2015 PDN Training Tour Update #8

Rob Pincus here and you probably have seen this setting or something like it before of course it was probably a Star Wars movie. This is what I refer to as the Dagobah range, and this range is actually owned by Mike Hughes of Next Level Training. Kind of annually, this has been one of the last, if not the last tour stop, for the Personal Offense Network Training Tour. And once again this is my last class for the 2015 year. You know, it's great to be back here. It's obviously deep in the woods, in the Pacific Northwest. We can kind of do anything we want including, you know, test out the suspension on the tour truck, but one of the things I wanted to talk about today was, you can see this giant log, this big tree, has fallen right in the middle of the range. So one of the things that we had to deal with today was you know, a little bit of an obstruction, not exactly the way we would normally set a range up with a big log in the middle of it and some of the other things here, the contours, the fact that it's about a 300 degree range, is interesting but it also affects the kind of flatness, the linearness of a range. So if you think of a range as you know, white markers or concrete walkways between gravel or between grass and everything's very structured and fixed and linear, you know you really needa break out of that. Let's face it, we are training for a 360 degree world that has uneven ground. We're training for an environment where the targets aren't always going to be exactly the same distance. An area where the targets aren't always going to be perfectly perpendicular to us, flat pieces of paper. So arranged like this, whether we have beginning students or advanced students, really just, we need to cater to the environment we've got. One of the things I say when people ask about hosting a class for the Personal Defense Network training tour or I see training me in general any of our instructors, when they say you know 'what do you need?' Well here's what I need, I need a safe backstop, I need target stands, and I need students and that's really it and the fact there's a log in the way or the fact that the ground isn't perfectly even or the fact that the barrack or a backstop maybe a little bit varied some targets are going to be 11 feet away some are going to be 12 tell you what I can't tell the difference between 11 feet and 12 feet when I look at something, I don't have a Terminator robot you know rangefinder in my eye, 11 feet, 12 feet what's the difference it's a little bit more than a car length it's kind of the distance from the corner of my bedroom to the doorway when the bad guy is going to break in. It's kind of the distance of the normal workplace retail environment where I'm going to engage a customer who might be trying to hurts somebody else, right? So that environment that you're training in really should be accommodated because I hear a lot of guys say well I can't find a range, or I can't find a place well maybe your place is some public land that you can have access to to legally shoot at, maybe if somebody you know who has some private land with a nice back stop like this it may not be manicured it may not be perfect but you know we all know Mike Hues knows how to shoot and he used this range to develop his skills and I really appreciate him letting us come out here. Mike why don't you jump in here real quick, now Mike's been a PDN contributor friend of mine for a number of years he's an industry leader he's well known a lot of people from the competition side and from the manufacturing side with the sirt pistols there you guys do a great service to the training community especially to the instructors you have a lot of support with like the NRA affiliate instructors I know is a big core of the people were using sirt pistols we're a big fan of what you do with personal defense Network appreciate you being a contributor, you've probably seen his videos and DVDs through our system tell everybody who may not be familiar yet with sirt pistols, you know what they're all about, kind of what your approach to training is and why the sirt pistol is so important people interested in personal defense. we lead up to what you saying Rob, just about having the variability because Britt and I, we train every Tuesday and Thursday as a competition shooter I haven't shot one all year no time, know that, you know, Yeah. we just don't have the resources for it, but trainings our passion and every time we come out we try to use variability humble ourselves and we get humbled and when we get humbled we want to go back and we want to get reps at that deficiency and sometimes it was on our right leg like leaning around a barricade something oh my gosh we could not hit that to save our lives so we go back we get reps and we've come back and we, we validate and we do something else a boot polish and then we get humbled again but the sirt pistol, resetting trigger, shot indicating laser, just really about getting those reps, it's no more innovative than putting a backboard and hoop in your driveway is getting reps in. You still got to go to stadium, still got to get you know in front of someone's grill and such but you got to get those reps and that's just what we're all about. It absolutely is a great tool you know we use it a lot i was just doing, you know I use it offer demos on the range, makes it real easy for me to use that, not have to worry about real guns, flagging, people we used it also in our extreme close quarters tactics class last week, it was part of the Personal Defense Network training tour because that laser indicator helps people see, you know, when they get into that retention position and they can't see what's going on on the target, well we can hit that laser run a quick video or take a picture of it and then let them take a look at it, so you know really is a sophisticated tool it's a little bit more than the standard laser trainer you have a lot of adjustability a lot of variability you can build in I know you guys are continuing to expand what's new, what's the newest, biggest, hottest, thing you guys are working on? Well coming out with the 107 has functional features of MP, Smith and Wesson M&P we're looking at this year to coming out with a another unit, so, somethings there and potentially something more advanced with the rifle, and we have the AR bolt right now, we're looking at really what the market needs of that one might be best for that and, and want to we want to look at the trajectory of things and be ahead little but, Sure always, that's one of the things that that manufacturing side honestly has a tougher time I think sometimes and we do on the training side, you know we can kind of pivot and move quick you know somebody comes out with a new piece of gear, cool we'll integrate into our classes we know like appendix carry became popular so what do we do? Progressive instructor you're going to learn how to teach people from appendix carry in a safe and responsible way because that's what the industry and that's what the markets demanding. Now, somebody comes out with a bad product we're going to turn around and walk away and so you can't come out to class with it they come out with a silly technique we're going to say that it doesn't really fit, but what you guys have to do is really have much longer lead time you have to be much more sort of like, wizard like, to see what's going on being an innovator being a leader being a crazy super smart guy obviously helps you in that realm really appreciate everything you do, appreciate you having us out for the Degobah range again this year for the 2015 tour. Thank you, Rob. This does wrap up the class this is the last class for me it's the last class for everybody in 2015 Personal Defense Network training tour and it's been a great year more classes more instructors we had ten other instructors teaching from coast to coast, course I made my drive up started about four months ago down in st. Augustine, made it up here, turn around head back we still got a lot more training to do not only myself but all of the PDN contributors that were part of the Personal Events Network Training Tour, you know they run their own companies they do a lot of things year round, so we've got fundamental defense out there, we've got echo five training we've got all the other companies Lone Star Medics, we got shooting performance, course Mike Seeklanders company, got a lot of companies out there that are participating in the tour that train year-round so take a look at all of our individual calendars, take a look at the bios of our contributors of Personal Defense Network without them really wouldn't have any classes to go to, right? I teach classes they all teach classes the fact that we can come together teaching different things in different ways under the PDN banner is great and the reason we can do that is because of our torah sponsors all of our Torah sponsors we're going to talk about them more in one more video update it's going to come out after this one, and of course we've got individual feature videos that we put out during the tour for each and every one of these guys, so whether their company that you've seen on the tour truck many years in a row or some of the new companies take a look at the feature videos we did on them without the tour sponsors we couldn't go to some of the more remote locations deal with some of the smaller classes and also try to form some of the important training communities that we do. So remember point earlier in this video, whatever your range looks like use it the best you can find a place to Train, find a place to Train realistically, the variability that Mike mentioned is incredibly important and that variability is also going to have to do with the environment. always make sure you're in a safe place to train and train safely appreciate you following all the tour updates and following what we were doing at the classes, again keep your eye on Personal Defense Network .com for constantly updated new videos new articles we have our Premium Membership we have screaming DVDs distance education is coming and next month take a look at our brand new website at Personal Defense Network .com been working on it a long time it's going to be really cool, it's going to be easier to get around, easier to find the stuff you're looking for and it's going to bring the things that are featured for your specific education to the forefront every time you visit especially as a premium member.