“Gypsy” | Dec 8-9, 2018
Modern Samurai Project Fundamentals and Performance
Equipment Used:
•Gen 3 Glock 34 milled by ATEI with ISMI 13lb spring with steel guide rod and RCS Freya Magwell
•Type 2 RMR RM06 with Trijicon Sealing plate
•X300U-A
•Magazines were a mix of stock Glock and Magpul
•Phlster Spotlight
•Dark Star Gear Koala
•V Development Group Megingjörd Belt
Gen 3 G19 with type 2 RM06 and X300U-B was brought as a backup but never used.
No malfunctions or issues with the RMR or gun
Background:
Non-Mil, non-LE. Some USPSA experience. As my first official class my goal was to not get my shit pushed in too much and gain a better understanding of what I needed to do to become a better shooter. I’ll let Scott and AJ be the judge of the first, as for the latter it was more than drinking from a firehose. Probably closer to being waterboarded by a busted fire hydrant.
When I saw that Scott was coming to California for 2 Day Red Dot Pistol I immediately jumped on the opportunity. Prerequisites for the class were the ability to clear dot torture at 3 meters and having taken an introductory handgun class from a reputable instructor. The dot torture wasn’t a problem and he accepted USPSA shooting classification in lieu of an intro class. Jedi was very helpful and quickly answered any questions I had before the class began.
TD1
Scott made it clear from the beginning that this was not a tactics class and that we could take or leave whatever he taught, just being willing to give it a try. The students were a mix of LE and civilian with some very competent shooters. Of the 16 shooters, 4 shot from concealment on the first day with the rest being either ALS or kydex OWB holsters. Students shot either Glocks or SIGs with RMRs or DPPs. After a safety/medical brief and introductions Scott and his AI, AJ Zito of Practical Performance, had each student confirm zero at 10 meters before starting instruction in order to make sure that nobody was stacking difficulties during the course. Scott then progressed to stance and grip, including the concept of binding that plays a prominent role throughout. Each small change was tested by the students to see if it helped them track the dot or had a negative impact in their control; thus allowing each student to tailor the grip and stance with recommendations from both instructors. The level of individual coaching is a highlight of the class, both Jedi and is AI made sure that each and every shooter was acknowledged in some way during every single drill. Even if there was not a critic or tip to be given either or both instructors would give words of affirmation. Don’t take that to mean that Scott and AJ wouldn’t call people on their mistakes, shortcomings, or, in my case, useless frenetic movement. It is eye-opening to have someone ask you why you are doing something on your draw and the only answer is “I don’t know,” to which the typical reply was “then stop it.” By the end of the first day, every one of the students improved their draw times, accuracy, and most importantly, their ability to diagnose their mistakes. Scott stressed that misses were only failures if you didn’t learn from them in the course and by emphasizing “focusing on the process” the students quickly began to pick up errors and diagnose while shooting.
TD2
The second day of the course really focused on bringing skills together from TD1. Shooting on the move and strong hand/support hand only shooting were covered and options were given for folks to practice on their own. The highlight of the second day was the USPSA stage that Scott and AJ setup; it allowed students to put together all the different portions of the course and, for those who hadn’t competed before, get a taste of the addiction that is competitive shooting. And the end of each day Scott gave everyone a chance to shoot for his standards, and while no one at the class walked away with a Black Belt patch there was a noticeable increase in efficiency and skill between the two days. Scott ended the class with a hotwash and recommendations on other instructors to learn from.
Summary
While the course is billed as a red dot pistol specific course, everyone walked away with greater efficiencies and confidence in a myriad of skill sets. Scott’s individual attention to each and every shooter in every single drill meant that nobody was ignored or got a free pass. Prepare to be on the timer throughout the entire class, while it does add a level of stress it also gives another metric to be used in determining efficiency. It was clear that Scott truly cared about everyone improving no matter the level of their skills and training at the beginning of the class. He took time to answer every question and made sure that everyone got his or her moneys worth from the course; at no point did it feel like Scott or AJ were phoning it in. Scott also demonstrated every skill and drill, never hiding behind an air of mysticism or elitism, while still not making his shooting ability a focus of the course. I really appreciated his explanations of the why, how, and the lineage of points of instruction during the course, Jedi made sure to give credit where credit is due. Scott likes to joke that people who train are far more thankful than many other groups, saying that “next thing he knows [people] are making [him] their kids’ Godparent,” however it is not because of the excellent instruction. It is because you can tell that Scott takes the burden of training others seriously and is an all-around great dude. It spoke volumes when Scott took the time to recommend other instructors because he believed they had different but equally important lessons to teach. I can wholeheartedly recommend Scott and this course to anyone shooting a dot gun. No matter your skill level or requirements he will make you better.