SDI Tactical and Magpul Training Division have since merged to form Magpul Dynamics.
The class was made up
entirely of civilian shooters. There was one LEO, and a few prior
service military of various backgrounds. Virtually all of the students
have had multiple classes from many varied instructors. My own
background includes classes from Randy Cain, Bill Jeans, and Pat
Rogers. Many of the students have been training for many more years
and with many more instructors than I have. In other words, this was a
bunch that knows the basics, knows how to shoot, and has a good base of
knowledge.
Three terms emerged over the
course of the 3 days that help to summarize SDI's methodology;
"efficiency", "fundamentals", and "master your weapon". Travis and
Eric make a point of reinforcing efficiency of movement. For example,
if you have to add inefficient movements to your shooting, reloads,
draw, etc. due to gear issues then you need to address your gear to
resolve the issue.
Training Day 1 (TD1) began with a 1-hour lecture/Power Point block. When I first heard
about this I was somewhat skeptical, thinking my usual "awe man, I just
want to get to the range". 10 minutes into the presentation, however,
I began to appreciate it. Travis went over many aspects of the
"fighting" or "combat" mindset, and SDI's take on how the human body's
physical limitations and reactions to stress can limit your ability to
fight and how we can use those issues to our advantage.
After
the lecture block, we all moved out to the range and the shooting
began. SDI has a take that is, at least in my experience, somewhat
different than other classes. They do not generally teach "steps".
Whether the draw stroke, turning 90 degrees, turning 180 degrees,
performing a reload, etc. We began with the draw, and Travis and Eric
discussed their take on the draw stroke. We made a few repetitions of
same. The rest of TD1 was fast-paced and included reloads (tactical
and speed), malfunctions, and positions.
I
really appreciated SDI's take on malfunctions which was based on a
diagnostic immediate/remedial action. Rather than rely on the
"tap-rack-bang", they suggest that the shooter take a split second to
rotate the barrel up 10 degrees and diagnose the problem, then initiate
the correct immediate/remedial action. Failure to go into battery?
smack the rear of the slide. Failure to feed? Tap, rack, bang.
Stovepipe? Sweep the top of the slide. Doublefeed? Lock the slide,
strip the mag, rackrackrack, insert new mag and drop the slide. I
appreciated their confidence and respect in the group to know that we
are all capable of identifying the malfunction and initiating the
appropriate correction. This goes to the "master your weapon"
mentality and was borne out to be extremely effective over the 3 days
as many 1911 shooters got to experience these malfunctions repeatedly
during other drills.
Positions included
the usual standing, squat, kneeling, prone, etc. and also included
rollover right and rollover left, which we used extensively as the
course went on. Travis and Eric really pushed the efficiency issue
here, as well as stressing the ability to not only quickly get into,
but out of, these positions.
We ended
TD1 with a man-on-man drill that summarized everything we learned that
day, to include the draw, positions, reloads, and clearing a
doublefeed. The drill included paper and steel targets and was a great
way to wrap up the day.
Training Day 2 (TD2) was all about moving. Moving forward, moving backward, turning 90
degrees, turning 180 degrees, etc. And all while incorporating the
skills learned on TD1. TD2 also ended with a night/lowlight shoot and
Eric and Travis demonstrated a variety of methods of utilizing a
hand-held light that we all got to try out, then we selected which one
worked for us and began incorporating all of the moving/turning lessons
we had learned earlier in the day, as well as performing speed- and
tactical-reloads with the light in your hand.
Training Day 3 (TD3) stepped things up by beginning with drawing from concealment, and
discussions of gear selection as pertains to same as well as how said
gear selection affects your efficiency, fundamentals, and weapon
mastery. From there we moved into drills involving engaging threats
while seated and use of cover. The day ended with a block on vehicle
techniques (not tactics) and we ran a drill that involved shooting from
inside of and exiting from a real vehicle, as well as engaging targets
from around the vehicle. This drill was especially enlightening to see
how we all acted under the stress of time, operating in and around an
unfamiliar vehicle, with various loud distracting sounds, and with the
instructors yelling at us to "move" and "get down" and "reload". I
particularly enjoyed the added stress on this drill.
Overall I had a fantastic time, as I always do at
Southern Exposure, and truly enjoyed SDI's instruction under Travis,
Eric, and Chris. They each offered a slightly different, yet cohesive,
perspective to combat handgun shooting. I learned things that I can
apply to my daily carry, my self-defense training, and my competition
shooting. We are all looking forward to having them back for a
"Mindset Carbine" class in the future.
Thanks
again to Travis, Eric, and Chris, as well as the tireless efforts of
Irv Lehman in hosting and organizing these classes at Southern Exposure.
Lessons Learned 1) The first, for me, was getting away from "steps" to everything.
Whether it be drawing, loading, turning, or whatever, at a certain
point you can decide that you are a big-boy and do what works best for
you. I liked being treated like an adult and not being told how to
turn around (other than the "fundamentals" of things like looking with
your head first).
2) I've also been a
Weaver shooter, or modified Weaver, for a long time. Spending 3 days
at least attempting an isosceles stance was good exposure. Travis also
covered the physiology of why they teach and use the isosceles stance
and that was enlightening.
3) Both of these
are really just parts of the "efficiency" that Travis, Eric, and Chris
repeated over and over again. Efficiency of motion is something that
I've been in to for years, even in activities outside of shooting. It
was good to get that reinforced for three days.
4) I
don't think there was so much of a "lightbulb" moment for me in this
class. All three of the instructors just did a great job of building,
building, building on the previous instruction. It all started with
the lecture, and the same themes just kept appearing and getting
reinforced over the three days. If anything, I would say that the
lightbulb was on a dimmer-switch, and started out at just a glimmer but
kept getting brighter over the 3 days. :D
For pictures from, and more discussion of, the class above please see the discussion thread at M4Carbine.net.
