Review: HEAT 1 Combat Tactics: Bailey

This is my sixth class at MVT and my second time retaking a class. Coming back to take HEAT 1 was a great experience. Live-fire is a crucial aspect of training as it simulates the sense of a gunfight, even if you are shooting at pop-up targets, maneuvering with your buddies and communicating and being situationally aware through the adrenaline.

It was a thrill to be back on the tactical ranges. The instructors at MVT stress safety at all times, you learn fundamentals of handling your rifle safely in your hands and around other people as you progress to more complex drills that build from an individual level into a team level by the time you are at the tactical ranges. The first two days of the course are on the flat range, learning those fundamentals, following by team based drills on the tactical range for the last two days.

The progression in the class is amazing and something I had forgotten about since the first time I took HEAT 1. A completely novice or inexperienced shooter can take this course and walk away with so much more knowledge of being behind a rifle than they ever would shooting at paper at their local gun range. On the flat range is where you learn all about your rifle, how to move with it and as well as what to do if it doesn’t go bang, through lectures and lots of shooting! Getting to the tactical range, you learn how to shoot and move with a team using drills that give you a very basic tactical understanding of their purpose (which is expanded upon in HEAT 2.) I was most excited for the tactical ranges because I wanted to get into the team aspect of the course but going over the basics at the flat range was good because I got to iron out small bad habits I still make!

I have this friend who I’ve been telling to take a class at MVT for about two years and bought Max’s SHTF collapse tactical manual. He decided now is the time and took his first class, HEAT 1. We came as a buddy pair and there was another buddy pair in the class, so the four of us were a team. This duo, buddy pair team added a synergy that completely beats having random people forming a pickup team. So, bring your friends!

I was the only alumni in the class as everyone else had never taken any classes at MVT. It was a cool experience being a return student with everyone else getting their first taste of what MVT is about. We had a good group of guys taking the class. There was a student who dropped out before the last day because of a previous knee injury. If you are planning on taking a class, then do the fitness test. It’ll give you an idea of what the class will be like physically. Bringing 1000 rounds to the class, I shot a total of 768 rounds. I shot 574 rounds on the flat range and 194 on the tactical ranges.

My time at MVT is always a blast. I miss it every time I leave. The violence and speed that comes from training live-fire in a safe environment such as this is unmatched. Another dimension of understanding opens up taking a HEAT class. My friend definitely thought so. You learn a lot about yourself and your abilities and your gear. I never have felt in danger or unsafe and I trust the instructors to maintain safety. They are vigilant. There is a Japanese proverb that goes along the lines of; better to be a warrior in a garden than a gardener in a war. The former implies peace through strength and the latter implies helplessness. I frequently try to apply myself to that proverb and ask which of the two am I? MVT has made me a stronger person and a better man, even when there are times I feel like the gardener in a war. I am thankful for what they do and plan to take more classes. Get trained now!