with.” Then he gave a short lecture which I found supremely helpful. My learning style requires some primer so that I know how to calibrate my mind. I always appreciate starting some type of evolution with clear objectives, hearing a “theory of training,” and being presented a philosophy that sets the conditions for the entire training course.

Of the 15 or 16 students (I can’t remember the exact count) there were about 3-4 LTT 92s (most RDO but 1 irons), 8 glock-type guns (to include an LTT 48, a couple shadow systems, and home builds), 1 PDP, 1 P30, and 1 PX4. Some folks changed guns throughout the class. Ernest was shooting a P30 LEM. I used my LTT 92 RDOs with the 509T. If I recall correctly, only 2 or 3 folks were shooting irons at any given time. Ernest took the time to talk about optics mounting best practices, which mirrors the advice I was given by SoCalDep in the Red Dot Optics subforum. This demographic shows that we indeed live in a striker fired world and red dots are the norm in the training community. Ernest said some wise words about the normalization of red dots – “you need to be more of a gun-person than the average gun owner.” This meant you need to be someone who will take mounting, witness marking, PMCS/preventative maintenance more seriously than the average gun owner. He told us red dot users need to do the “professional” things to keep them reliable, mounted, fog-resistant, and powered up. He also thinks back up irons is important for defensive use of red dot pistols for many reasons, to include optics failure, support hand only shooting, and potentially awkward shooting positions.

The experience in the class was across the spectrum. There were some shooters that were instructors themselves, 1/3 with more than a decade of serious shooting, and about 1/3 fairly new shooters. Seeing new shooters at the early end of their path made me feel really good. Having Ernest’s instruction this early in their shooting life is going to save them a lot of bad experimentation later on. Everyone was safe and Ernest kept a watchful eye on everyone anyways. As I recall my early days of shooting, my head could only retain so much that in a class like this, I would probably only truly comprehend a small portion of it. From my observations, self-awareness and self-diagnosis is king. Even after Ernest would identify an issue, it was hard for some shooters to internalize that within the timeframe of the class and fully correct it. Burning bad habits or repetitions is tough to overcome and even more difficult if you can’t recalibrate your level of self-awareness. My hope is that the newer shooters that came to this class go to the LTT youtube page and watch the class videos several dozen times so they recall memories and tidbits from this course.

This was my first class with, and first-time meeting, Ernest but I credit him with teaching me how to shoot the M9 well. I was introduced to the M9 in 2004 but despite having many military instructors, I didn’t know how to shoot it until I started seeing Ernest’s writings, posts, and videos years later. Whenever I impress my colleagues with my M9/M9A1 shooting, I drop Ernest’s name. It was an honor to finally share a range with him and receive his instruction in person. I’ve been serious about shooting the pistol for well for over a decade and I was still overwhelmed throughout the class because of the articulate ways Ernest would explain concepts. I will be back in a year or two and will be dragging my wife with me.

Day 1 was mostly about explaining the fundamentals and shooting the drills that would help solidify them. I really liked Ernest’s warnings about pinning the trigger during reset and how that is a path riddled with problems. Throughout the 3 days, there was a continued revisiting of how pinning the trigger to the rear led to some issue. This is a problem that took me a couple years to shake and still haunts me occasionally when I am trying to make a precise shot. Ernest has a couple good drills that a training partner can help me to condition myself to shake the trigger pinning problem if it reemerges. I also liked Ernest’s take on speed/cadence, especially the magic of a .35-.40 split (that time can differ based on a person’s processing/reaction time, type of gun, and distance). Day 1 also showed me I need to deliberately practice my strong hand only and support hand only shooting.

Day 2 started with a great warm up on his bullseye target. I’m going to buy a bunch of these and definitely add this to my workouts. I normally shoot a lot at 25yds but I am realizing with the right focus and emphasis on tight groups, I can achieve more economy in my practice and diagnose my shooting without walking downrange as often. Of special note, Ernest talked about the mental aspects of shooting and self-image. This was good for me to hear and I would experience this throughout the class. Some of the highlights from the daytime part of Day 2 include Ernest’s take on multiple targets and his drills for “leading with the eyes.” His explanation for how to shoot on the move was also a fresh take, as recently I have been told “don’t overthink it” and “just walk and shoot” from other instructors.

The night shoot was awesome. Ernest wants people to shoot one person at a time so there are no other flashlights that disrupt your practice. He also uses some lanterns to change lighting conditions on the range which should change how the shooter is able to “operate in the lowest light” possible and also prioritize how the flashlight is used to both identify targets or be used to “take information away” from the threat. Ernest’s instruction has changed the way I think about my handheld and rightfully challenges my overemphasis on the (pistol) weapon mounted light.


Day 3 started with a warmup and the Fast Test. There were some good shooters in this class but no one got a coin. 4 of us got a hat pin. A couple guys who were really good shooters were pretty psyched up for the attempt. I, on the other hand, wasn’t as worked up since I never expected to be in the running. I think that mental levity helped me, because if I recall correctly I was the only one that made the sub-5 on the first run (4.7ish). It was at that point when Ernest said “good, now do it again” I got super nervous and fell apart. My second attempt dropped a head shot and body shot and my third attempt was 5.4ish with a questionable body shot on the line. Super fun experience and unfortunately a crushing defeat for the other guys who absolutely have the skill but time, chance, and pressure got the best of them on that day. I can see the appeal of chasing this mountain-top. I’m proud of them for chasing it and I’m sure they will be back soon to try again!


The rest of day 3 was about barricades, leaving the target quickly, building a shooting position from movement, and shooting a moving target (from stationary and on the move). I have shot movers before, but they were steel targets riding on a rail. The paper target system Ernest uses is better for diagnosing your shooting. I enjoyed this portion very much and would love to take the class again to experience more of it.

Meeting Ernest was like meeting a personal hero. He does not disappoint! I am sure he does not need to teach because he runs a successful business, but I get the feeling he continues to instruct to be a service to the shooting community and to honor the craft. A genuine care for his students showed throughout the 3 days. Did you know he shows a lot of class material for free on his youtube channel? That channel and LTT Discover provides a crucial social service. The industry could learn a thing or two from Ernest and LTT.

I probably missed a ton in this review, but I hope the readers can see how awesome the instruction and experience was for me. Many thanks to Ernest for putting on a great class, Evan Carson for being an awesome host (I think he teaches in the area about an hour north of Richmond if I recall correctly), and the other students who made the class experience so great and created a sense of community for those 3 days. This class gave me an opportunity to see an old shooting buddy that I haven’t seen in 10 years and make new friends. I am grateful for the experience.


Did I mention Ernest was shooting a P30 LEM? Might want to save some pennies b/c he might have some big things coming soon at LTT.