Review: Texas Alumni Live Fire Class: Jason S

In a cultural moment saturated with hollow spectacle, it remains a rare privilege to find training that combines genuine martial discipline with an almost machine-like devotion to safety. Yet at Max’s course in Texas, that fusion is precisely what unfolds. Having completed my second go here, I can say with calm certainty that these live-fire evolutions are executed with a relentless precision. Every command and every maneuver, speaks to the years of experience Max has poured into orchestrating these scenarios. There is no rushed patchwork, no inattentive corner-cutting—only a keen awareness of risk, purpose, and potential.

Comparing this course to my first experience defies easy explanation. Last time, I felt like a baby gazelle crossing unfamiliar terrain on the Serengeti, keenly aware of how a single lapse might bring predatory consequences. So many details blurred into one as I held on tight to keep up with the more experienced students. This time around, I found myself more lucid: every mission’s objective snapped into focus. It was as though an entire dimension had been added to my perception—enough to see that every movement is more than a flurry of commands; it is a meticulously calculated system.

What stands out as truly remarkable is how Max tunes each scenario to the students’ shifting capabilities. He observes every strength and weakness in our skill sets, recalibrates the missions in real time, and pushes each of us to climb just a little further.

I had the privilege of leading a team this time. My teammates included a 10th Mountain infantryman and a Special Forces medic built with borderline-cybernetic endurance. So, the only real “challenge” was not to foul things up by making decisions or giving orders that were obviously stupid. One might say this aspect was rigged in my favor. Even so, it was incredibly insightful to practice leadership under the watchful eye of seasoned professionals. Their competence forced me to keep pace and my training experience was greatly improved for it.

The pinnacle of my week came when during a night operation, we fought through a mock village, under the cloak of darkness using the more complex fight-through technique. Trust to execute such a maneuver at night is not granted lightly, and it speaks volumes about how rigorous the safety measures are and how good the training is. When you’re fighting through an objective with live ammunition at night on a path that’s not perfectly straight on uneven ground, you either know what you’re doing or you don’t do it at all.

Max embodies a philosophy that merges strict adherence to safety protocols with high-intensity, reality-based drills. There’s a sense of liberation that comes from knowing you can push your limits without abandoning prudence. Add to that the late-night discussions—where stories, strategies, and genuine camaraderie emerge—and you begin to understand that this is not just about individual marksmanship or mission success. It’s about forging something deeper: a collective honing of craft, an accelerated evolution in mindset, and an appreciation for the stark truths of conflict.

For anyone with a sincere drive to comprehend the finer points of modern light infantry tactics—and to do so in an environment that balances unrelenting realism with scrupulous safety—Max’s Texas course is a place where illusions are shed, and capabilities expand. It will confront your assumptions, temper your ego, and reward you with a deeper sense of martial excellence—proof that the virtues of discipline, self-mastery and the path of the warrior are alive and well and available to you if you so choose to seek them out.

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