Review: Texas HEAT 1 Combat Tactics Class: Chad
HEAT 1 – Max Velocity Tactical
Location: Brady, Texas
Instructor: Max – Max Velocity Tactical
Duration: 4 Days (Immediately prior to Texas Alumni Week)
Overview
This year marked my fifth trip to Texas to attend Max Velocity Tactical’s annual Alumni Week at Quinn Ranch. Over the past several years I’ve participated in four previous alumni weeks, and each one has been an incredible experience. What made this year different was the opportunity Max created by hosting a HEAT 1 course in Texas prior to Alumni Week. Normally, if you want to train with Max at the Alumni event, you must first complete HEAT 1 at MVT headquarters in West Virginia. HEAT 1 is the prerequisite course that teaches the fundamentals required before a student is allowed to participate in the alumni training. Because Max rarely runs HEAT 1 in Texas, I saw this as the perfect opportunity to bring a friend of mine—“Commander Booboo.” When we arrived in Texas, Booboo had never fired an AR-15 carbine before in his life. Yes… you read that correctly.
The plan was simple. Booboo would attend HEAT 1, earn the prerequisite training, and then roll directly into Texas Alumni Week the following week. Knowing Max’s very direct, no-nonsense, drill-sergeant style of teaching, which I personally appreciate, however, I figured it would be wise to accompany him through the course. In the end we packed up and spent eleven days at Quinn Ranch, starting with HEAT 1 and then rolling straight into Alumni Week.
This review focuses on HEAT 1.
The HEAT 1 Course
HEAT 1 is outstanding. The course begins with two days on the flat range focusing on the absolute fundamentals of running a rifle. For some students these basics are straightforward, but for others they quickly reveal gaps in knowledge that people often don’t even realize they have. Owning a rifle and knowing how to run one competently are two very different things. Max has an exceptional ability to quickly identify which category a student falls into. If you don’t know what you’re doing, he will sort it out.
During the flat range phase students focus on the core skills required to safely and effectively run a carbine. Instruction covers proper weapon manipulation, disciplined safety use, diagnosing and clearing malfunctions, situational awareness, and efficient weapon handling under stress. These two days create the foundation that students need before moving into tactical movement.
Transition to Fire and Maneuver
After establishing the fundamentals, the course transitions into basic small-unit tactics. This is where the training really begins to stand apart from typical civilian shooting classes. Students begin learning how to move as a team across terrain while maintaining communication, security, and control of their weapon. Training includes conducting bounding overwatch, moving as a team toward an enemy position, communicating clearly under pressure, breaking contact when necessary, and performing peel maneuvers to the left or right depending on terrain. Instead of simply standing on a flat range shooting paper targets, students begin to understand how a small element actually moves and fights across terrain. At that point the difference between shooting and fighting with a rifle becomes very clear.
Instructor Perspective
Max’s instruction style is direct, blunt, and extremely effective. He doesn’t waste time with unnecessary fillers. If something you’re doing is wrong, he will tell you immediately and then show you how to fix it. What makes his teaching particularly effective is that everything is practical and experience based. Every drill has a purpose, and every skill builds logically on the one before it.
Why HEAT 1 Matters
For anyone who owns an AR-15 and believes they already know how to run it, HEAT 1 can be an eye-opening experience. The course teaches skills that go far beyond simply shooting accurately on a range. Students learn how to handle the rifle safely and efficiently, how to work within a small team, how to move across terrain while maintaining security, and how to communicate effectively during movement and contact.
In short, the course teaches how to actually use the rifle as the tool it was designed to be.
Final Thoughts
We all hope that life never presents a situation where these skills become necessary. But if it ever does, wouldn’t you want to have at least a basic understanding of how to run your weapon and operate with others instead of just winging it? HEAT 1 provides that foundation. In over a decade of civilian training opportunities available in the United States, this course stands above anything I’ve personally experienced. Watching my buddy Commander Booboo—who had never fired an AR-15 before this trip complete HEAT 1 and then roll directly into Alumni Week and excel made the entire experience even better. For anyone serious about learning how to run a rifle and move as part of a team, Max Velocity Tactical’s HEAT 1 is an exceptional course.
If you own a rifle and believe you’re proficient with it, take HEAT 1. You may discover there’s far more to learn than you ever realized, and you’ll be better for it.
Chad
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.