Combat Team Tactics / Convoy Tactics Texas 2017

I attended this training after reading about Max’s teaching methodology on various websites as well as reading his books. I have been to numerous square range type trainings and while extremely useful for teaching and practicing weapons manipulation and tactical movements, there is only so much you can get out of these types of courses. Max’s training is a completely different animal and if you are serious about being able to protect your family and tribe no matter what may come.

Max’s curriculum for the CTT class was great, it started out with weapon manipulation and was very concise on proper weapon handling and malfunction clearance. I have been through various iterations of this type of training and it can be a grind with all of the repetitions, however at no point was Max’s class boring or un-useful. The majority of people attending the class were pretty much up to speed and serious about their training which is great because inevitably there will be that guy who is not up to speed and either causes delays or safety hazards.

The combat team tactics section of the training was definitely an eye opener as it is much more difficult to run your weapon, move, keep in sync with your buddy pair/team, and think about what you are doing than it is to shoot targets on a square range. All movements and exercises were strictly managed and overseen with an emphasis on safety and proper tactics, as well as weapon handling. Even with 14 other guys moving around at the same time I never felt like there was any safety risk. The biggest issue I think most had with this section of the training was slowing down and getting their head out of their weapon so they could see what was going on around them. By the end of the class everyones buddy teams were performing the set tasks with a minimum of randomness (insanity, fuckuppery). I took away from the training alot of ideas to run through with my family so that in an emergency we will be able to work together more efficiently.

Mobility/ Convoy tactics was a big part of the reason I attended this training. In the current times we live in we spend a lot of time travelling in vehicles and at some point in the future may face higher risks of road blocks, ambushes, travel through hostile areas, etc. Having the tools to approach these types problems will be extremely important to keeping your family/tribe safe.

Night vision Primer/ Night shooting was an extra that only some of the students chose to do. This was done after a full day of training so be prepared to be tired. It was amazing getting some basic instruction on the use of night vision and some drills to practice shooting at night. We also ran through a short night raid scenario, which really hammered in how important the use of night vision can be even though it’s not the be all end all and does not really allow you to “own the night”. You will use some additional ammunition for this so bring an extra 500 rounds or so. If you have the opportunity to add this on to a class you should do so, you will be glad you did.

A couple of additional things I really liked about the training were the team building and camaraderie that were part of staying at the (very comfortable) lodge with the other trainees. Also the context under which a lot of the training is done is useful as it applies to a collapse or WROL scenario rather than trying to make everyone a high speed tactical badass. While certainly a large chunk of money and time Max’s classes are by far the best (and best value!) I have attended. I learned a ton and look forward to repeating the training on a yearly basis so I can learn and practice even more. Thanks Max for a great experience!