Training Site Update + AAR

Posing with ‘Ivan Pop-Up-ovich’ on the Jungle Lane

I ran a ‘training weekend lite’ course this past weekend as a ‘beta test’ of the site and ranges in preparation for ongoing training and the first fully booked course coming up on May 25th. I still have some more work to do to continue to improve the site, which will be ongoing as it evolves: i.e. digging a few more target pits as alternative placement points for the electronic pop-up targets, clearing more vegetation etc.

I am very pleased with the investment in electronic targetry because it really enhances training and the overall training experience. 

I’m not about standing on square ranges and shooting at static targets. For the Combat Rifle / Contact Drills course I have a reactive shooting area and another area which is set up as the jungle lane. This allows training at an individual and pairs level in basic fire and movement and break contact drills. My intent is to train you to stay alive, so there is a focus on accurate combat shooting combined with use of cover as well as fire and movement.

Here is an AAR I received from the weekend:

Having been in the military for 20+ years, I thought that this would be a refresher course, but was looking forward to putting down some rounds. There was some information that was refresher, but it had been a long time since I had done “shoot, move, communicate” with another person with live rounds. 

The shooting area itself was great. There were two separate lanes which allowed for the “crawl and walk” style of training. I was very impressed to see pop up targets. 

All in all it was a great weekend of training with a great instructor on an awesome training site! I would definitely give it five stars and recommend Max’s training to my friends!

Scott, VA

A note for those attending in the future: the final route in to the site is on a woods dirt road and it was a little sporting this weekend with the heavy rain turning a couple of areas a little slick.. Although it’s fun, the intent was not to run an off-road course as well as the tactical training! I will be amending the packet I send out to those booked on the courses, but if you are attending try and bring a truck/SUV with AWD/4×4 capability if you can rather than a city car: it is just more suited to driving on the dirt roads. If you don’t have such a vehicle  there is the wet weather option of being ferried into the site or in case of heavy rain there is a alternative that involves a different route in combined with a short hike of 500 meters or so, with your gear moved in an ATV trailer if you like. Bottom line is I will not be asking you to risk your vehicle on a slick dirt road if the conditions are wet, but there are options to allow the training to go ahead even if we have had heavy rain.

Do more PT, you may need it one day…! 

I had an inquiry from a father about bringing his 17 year old son. No problem, bring family. I want to stress that although the training is designed to be realistic, it can and should still be a family event. I don’t play Drill Sergeant with you. You can come and train as an individual or with your tactical team; alternatively you can train with your spouse and late teen kids if they are the ones you will be surviving with. I will also shortly be updating my list of courses offered to include a family training weekend that will also involve some vehicle drills and perhaps use of air-soft so that you can include younger kids in some ‘escape’ drills and condition them to what you would do in the event of a hostile emergency. Think of it as a close protection course where the ‘client’ is your non-combatant family.

Tony, NY on the Jungle Lane – if you don’t get photos, it didn’t happen right?

MV

Live Hard, Die Free.