AAR: Green Ops Defense 4-Count Draw Clinic 4/15/2018

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  • erwos

    The Hebrew Hammer
    MDS Supporter
    Mar 25, 2009
    13,866
    Rockville, MD
    AAR: Green Ops 4-Count Draw Clinic 4/15/2018

    https://www.green-ops.com/4-count-draw/

    So, in an effort to get back into the training game, I signed up for the Green Ops 4-Count Draw Clinic last night. Someone had recommended Green Ops here, I wanted to take a pistol class, and I felt like holster draw was a glaring skill missing out of my repertoire. For context, I have never done a holster draw or even carried a pistol with a chambered round, so I am 100% a noob to this. Most of the class seemed to be at roughly that skill level, with a couple guys who had done it before and performed a fair bit better.

    The class was held at the NRA range, which is relatively convenient to me. It's a nice place, and the RSOs are surprisingly sedate. I got there a bit early to try out my new SiCo Hybrid on my (pre-ban) Sig 556R and my 3D printed 10/22 - both were successes, but outside the scope of this AAR. Just realize that you can get a normal range trip out of this if you leave early.

    Equipment expectations for the class are not outrageous - holster, a couple mag pouches, and a reliable gun and ammo. I will say that you would be better off with a kydex holster and a gun with a relatively high magazine capacity (like 15-17rds), as you will be able to spend more time practicing and less time reloading. More mags than 3 also is helpful, at least initially. I used a stock Glock 17, and it worked fine. In a class first, no one suffered any equipment failures I was aware of.

    Clothing choice is also important - you want a good belt, but you also would do well with a shirt that isn't going to puff out or become loose. I was wearing a loose button-down shirt, and I had to tuck that SOB in constantly to avoid it infiltrating my holster. I'm not saying you want to come in a wet suit, but it was an issue I was totally unaware of and it wasn't mentioned in the syllabus, so I'm mentioning it here.

    There were three instructors: Brett, Jay, and a guy whose name I am unfortunately forgetting. All of them seemed pretty legit and didn't attempt to over-inflate their cred, which is always refreshing. They were professional and friendly throughout.

    The first hour and change of the class is a classroom talk / show-and-tell about technique using a blue gun, mindset, and how to practice at home. The 4-Count Draw is some kind of Jeff Cooper deal that's supposed to allow for better retention and draw/presentation in crowded places, and it seems to do just that. A large portion of the class is on the rather important subject of how not to shoot yourself (and anyone around you by accident), which I suppose sounds remedial until you realize how many "professionals" manage to screw that up.

    I was surprised that there wasn't more talk about holster and pouch placement. I had to ask them "hey, where exactly on my belt should I be putting my holster?" They had a good answer, but I feel like a few more minutes could have been spent on that. (I had a BladeTech Revo and double pouch on a comp belt. It worked fine for this class.)

    After that, it's off to the range. As the class advertises, this is a 4-count draw clinic, and that is what you will be doing basically all night long, in pseudo-dryfire (you're not supposed to pull the trigger), single shot, or six-shot ("Bill Drill") forms. All drills were timed. The first few rounds of this are dryfire, and besides being a good way to practice form, they are also designed to evaluate the class' potential for NDs into legs and such. We apparently passed this, and moved on to single shots.

    Here is what I quickly learned during this part of the class: drawing from a holster right is way harder than you'd expect. I wasn't going high enough on step 2, my grip formation at step 3 sucked, etc. I got much better at it by the end of the class, but my form was sloppy and I knew it. There is a lot to get right, and you are learning by doing in a live-fire environment. I am not sure I can think of a better way to do it in a class of 12 people, but they did try their best to work with individuals to help them correct their mistakes. It helps to have some static range expertise with the fundamentals, but that's not going to be enough to get you on target consistently from a holster.

    This was also my first time carrying a loaded pistol, so you can imagine that nerves and stress were also contributing to the general atmosphere. Probably a good thing, but for a class where I didn't sweat, my heart was pounding pretty good.

    They made good use of video to show you just how bad you suck, but watching the other guys screw up just the way you do was just as valuable. 1) It showed you what you were doing wrong and 2) gave you a bit of a morale boost - you're all learning together!

    Moving on to the six shot drill about 2.5-3 hours into the class really showed you the flaws in your technique. I did relatively well on single shots - but my form problems were exacerbated by recoil. This was instructive, and it forced me to really think about what I was doing.

    By the end of the night, I would say that in Green Ops terms, I was "consciously incompetent nearing competence". I still suck at holster draws, but at least I know how they're supposed to get done and how I can get better by practicing. I would definitely recommend the class and the organization to anyone interested in the subject matter, and I look forward to going to more Green Ops classes in the future.

    Let me know if you have any questions.
     
    Last edited:

    rkouns2003

    Member
    Jul 22, 2013
    93
    Pasadena
    I just did the 8 hour carbine course a few weeks ago. It was a great class. I'm gonna do the level 2 course hopefully early summer. Glad you had a positive experience.
     

    hogarth

    Ultimate Member
    Jun 13, 2009
    2,504
    Nice AAR. I've recommended Green Ops on here a few times. I plan to train with them again this year.

    I spent Fri-Sun with Tom Givens (shotgun Friday, pistol Sat-Sun), so I could not do this class with Green Ops. I'll probably do Carbine II with them in the Fall. They also said they might add a scoped AR class, so that might be an option for me, too.
     

    boss281

    Ultimate Member
    Apr 14, 2012
    1,575
    Carroll County
    Nice. This kind of class wouldn't cross my radar normally, but it kinda makes sense after reading your review. Thanks for that...

    Sent from my XT1254 using Tapatalk
     

    gwchem

    Ultimate Member
    MDS Supporter
    Dec 18, 2014
    3,434
    SoMD
    Nice review. A friend of mine was in that class and also gave positive feedback.
     

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