AAR CRCD 26/27 Apr – Barry

AAR CRCD  26-27 APRIL 14

I attended the CRCD course taught by Max Velocity on the date indicated above.  So the reader has a frame of reference when reading this AAR , I am a former soldier with about 10 years’ experience in the US Army as an  Infantryman.   I served in Vietnam as light infantryman.  During both my military and law enforcement careers I have participated in training, prepared and presented training of all types.  I have participated in, and trained others in numerous live fire problems ranging from squad thru company level.  At the time that I attended this course I was 67 years of age.

I carefully read Max’s blog, his two books and various student comments before I committed to attending this course.   From the tone of the blog I was pretty sure I was not going to attend a fantasy commando camp.  I was not disappointed.   All the other students in this course were thoughtful, serious and came to learn.  I did not detect one single pinhead in the group.  If anything they were impressive citizens and I was proud to make their acquaintance.

Max’s range complex is designed in a professional manner with an outdoor class room that is easily accessible to his live fire ranges.  The ranges are safe and well layed out from both a tactical standpoint and a safety standpoint.   He starts the weekend with a safety/orientation briefing.  Every evolution is discussed and demonstrated on a white chalk board.  There is no doubt in your mind as to what you are going to do and what is expected of you as a student.

Max is an expert in small unit tactics (SUT) but more importantly he can convey the information to a group of citizens with varying degrees of knowledge and competency.  He does so in a safe manner.  Crawl, Walk and Run, Demonstrate, Imitate and Operate is the way he teaches.  At no time did I feel unsafe during our live fire evolutions.  Targets were presented at reasonable distances at varying intervals.  Between evolutions there was plenty of time to reload magazines, hydrate, grab a snack and think about what you did right and wrong.  Over the space of the two days it was interesting to see the teams begin to “gel” on their own between evolutions.  By the time we were working with a 4 man unit we were critiquing ourselves and discussing better ways to move, shoot and communicate.  Live fire training at any level tends to “sharpen the mind” of the participants.

During our more complex evolutions, Max’s assistant instructor, Aaron was always with one of the maneuver elements to ensure our safety.  Aaron is a combat experienced US Army NCO with an easy going confident manner.   He connected well with the students.

The training is conducted at a reasonable pace, and if you have health issues you do not have to go prone, crawl, etc., you may take a knee or stand if necessary.  It should be remember that this two day exercise is a basic introduction to team tactics.  It is designed to expose armed citizens to the principals of fire and maneuver.  It is not designed to be the last week of Advanced Infantry Training or the last week of Ranger school.

The State of West Virginia is built on mountainsides!   I found the course challenging but at no time was I pushed beyond my physical capabilities.  I was winded at the end of an evolution but there was plenty of time to recover before the next evolution commenced.

If Max or Aaron have an ego, I did not detect them during this training.  Simply put the information was provided in a safe, sane, and rational manner.  This training is a bargain at the price.

I fired about 500 rounds during the two days and I walked, crawled and ran somewhere around 7 miles.  Others have mentioned PT so I will only say you should be in pretty good shape as you will be walking and maneuvering on uneven hilly terrain.  You will not have trouble sleeping Saturday evening!

If you are an experienced former soldier or a first time student you will benefit from this training. If you have any interest in small unit tactics this is the first building block for you.  Or in my  case, a great refresher on concepts that I learned when I was in my early twenties!  Memories flooded back to me as the weekend progressed.  Others, developed an understanding of what it is like to maneuver tactically.

Two family units attended this evolution and I believe they both came away with knowledge that will aid them in keeping their families safe.  If you are concerned that you might be too old, too young, to whatever….you should consider attending this training.  Max can adjust the pace to suit the student.

You must have a basic competency with the rifle and an understanding on how to carry the gear necessary to fight in this environment in order to be successful.

I would recommend Max to anyone as a safe, competent instructor that has put together an outstanding entry level course in small unit tactics.  I would send my children to this school without hesitation.