Any inputs on him or his training classes?
I don’t know much about Gabe Suarez but I do know a lot about Gabe Suarez internet threads. They almost never end well.
Could you elude to this, or point me towards these threads please?
Thanks!
I am a staff instructor for Suarez International and Gabe Suarez is a very good personal friend of mine. I am definately a biased opinion.
I do know alot about Gabe both professionally and personally.
His training methodology and curriculim is I believe second to none where the private citizen is concerned.
Many other trainers/programs are more focused on the LE or MIL. operators needs and Gabe has chosen to go a different route. This, in addition to his in your face approach makes him less than endearing to some folks.
Past the personal criticisms, he offers solid and relevant training in weapons and combatives.
He is a very controversial instructor due not only to his methods but also because he has (depending upon who you ask) a misdemeanor or felony conviction pertaining to insurance fraud or some such.
The situation is similar in some ways to Yeager/TR threads in that there is a bit of a cult of personality around said figures and there are very loyal students and AI’s who will vociferously defend them from criticism.
I have some opinions but they are not from any first hand experience so I’ll leave it at that.
I would have to agree that Gabe has become a bit of a cult of personality to some folks.
FYI, Gabe welcomes criticism. I would go so far to say that he encourages it especially if it advances the study of weaponcraft or combatives.
He just wants everybody to make sure the spelling of the name is right when they talk shit.
Gabe is just a man like any other,
Subject to the same issues as every other human on earth.
One thing that I have found interesting however is that some time ago Gabe issued an open invetation to other trainers to come and see if what they were teaching would stack up against what he was teaching in FOF scenarios.
To my knowledge nobody has taken him up on the invetation yet.
If it was a felony he wouldnt be allowed to buy and own weapons.
Gabe is a different sort of guy and has a different approach to the Gunsite style and mindset. He is a great person to study with if you have the chance to Todd. Let me know if your thinking of coming to a class in AZ and maybe I can meet you there.
Yes, thank you I’m aware of that, it’s a whole separate issue of controversy.
I like his no-nonsense acceptance of the AK as a “go-to” defense rifle. 
That is not true of all felony convictions, especially of white collar crimes such as insurance fraud.
May I ask what, if any, his past criminal history has to do with the calibre of the training he provides students?
I have not taken any courses, but if he is a great instructor why would anything else matter.
Or am I missing something?
A lot of instructors out there have their fans and their critics that can’t stand them, how do you choose the right one through all the hullabaloo?
If his crimes were having to do with defrauding students or providing unsafe/negligent training then I would want to know about it.
This is not the case in this instance but I can see how it might bug some folks.
Someone once said “If you want to learn Knifefighting, you dont call the Pope”
Chosing the right instructor can be pretty difficult with all the internet BS.
I think that some trial and error and word of mouth will probably be involved much like with gear…
The civil part. After you win your fight. When the decedent’s relatives sue you and in discovery, you reveal that you attended training with a trainer. That trainer’s resume and teachings become relevant.
That makes perfect sense.
I never gave too much thought about the “after” part.
So not only do you have to wade through all the internet BS and drama, you also have to worry about what training, who trained you and how you trained and then prove in court you are not the whack job for defending yourself/others.
When has this actually happened?
I am not taking a potshot here.
If this is true I would genuinely like to know about it.
Most appreciative if you can provide supporting evidence.(I know it is a PITA but it is like doing your good deed for the day)
100% correct.
I prefer to receive instruction from someone whose credentials are unassailable. That is my own preference.
I understand where you guys are coming from.
Criminal and Civil liability is no joke.
Scary and expensive to say the least.
I know I am not at all objective RE this matter but at the moment I am personally interested in the most effective methodologies for killing folks that need killing. Regardless of source.
If some jailbird comes up with the holy grail of Kick Ass Fu… I will see what he has to say.
Some very bad people are very good at messing people up.
It must be up to the judge to decide if the rights are kept or not.
Given the number of options in the market, the total costs (both money and time) of spending 2-5 days doing something, pretty much everything matters to me. Suarez has been a non-issue to me (other than his books are pretty good), but there are other instructors and organizations that I specifically won’t patronize because I just don’t like the way they conduct themselves. That’s my right. I’m not missing much (if anything), because there are plenty of options. It might be different if it was a “sole source provider” situation, but it’s not.