First weekend in December 2024.
Where to start? The obvious. I was the shittiest shot in the class, hands down, bar none. I have come to expect that training with "name" instructors whom I respect. My fundamentals fall to shit. Add that to trying to replace old training with new training and the wheels just fall off the wagon. And a couple of the students are well known instructors on this board, so the stresses were multiplied.
Excuses over.
Background: I am a cop with a small specialized agency, and a firearms instructor since 2006, and the head of firearms for a bunch of years. In 2014 I failed my first Qual. My ophthalmological prescription had changed, leading me to an eye dominance issue I did not know existed. I shot the qual again minutes later with one eye closed and went from a 72% to a 96%.Got LASIK last year, and the problem did not improve. Anyway I bitched about it on line, and @DocKGR told me to try a red dot on my pistol. Through another board Chuck P said the same thing. I got approval, stuck an RMR on my pistol and set about shooting.
As an instructor I thought "how hard can it be?" I taught basic and advanced Urban Rifle locally, to include optics, to local agencies, including Federal, for almost a decade. I had trained with "name" instructors...I thought I had this.
I didn't know what I didn't know.
I taught myself to be dot focused. I was wrong. My LT assigned me to get an optics course set up last year. He has eye issues too, after more than three decades on the Job. I did MSP's instructor course. I signed up for Cougar Mountan Solutions. Over the last 23 years or so I noted that Erick spoke truth, and knew his shit. His handle in a thread was enough to get me to read the whole thread. Like many here.
The Facility: The Meadhall Range in Shawnee, OK is simply one of the top three ranges I have shot at in the last three decades. If pressed , top two. Outstanding. The proprietors are great people, who are in it for the development of shooters. I discerned that early and my observations reinforced that discernment. Their take on the "instructors meal" simply set the standard for me.. As I get closer to retirement some here are relying on me to bring name instructors to town, since [MENTION=9399]Tom_Jones[/MENTION] has dropped off the face of the earth. Learning has occurred.
The Instructor. [MENTION=1169]Erick Gelhaus[/MENTION] is a fixture on many of the boards I have been on the last couple of decades. A retired deputy from a large northern CA department, a 30 year+ military veteran;active, reserve, and guard. 24 years as an instructor and rangemaster at Gunsite, where he developed their POI on optics. I was in good hands. But most here know that. Erick was patient with me and an excellent diagnostitian.
The course: simply amazing. I plan to recommend to my agency that all firearms instructors, including the new guys over the next few years attend. To make it attractive to the brass we should host. As the course progressed there was emphasis on coaching. Both nights I went to my hotel and transcribed my notes (any other old cops recall typing notes. On the weekend. To be turned on on Monday? Just askin'). Not just the notes from Erick, but also the notes that the other class members gave me as my fundamentals fell apart. My grip and trigger control are getting a workout with my Mantis X (Thanks Cara!). Erick teaches and shares my position on muzzle awareness and control. To the point he rightly called me out for the rest of the class while shooting on the move where, while walking backward in anticipation of the fire command my muzzle drifted up to cover the target I had not yet decided to shoot. Excellent observation, correct in all ways.
What I need to work on: grip and trigger control. Breaking bad habits. Erick commented on where I learned each of my bad habits, he knew, allowing some saving of face..." you are not a bad shooter, you were taught things in your career, and you do them". Thanks, man!
What I need to keep: My coach, while coaching my shooting coachingly, had the unfortunate task of coaching me during dot down drills, Where I smoked them. He was laughing to tears because with the dot the broad side of the barn would be the ego saving target, if I could consistently hit it with the dot. During dot down drills, I smoked it speed wise, while stacking rounds in the black of the B8. Also my coaches/shooters noted my safety and precision with which I dropped into kneeling and prone.i tried to make light of everything, especially my piss poor shooting, so just after Erick scored my target I commented that I needed to swap out the choke in my pistol. He stopped what he was doing, looked at me and said "did you just say?" Yeah, you did," and went back to scoring the target next to mine. Laughing beats crying.
Will be taking this class again at some point. The course takeaways were simply the best I have ever received. (I have coursework towards a Masters in Adult Ed, specializing in Instructional Design). It was like sipping from a firehouse.
[MENTION=820]John Hearne[/MENTION] needs to update his website since he invited me to his Cognative Pistol in Amarillo next summer. Take My Money! [MENTION=518]WobblyPossum[/MENTION], [MENTION=6108]JRB[/MENTION]...Roadtrip with the women?
pat
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Originally Posted by UNM1136
