2x upcoming classes in October

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DaveT
Posts: 196
Joined: Fri Mar 24, 2006 7:35 pm
Location: NE Ohio

2x upcoming classes in October

Post by DaveT »

It's been quite a while since I took a pistol class. I have two I'm planning to attend on the horizon.

First, East Group Training will be offering a class called Pistol Optics (Red Dot Sight). It will be held in Fredericktown, on Sat., Oct. 1. I had not heard anything about the trainers or the class before - I literally stumbled across the description.
Here's the link to the class:
https://eastgrouptraining.com/pistolopticsrds" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
From the web page:
We have designed this eight-hour course for the shooter who already has a firm grasp on the fundamentals of pistol marksmanship but is looking to make the move to the RDS platform. During this class, we will concentrate on using simple repeatable exercises to help develop some of the new motor skills you’ll need to help make the transition from iron sights to optics.
This is an excellent course to establish a solid foundation of the fundamentals for utilizing the RDS platform enabling you to build upon that during future training courses.

Prerequisites
There are no pre-requisites for this class. However, you must demonstrate general safety such as Muzzle awareness and trigger finger discipline during the dry and live-fire drills at the beginning of class.


The second class, which I also had never heard of before, is Street Encounter Skills and Tactics (8-9 October, Zanesville, OH). I first heard about this class after stumbling onto this podcast from Lee Weems, another firearms trainer I had seen recommended. In the podcast, Weems speaks with John Murphy, the owner of FPF Training and the person behind the class - Street Encounter Skills and Tactics. They are joined by a YouTuber named Tessa from "Armed and Styled" and also by Jon and Sarah Hauptman, who run the company PHLster Holsters.
https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=EgyGX1dlq8w" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

In this podcast, they all sing the praises of John Murphy's class. Here's the link to the class:
https://www.fpftraining.com/fpf-calenda ... lead-nlaak" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;

In any case, I know nothing more than what I've read/heard so far, but I'm interested in both of these classes, and if you're interested, there's still time to sign up for both or either of them.
JEaton
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Re: 2x upcoming classes in October

Post by JEaton »

Sly, Jeff and the others at EAST group are solid instructors, they have been running classes for Buckeye Firearms for almost 10 years.
The range there is second to none. They keep it manicured like a golf course. Rifle range, 2 pistol ranges, 360 live fire house and classroom.

JLE
DaveT
Posts: 196
Joined: Fri Mar 24, 2006 7:35 pm
Location: NE Ohio

Re: 2x upcoming classes in October

Post by DaveT »

Thanks for the input - good to hear positive feedback from someone with firsthand knowledge. I'm really looking forward to the class.
DaveT
Posts: 196
Joined: Fri Mar 24, 2006 7:35 pm
Location: NE Ohio

Re: 2x upcoming classes in October

Post by DaveT »

Pistol Optics (Red Dot Sight, held at E.A.S.T. Group Training in Fredericktown, on Sat., Oct. 1.

This was a very enjoyable, very solidly run class. This was my first class with E.A.S.T. Group, which I had not heard of until very recently.

The class was taught by Sly and Jeff, who were very solid instructors – serious about the topic, but with injections of humor along the way. The day began in the classroom, where Sly talked about the strengths and weaknesses of the red dot, and went over a long list of lessons they have learned about how to get the best out of a red dot. They have a good chemistry together as an instructional team – one would take the lead on a portion of the instruction, then turn to the other to ask if there were any details he'd missed. And throughout the day, after dropping instructions, they would ask the class if anyone had any questions – trying to make sure students were keeping up with the instructions. On top of that – I have to say that the facilities they have are really great. The entire place is manicured.

I'm not going to give a blow by blow description of the details they shared, but maybe describe where I was with red dots and what I learned from the class. I bought my first red dot to add to a pistol as an experiment about a year ago, as a side effect of aging eyes. I have needed cheater reading glasses the past several years, and I've found iron sights harder and harder to use.

I've taken it to the range and sighted it in and plinked, but not really gotten a good feel of how best to use the red dot. I spend a long time hunting for the dot inside the window – small differences in how the barrel was pointed could completely obscure the red dot...and a tiny change would drop it right into the center of the window. So...I've been able to get good hits with a red dot when just plinking, but it's been taking me a while to get a good sight picture.

The real value that I got from this class was getting a template of techniques to use to reliably get on the dot quickly. Some real nuggets I learned from Sly and Jeff – with irons, you focus on the front sight. With a red dot, you acquire a solid focus on the target you want to hit, then move the pistol to bring the dot directly on top of your target. And the biggest thing that makes that happen is a smooth, consistent draw stroke. On my own, I was standing tall and trying to bring the pistol high so that the window of the red dot was in my line of sight. One detail I got from their instruction was to drop my head/bring my shoulders up as I drive the pistol out to full extension. That gets the red dot into line of sight much earlier in the cycle as I drive the pistol out to full extension – and opens up the opportunity to make shots while the pistol is moving to full extension. On top of that, Sly and Jeff gave us fine details on how to work with your grip to improve outcomes.

We worked in two different pistol bays during the day – one working on paper targets, whether full torsos or smaller features on the target. On the other range, we were putting rounds on steel.

I left the class understanding there's a lot I need to work on to improve. But – they were able to provide me with a roadmap of the details I'll need to work on to improve. So, for me, the class was really big step forward on the use of a red dot. I look forward to potentially taking more classes with E.A.S.T. Group.
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jeep45238
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Re: 2x upcoming classes in October

Post by jeep45238 »

Murphy's street encounters and tactics is a great all-encompassing class with a ton of emphasis on thinking.

viewtopic.php?f=16&t=96094" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false;
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