AAR: Vickers Tactical One Day Home Defense (8/25/13, Southington, CT)

[30 cal slut]

Scenario 2.

Larry walks a student through a particularly treacherous structure.

A fatal funnel with multiple doors on each side close to each other.

[30 cal slut]

Hallways, windows, and doors, oh my.

[30 cal slut]

An example of good shot placement. Sims guns aren't that bad at short range.

[30 cal slut]

managing the fatal funnel



not a good idea to stand in the middle of a room; hug a wall or corner.

[30 cal slut]

Scenario 3

"Bump in the night."

Students are led blindfolded into a room, and told to have a seat. First thing they see when they open their eyes is me taking a photo.

LAV explains the problem: You're in bed, something just went bump in the night.

Solve the problem.

I'm posting some of these to note the look of momentary disorientation on these students' faces.

[30 cal slut]

Special thanks to Chris Fields, Dean, Henry, Neil, and Eric at King33 Training. Chris and gang did a fantastic job hosting this event, providing the shoot house, plexiglassed shoothouse targets, sims guns and ammo and safety officers on relatively short notice.

Chris is a US Army Special Operations veteran (Green Beret) who deployed numerous times in hostile environments and other overseas assignments both in uniform and as a private contractor. A relative newcomer to the area, he has provided a wealth of new training opportunities to regular guys and has been more than receptive to hosting outside instructors like Larry.

[SeriousStudent]

Very cool, and it's terrific to hear that you gents have such a good facility there.

That level of personal coaching is just priceless. I'm really glad you got the opportunity to do such a great class.

[acaixguard]

Great AAR Ben, and another splendid job hosting this class! I had a great time at this class. Even though it was tiring doing a 2 hour drive early morning, then 2 hours back after the class, it was well worth it. We just don't have this type of opportunity in NJ, so my buddy and I had to jump on this class!

This was definitely a different flow than your typical 2 day LAV class. As mentioned, it pays to show up with a basic understanding of trigger control, since this isn't a class where the fundamentals of accuracy are drilled on. In typical LAV fashion, only accurate hits count, and Larry was sure to call you out on any shot that sucked balls.

During my initial run through the shoot house, I definitely performed some actions that would've potentially gotten me killed real fast had there been multiple assailants hiding within the structure. I think the majority of the class would feel the same way. It's amazing how I ended up sweating, even though I moved like a snail through each run. Just goes to show how much stress and adrenaline hits you in these types of situations (and these were just threats on paper). By the time we got to the last scenario, I felt more aware in the scanning of my surroundings, and not telegraphing my way around corners and doorways as much. Being allowed to take your time through each scenario, with Larry guiding you every step of the way was priceless.

I left the class with a new-found appreciation of just how dangerous clearing a house alone really is. I always knew it was dangerous, but now I see just how much of a deathtrap certain layouts really can be. I would love to do a followup class to this, with more scenarios, and with a low light component too!

Big shout out also the guys at King 33 Training Center. They not only have a first rate facility, but also a top notch group of instructors. They all took the time to answer questions students had while waiting their turn to go through a FOT run, and were more than willing to help drill in what the LAV had just taught.

[30 cal slut]

Great AAR Ben, and another splendid job hosting this class! I had a great time at this class. Even though it was tiring doing a 2 hour drive early morning, then 2 hours back after the class, it was well worth it. We just don't have this type of opportunity in NJ, so my buddy and I had to jump on this class!

This was definitely a different flow than your typical 2 day LAV class. As mentioned, it pays to show up with a basic understanding of trigger control, since this isn't a class where the fundamentals of accuracy are drilled on. In typical LAV fashion, only accurate hits count, and Larry was sure to call you out on any shot that sucked balls.

During my initial run through the shoot house, I definitely performed some actions that would've potentially gotten me killed real fast had there been multiple assailants hiding within the structure. I think the majority of the class would feel the same way. It's amazing how I ended up sweating, even though I moved like a snail through each run. Just goes to show how much stress and adrenaline hits you in these types of situations (and these were just threats on paper). By the time we got to the last scenario, I felt more aware in the scanning of my surroundings, and not telegraphing my way around corners and doorways as much. Being allowed to take your time through each scenario, with Larry guiding you every step of the way was priceless.

I left the class with a new-found appreciation of just how dangerous clearing a house alone really is. I always knew it was dangerous, but now I see just how much of a deathtrap certain layouts really can be. I would love to do a followup class to this, with more scenarios, and with a low light component too!

Big shout out also the guys at King 33 Training Center. They not only have a first rate facility, but also a top notch group of instructors. They all took the time to answer questions students had while waiting their turn to go through a FOT run, and were more than willing to help drill in what the LAV had just taught.

Ken, glad you made it.

BTW, it gets a lot more interesting when you are tracking down a living, breathing, moving threat in the dark.

As LAV says, nobody stands still during a gun fight.

[C45P312]

What time did you guys end the course?