Posted: 4/4/2012 4:42:21 PM EDT
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Hey everyone! I just finished my fourth course with Glen at Independence Training, if you haven't checked them out you should! Finally some affordable training! Below is my review, some pictures and a video from the course.
Please note, not everything that was covered in the course is covered in the review, such as one handed shooting, malfunctions and much more. After taking multiple courses with Independence Training it is clear that there is no other training company that offers a quality course at such a low price point. Having only spent $500 on four courses with Independence Training it shows that their goal is to provide training for everyone, not just the person who is capable and willing to spend $1000+ on a course. There is no need to save up a grand and expect to afford only one course. With Independence Training more courses can be taken for a fraction of the cost of an equivalent course at other training companies. Don’t think that because Independence Training offers an 8 hour course for $125 that it will be a low budget or “cheap” course. This is one of those deals that seems too good to be true that actually is a killer deal. As a college student with a minimum wage job, the price is a big attraction. Having trained with Glen before, it is not hard to justify taking another course, however trying to persuade five other people to participate in pistol training for the first time is a slightly harder task. After constantly harassing my friends, I finally convinced them, as well as my father, to pony up and pay for some training. A large amount of people think they don’t need training, only after you actually pay for some training do you realize how wrong you were. This is where Glen showed how accommodating he could be. Since the majority of students did not have pistols of their own, Glen provided the handguns and ammunition for a very reasonable price. If he did not do this, we would never have been able to take the course. Once everyone was set for the course, all we had to do was wait for the weekend of the training to arrive. As it approached a storm system was forecasted to hit the day of the course. Glen contacted me and asked if we would still like to go ahead with the training, he made sure to note that Independence Training does not cancel classes on account of weather unless the weather creates a dangerous environment, but if we wanted to cancel we could. After contacting everyone in my group, we decided that we would train in the inclement weather. Glen made sure to send us an email containing information and tips on how to train in cold weather. On the day of training there was 3-4 inches of snow on the ground and more falling, the wind was gusting and the temperature never seemed to reach above freezing. Upon arrival, Glen and John gave a thorough safety briefing, making sure to give current examples of people who did not follow the five firearm safety rules, and subsequently injured or killed themselves or someone close to them. Following the safety briefing, the students who did not have weapons were familiarized to their respective firearms. Glen and John did a good job of explaining the necessary mentality one must have when carrying, and even when one is not carrying. The sheepdog mentality would be referenced and applied multiple times throughout the course. The first part of the course focused on posture, proper grip, trigger compression combined with front sight focus, and hitting the “juicy goodness.” After blasting a few magazines into our respective targets it was time to go over drawing from the holster and punching out towards the threat. People naturally tend to bowl or fish when they draw from the holster. This can lead to muzzle sweeping, thus proper technique is necessary. In order to keep Glen in business, I won’t go over every detail about the course. This portion was followed by malfunctions. Reloads, double feeds, stove pipes and FTF’s. You name it, we trained how to fix it. The next portion of the course involved movement and shooting stances that could be used in a defensive situation. What is the best stance? Circumstance. We were never taught to always sidestep to the right or kneel backwards. We were taught multiple positions and movements that could be implemented in various situations since not every setting is the same. Some positions required that we get down and dirty, the urban prone and supine were definitely my favorites. Adding to this, the snow and dirt made for a pleasant mud hole to train in. During the lunch break the sun decided to appear, but when we geared up to start training again, the wind and snow decided it was gone for too long and lingered for the remainder of the course. Continuing our training, multiple targets were put up for us to engage in various settings. This portion of the training was meshed with the rest of the training; trigger compression, movement and malfunctions all had to be applied to engaging multiple targets. This was then expounded upon with engaging multiple targets from cover. Each situation was setup to mimic a possible defensive use of force situation. Overall, the course had many serious elements as well as fun and hilarious moments. Seeing who could hit the bullseye first from a decent distance incorporated an element of competition between our group of friends. Also, the jokes that were made between the instructors and students always lightened the mood and helped us forget about how cold we were. Even though we were all soaking wet, cold and tired, we left the course with confidence and a sense of accomplishment. Glen and his crew always have a fun and intense training situation at the end of every course, making you want to train again and again with Independence Training. I left the course much more confident in my abilities to manipulate and use my handgun, knowing that if I had to use it I could rely on myself to act under duress. This is exactly what Independence Training claims to teach in their courses: confidence, self-reliance and the American spirit. They most definitely deliver. Photos: 
Photo Credit to Independence Training 
After the course was completed 
My dead skeletor target - goodbye chest cavity 
There was a bit of snow 
Trying to hit the bullseye at around 20 yards. 
Simulated mugging/ putting hands up. CLICK PHOTO to watch the video. OR Youtube Link If you haven't looked into Independence Training you should check out their Website and Facebook page. No I was not told to go advertise for them, I simply believe that this is the best training you can get for the price! |
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Thanks for putting that up. A couple of Glen's classes are on my short list. I definitely want to do handgun and shotgun. Posted Via AR15.Com Mobile Shotgun is this sat...  I would go to this if I had not spent all my "fun funds" on an 870.  Next time.
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Too cold for me. That's dedication. My concern about these classes are the relatively low round counts listed. Are my concerns valid? I find that to be a positive thing for me. I can't afford to blow $300 on ammo, this makes the whole package much more budget friendly for me. Posted Via AR15.Com Mobile |
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Too cold for me. That's dedication. My concern about these classes are the relatively low round counts listed. Are my concerns valid? With around 300 rounds per course on average that allows for at least 100 drills if you are doing around 2-3 rounds per drill, you may do more, you may do less. I was trigger happy and fired around 400-450 rounds during that course. I found that it was more than enough, especially for an 8 hour course, or 4 hour course if you do the lowlight. Comparing to something like Gunsite, you have 1000 rounds to go through in 3-4 days. So you will fire as much as you would in one day from the 3-4 day course, if not more. |