Travis Haley's Disruptive Environments: Handgun Vehicle Darkness - Class Observations

[Arclight]

I don't really write AARs anymore, but I attended Travis Haley's Disruptive Environments: Handgun Vehicle Darkness (HVD) class hosted by Engage Armament this past week and figured I'd share a few observations for the reference of anyone trying to decide among courses. This is less "what the course is about" and more "what the course is like."

BLUF: If you're a highly proficient handgun shooter looking to branch out of the range booth and build some real-life application skills, I highly recommend this course. I was pleasantly surprised with Haley as an instructor and the Engage Armament staff were good hosts.

There are other AARs out there that get into the play-by-play of the standards and drills, so I will not rehash that here. I will note that the class evolves over time and the drills vary by location, facilities and resources, so your HVD might not look exactly the same as the one in the AAR, but I would bet you won't be disappointed.

For background, this is kind of a rebound course for me. I attended a big class by a famous instructor a couple of years ago and it was a disillusioning and off-putting experience. I was a little leery of signing up for another big class by a big name guy, fully expecting lots of ego and not much instruction again. Even though this was a large class (~25 students - the only real downside that comes to mind), the style of presentation worked well and the content was excellent. Travis' stories alone were worth a big chunk of the cost of admission; relevant, insightful and entertaining. Not like the self-aggrandizing war stories of so many people in the industry.



I will admit, I was a bit surprised by Haley. As I said, I expected to be working around a big ego but, while he was certainly "self-confident" (as one classmate put it), he was one of the most genuine, committed teachers I've ever dealt with. He came across as legitimately wanting to help us each learn and improve because these aren't competition skills -- someone's life may depend on your ability to apply what he's presenting. This was refreshing. This perspective of real-life application and all of its consequences can only come from someone who's been on the wrong end of armed encounters that went sideways, and Haley's experience with a few of those was presented in an appropriately sobering fashion. I appreciated that it wasn't a "guns look cool, let's go shoot stuff!" class. This is serious business and it was treated as such.



In addition to many useful drills ranging from fundamentals to bounding movements in low light, as expected, Haley strongly emphasized mindset and the "why". I'm big on "why," so I appreciated this too. Some of the scientific(ish)-ness is a little reaching, but the principles are sound. I can forgive a little overcomplication of explanation mixed with oversimplification of science when it's a side-effect of a genuine interest in taking a serious look at why we do what we do and how we can do it better.



I found Haley's demonstrations valuable, including using a SIRT pistol so we could see from the "threat" point of view when illustrating use of cover and why some small changes to our placement can make a big difference in visibility and survivability. Drills often let the students discover important principles, and then were followed by in-depth discussion of the principle. For example, each student engaged a threat target through glass and Haley noted the point of impact for each type of ammo, then described the effects of glass and glass angle on the bullet. This was extremely useful for many of the law enforcement officers in the course who had not only never learned about shooting through glass, but didn't know how their duty ammo would perform.



One thing I have gotten more attuned to is the style of instruction in a course. Having taken various excellent classes from Todd Green and Ernest Langdon, I got spoiled by in-depth one-on-one coaching and brutal attention to every aspect of my technique. Their coaching style of instruction has made a huge difference in my shooting skill over the years and I make a point of revisiting them periodically to refine that. The last course I took with the Big Name Instructor was another style: Drills under the supervision of a famous guy. This seems to be a popular model among the "I want an excuse to wear multicam" crowd, but I found it very disappointing at that price point and avoid that myself. The third model is what we had last week: while the class was too big for much one-on-one, we got solid instruction on skills and concepts, followed by well-designed reinforcing drills. This isn't to say there wasn't any coaching -- Travis and AJ walked the line and made useful adjustments and corrections throughout the course -- but it was not the primary method of instruction.



As a final note, I do have to say something about the class population and the hosts. There ~25 students, including quite a few LEOs, a couple of military, and a wide mix of "other", including two Emergency Physicans whose presence made us all breathe easier. While this was about the maximum class size I could imagine for a course like this, we had a very talented pool of students for the most part. There were a couple of outliers but, to their great credit, they were the first to admit they were a bit behind the skill curve and had the right attitude and dedication to make the most of the experience. The students can make or break a class experience, and the class really benefited from a solid group of guys with good attitudes and good skills. Everyone really wanted to be there and really wanted to learn, and it showed.



This was also my first class hosted by Engage Armament. While the range was a little tricky to get to and lacked amenities, it was an excellent facility for training and the Engage guys were personable and pleasant. The big unexpected bonus was the provided dinners. I expected cheap pizza or something, but instead we got three days of fantastic, homecooked dinners. Three cheers to the dinner crew for giving us the strength to keep trucking until past 2230 each night!



Thanks to Travis and Engage for stopping the Train in Maryland. I look forward to next time.

[zacbol]

Thanks for posting this, I really enjoyed reading it particularly because you approached things somewhat critically/skeptically and that seems rare with most 'AARs'. Sounds like a very cool class.

[Arclight]

Thanks for posting this, I really enjoyed reading it particularly because you approached things somewhat critically/skeptically and that seems rare with most 'AARs'. Sounds like a very cool class.

Thank you. I was skeptical and part of why I have stopped writing AARs is just what you pointed out. They're rarely honest and meaningful.

And it was a very cool class, so I'm glad that came across in the write-up. Sometimes if you say anything short of perfection, people take it the wrong way.

I would definitely take another class with Travis, another class from Engage, and if I could train with that whole group of students again, I would. That's about as good an endorsement of the experience as I can offer.

[Arclight]

[Arclight]

If you'd like to see more pics from the course, check out John Chang's awesome shots on the Haley Strategic Tumblr page or on their Facebook page.

First time I've ever seen a normal camera capture a bullet coming out of the gun! Nice work, JC!

In the meantime, here's a few more, including a couple only people in the class will really appreciate.

[JSGlock34]

As Arclight already covered class impressions, I'll add some more mundane gear related observations. Most students used Glock pistols, though a number of M&P and SIG handguns were also present. I employed a GEN4 Glock 17, while Arclight switched between GEN4 and GEN3 Glock 17s. Neither one of us experienced any problems with our pistols (my GEN4 sailed past the 2000 round challenge during this course), though one of the LEOs experienced a breakage (slide stop lever spring) in his well worn Glock 22. I had my armorer's kit with me - we stepped off the line and I had him back up and running before the next evolution.



As you might expect from a low-light course, flashlights were a major point of discussion, and there were a wide variety of handheld and weapon mounted lights (WMLs) in use. Haley discussed flashlight features and techniques, and instructed the use of both handheld lights and WMLs (more time was spent on handheld lights as there are several different techniques and handhelds are unquestionably more difficult to utilize).

I observed handheld lights from Surefire, Inforce, Streamlight and 4Sevens - as well as some makes and models that I couldn't identify. I personally employed a Surefire Z2, E1B and Quark 123 at varying times during the course (experimenting with different lights and techniques - for example the older Z2 came in handy when we were applying the Surefire/Rogers technique, whereas the E1B and Quark are my typical EDC lights). For a WML I used a new Surefire X300 Ultra in a Raven Concealment Systems LC Phantom (a hat tip to RCS for getting a holster out to me in time for the course).

I'm definitely reconsidering some of my flashlight choices after this course. I really like the E1B, but the dual mode was definitely a drawback - particularly when practicing off line of attack responses where you started searching with the light - then deactivated while moving and drawing your firearm. Once I came back on target and re-illuminated, I'd sometimes get the low power setting. The Z2 and Quark123 performed better in this regard.

Of all the hand held techniques, I found the Surefire/Rogers easiest to apply, along with the neck-index. Unfortunately I find the Z2 somewhat cumbersome to carry around, so I may be looking for a smaller light that permits the Surefire/Rogers hold. I found the FBI technique useful for searching but awkward for shooting, and didn't care for the Harries grip. It was great to get a chance to try each of these techniques in various drills and positions - handheld techniques that were easy to use at the 5 yard line had a very different flavor when you were taking cover behind a car and engaging a target's legs underneath from the rollover prone.

As far as WMLs, I used the X300 Ultra while Arclight ran a X400. I found the X300 Ultra bright and easy to manipulate. The mount was solid. It was unquestionably one of the most potent lights on the range. This was apparent during a night-time walkback drill on the second night. Past 50 meters the limitations of some of the less powerful lights were apparent. The X300U illuminated the steel targets quite well even at long distances. Arclight had some issues with the X400 mount, which resulted in his light departing the pistol during one evolution. I believe Arclight plans to a) Loctite the X400 and b) acquire an X300U in the future.



I ran Trijicon HD sights during this course, while Arclight alternated between Trijicon HDs and the Ameriglo CAP. Quality night sights proved their worth - particularly during a "no-light" course of fire. Even at 25 meters in very dark conditions without the benefit of a flashlight, I was able to land head shots using the HD sights. More than a few students remarked that they would be purchasing HD sights for their pistols.

Arclight covered the class well, but I want to make a point about Travis Haley. He's one of the most positive instructors I've taken a class from - and his attitude was infectious, which made for a great atmosphere among the students. I'd certainly take a class with Haley again.

Thanks to Arclight for a few photos to brighten this post.

[Joe Mamma]

I was in this class too. It was a great class and Travis is a great instructor. People often talk about Travis's accomplishments in combat. But what many overlook is that he is actually a great teacher. During this class, it was obvious that he takes teaching very seriously and puts a lot of effort into it (unlike a lot of other shooting instructors). Travis pays close attention to each student and genuinely tries to help them.

I do have to add that I thought the experience level and skill level of the shooters in this class was ridiculously high. A few of the other students said so too. I have taken other classes, and the experience/skill level of these students was significantly higher than any other class I have seen. These were obviously people who shot a lot, spent a lot of time thinking about/studying shooting, and understood many different techniques, styles, equipment, etc.

As one example, one of the students is an experienced firearms instructor at a very large police department. He told the class that he is "the best shooter" out of anyone he knows (or works with or something like that). But among the students in this class, he said he was struggling just to be average.

There was a walkback drill/competition at night where the class was split into 2 "teams." They "raced" each other back adding an element of time pressure. One of the students made first round hits in the dark using a flashlight (hand held, not weapon mounted) and a stock Glock 17 all the way back to about 80 yards. He never missed--this was just where the drill/competition ended. There were other students who were as good or better than him.

The odd thing was that with the high level of experience and skill, there were really no big egos (that I saw). Everyone was pretty humble. We all wanted to be there and learn. During the class, I noticed students looking out for and helping each other (like JSGlock34 quickly helping another student with their gun problem).

I got the feeling there were students who were instructors (outside of this class) because everything went very smoothly during the entire class. Even the least experienced shooters in the class were great to shoot with. Everyone knew how to operate safely in a large group of people with guns when doing lots of unusual things. As Arclight said, I would gladly take another class with Travis, Engage Armament, and the same group of students.

Arclight and JSGlock34, I really enjoyed meeting you and shooting with you. Thank you for the great pictures. Toyota builds incredible door latches, don't they?

Joe Mamma

[archangel]

I was in this class also. (That's my arm!)

I'll echo what the others have said so far. The students in the class were a great group of guys to shoot with. We did some stuff (like maneuvering around each other with guns drawn, or sitting in the passenger seat while the driver leans across to fire out your window) that could have gotten hairy with lesser shooters. In this class, we had no issues, and I was never worried about any of it.

Travis is an exceptional instructor. He has a very high level of skill, and the ability to teach those skills. But what really sets him apart are his in-depth understanding of what he's teaching, and his passion for teaching it. He genuinely cares about his students, and really wants them to succeed.


JSGlock34 mentioned looking for a less bulky light than the Z2, so I thought I'd share what I ended up with after the class.



That's essentially a FourSevens QT2L (although in my case, it has a Fenix PD30 body, but basically the same) with the rubber rings from a Surefire G2Z. On Day 3 I was running it with a duct-tape improvised plunger, which sort of worked, but the SF rings work much better. I also removed some material from the tailcap to make the button work better with the R/SF technique.

It's about the same size as the (even more heavily modified than mine) Insight light that Travis was running, and quite a bit smaller than a Z2.

[Dropkick]

Sounds like it was a pretty informational course. That's awesome.

Arclight alternated between Trijicon HDs and the Ameriglo CAP. Quality night sights proved their worth - particularly during a "no-light" course of fire.

Arclight, I'm curious about your general impressions of the Trijicon "3-dot" verses the Ameriglo CAP "box & line". And also your impressions of them under various lighting conditions. I have one style, but have been considering trying out the other.

[Chuck Whitlock]

Arclight, I'm curious about your general impressions of the Trijicon "3-dot" verses the Ameriglo CAP "box & line". And also your impressions of them under various lighting conditions.

Ditto