I.C.E. Combat Focus Shooting Question

[JJN]

You should watch this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OsCU5gRxAxE. I think it was discussed at length somewhere here. I realize we all have our blind spots, but this bordered on satire.

[jlw]

You should watch this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OsCU5gRxAxE. I think it was discussed at length somewhere here. I realize we all have our blind spots, but this bordered on satire.

All those screaming, "Use the slide stop lever!!" raise your hand.

[Wendell]

You should watch this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OsCU5gRxAxE.

http://youtu.be/nKVRC2BNi00?t=36m46s

[Tamara]

I think it was discussed at length somewhere here.

Riverdance!

[cmoore]

If you are going to train with one and only one "big-name" instructor it is hard to beat Tom Givens, who will give you solid tools and drills to improve your shooting skills, diagnose problems with your shooting, and provide solid mindset training based on his former students' numerous real-world shootings.

Excellent recommendation. Tom Givens is an outstanding instructor with decades of street experience who focuses his training towards a civilian who carries a concealed handgun for defense.

If you are interested in being a SWAT or SOF guy, there are other trainers I would recommend. If you are interested in being a competition shooter, there are yet again other trainers I would recommend.

Don't let marketing hype or some trainer's former occupation overly influence your trainer/course selection. Focus on the course content, the instructor's reputation as an excellent and effective trainer and what is meaningful to you and your intended handgun use.

[SecondsCount]

Hope this is the right forum; I don't see a general purpose forum for training questions.

Rob Pincus is going to be teaching his Combat Focus Shooting two day class near me soon.

...

Last year I had the opportunity to take an introductory class taught by a Combat Focus instructor for free and went.

It really wasn't about shooting better but shooting fast, and most of the shooting was at three yards at a large black square that was roughly 8" in size from what I remember. There was nothing mentioned about drawing, tracking the front sight, or recoil management. They did correct a couple students grips who were using a variant of the cup and saucer method.

They were emphatic about not using the slide lock when reloading and were constantly hammering the students about never looking at the gun, especially during a reload or when holstering.

The drills weren't bad from what I remember but it really lacked on teaching the fundamentals which some of the students could have really used.

Overall, if I had paid $500 for this class, I would have been very disappointed.

[Sparks2112]

You should watch this: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=OsCU5gRxAxE. I think it was discussed at length somewhere here. I realize we all have our blind spots, but this bordered on satire.

He's coming on the show, and I will ask him about this.

[Dr. No]

... most of the shooting was at three yards at a large black square that was roughly 8" in size from what I remember.

They were emphatic about not using the slide lock when reloading and were constantly hammering the students about never looking at the gun, especially during a reload or when holstering.

Just .... wow.

[ScotchMan]

Thanks for the excellent replies everyone. I do recall reading a review of CFS where they mentioned he never covered fundamentals because he said "you just figure it out". I found that a bit strange. But I think I have the fundamentals, so that might be OK for me.

What I have decided is not to take the course, but to branch out from the instructor(s) I have taken classes from in the past. I asked this same question locally, and got similar answers; that it is excellent training but expensive for what it is. And that I could get more for my money with multiple courses from local guys. I got some good recommendations for groups that might be better, and are different, then those I've worked with before.

I have taken training in the past, so I am not clueless. I seem to always be the best shooter out of the group for what that's worth. What I really want to get into is a more intense training class where I can really push myself. In the level 1 defensive pistol course I took last, the first 3/4 of the day was review for me, and only at the very end, when we combined shooting while moving, reloads, verbal commands, cover, etc, did I feel like I was pushing myself. Standing still and shooting at cardboard while focusing on the front site...I'm good to go.

When I looked into other schools, I was told I had to start over with their level 1 course, that they didn't accept anyone else's as a prerequisite. That kind of turned me off, since I really wanted to push myself with something more advanced. Asking around though, I've been told that I will learn a lot even in the level 1 course, because it is very different than what I've taken. This would seem to lend credibility to the argument to take classes from a lot of different people.

Gonna pass on the Pincus course this time, and try to get into the level 1 course from these other guys. Thanks again for the responses.

[rob_s]

Do you do any competition shooting? it's a great way to assess where you really stand outside the classes you're taking now.