Wear and Carry Follow-up course Recommendations

[TxAggie]

Looking for recommendations for live fire CCW courses after receiving my W&C permit. I’ve done a few tactical classes, but now looking for concealed carry specific courses. I would prefer here in Maryland but nearby PA, DE, VA or WV will work too.

Thanks for any suggestions.

 

[jrumann59]

a little of what you are looking for may help. things like shooting from awkward positions, room or structure clearing, additional gun safety, better shooting, there are many intermediate levels of things out there

 

[Mrlexed88]

Sixeight training group has a “Practical Concealed Carry Course”. Personally I have not taken that class yet but they always mention it as their best follow up course for those who carry concealed. They even mentioned they have a car coming soon where you get to shoot out of as well.

 

[Mark75H]

a little of what you are looking for may help. things like shooting from awkward positions, room or structure clearing, additional gun safety, better shooting, there are many intermediate levels of things out there

I agree, would need to know how much or how little your original class taught; some do a LOT more than others.

 

[4g64loser]

I recommend reading our very own Hogarth's blog, the civilian gunfighter, as it will offer you some detailed reviews of quality training courses as well as provide insight into how these courses are tailored to specific skill sets. There are many programs that will teach you. There are fewer that will teach exactly the skills you are after.

For CCW specific training that focuses on the fight on the street, I would highly recommend craig douglas if you can catch him traveling up this way. He blends gunfighting at close range with hands on work that I find lacking in most defensive handgun classes. You will get dinged up, fair warning.

FPF in virginia has a lot of classes and hosts other traveling instructors. I will be there next summer for a force on force class, and I believe hogarth will be there too.

 

[davsco]

do a couple of idpa or uspsa matches. they're fun and a great way to see how you and your gun & gear work (or don't) together.

 

[Reloader]

do a couple of idpa or uspsa matches. they're fun and a great way to see how you and your gun & gear work (or don't) together.

I agree, you can get a lot out of these matches using your everyday carry set up!

 

[hogarth]

I recommend reading our very own Hogarth's blog, the civilian gunfighter, as it will offer you some detailed reviews of quality training courses as well as provide insight into how these courses are tailored to specific skill sets. There are many programs that will teach you. There are fewer that will teach exactly the skills you are after.

For CCW specific training that focuses on the fight on the street, I would highly recommend craig douglas if you can catch him traveling up this way. He blends gunfighting at close range with hands on work that I find lacking in most defensive handgun classes. You will get dinged up, fair warning.

FPF in virginia has a lot of classes and hosts other traveling instructors. I will be there next summer for a force on force class, and I believe hogarth will be there too.

Thanks for the shout-out.

If the OP (or anyone else) can scrape up the cash and find the time 2 weekends hence, this is THE course I recommend:

Check out "Street Encounter Skills and Tactics (Richmond, VA)" on Eventbrite!

Date: Sat, Oct 29 ‐ Sun, Oct 30 • 9:00 AM EDT

Location: 14151 Boondock Lane, Montpelier, VA 23192

Street Encounter Skills and Tactics (Richmond, VA)

To be successful and effective in their own self-defense, citizens need a wide variety of skills beyond just shooting.

www.eventbrite.com

I took it (again) as recently as this past June, and a link to my review can be found in this subforum. It is a great class to introduce a newer concealed carrier to all of the other skills useful in dealing with street encounters: tourniquets and pressure dressings, avoidance, verbal judo, pepper spray, drawing and shooting, drawing and NOT shooting, etc.

Murphy typically offers this course 2x/year in VA, so if you cant catch it in 2 weeks, try again, typically late spring.

 

[4g64loser]

Thanks for the shout-out.

If the OP (or anyone else) can scrape up the cash and find the time 2 weekends hence, this is THE course I recommend:

Check out "Street Encounter Skills and Tactics (Richmond, VA)" on Eventbrite!

Date: Sat, Oct 29 ‐ Sun, Oct 30 • 9:00 AM EDT

Location: 14151 Boondock Lane, Montpelier, VA 23192

Street Encounter Skills and Tactics (Richmond, VA)

To be successful and effective in their own self-defense, citizens need a wide variety of skills beyond just shooting.

www.eventbrite.com

I took it (again) as recently as this past June, and a link to my review can be found in this subforum. It is a great class to introduce a newer concealed carrier to all of the other skills useful in dealing with street encounters: tourniquets and pressure dressings, avoidance, verbal judo, pepper spray, drawing and shooting, drawing and NOT shooting, etc.

Murphy typically offers this course 2x/year in VA, so if you cant catch it in 2 weeks, try again, typically late spring.

I appreciate you turning me on to Karl's class in June.... definitely going, possibly bringing a couple of my coworkers.

I'd like to go down for the street skills class but unfortunately I believe i am teaching that weekend. It sounds like a solid class.

Davsco makes a great point about matches. Especially club level matches. Do not worry about where you place with your EDC gear. Just treat it as an opportunity to build mechanics and get reps in for a quarter or less the price of a class.

One personal opinion: to those looking for intermediate ccw training, please consider classes where there is less (or even no) live fire and more interpersonal skills work where blue guns or airsoft can be employed. Paper and steel don't move. In engagement with live players the situation is ever changing and you may find that a behavioral change by a subject means that you drew legitimately but cannot shoot legally. Seeing classes where every draw results in a shoot makes me wonder sometimes.

 

[hogarth]

I appreciate you turning me on to Karl's class in June.... definitely going, possibly bringing a couple of my coworkers.

I'd like to go down for the street skills class but unfortunately I believe i am teaching that weekend. It sounds like a solid class.

Davsco makes a great point about matches. Especially club level matches. Do not worry about where you place with your EDC gear. Just treat it as an opportunity to build mechanics and get reps in for a quarter or less the price of a class.

One personal opinion: to those looking for intermediate ccw training, please consider classes where there is less (or even no) live fire and more interpersonal skills work where blue guns or airsoft can be employed. Paper and steel don't move. In engagement with live players the situation is ever changing and you may find that a behavioral change by a subject means that you drew legitimately but cannot shoot legally. Seeing classes where every draw results in a shoot makes me wonder sometimes.

One of the best pieces of advice I got (which I got a little late, unfortunately) was to, as early as possible, take scenario-based force-on-force training. This advice came from one of only two people to win the National Tactical Invitational more than once.

People often say that such training is "too advanced". The problem is they are carrying guns and strolling through life, literally going through many scenarios each day. Irony much?

As it happens, FPF Training (which I linked to above) is hosting Karl Rehn for his Tactical Scenarios class in June (look under Guest Instructors on the FPF website). I've already signed up and paid for my spot. I've trained with Karl before, though not for this particular course. I have heard good things about it and like him as instructor; hence, I'll be there. I'd suggest it for basically every new carrier here as well.

 

[TxAggie]

a little of what you are looking for may help. things like shooting from awkward positions, room or structure clearing, additional gun safety, better shooting, there are many intermediate levels of things out there

Concealed carry fundamentals and working up from there. I was exempt from the course, and from what I’ve heard I didn’t miss much.
As I stated, I’ve done a few basic handgun courses and a couple of tactical handgun courses, all with OC holsters, so I’m looking specifically for an emphasis on reacting in a CCW condition. A class covering clothing layering options as well would be nice but not essential.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[TxAggie]

Thanks for the shout-out.

If the OP (or anyone else) can scrape up the cash and find the time 2 weekends hence, this is THE course I recommend:

Check out "Street Encounter Skills and Tactics (Richmond, VA)" on Eventbrite!

Date: Sat, Oct 29 ‐ Sun, Oct 30 • 9:00 AM EDT

Location: 14151 Boondock Lane, Montpelier, VA 23192

Street Encounter Skills and Tactics (Richmond, VA)

To be successful and effective in their own self-defense, citizens need a wide variety of skills beyond just shooting.

www.eventbrite.com

I took it (again) as recently as this past June, and a link to my review can be found in this subforum. It is a great class to introduce a newer concealed carrier to all of the other skills useful in dealing with street encounters: tourniquets and pressure dressings, avoidance, verbal judo, pepper spray, drawing and shooting, drawing and NOT shooting, etc.

Murphy typically offers this course 2x/year in VA, so if you cant catch it in 2 weeks, try again, typically late spring.

Thank you! I’ll certainly check him out, may not be able to make this one but I’ll look at next year’s calendar.

I remember now seeing your reviews in the past, but I dropped out of the forum for a few years so I had forgotten about them. Thanks again for the recommendation, I’ll be checking out more of your reviews.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

 

[jrumann59]

Concealed carry fundamentals and working up from there. I was exempt from the course, and from what I’ve heard I didn’t miss much.
As I stated, I’ve done a few basic handgun courses and a couple of tactical handgun courses, all with OC holsters, so I’m looking specifically for an emphasis on reacting in a CCW condition. A class covering clothing layering options as well would be nice but not essential.


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

A lot of the fundamentals you can find on youtube, plenty of experts out there doing videos. As for clothing, me personally I wear a lot of bselayer stuff based on the season, so I always have fairly thin garment between me and my holster. I wear a lot of 1/2 zip or 1/4 zip fleece tops during the autumn and winter, or hooded sweatshirts that are about size larger for the most part. Since I did not get my W&C until a few weeks ago can't help with clothing in the warmer months.

 

[4g64loser]

Unless you were running full kit and duty gear, a ccw class would be much like your defensive handgun classes with the addition of cover garments. At least as far as the live fire range work is concerned.

The force on force classes that Hogarth's posts suggest will be of much greater value to you.

 

[TxAggie]

Unless you were running full kit and duty gear, a ccw class would be much like your defensive handgun classes with the addition of cover garments. At least as far as the live fire range work is concerned.

The force on force classes that Hogarth's posts suggest will be of much greater value to you.

Good to know, thank you.

 

[4g64loser]

Good to know, thank you.

Square range work with relays of shooters on a line can really only be so complicated before safety concerns build to unacceptable risk levels. And complicated one or two shooters at a time drill or scenario work tends to result in a lot of waiting around for those in line to go.

This dichotomy results in most classes favouring courses of fire that are square range relay heavy to increase round count. A lot of people judge classes by round count, mistakenly believing that a high round count will be better training.

A bit of a personal beef, and probably less related to your original topic, would be that I'd love to have a class where everyone attending had a blue gun or SIRT duplicate of their live firearm. I'm a believer in these tools for solo practice and in an intermediate or advanced class they can be put in play for rudimentary student-on-student engagement drills. Not true FoF as there are no projectiles/pain but the students can all get reps in drawing on a live, moving, target who is also trying to draw on them.

 

[miles71]

NRA defensive pistol course is a good next step. The course reviews basic safety rules and presentation of the firearm, but once the required drills are compete the instructor is given some freedom to add other range drills.

I run the class like a "permit vol 2" type class, like I said a good next step for someone who took the permit course and wants to work more advanced shooting skills appropriate for normal folks who carry.

I'll probably schedule a few of these the first half of 2023.

TD

 

[mrboh138]

Looking for recommendations for live fire CCW courses after receiving my W&C permit. I’ve done a few tactical classes, but now looking for concealed carry specific courses. I would prefer here in Maryland but nearby PA, DE, VA or WV will work too.

Thanks for any suggestions.

PHASE LINE DEFENSE

$199 Maryland Wear and Carry

www.phaselinedefense.com

Check out the Advanced CCW Tactics class. I'm attending this Saturday. Everything I have experienced from Phase Line Defense has been awesome... great people.

 

[Mark75H]

PHASE LINE DEFENSE

$199 Maryland Wear and Carry

www.phaselinedefense.com

Check out the Advanced CCW Tactics class. I'm attending this Saturday. Everything I have experienced from Phase Line Defense has been awesome... great people.

I'm not interested in a class that requires a chest rig, plate carrier and battle belt.

 

[mrboh138]

I'm not interested in a class that requires a chest rig, plate carrier and battle belt.

I believe that's the HEAT class. I was talking about the Advanced CCW Tactics.

Essential Course Materials to Bring:
IF YOU ARE MISSING SOME EQUIPMENT PLEASE LET US KNOW. WE MAY BE ABLE TO LEND YOU EQUIPMENT TO USE.

1) 200-300 rounds for your pistol (Bring More = Shoot More)

2) Hearing and eye protection

3) Holster (Please see holster requirements)

4) Magazines and magazine pouches (Be able to carry 3 magazines on your person