Sightless at Rio Salado After Action Review

[steve2267]

(Disclaimer: I have the good fortune of not only counting Brownie, 7677, and Matt Temkin as good friends, but also as my mentors. I attended Sightless at Rio Salado as both a co-instructor and a student. As a student, because when one is in the presense of Matt, Brownie, and 7677, pretty much everyone is a student, and I am still learning FSA combatives, as well as the finer points of how to teach FSA pointshooting. As a co-instructor because Brownie has previously certified myself as a Handgun Quick Kill instructor and because these three have taken me under their collective wing to train me up as an instructor in all the materials. I only hope I can teach others as well as they have taught me.)


My formal introduction to unsighted fire (I.e. pointshooting) a few years back at the three day Sightless at Tucson by Brownie, Matt Temkin, and 7677 left me overwhelmed. The proverbial drinking from a firehose left my brain trying to comprehend and remember everything I had been taught then. This year at Rio Salado, these three gentleman covered more material in only two days:

• FSA pointshooting
  • including point shoulder
  • ¾ hip
  • ½ hip;
• Dynamic Movement
  • integration with FSA pointshooting
    • ½ hip
    • vertical lift
  • getting out of the kill zone
  • attacking the ambush
• handgun Quick Kill
  • including two handed QK
  • one handed QK
  • QK half hip
  • instantaneous return fire to the rear
  • and Enhanced Peripheral Vision (EPV) ©™
• Drawing Against The Drop
• FSA combatives
  • drop step
  • importance of forward movement
  • the three basic strikes
  • basic knife defense
• Brownie's knife work
  • including knife defense
  • instantaneous knife counter attack
  • offensive knife
  • Brownie's knife work could easily encompass a two day class in it's own right – if you're in the military, police work, or security work, I would highly recommend a two day class by Brownie in knife alone.
• Airsoft FOF work in the afternoon of day two to tie together and reinforce all the shooting principles learned the first day.

[steve2267]

Sightless at Rio Salado After Action Review (cont.)


Matt Temkin and 7677's revised approach to teaching FSA pointshooting avoids some issues he has encountered in the past with students “fighting” the material because it seemed at odds with their experiential knowledge base. His new, improved curriculum actually builds on student's prior shooting experience and training, resulting not only in faster student acceptance of pointshooting, but shorter learning time as well. It seems to me that students at Rio Salado picked up FSA pointshooting in about half the time as at Tucson, with both better skill level and better comprehension of the material. While that may be hard to believe, one fellow, who by his own admission had only shot handguns twice in the previous five years, was easily shooting as well as a former East LA deputy sheriff, an Arizona deputy sheriff, as well as myself – he had the target to prove it!


7677 has been preaching movement since before time began. Well, not quite. But he has been teaching true dynamic movement since well before it became in vogue in the defensive shooting circles. While some may say that he never espoused dynamic movement, the day I got to spend with him on a range in Denver a couple years ago strongly suggest otherwise – I have seen no one else move as fast as he in the drills he taught me that day. Several months ago, the drills he ran another federal agent and myself through showed that he is one of the true innovators in handgun shooting and tactics. The drills that day taught skills that no one else was (and still aren't) teaching, reaching far beyond merely getting off the X. (Unfortunately, there was not enough time for him to get into all of his truly advanced material this past weekend.)


Getting back to the class – dovetailing into the end of the basic FSA pointshooting techniques, 7677 taught the group how to integrate FSA pointshooting with movement. Key to this skill is the concept of vertical lift. 7677's effortless demonstration combined with a thorough explanation and watchful eye had everyone shooting while moving in very short order. Movement was combined with ½ hip, as well as discussing when to move, and when not to. Sometimes your best (or only) option may be to shoot your attackers to the ground before they have a chance (I.e. stand and deliver), or maybe a sidestep combined with ½ hip, or to rush your assailant gun blazing. While the military generally calls this last technique assaulting the ambush, when done correctly and on your own, you are, in essence, hiding behind your bullets.


What is there to say about Brownie? He had everyone shooting two handed Quick Kill within about five minutes. From there we progressed to one handed Quick Kill, multiple targets out to 3-4 yards with Quick Kill half hip, and instantaneous Quick Kill to the rear. While multiple exercises on some 12”x18” steel plates (I.e. the size of the -1 area of an IDPA target) brought everyone up to speed very quickly, one of the highlights of the weekend was Brownie teaching EVERYONE how to hit two targets simultaneously using their Enhanced Peripheral Vision (EPV)©™. This was NOT two handed Quick Kill where you had both hands on one gun, rather this close relative to QK has you firing two guns, one in each hand, simultaneously on two different targets anywhere from a yard apart to many yards apart, and anywhere from a couple yards away to upwards of 7 or more yards away. (We shot the two steel plates, 10 ft apart, at 4 yards distant.) While most of us will not be facing situations where we can carry two handguns at the same time, nor have to shoot two assailants simultaneously, the ability to do so has some very real applications (think holding an intruder in your home at gunpoint when his buddy suddenly appears at a very oblique angle – among others).


While Brownie's demonstration of the technique was impressive in its own right, what was more impressive was everyone – and I mean EVERYONE – learning and actually performing this skill ON THEIR FIRST TRY. Watching Matt Temkin pick his jaw up off the ground after he shot both targets at the exact same time using EPV on his very first try was priceless! I was even skeptical when I approached the line for my first time... but when you follow the instructions Brownie has developed, and simply do it without thinking... you can't miss. Dual Glocks, dual Beretta 92's, even a 9mm Commander in the left hand and a .45 Commander in the right hand – it didn't matter – everyone hit!


Oh, I almost forgot... one of the true gems of the weekend was Guantes demonstration of and instruction in Drawing Against The Drop. It's pretty incredible to see the technique demonstrated. When performed correctly, there is nothing your assailant can do to avoid getting shot, while you are safely off his line of fire. (I suppose he could drop his gun, drop to his knees and beg for mercy, but I digress.) While DATD is easily learned, there are some fine points to the technique that make the difference between getting shot yourself, or ending up struggling for a gun versus shooting your assailant to the ground. When someone raised a valid criticism of the technique, 7677 created – on the spot – a slight modification to DATD that easily resolves any such problem. (It was both a kick, and rather humbling when Guantes handed Matt, 7677, Brownie, and myself a well written teaching syllabus for DATD and told us we were the first four instructors “certified” to teach DATD.)


I don't know what else to add, other than if you learn unsighted fire in the manner in which Brownie, 7677, and Matt Temkin teach it, you will learn life saving skills in very short order – and not skills that replace sighted fire, but skills that complement sighted fire. Pointshooting is very simple. You ALL know how to do it. – you just need to be shown how. These skills work WITH your body's natural reactions to stress, actually take advantage of those reactions, rather than trying to fight them. If someone tries to tell you that pointshooting is complicated, or needless complicate their teaching approach, they either 1) don't know what they are talking about, 2) are lying to you, or 3) are running some marketing schtick to keep you coming back for more. The true greats upon whose shoulders we now walk – Fairbairn, Sykes, Applegate, Lucky McDaniel – among others – worked this all out a long time ago. Learning these skills via the teaching methods as taught by 7677, Matt Temkin, and Brownie will impart to you life saving skills in short order.

[Brownie]

Steve,

Nicely done. I had a great time training with you, Tom and Matt this last weekend. You've obviously been diligent in your practice since the Sightless in Tucson event in Feb 05 and it showed through all weekend.

Working with you on Monday with the M1a was also rewarding for me. I didn't expect anything less from you when you whacked that steel gong, going 30 hits for 30 shots after less than an hour on the rifle at 300 yrds. Remember your come ups and how to get your battle sight zero's [ BSZ ] on your own rifle and where to hold the BSZ sight come up at the different yardages and you'll become a true rifleman in no time.

Keep up the good work. Looking forward to your next trip out here.

Stay sharp

[SwampRat]

I'm totally speechless and ENVIOUS that couldn't make it out there for this one...They only come along when all you guys get together, twice in the last 3 years. Throw in Guantes showing and what a wasted opportunity on me...and anyone else who didnt attend. Grrrrrrrrrrrrr..

Great AAR's by both Steve and Gloves..hopefully you guys build off of this and continue sharing all these skills with the rest of us wannabees..

Ya'll let me know when you want to do this in Florida..think I've got a first class multi-million dollar place to do it in St. Augustine thats got everything you could imagine for training..

[Matthew Temkin]

Thanks for the kind words, Steve.
SwampRat---We would love to do a class in Florida.
Especially in the winter.

[SwampRat]

Buddy of mine (former Ranger) is the NRA Instructor and one of the Managers..Nice place and has damn near everything you could dream of for a training facility.. http://www.attac-fl.com/

[DocH]

That looks like an outstanding facility. I'd definetely drive down for that one.And,bring deniro.....and boolits. Easy drive for me.

[SwampRat]

Well guys, I hate to break the news to ya'll but it looks like, according to what I'm reading on the forums and to some people I've talked to, you guys might be quite busy next year.. ..With Brownie, 7677 and Matt doing a round robin training session, I think you guys are starting to worry some other nationally re known instructors in the firearms training community with this curriculum .......

[7677]

Steve,
I apologize for this post being so late but I'm finally getting over my upper repository infection.

I want to thank you for the kind words and say it was also good to work with Matt and Brownie again. I have to take my hat off to all of the students as they all worked very hard and at the end of the class I was impressed with how far they came in such a short time.

The one thing I particularly enjoyed the break time when Brownie, Matt, Steve, and I got to shoot steel and put on a little demonstration.