Review: HEAT 1 Combat Tactics Texas: Phil
This is my second time attending the HEAT 1 class in Texas. Unlike many who take this class year after year, I had a five year gap in my training. Many in the tactical shooting community love to brandish the quip that “shooting is a perishable skill”. And, although this is quite true, basic shooting and marksmanship is one of the easiest skills to teach and/or acquire. However, marksmanship alone is not what wins the fight. What wins the fight is teamwork, communication, movement and situational awareness – and these skills are just as perishable as shooting. It became clear that after not attending a class for 5 years that my shooting was not a problem, but the other skills had deteriorated significantly. HEAT 1 is THE class that will onboard anyone into a better understanding of working and fighting as a rifle team. It does not matter that you might have zero experience shooting. By day 4 of the class, not only will you be shooting well, your teamwork, communication, movement and situational awareness will have improved dramatically to the point that you will be able to accomplish very complex drills that cover and combine all of the topics of the previous 3 days. The class will do this incredibly fast and in an astoundingly SAFE way.
When it comes to the safety of the students in the class, there was never a moment in which I was unsure about the activities I was involved in. Max is meticulous about protecting his students and still putting their abilities to the test and he accomplishes this in three distinct ways:
1. Safety is stressed through constant repetition of drills and impressing the importance of situational awareness, especially by being aware of your own weapon.
2. Max’s teaching methods are direct and straightforward. If you made a mistake, you will be told that you made a mistake clearly and what the correct action should have been. This 100% requires you, as a student, being able to set your ego aside.
3. Conversely, if you listen and do the right thing, you will get a “Well done!”. Max impudes confidence INTO his students by layering knowledge and increasing difficulty of drills and exercises, while at the same time observing like a hawk.
I felt 100% comfortable and safe at this course, even when training with complete strangers. This is because nothing escapes Max’s eye and he genuinely cares not only about the safety and well being of his students, but that his students can leave his class better and more confident than when they entered the class. If you have lapsed in your training or have NEVER trained, it doesn’t matter. Max WILL get you through the end of the course as long as you are coachable and teachable.
This year MVT offered a HEAT 1 Combat Tactics Texas class and the Alumni Live Fire Class at the Ranch. We plan to continue to offer HEAT 1 and the Alumni Class going forward. Dates have been updated on the page / calendar for the 2027 Classes. LINK HERE.