Just got back from the CQB pistol class...I am a newbie to tactical shooting..anyody can carry and use a handgun, but do we really have the skillset to use it effectively?
We were priveledged to have Raul Garcia and Doug Tangen as our instructors. Both of these men came well prepared to teach the class, were patient, courteous, and are extremly proficient instructors.
One of the points that Raul made is that a gun is just one of several tools that you can fight with. Today, we practiced fighting using our guns. A gun is not a dishwasher...you don't set it and forget it...you don't fire and forget. You have to learn how and when to use it. Just because you may carry a gun does not mean that you will come out on top in a fight.
A lot of us have preconcieved notions from movies and TV shows as to how a gunfight would go down. These quickly disolved as I went through the course. Sure, a lot of us shooters say we don't beleive what we see in the movies and on TV...but do we really? I admit, that I had a few misconcpetions. The instructors both demonstrated how these preconcieved notions could put you in a body bag. In reality, you may only have seconds to throw your attacker off guard, draw and fire your weapon. You need to prepare and you need to practice making solid tactics second nature.
Raul and Doug convered a lot of topics...from use of force, basic marksmanship skills, and how to properly draw and fire your weapon to weapon retention and takeway using dummy guns, multiple shooting drills and even scenarios using airsoft replicas. Their was no way that our instrutors could teach us everythig their is to know about these topics, but they gave us a basic foundation of knowledge that we can use to train with and build upon.
Overall, I think it is a priveledge to have two highly qualified instructors, such as Raul and Doug take the time to come out and set up a class for us. I really think it was worth the $100 I paid. I would highly recommend it.
