Mountain Pistol Training AAR - Instructor Perspective

Last weekend I had the opportunity to teach the biggest class I've taught to date. I taught my family (on my wives side) and my coworkers/friends from work. There were a total of 13 shooters. I'm going to write this little AAR about my feelings as a new instructor and what I failed at, and what I thought I did well.

It was held on their land in the north Georgia Mountains. The weather went from sunny, to downpour, back to full sun. It was good training weather.

The Mountain:

The shooters skill levels varied from literally the first time shooting a handgun, to seasoned hunters (which does NOT make them combative pistol shooters btw). I knew this going in, and designed the course accordingly.

They had assorted pistols and gear carry methods. There wasn't a lot of support gear or anything, so we worked out of pockets and off the ground. No big deal.

First was the first aid, evacuation, and firearms safety rules, as always. This was a special one since I got some GPS coordinates in case an injury was so severe that it required a helicopter evacuation. But I handled that portion.

I started out with basic marksmanship on 6" circles with aiming points. I took my friend Claude Werner's tip and used cd's to make targets on cardboard. I added a Popsicle stick so I could quickly apply the spray paint onto the targets and not get my hands painted up.

We started with building the grip, sight picture, the shot cycle, good base and basic marksmanship on the targets. I also went over loading/unloading. I could clean up the progression of drills a little next time. I felt jumbled on the orders of some of the drills. I went from draw stroke and one shot, to an extension to 1 shot, and then extension to multiple shots. I realize it's probably in the wrong order, thinking back. However, they all brought holsters, so I wanted to make sure they knew how to get their guns out. I think the progression next time would be draw stroke to single shots, then multiple, then maybe a movement element to a shot. I'll think on this more.

They wanted a combative pistol type class, so I wanted to be sure to give them dynamic stuff once they proved they could handle the basics a few times. There wasn't much issue with them pointing guns at themselves, and most all of them had great trigger finger discipline.

I introduced the Wyatt protocol and the movement off line with the draw stroke, verbalization, explained the ooda loop and effects of adrenaline to them. Just as predicted, as the number of parallel tasks builds, the stress level rises, and people start feeling the pressure. My Uncle Steve mentioned that.

We did malfunction clearing, turns, and movement, strong hand/weak hand only shooting, and retention drills. We talked about picking small aiming points on the shirt or body to target, instead of 'center of mass'.

The biggest gap in logical progression that I felt was between the stationary marksmanship stuff to the dynamic movement stuff. I need to figure out a transition set of drills to bridge this gap better.

I love the 100% accountable for hits idea, and used it for the first half of the day. Then when we stapled paper plates to the chest, and worked the more dynamic drills, I reminded them that while we weren't counting holes, we SHOULD still consider that we need to make our hits. I went into the nuns and orphans and lawyers reminder on missed shots.

I think a way to keep them more accountable is to interject a drill in the middle of the this portion that holds them 100% accountable for A zone hits. Maybe a box drill or some thing.

We didn't break for lunch at all during this, so this amount of material was stretching their patience and ability to concentrate. A more defined and scheduled meal in the middle would have been better, I think. Pacing is not easy, and it is something I'll have to work on. I also need to be more accurate with my range commands, to help avoid confusion. I was conscious of this when I was issuing commands, as in "the range commands will be as follows...". But when I forgot to be deliberate, people would do something that I didn't anticipate. No big deal, but I'll work on it.

I'm already thinking of ideas for the next class. I think it will have more barricade drills, as well as seated draw stroke, and shooting left or right from seated. It will also have positional shooting.

All in all, it went very well. Everyone was safe, no one got hurt. They seemed to like it very much.

On Sunday, I did a very basic primer and familiarization with some of the wives, girlfriends, and a few guys who didn't get to shoot Saturday. I wasn't expecting this class, so I sort of winged it. I think it went well. It was probably a 40 round course of fire. I had them load only 5-6 rounds per magazine, and held them accountable for each shot. I had them work off of the ground, since none of them carry a gun, and any work would be out of a drawer or table. We did simple sight alignment, surprise break drills. I worked them through multiple shots, follow through, and recoil control. We moved into strong and weak hand shooting (limited round count), and finally a failure drill of 2body/1head a few times. They all did great, and gained some confidence.

Week of 9/3/12

Monday: Holiday, gym closed, I relaxed and pigged out on chinese food and beer. Retained probably 6 lbs of water... :)

Tuesday: BJJ
Noone else showed up to jits, mostly due to some lingering injuries, holiday travel, etc.

So I got a private with Raph. We quickly drilled some armbars, both traditional and sneakier ones. Drilled a straight arm bar transition when the primary arm is pulled out.

We did a cool choke where you get a cross collar grip, then you drive off of his hips, sitting yourself up, and pulling his head forward and down, the cross grip should be under his chin. Your off hand can help make him look down. the off hand will then be used to go behind his neck and weaving inside of the cross collar grip arm's elbow. A scissoring motion makes a tight ass choke.

We also went over the straight ankle lock. Usually comes out of open guard, have to overwrap the foot/ankle, almost in a guillotine grip, while falling to the side that the ankle is trapped. make sure the wrist is behind the ankle, not the Achilles tendon, extend hips to finish lock. A solid tip is to hide the foot that's between his legs, so he doesn't lock you. Use that leg to get a hook on the attacked leg, or use your feet as hands to keep him off of your ankle while you set the lock up.

To defend this lock, pop up and stand on the attacked ankle, then sit and spin through to free up the leg. Usually is sort of a scramble.

If you're attack and the guy stands up, abandon the ankle lock and get an underhook on his outside foot. Push his other leg away, and lift w/ the underhook for a sweep as you stand up.

Raph had me working a conditioning circuit. dumbbell pushups w/ rows at the top, medicine ball situps, and swiss ball hip exercises, 1:00 each, w/ 3:00 of jump rope between. This circuit 3x.

Jamal was nice enough to roll with me after all of this. I was getting rolled up, but I was able to defend some arm bars and chokes pretty well.

Week of 8/27/12

Monday; MT
3 rounds of jumprope, 20/20
pads: 1,2, switch 2xlk, block and step to 2 rknees
1,2,3, 2xrk, block step, 2 lknees
mitts: 1,2,1,2,slip,4,3,2, 2 l knees
1,2,1,2, slip slap 5,2,3, 2 rknees

drilling: check kick to knee, or counter kick w/ sweep, targeting lower calf/ankle, also requires a step out.
counter a straight knee w/ a body shot, must sink weight down and target solar plexus. Stops forward motion as well as is painful.
Sparring was good. I caught Randy once pretty good with a switch to a left cross. That move is going to be high percentage. Setting it up with anyone will be easy. Throw a few hard left kicks off of switches, then just switch left cross. Also, Jamal told me that I should be using my left kick to target people circling away from my right kicks. Throw right kick, and as they circle out, throw the left with a switch or a step through. Also, Anthony invited me to come check out his gym in Douglasville. It was a huge honor to get that invite from him. He's a good dude. I'm lucky to be able to train with these guys. Enjoying every minute.

BJJ:
1/2 guard work. regardless of where you are, always fight for the near underhook.
pass 1: get cross face w/ shoulder, apply all the pressure, keep base wide, hide the free leg so there is no sweep. Post up and shake hips and bound to get guard under knee. then try to slice knee across his hip, rotating his hips onto the ground, keep the pressure and secure the position, then use free leg to kick ankle/foot out of guard. Also it is crucial to stretch the guy out using the far arm, under his far arm. By awkwardly bending him away from the stuck foot, he can't recompose easily.
pass 2: same as before but cut to the OTHER side, rotating his hips away, same as before, apply pressure and stretch him out.
sweep 1: prevent cross face, post on his neck, hide elbows, go 4 on 1 on his trapped leg, hip bump, then continue to roll him over, end in 1/2 guard top.
sweep 2: same as above, except underhook free leg, and overhook trapped leg, hip bump, and roll to 1/2
can also get out back door here.

MT:
same combos as monday. Good conditioning day. Lots of hard work. There is no way I could push myself this hard if it were just up to me.

Writing a letter to my unborn son

I've started writing a letter (more of a guide) to my son. I want it to have my take on certain things, as well as guidance about how I did things wrong, and how he should try to do them better. It's sort of a 'book of the five rings' without the poetic feeling. I don't know exactly what will be in it,  I'm just sort of typing it when I feel motivated. It's very stream of consciousness.

I know these sorts of things are done when the parent is terminal w/ some disease and they want to leave a record for their child. I'm not planning on checking out any time soon. This is a 'just in case'. Plus, it's a great exercise for myself. It's a real challenge to think about how you think. Why you think it.

It's also hard to not sound self-righteous when writing something like this. I'll try to make it as true and honest as possible.

week of 8/20/12

pads: 1, 2, 2lk, cross block, 2lk
1,2,3, 2rk, cross block, 2rk



mitts: 1,2,slip,4,3,2, lft body shot

1,2,slip, slap, 5, 2, 3, rt body, left body




good sparring. Marcell likes to make it an mma fight without telling me... We clinched and he tripped me and followed me down and kept punching. It was good fun.




From D.G. from a class taught about 2 months ago w/ a guest instructor:

"-Taking the Back (1st Variation)

Starting Position: Place the right leg adjacent to the already turtled opponents right leg and then putting your left foot on the other side of his left ankle, basically resting on your right leg




Beginning Steps: Move your left arm around the back and grab the left lapel low enough to keep your elbow tight to your own body and pull back to lock the grip. Also grip the opponents right elbow with your right hand.




Crucial Move: Move your right knee next to their right ankle cocking your right foot outwards at the 3 o'clock position. Pull your opponent back towards you at a diagonal angle and release the elbow to go for their neck, they will defend the neck and at that point it allows you to put in your left foot hook.




Finishing Move: Roll to your left and put in your other hook all the while holding on the over under neck position. Finally rotate your right knee out and go back to the other side to finish the traditional collar choke from the back.




Very technical




-Taking the back (2nd Variation)

Same Starting Position




Beginning Steps: Move left arm around the back and grab the RIGHT lapel. If the person is turtled well you will need to open up yours and their right knee making a space between their tricep and ribs.




Crucial Move: Now you must target that hole made and reach into it with your hand followed by your head rolling forward




Finishing Move: Achieve side control by using your right hand to grab their left hand sleeve so that they cannot shrimp or escape and take side control.




Extremely technical, I found it easier to accomplish after practice but it is a move I would never have thought of at all. "




Tuesday: BJJ: worked on open guard passing, torreando and some other one. Mostly it was about rolling to recover guard. If you get juked out on a leg pass, and he's behind you pinning your legs, hip escape towards the side hes coming to, making space so you can duck your head where your hips are and roll, inverting and resetting the guard. Or you can do a 1/2 roll where you roll away to post, then swing your legs WIDE and high to re-engage him."

Tuesday/Thursday: BJJ worked the lasso hook and a few sweeps from there, as well as some transitions into omaplatas and triangles and armbars. The granby roll was taught as well. As the guy goes to pass, if he starts to get to your back, hip escape, and roll under yourself to recompose. This is a super useful skill for me. Lots of drilling. Scissor sweeps, defense of scissor sweep, attacking the posted arm w/ kimuras, omaplatas. Omaplata sweeps and transitions to mount from the position. Lots of good movement transitions. 

Good rolling.

Saturday; NOGI: Worked open guard. Rolling was good. I stayed in the center for quite a while. My open guard is getting  better. I did the granby roll, finished a choke or 2, took the back... I'm seeing my improvements. I'm in one of those improvement cycles. I hope it lasts a long time before I go back into a plateau.

week of 8/13/12

Monday: MT

Manu led class, went for 2 hours and 15 minutes or so.

First hour was warmups: jump rope 3x rounds, run and stuff. jumping jacks, burpies, stretching. Then we drilled the evasion. did combos along mat (1,2, switch lknees; 1,2,3,rtknees), practiced slip/slap/body/body/bob/weave/evade uppercut.
Thai Bag: 10 and 10 kicks, knees, combos
This was the first hour.
Next was 1 round of just boxing, working technical aspects and counters.
Then thai pads: 1,2,switch lkicks, check evade right kicks
1,2,3 rk, check evade lks
then mitts:
1,2,slip,uppercut, 3,2, switch knees
1,2,3,slip,slap, uppercut, 2,3, rknees
sparring 3 rounds
partner assisted abs, and pushups on ball
50 squats in a circle, jumping jacks, and done.
I was super smoked after this one.

Sparring went well. Since I'm aware of it, I'm flinching less and less, able to keep composure more, and counter strike when struck. I'm trusting my technique and it's paying off. I'm starting to think in combinations more. I need to think in combos coming off of body and head movement though. I think of when my initial attack angle is straight in, but when I do rapid side to side movement, I have to reorient and then go straight in. I need to try to move angles and attack off of that angle. Or start slipping and bobbing and fire out of that. I think this will give me a better chance of landing.

Tues: Rest. Too dead from Monday. I'm weak. :)

Wed: MT
Anthony was back. same combos as monday. Did a round of boxing, and then 3x rounds of MT sparring. Jeff told me my jabs were getting sloppy with my elbow flying out before I would jab. My kicks are getting sharper. I'm trying to get better at countering and throwing when my opponent throws. Jeff also mentioned he saw my eyes flutter when someone would start punching at me. I have to keep on the track of not bitching up and throwing back. I have been using my arms as bracers to jam up straight punches, and kicking under that to counter. It's working pretty good. I tried Anthony's combo today. right kick, left kick, right kick, switch... left cross. People are looking at the leg on that switch. I always find myself at the very edge of punching distance. If  I want to get better at boxing, I need to continue to work my footwork and bobs to get angles. footwork footwork footwork.

Thursday:BJJ
Worked closed guard. Great review. We worked both the technical arm bar, and the more explosive one, relying on hip movement. We also worked an omaplata off of an arm that gets out.
3 kinds of cross collar chokes, all starting off of the cross collar grip
1- reach other hand to opposite shoulder, make grip, and choke
2- reach other hand UNDER cross grip, grab lapel, choke
3- don't get as deep a cross collar hold, break posture, on that same side as cross collar, leave about 4-5" of space, use other hand, thumb in collar, circle opposite hand around the neck, finish choke. This one comes on SUPER fast.
drilled closed guard. Got 2 sweeps. One de la riva back take, and one scissor sweep. I also suck and keep giving up mid pass. I think once I stop quitting once I lose some position, I'll be many steps closer to blue belt. I think Raph respects aggression and no-quit attitude. I don't think he likes the way I get frustrated and just relent. Neither do I, and I'm sure it bothers me more. Gutting it out is hard for me. It's easier to rest while getting put into a worse spot, and then trying to fight out of it. That doesn't make any sense when I write it out, but that's what I do. DURRR.

Week of 8/7/12

Monday:

MT: 1,2,switch 2 lk, check, evade teep, 2x right kick
123, 2rk, chk, evade, 2xlk

mitts: 1,2,slip, 4,3,2 switch 2x left knees
1,2, slip slap 5,2,3, 2x right knees

sparring

Tuesday: 185lbs
BJJ:
spider guard to triangle. Worked on getting the angle. Align body to the arm that's pulled across.

tips for not getting stuck in triangle. Both arms in, both arms out. Got a few good sweeps off in drilling. Need to work on some spider guard sweeps. And transitioning into DLR.

Wednesday: 187lbs
MT:
same combos as Monday.
Brutal cardio today. I was worn out from Tuesdays circuit at the end of class.
The notable thing was the pre-sparring conditioning. 1minute of each. 1,2,3,2rks, 1,2, 2lks ; l and r kicks, no switch, just hip rotation, feet not staggered ; teeps ; side knees

Sparring went really well. I felt like I had more time to see and react to punches. I concentrated on not doing the 'you go, I go' method I have been doing. I if I saw an opening, i would attack. Lots of teeps and jabs. I am having good luck with a rear leg teep, then as soon as it plants back, throw a low rear kick. Terry is still giving me good pressure. He doesn't let me get my punches off, likes throwing hooks. I am trying to do touch-and-go when he comes in and not get stuck in cement when I catch a flurry. circle, jab and teep. Either people are going easier on me, or I'm getting better. I need a beefier mouthguard for MT. I got caught on the chin w/ a glancing cross, and my jaw is a bit sore today. Will order one soon.

Thursday: BJJ

Drilled open guard sweeps. Spider guard, leg lasso. Several pushing sweeps from here. As well as passing open guard. grips on knees, tug to pull hooks out, drive knees aside, get weight down.

Saturday: 3 mile run 100 pushups