Posted: 1/28/2012 11:40:31 AM EDT
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Hey ya'll me again with another question,
I keep reading about people taking carbine courses but not much about what takes place besides lots of shooting. A little background here. I am 52 years old, about 30 lbs overweight with a bad knee, and have only been shooting an AR for about a year and a half. I shoot carbine matches occasionally,,,static shooting, some run and gun and a CQB senario and do fairly well in my opinion...but will never beat the younger, in shape, fast shooting and moving guys. Anyway back to the question, What does a carbiine course consist of? Is it an athletic style class? I always read about there being malf drills and stuff but shooting 1500 rds in a couple days seem like an endurance thing...but I may be wrong. Any specific info on the cirriculum would be appreciated from people that have attended some of these. opps wrong forum....sorry |
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Exact curriculum varies from course to course.
The local courses I took emphasized engaging targets from different types of cover & positions, shooting on the move and mental stress drills like hula-hoops (circling a 50gal drum by touch while watching a target partially hidden by no-shoots and listening for either a challange or shoot command, lots of sensory overload). The end of the course was a physical stress drill which involved running up & down a metal staircase w/full loadout then making a 50yd hostage rescue shot to prove you can be accurate even when winded. Other than that, the only physically demanding part was the team drill which included (among other things) moving forward and back mulitple times while in a crouch, lots of complaints from the thigh muscles! Check with whomever's running the courses you're considering and voice your concerns, good classes will attempt to accomodate limitations. HTH... Tomac |
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Like these guys said, it really depends on the type of class and instructor. But, I would venture to say that their course work is going to be done at different speeds in each person. Meaning, most of the classes you take as long as you aren't in a Military or Law Enforcement Only class, will progress as you progress. You can only go a certain speed and you have to learn to go that speed.
Most intro-level carbine classes I have seen go through the basics. Like, firing the weapon from different positions Standing, Kneeling, Prone, Crouching, etc. How to sight your weapon in, magazine exchanges, basic how to shoot your gun type stuff. You can only go as fast as you can. As long as you give the instructor 100% of what you can do, then they can't ask for anything more. 
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I agree with the previous posts also.
I have done a few carbine courses. You can read the last AAR here: DARC Carbine Course The courses I have done vary in athletic requirements. Some were more of a static learning environment, some were almostall the time constant motion. I am overweight, with a bad knee and bone chips in both ankles. I was the least in shape guy in the above class, unfortunetly. However, my instructor was aware of this, and structured my participation in the class where I could do what I could do, without interfering, holding back, or getting in the way of the other students. I dropped when I needed to, and re-joined when it was time to do so. IMHO, this is one of the differences between good instructors and great instructors. There are some instructors out there who understand this. Unfortunently, there are some instructors who really don't care, their primary concern is your check clearing the bank.......... Not being in great shape, or with a physical disability, should NOT be a reason to find good instruction, if you have the desire to learn. Like the previous posters have said, get some good communication going between you and your list of potential classes/instructors, and be honest with them, and ask them to be honest with you. You may find that you might have to drive a little farther, or wait a little longer, but there are some great calsses and instructors out there. Cheers, CT |
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Like the replies stated, they will vary greatly. There are good ones, great ones, and ones that are a waste of time and money.
If you are looking to attend one, seek out instructors that have a reputation for maintaining accuracy standards. You can pay to roll around on the ground and blow 1500 rounds in two days with the requirement that you get somewhere close to the target with some of your shots. I have heard this called "enterTRAINment" before. Don't get me wrong, there are some great courses that have high round counts and require athleticism as part of it. But they maintain that accuracy standard (think 6" center for the most part) while incorporating the additional conditions. If you have a VSM regional trainer in your AO they are an excellent place to start and are good value. Good luck. |
| Thanks to all that replied. Have been looking into the Tiger Valley courses they have down in Waco. A (very knowledgeable) guy at the local club also offers some good instruction that I didn't know about till the other day. Thanks again for all the great info everyone provided. It is greatly appreciated. |
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Quoted:
Thanks to all that replied. Have been looking into the Tiger Valley courses they have down in Waco. A (very knowledgeable) guy at the local club also offers some good instruction that I didn't know about till the other day. Thanks again for all the great info everyone provided. It is greatly appreciated. I strongly recommend Paul Howe of CSAT. http://www.combatshootingandtactics.com/ Paul has seen the elephant and is one of the most humble, yet humbling instructors I've ever worked with. Teaching comes very naturally to him. Oh, and he has a great facility in east Texas. |
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TxWolf
I see that you are in Texas. I train in the DFW area. Like many here have said Instructors vary, their courses vary, and with me even the same course varies depending on the client. I conduct mostly private lessons, but even in a class, I tend to emphasize tactics more than high round count, and always tailor the performance to the needs and abilities of my clients. In a class I will present a technique, demo it, then go down the line and have each shooter execute it one at a time so I can diagnose any error. So my classes are like a group of people getting private instruction. Repetition has its place. I worked with a SWAT officer 2 days ago and he went through about 250 rounds of pistol in 2 hours during a private lesson. The focus was combat shooting and shaving time off qualification while improving accuracy. By contrast we spent 2 hours on his m4. First we worked on his CQB and his hits and speed were quite good after just a few tips, so we didn't burn a lot of rounds or time on that, maybe 60 in an hour. We moved to long range and slowed the pace to dial in his form and accuracy at longer ranges. He shot 20-30 rounds in the fourth hour. Today my client was a business man in his upper 40s and recovering from recent knee surgery. In a four hour lesson he shot just under 100 rounds of pistol and about 80 rounds of rifle. We focused the pistol training on grip, then presentation from high ready, then concealed draw. These drills were about repetition of correct from and movement so round count was low. Carbine for him was more orientation. Sight in, quick hits from low ready etc. Follow the previous advice and talk to the Instructor first. Mike owner Group6Training |