Student Review: HEAT 2 Combat Patrol May: David

I feel like HEAT 2 is a reality check for those that have a false confidence at the end of HEAT 1. The F&M drills are the same, but now you will see how important communication, constant awareness, and TEAMWORK is for smooth and swift maneuvers. With all the stuff going on around you, firearms manipulations should be second-nature. Be ready to step it up a notch and be held to a higher standard. This is not going to be a course where you will get away with just blasting at a target blindly. You will be expected to perform as part of a tactical team and aid in the smoothness and speed of the drills. It is now less about pulling a trigger and more about behaving as part of a team.

On the first day, we revisited our HEAT 1 F&M drills. Being held at a higher standard in HEAT 2, our movement, coordination, and communication was nitpicked. We were also introduced to having a team leader call the shots and hopefully control the chaos. We fell short of perfection, and we appreciated all the feedback to help us learn how to smooth out our F&M. It all boiled down to teamwork.

The night Close Target Recce on day 2 was a humbling exercise and will open your eyes on the complexity of what it takes to conduct a recon. If you want more training in the art of recon, sign up for the recon class and ACTUALLY DO IT!
Ambush day (DAY 3) was a challenging and fun day for a lot of us since we were pushed to failure. We were relatively smooth in our drills by then, so the instructors threw a curve ball to test our ability to improvise and adapt while keeping our F&M under control when the original plan fails. This was very eye-opening for those of us that thought we were doing good. The lesson was that when you think your drills are solid, throw a curve ball and test it instead of resting on false confidence. The day ended with an in-field lecture and demo on TCCC (Tactical Combat Casualty Care) which was well received by all of us because it added depth and reality to the entire course. In combat, taking casualties is as likely as inflicting them, so you need to and rehearse how to manage it.

On the final day, you learn the hasty attack drill and then apply it during the final Raid exercise. Coordinating a support by fire element and flanking assault element is not easy, and you witness its potential effectiveness when done right.

Max Velocity Tactical is not going to reward mediocre performance in the high-stakes art of combat patrol tactics. Max and Scott have decades of experience in combat tactics that you can learn from. The instructors are here to teach you and mentor your growth. But you have to put in the work and perform. This class is well worth it and it is best if done right away after HEAT 1, in my opinion.

CLASS SCHEDULE

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