So...Where To Go from Here?

[cmj685]

Two years ago I had never in my life, including in all the years I served in the military, held a handgun in my hands. The first time I ever picked up a handgun in my life was in Feb. 2006 when I stepped up to the line to shoot my practical test for the concealed carry. So for the past two years my strategy in training was essentially to get as much experience in handling a handgun as possible. I had no other goal than to just get familiar with handguns, and, in particular, to find and get familiar with the gun I wanted to carry. I bought a few guns, shot with them at the square range a bunch, took some various trainng classes, picked the brain of others incessantly, did research on both guns and shooting ad infinitum, finally got a Glock 19 as my carry gun, shot that a bunch at the range, and even joined IDPA recently. Two years later I feel very comfortable handling a handgun. I can shoot pretty accurately, draw and shoot naturally, and carry has become second nature to me. It has recently began to dawn on me that I have finished the first phase of training. I can handle a handgun safely and adeptly, and shoot with reasonably good accuracy. And now...? What is next? What should be the "second phase" of training over the next period of time? What should I focus classes on? Where should I prioritize? What should I be working on in my own practice and training? I would love to hear your thoughts and some reasons for them if you have traveled through this phase and farther, and have some ideas about a life-long strategy! Thanks!

[westberg]

I'm at the same point, although I have shot and owned guns my whole life. Over the past year or since getting my permit I have been trying to get all of the additional training my schedule and wallet will allow. We have some great trainers in this area, although it does take some looking. My plan is to train with as many as I can, even if its training that may have already been covered. I also plan on taking advantage of visiting instructors as they come to the area. Then maybe someday going to the big name schools. That's my plan anyway.......... One problem when asking about instructors is what happened over the last couple of days, with one person saying their great and another one saying their not. I won't listen anymore and just take the training and find out for myself.

Ron

[jac714]

Were I you, I would contact our very own DonL and take his level one and two classes.

They are a great start and will give you the skills to advance your training.

Plus they are local and pretty damn reasonable.

[BRIT_in_the_weeds]

Cmj
I would have to start by asking, do you have a gym membership, whats your personal level of fitness?

Practice is one thing, avoiding a potential situation is WAY more important.

[1911fan]

I say get a reloader and a good .22 top end to your glock and start getting a lot more trigger time in, your mom in law's (?) place is not too far and it makes your wife happy to go visit, and hearing a .22 go pop pop pop pop is a whole lot less anoying in the kitchen than blam blam blam from the 9mm.

The reloading part is for you to start having enough ammo on hand to shoot 3-400 rounds a weekend and feel like you are getting somewhere. Training is good, and I think a lot of you are wonderful teachers, but shooting well is like playing the guitar, to be good, you have to play till your fingers bleed. The best shooters and pickers I know all did the same thing, they had some much time into the device that operation became second hand. Its like your spinster aunt who can knit a couple hundred stitches an minute while playing along with Jeopardy on TV. Its practice time.

[cmj685]

Appreciate all the good insights, guys (and certainly would love to hear from more of you as to your thoughts!). Ron--I too am eager to take more training (and Jeff, I have wanted to train with DonL. for a long time but just haven't been able to put a schedule together with his--it is something I am looking eagerly forward to!), but a question for you: do you have any particular kind(s) of training in mind, or just whatever happens to interest you? In other words, do you see yourself working a concrete strategy now, moving specifically on a second phase of that strategy with specified topics? Or is the strategy just to begin to take formal training? Brit--not exactly sure what you are getting at? Are you referring to the need to be physically fit in order to implement both further training and to actually perform in the case of a dire emergency? I have noted that some of the training from the national trainers often requires a fair amount of rigor. If that is what you mean, do you see that kind of training as critical? And Pete--you know I hate the thought of reloading. That's why I have friends like you--so I don't have to! But I agree on continuing to shoot lots. But I think I may need to challenge myself more now. I thought about buying a timer and pushing myself to shoot a little faster, since clearly I can hit a bullseye most of the time by just standing and shooting if I am not pushed in any way. But how realistic is that really, once you have used that sort of thing to become comfortable with handling the gun? With the farm, I can set up scenerios where I can draw and move and shoot once warmer weather comes. The potential problem is that practice doesn't make perfect--in fact it can contribute to bad habits and ingrained faults without someone checking. Hmmmmm?

[jac714]

Most of my tactical training was in the Navy when I went to SERES and "take your sub back from the bad guys school".

IMHO training takes two forms, what to do and how to do it. The above schools gave me a reasonably good idea of what to do and also how to do it. Training for me today is mainly gun handling techniques and accuracy.

A good next step is to learn how to shoot and move, how to get the gun working if it fails, accuracy, tactical mindset, and did I mention shooting and moving and accuracy. Those are perhaps the two most important in my opinion.

If you have not taken the NRA Personal Protection series they also are well worth the effort.

If you want to go large there is always FAS, Gunsite, Valhalla, or Thunder Ranch. of course they will set you back a few grand (not including ammo) before you are done.

Good Luck.

[cobb]

Keep tabs on the different organizations web sites that offer training. There is some local talent you can get training from and there have been several well known trainers that have come to Minnesota, such as Massad Ayoob, Gabe Suarez and John Farnam that I am aware of. When they come to Minnesota, you can save yourself some major transportation dollars and maybe meet a local trainer or two that you can get some pointers from.

[westberg]

cmj685, I'm challenged with the what to do next, who should the instructor be, home defense or urban tactical (this would be fun but not needed) and my fitness level. So I have been doing the following;

For fitness I have started using the Treadmill 3 to 5 times per week, I try to follow that with an hour of dry fire exercises. I have even wore the gun on the treadmill and practiced drawing and holding on target during the walk.

My schedule plays a large roll in what classes I can take, I have now started a calendar in Outlook just for shooting, breakfasts and training events coming up this year.

DonL is also at the top of my list, Tacticalfun looks interesting, I would like to try a three gun event and of course John Farnam I'm really looking forward too.

It sounds like a lot of the local instructors have a lot to offer, but it also sounds like they have been burned in the past with no or low attendance. If any of the instructors are planning or have planned a class this spring, summer or fall that is more then the basic I would be interested in hearing about it.

Ron

[Don L]

Thanks for the complements, everyone! As far as a progression of shooting skills goes, IMHO, I like to go with the basics, then marksmanship, malfunctions, holster, then movement with all of the above, for a start. I've been very fortunate through the years, to have attended multiple classes at many schools, and I continue to do so. No one school or instructor, local or national, knows it all (although, if you listen to the way some of 'em talk......). Once someone does take a class or two, then they have something to compare to, as they take more, from different schools/instructors. One of the nice things about forums is one can get some opinions before they invest in a certain class. Personally, that's how I've found a couple of great classes, and avoided one or two that I was seriously considering. As far as a lack of interest in classes locally, once I schedule a class, as long as there's one participant, the class goes on.

[westberg]

Don L do you have a schedule yet?

Ron

[Don L]

No schedule yet. My one requirement is that there's no snow left! As we get closer to spring, I'll post a number of dates, and all who are interested will be accomodated.

[BRIT_in_the_weeds]

No schedule yet. My one requirement is that there's no snow left! As we get closer to spring, I'll post a number of dates, and all who are interested will be accomodated.

At least you weren't whingeing like TTousi about the snow at Cokato II