Posted: 1/23/2012 4:40:31 AM EDT
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Class: Handgun Retention Class
Instructor: Keith Morgan and AI's Location: Putnam County Gun Club Date: 22 Jan 2012 Course description: This four hour course will cover the fundamentals of the four point draw stroke with heavy emphasis on shooting from a firearm retention position. This will teach students to retain their firearm during extreme close-quarters (contact distance) engagements. The course will also include basic disarmament techniques, action/reaction theory and practical application, as well as pistol-grab defense.
This was a one day class that focused on up close pistol work. The class makeup was very varied and included just about every skill level imaginable. There was however an expectation of ability to perform the basics and be able to safely handle your weapon. The course started out with a brief section on stance and grip. We then went on to fire a group at 7 yards so the instructors could get a feel for everyone's skill level. From there we started working on our draw strokes. The individual steps of the 4 point draw were highlighted and we performed a lot of reps under the watchful eyes of the instructors to make sure we were making useful reps. After the dry fire draws we went into firing from the second position of the draw stroke (retention position). After firing one or two shots on each draw we worked our way up to 5 or more shots. From there we went on to work steps 3 and 4 of the draw stroke and then having an instructor critique us one on one as we drew and fired on command. This proved to be invaluable as some folks were getting a little sloppy when trying to put it all together under speed. After that came live fire drills where we would fire from retention while creating distance and shooting our way out to position four. 
We then gathered around for a discussion on the theory behind the OODA loop and ways to use it to our advantage. We also talked about muscle memory and reflexive shooting. With that complete we did a drill where we reacted to a threat command and then fired from retention on two contact distance targets placed in front of us before side stepping to engage a TacStrike steel target at about 10 yards. 
With the live fire portion complete we worked on a simple pistol strip and some of the theory behind that. 
Gear wise I used a M&P9 with Warren Tactical sights, a X300, Apex FSS and some grip work/stippling. It was carried in a Peters Custom Holsters Spada and my spare mag was in a Comptac pouch. Behind my mag pouch was an Erik Fritz fixed blade and it was all mounted on an Ares Gear Ranger belt (Duke version). I concealed everything under a TAD jacket that kept me very comfortable along with a North Face long sleeve thermal. I wore a pair of Peltor ear pro with a Contour ROAM attached and it stayed secure for the entire day at the range. I have taken to wearing a camera for almost all of my training over the past year or so and it has helped me immensely to be able to look and see what I really did as compared to what I THINK I did. 
This was my first time training with KBT Defensive Solutions and I hope it won't be my last. Keith and his AI's put on a great course and passed on an immense amount of information in a very short amount of time. I would really like to see what they could do with a longer format class. If you are interested in training with Keith you can reach him at [email protected] or the KBT Defensive Solutions page on Facebook. |