After Action Review
Who: Northern Red
www.northernredtraining.com What: Pistol Carbine Gunfighter
When: 26-27 Sep 2015
Where: Council Bluffs, IA
www.lhgk.usDay One: 9-26-15
The class was taught by Zach Harrison and Kyle Jackson from Northern Red. Day one was pistol. Safety and Med brief. Zach went over a load and unload procedure that we were all expected to not deviate from. We then immediately went into the Northern Red Diagnostic course of fire. At 25 yards we did different drills; slow aimed shots, strong hand only, weak hand only, kneeling, prone etc. This was very slow and deliberate, each course was scored and recorded. This entire diagnostic took about one hour.
After the diagnostic, we did intros. Zach explained they do this because once you do intros and everyone throws out their past, accomplishments, ex-this and ex-that, all of a sudden there are expectations (real or self-imposed) that people feel they have to live up to. And therefore have to give excuses for missing shots. Sometimes not having those expectations frees us to up focus on the technique and be honest with yourself with what you can right now, not worrying about what you have done in your past. This set a good tone for the class and I liked the heart behind this principle. Establishing instructor credibility is key. Zach and Kyle both discussed their background and I felt very confident in their real world experience for them to teach me the subject matter.
The rest of the morning was very marksmanship and technique heavy. They taught a proper stance then we shot 10 rounds at 25 yards focusing on our stance. We taped, scored target then back to 25. Grip was taught and we did another 10 rounds at 25. Tape, score, walk back. Slow, deliberate, intentional, perfection, no rush, focus. Presentation module, 10 rounds at 25, tape, score, walk back. I liked how they specifically spent time on the presentation, being the last half of the draw. This was helpful breaking this part of the move down and allowed me to really focus on the punch out without worrying about my draw. Sight alignment, 10 rounds at 25, tape, score, walk back. We talked about the specifics of sight alignment vs. sight picture, the old NRA way. One thing the NRA does well, is marksmanship. We talked about angular deviation and parallel deviation, again something that I kind of knew about intuitively but I had never seen it taught and explained in such detail. Trigger control, 10 rounds at 25, tape, score, walk back. Follow through and call your shot, 10 rounds at 25, tape, score, walk back etc.
I was impressed with the slow pace and intentionality of their teaching. The deliberate and repetitive cadence of this teaching module was clearly trying to instill in us the importance of repetition in shooting. And you don’t have to have a high round count to get better. Quality is better than quantity.
It is clear that the Norther Red cadre understands the art of teaching and the art of training. They gave us one teaching point and allowed us ample time to try it. They didn’t give us too many things to think about during one teaching block as many instructors do because they are trying to squeeze too much into their allotted time. This reminded me of my old school Okinawan Karate days, where we would often train on one single move for an entire class. Focusing on one thing at a time is what helps you gain mastery over that skill. We’re trying to learn mastery of the fundamentals, not trying to replicate some real world statistic that someone else did decades ago. We are trying to gain competency and confidence is a skill set.
Another point that impressed me the instructors was how they used all of the down time between runs. We were challenged to use our time wisely during those dead times when the instructors are one on one with another student. During these times we were encouraged to think about the previous point of instruction, ponder it, try to challenge it etc. Instead of BSing with the guy next to us or daydreaming about something else at home or work. We are here to learn shooting, so lets maximize our time and focus on what we’re here to do. A quick lunch and we went back to shooting.
Their definition of “advanced” was “flawless execution of skills under stress.” So in the afternoon we focused more on application of the techniques that we taught in the morning. Zach explained how you get “fast” is by doing multiple things at once. For instance, a fast reload is moving both arms, ejecting mag, reaching for new mag, transitioning plane of focus all at the same time. Once you start moving, don’t stop until it’s over. Sight alignment and the trigger press is a simultaneous action, not sequential
Next, we did a Tempo Drill. This was done at 10 yards. We had a number of rounds we had to fire in the A Zone (credit card sized) target in the head and then at the larger chest target. The drill was to reinforce how you can shoot faster at a larger target, but need to have the discipline to shoot slower at a smaller, more challenging target. We did this multiple times in multiple combinations. The goal was for us to consciously change to a different rhythm depending on the target. We need to see information, process that information, make a decision and perform a technique that is dependent on the environment. This was wall done in a matter of seconds and was constantly changing.
Zach called this “Changing Gears.” Since we as shooters have a legal and moral obligation for accuracy and round accountability, we have to have the discipline to change tempo and change gears when the situation dictates. This is a mark of an “advanced shooter.” This was probably the highlight of the class for me. In the moment I have to know what I can get away with at 3 yards vs. what I can get away with at 25 yards. Know the spectrum of distance and target size. I may have to change my speed, change my grip, change my sight picture etc. It reiterated that this is a thinking man’s game. This thinking, deciding and processing of information is the hardest and longest part of a gunfight. If we learn these things and have premade decisions, this will help us speed up.
We spent a little time on reloading. Zach did recommend hitting the slide stop vs. the overhand rack. I’m continually challenged by this as I have always been an exclusive “overhand rack” guy. But Zach did a phenomenal job in explaining why he thinks it is a valid technique. All said and done, it is quicker and time is very valuable in a gunfight. I have lots of reasons why I like the overhand rack but my mind is open to hitting the slide stop now, more than ever before.
For the final drill of the day we did a last man standing competition where we had to shoot a certain number of shots within 6 seconds. If you missed the time or missed a shot you were out. We repeated this exercise until there was one person left. This was a head healthy competition and gave us an opportunity to use everything we had been taught throughout the day.
Day Two: 9-27-15
Day two focused on the rifle. Again, a load and unload sequence was demonstrated and we were expected to maintain it. We did a 40 round diagnostic at 100 yards, 75, 50 and 25 yards. We zeroed our rifles and moved on to the fundamentals. We went over body position, breathing, sight alignment, sight picture, trigger press and follow through. We went over each one of these in detail and were allowed a few rounds after each point of instruction in order to focus on the technique, just like we did with the pistol.
Zach explained how the red dot optic allows you to run your gun to it’s full potential. The optic is a tool (if used right and not used as a crutch) that can enhance your capabilities. We talked a lot about the natural point of aim and how we need to shoot relaxed with no muscle tension. I learned that I don’t need to thrust my head so far forward, I should leave my head up and bring the rifle up to my eyes. This made my faster and gave me a more consistent head eye position each time. This was one of those little details that I didn’t know and had therefore learned a bad habit. I wish I would have had this training earlier.
We did a lot of movement drills. We learned some techniques to help us stabilize our position after short sprints. This was very helpful and I had not seen it taught this way before. We were taught to move fast to get into position so we could shoot slow. We did timed reload drills and went over different ways to carry the rifle when moving. We also shot a modified El Prez drill to compete against each other. We did shooting while moving and techniques to help with moving targets.
They taught one principle that applied to both the pistol and rifle. Things like “speed is doing multiple things at once,” “changing gears” and “tracking the sights during the recoil for faster follow up shots.” I learned a lot about running my AR but I think the main thing I appreciated the course was the mindset behind everything. Zach and Kyle were obviously very passionate about the Northern Red training philosophy. There were very open about their backgrounds. They didn’t hide their history for mystique purposes and were happy to answer questions with real world examples of combat.
I enjoyed the amount of time that was spent on talking about heart and the mindset we need to succeed in opposition-based environments. Two Zach’s favorite sayings from The Unit were “Practice makes permanent” and “Selection is an ongoing event.” Two pieces of wisdom that are true in all aspects of training and tactics. For those who don’t know what these two phrases mean, I encourage you to train with Northern Red.
We ended the weekend by sitting down and having a good debrief of the training. Zach and Kyle gave some very deep and personal stories about the concepts of awareness, preparedness and willingness. I appreciated the honesty in what they had to say and how it applies to me. I found this talk challenging me to be a better warrior and a better man. Most instructors don’t get this personal and honest and I thought it was a highlight of the weekend.
I learned new skills to help me improve on my shooting and tactical thinking. A lot of other good stuff that I have learned from other similar trainers was reinforced. It’s encouraging to see that different top tier trainers are teaching the same thing. This tells me I’m on the right track with my training. It is also interesting to see why they teach things differently. I was challenged on many things but Zach and Kyle never hesitated to explain the “why” behind everything they were recommending. This hasn’t been the case with every instructor I’ve gone to. Bottom line, it was worth it. Time and money well spent. I look forward to training with them again.
By Safety Systems Group Staff
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