Training by Ronin Combat Strategies Ronin Combat Strategies contact page

2 Day Tactical and Intermediate Rifle Class Intermediate Rifle

Location - Desoto Rifle and Pistol Club in Como, MS. Desoto Rifle and Pistol Club

Dates - March 31st and April 1st, 2012 from approximately 7:45am until 5:00 pm each day with about a 45 minute break for lunch.

2 Day round count - Approximately 700 rounds of rifle and 200 rounds of pistol ammunition.


About me - I am just a regular guy. I go to work at an office every day. I am not a military veteran, law enforcement officer, or avid hunter, but I have enjoyed shooting as far back as I can remember.

How did I hear about Ronin? - By strange coincidence, last fall I met three people within a one month time span that all had something in common. One was a soldier who had just returned home
from an overseas deployment, the second works at a local gun shop, and the third was a former Army Ranger, SWAT cop, and police firearms instructor that I was sitting next to at a barber shop.

During each one of my casual conversations with these guys, they all brought up their recent training experience with Ronin Combat Strategies. These men, that are around and depend on firearms
for their income, survival, or both, all unanimously told me that the training they got at Ronin was the BEST they had ever had.

I was floored that these men were telling me that Ronin gave them better quality firearms training than their police academy or the U.S.Army!

Each one of these Ronin training alumni told me that their class was difficult, fast-paced and intense, but in the same breath would tell me about some instructor named Jabo that had them laughing throughout the course and
how much fun it was. I immediately contacted Ronin and started coordinating our two day Intermediate Rifle class.

What the hell is a Ronin? - Ronin Combat Strategies was founded in 2009 by Jason Redding and Jason "Jabo" Long. Although their company is relatively new, the instructors at Ronin have impressive backgrounds
and decades of combined high risk military and law enforcement operational experience. Ronin's training concepts are tactically sound and combat proven to work. They will be the first to admit that they didn't invent any of these concepts,
and that they have taken bits and pieces from different instructors, training classes, and lessons learned the hard way on the street to make up their curriculum.

Their company's namesake, the Ronin of feudal Japan, were skilled samurai swordsmen. Even though the ancient Ronin had no Master, they still strived to master the art of combat through constant training and intense study of efficient weapon manipulation.
After you take a class at Ronin Combat Strategies, you will see that they chose the perfect name for their company.

The training and the instructors - Rather than go into detail on the number and types of drills we performed or the new techniques that we learned during our training, I would rather describe the training environment and our instructors.

The gates were open by 7:00am each day. The Como range was spartan but very spacious with multiple long ranges and tall berms. As soon as we arrived, we all started unloading and putting our gear on.
Jason had told us in the pre-class e-mails to be ready by 7:45 for our first briefing, to bring an open mind and a combat mindset, and none of us wanted to be "that guy" that everyone else taking the class is waiting on.

Jason Redding had us assemble for our initial briefing and introductions. Jason brings a hard-charging intensity to his classes that none of the other classes I have attended at other schools can match.
If you have ever spent much time around Marines, it is immediately apparent when you meet Jason that he is one.

After our safety and medical briefings, and a quick discussion on gear, we were warned that the class was going to be very fast paced. The Ronin staff emphasized that we were paying them to train us, and that they wanted to maximize every second we had together on the range.
When one relay of shooters was done with a series of drills, they were expected to get back to the staging area quickly, reload magazines, hydrate, and then hustle back to the firing line.

Jason and the other instructors delivered on their promise of fast paced intense training. While we were shooting, they were constantly correcting mistakes, passing along nuggets of wisdom, and cracking a joke or two. They shared their experiences
where good tactics and training allowed themselves or people they knew to live to fight another day. There were also accounts of actions where bad tactics, a lack of proper training, or just a failure to properly handle human physiological conditions
like tunnel vision and auditory exclusion led to people being wounded.

I have talked alot so far about the Ronin founders, Jason and Jabo. Let me also acknowledge that the other instructors that taught at our class were great and contibuted alot more to our class than they probably realize. Jason and Jabo were out front throughout
most of the instruction, but the other Ronin instructors's advice and supervision increased our learning as well as our accountability dramatically. Our mistakes never went unnoticed. They constantly walked up and down the firing line, fine tuning our
grip, stance, technique, and pointing out the little mistakes and wasted movements that we had no idea that we were making. Instructors Davis, Low, Penny, and Simes were responsible for teaching me some of the lessons that improved my shooting the most.
To a man, the Ronin instructors are passionate about training. They genuinely wanted to transfer as much knowledge into us as they could.

Big Boy Rules and what sets Ronin apart - Any prospective Ronin student needs to fully understand that "Big Boy" rules apply here. We were told in our initial briefing that we needed to have thick skin. Some of our class participants were given humorous nicknames and all of us at times
were teased in some way or another. If you screw up on a drill or training evolution, ( and all of us did at least once during the class), you will attract the attention of a horde of instructors that will descend upon you like a swarm of locusts to add some
expletive laced verbal stress to your already vapor locked brain housing group. They are quick to jump on you when you screw up, but they are equally quick to praise you when you have a fast,clean run on a drill.

The instructors reminded us that we were at Ronin to learn how to survive a gunfight. Jason proclaimed during our first day, " If you think a little verbal harassment while you are trying to shoot is stressful , just wait until someone is shooting back"!
That point was reinforced throughout our two days of training.

None of what the instructors dished out was abusive, mean spirited, or done because they were trying to degrade us. This was more like a group of friends razzing the guy that misses the basket during a pick up basketball game. Our group wouldn't have
wanted it any other way. The camaraderie that we had among our classmates and instructors during the two day course was what made it as fun as it was. The instructors let it be known that they were fair game as well, and when Jabo wasn't teaching us something, he was
quoting lines from 80's comedy classics like Caddyshack and Stripes and generally keeping us in stitches.There was alot of laughter as well as learning at our Ronin class.

The second thing that makes a Ronin course different is that you will not be allowed to quit a drill until it is complete. If the instructor calls for two hits on a target, he wants two hits. Not just two shots.
There are no time outs during a gunfight, and you won't get one here. If you miss ten times, or run out of ammo during the drill, you will be told "stay in the fight"!
If your rifle jams, transition to your pistol. If your pistol runs dry, reload it. No matter how bad you meltdown on a drill, you must finish it.
The bad guy that wants your car, your wallet, or your wife is not going to show you any mercy on the street, and he's not going to give you a "do over".
At Ronin, you are trained for that day when you must stay in the fight until you end the threat or the threat ends you.

The third thing that sets Ronin apart is that we were informed that once we inserted our magazines, and charged our weapons with a live round in the chamber, that they would remain loaded with the mechanical safeties on for the rest of the training day
unless we were told to unload and show clear. For some in the group, this was the first time they had ever been trusted to even so much as turn around with a loaded weapon, let alone walk offline and away from the target area with a rifle hung at waist level
by the sling and a loaded pistol in a holster on our side.

This practice makes complete sense when you think about it. Most of us that shoot at public or private gun ranges are taught to handle loaded weapons only when you are about to shoot your target. We go to the range with empty weapons in cases,
and for the rest of the day when we aren't shooting, our magazines are removed and bright colored chamber flags are inserted through the ejection port so that everyone can easily identify the unloaded condition of the weapon.
Our recreational shooting sessions and competitive matches mostly teach us to live with and only handle empty and completely safe weapons. We should be learning to live with and safely handle ones that are always loaded.

What worked and what didn't.
Luckily, I didn't have any weapon malfunctions. The ones that I heard about or observed were due mostly to a lack of oil, a lack of lock-tite, or a failure to properly stake castle nuts.

I loved my padded VTAC sling and my TAG Gladiator chest rig. Those two items helped me alot, and I wouldn't consider taking another rifle class without them.


The Push-Pull technique. - I did have one particularly bad meltdown on Saturday that involved me repeatedly inserting fully loaded Magpul P-mags into my rifle with the bolt closed. You can imagine the hilarity that ensued. After the mag change, I either racked the charging handle
and got a "click" since the gun was not able to strip a round out of the unseated magazine and into the chamber. Or, I would get one "bang" and then a "click' as the magazine would drop out of the magwel and onto the ground. I am thankful this happened,
and it taught me alot of valuable lessons. My only regret is that it was not caught on video. Footage of my epic failure would have propelled me into youtube superstardom. I would have been as famous as Tex Grebner and the DEA agent that was
the only one in the room professional enough to handle the Glock .40 caliber handgun.

I later figured out that part of that meltdown was caused by a damaged and well-worn p-mag, but because I was also taught by Instructor Low that "the maximum effective range of an excuse is zero meters", I'll just put the blame back on me where it belongs.

The Dead Man's Gun, Wall of Shame, and the price you pay for messing up. - During a Ronin course, a "Click" when they expect a "Bang" is known as a Dead Man's Gun. This offense along with others, like my epic meltdown mentioned above, must be
paid for. The instructors will announce what payment will be accepted for these offenses during the first morning's briefing. Let's just say that the instructors in my class haven't been thristy this past week! You can read more about this on the Ronin website:
The Ronin Wall of Shame

The Shooter Tab - At the completion of the course, the students are tested on Ronin's shooting standards. These are timed drills that offer the students a baseline to compare their pistol and rifle shooting skills.
If the student can complete these drills cleanly in the time alotted, then they are awarded the Ronin Shooter tab. Out of 11 shooters at the end of our two day class, 2 earned the Shooter tab, with many others either a few milliseconds or a miss away from earning theirs too.

Criticisms and Suggestions - This class was amazing. There is no way I could be critical of our experience with Ronin, and the only small suggestion I can think of is that in the e-mails and correspondence that we received prior to class, it would have been great
to get a training outline with some of the acronyms and sayings commonly used by the Ronin staff.

Things like Push-Pull, and Safety, Finger, Fire, and their explanations would have given us some more food for thought to help us prepare for the class. However, we were told in advance to bring a notebook and a pen, so if we failed to
write these verbal cues down as we heard them, then that is our fault. Remember what Officer Low said about excuses.

The Aftermath - As I write this, it has been a week since we concluded our class. We have already planned our next class for this fall, and within hours of it's announcement, it was full.
Out of the 15 slots available, 13 were filled instantly with alumni from last week's class. That should tell you everything you need to know about a class with Ronin Combat Strategies.

We were told on day one, that most people think they will rise to the occasion if they are ever attacked. They convince themselves that when the moment of truth happens, they will become like ninjas in their ability to dispatch their enemies.
This could not be further from the truth. NO ONE rises to the occasion. We all fall back to the lowest level of training mastery that we have acheived. If you believe otherwise, then you are setting yourself up for failure and putting those that depend on you for protection at risk.

The bottom line - We all need more training and we should never stop trying to learn. If you are anywhere near Memphis, Tennessee, try a class with Ronin, If not,
seek out training from a qualified instructor near you. As for me, Ronin will continue to get my training dollars and I look forward to the new classes and training opportunities that they will be providing in the future.


Please also read the reviews written by my friends crawlin95 here:
http://www.ar15.com/forums/t_9_19/231640_AAR_for_Ronin_Combat_Strategies_Intermediate_Rifle_2_Day_Class.html


and one by miker84 here:
http://www.ar15.com/forums/t_9_19/231641_Another_AAR_for_Ronin_Combat_Strategies_2_day_Intermediate_rifle_class.html

Thanks miker!

I have a Crown Royal bag full of .45 ACP ammo that I was going to give you, but now you can forget it!

Me too. Pure comedy gold!

Has anyone taken the time to read all that?? If you haven't you should!!!

Can somebody give me the cliff notes?? Just kiddin', I read it all!!


Good job, Snerdly!! You said everything I wanted to say. Everyone I have told about the class has shown interest in wanting to do it themselves.

LB

Thanks alot.

You definitely need to take a class with Ronin. You will not be disappointed.

That shoot house clinic they did at the AAC Silencer Shoot must have been like an oven.
That was the hottest first week of June I can ever remember. It was brutal just standing in the shade.