Course Reviews

Gunfight Concepts & Hard Target Traveler AAR (Sep 2023)

By Crusoe

Anytime K from Combat Studies Group is east of the Mississippi it is worth clearing the

schedule for his series of courses. I had already taken GroundRod I & II and was so thoroughly

impressed with those classes that I absolutely was going to make both the Gunfight Concepts and

Hard Target Traveler courses. As always, it is important to define what your desired training end

state looks like and then work backwards to plug training holes. These two courses significantly

added capability for my personal needs.

The 3-day Gunfight Concepts was most definitely not your average go to the range and statically

shoot for a couple hours. As with all his courses it was extremely dynamic and focused on both

skill development and problem solving while moving across a complex environment. Day 1 and 2

started with a qualification test to measure current capability on both the handgun and rifle which

gave K a solid starting point of the class’s strengths and weaknesses. The rest of those two days

were centered around finding your shooting rhythm while moving around obstacles within a high

threat environment. What makes a great instructor(s) is their ability to work with each student

individually to provide nuanced solutions for their individual needs. Day 3 of the course was all

about shooting under both physical and mental stress with more advanced problem solving. The

running of a complicated course of fire while either holding a “package” or trying to protect a

person while employing the previous two days’ lessons was an absolute smoker and a ton of fun.

Everyone was grinning from ear to ear at the end of the day.

While at the previous GroundRod course the class participants drafted out an ideal training plan

for follow on courses with CSG. His one-day Hard Target Traveler course was on that list. What

makes this course exceptional is that he teaches it from the perspective of an international

traveler but makes it useful for the person that either travels domestically or even commutes to

work. The underlining skills are applicable across multiple real-life scenarios. You always need

to understand how to protect yourself and provide for the basic hierarchy of needs. Everything

from digital considerations, logistics, filtering of water, and navigating through civil unrest was

covered. If you travel, then I would consider this course a necessity for your personal training

needs.

My final thoughts on both courses. For those that have read my previous articles you know that I

advocate for understanding what your personal requirements are and then building a training

curriculum to address shortfalls and weaknesses. I can with reasonable confidence say that I am

an “okay” shooter but lack the real-world experience to quantitatively define where I lie on the

continuum. With K’s guidance, and answering my thousands of questions, I have a clearer

picture on where I stand and where I need to be. He gave me a lot to think about as I build out

my ‘at home’ training plan to work on my personal weaknesses. With a quality shooting course,

you will leave a better shooter; however, the ‘pure gold’ is leaving with the understanding of where you need to focus your efforts. The Hard Target Traveler fits nicely into my overall

preparedness as it linked multiple concepts together within a concise training syllabus. I travel

and interact daily with the rest of the world and these skills are as useful to me today as they will

be in the future. Training with a diverse number of instructors gives you the opportunity to see

different solutions and viewpoints to common problems. It fosters intellectual problem solving

and a better understanding of the overall picture. It is worth seeking out and finding quality

instructors while you still have the time to do so.

Finally, I recommend you read K’s article Become More Dangerous and think about his overall

theme. My biggest takeaway from this article is that you must cultivate a resilient and skills-

based mindset to function in a chaotic world.

Crusoe is retired from the Air Force after 30-years of service as a flight crew member. He

spends most of his time thinking about the apocalypse and how to mitigate its effects. When not

immersed in academic pursuits, he is often on a trail hiking in the mountains of North Georgia

or reading with a glass of Irish whiskey and a German Shepherd by his side. Global travel

enthusiast, history nerd, Appalachian Trail thru hiker, and recovering ultra-endurance athlete.

He can be reached at aircrew@tutanota.com

Night Ops/CQB/Vehicle Course - July 2020 Spokane, WA

Review:
Day one consisted of confirming zero. This is essential. Almost everyone had adjustments to make, and I was no exception. It’s what every class should open with. It gets the mind/body/weapon alignment fresh and back in place. After going through some drills with weapon positioning; high gun, low ready, retracted gun, and depressed gun. The slaying of sacred cows began. I have been to these classes and remember the positions, but I could feel a lot of old scars coming back. Prior military training told me to always keep the weapon down, in low ready. This is a very good reason why we need to train more often. Life gets busy, but we can’t let these valuable skills degrade. Saw the POI and POA shift when using IR lasers / NODs and adjusted lasers by using linear offset versus convergent.

Day two, Defensive Action Center saw us in the classroom for our briefing. Going over equipment and placement. What doctrine and dogma could better be dispensed with as advanced training was implemented to replace it. Discussed clearing techniques and differences. Addressed both basic and advanced CQB, as well as one, two, and four man clearing. It was eye opening at how quickly people could be integrated into a team and be so effective. We were being trained to a very high standard and we were making progress that direction in a very short period of time.
Utilizing our environment to maneuver through buildings and combat clear them with efficiency I have rarely seen from a newly ordered group. I attribute this largely to our instructor’s experience and expertise. Our groups ages ranged from early seventies to mid-twenties. Wide demographics. The group came through the day being able to interchange each person in the team and clear buildings effectively. You never know who you will have at your side when something terrible happens and you need to respond. Units integrate and get linked up with strangers all the time. It’s up to us to be trained well enough to assist with those integration's and still be effective.

Day three, at Defensive Action Center. Additional CQB and more advanced techniques. The lessons really hit home when we started moving quicker, getting to the speed accuracy/speed safety thresh hold. We began to see how quickly you can get yourself into and out of trouble. Adding the night operations portion was, entertaining at times, and very eye opening. Especially when playing an asset that had no night vision capabilities. Adding the hostage rescue portion hit home. When putting yourself into the head space of “My family member has just been kidnapped. No one is coming. It’s up to us.” It makes all the difference in how you rise to that threat. It changes the hierarchy from “I must survive” to “They [Hostage] must survive.” The adaptation of this accelerates a lot. If my family member, son, daughter, wife, husband is in danger, my motivation then becomes far more virulent. To me this was the most valuable of the entire course. It showed exactly what the course was capable of training.

Day four, Defensive Reality Range, vehicle operations and live fire drills. Entering a vehicle. Basics of carrying weapons in, on, and around the vehicle. Studied exiting and entering the vehicles with weapons, and vehicle down operations. Transferring personnel from the down vehicle to the Follow vehicle. These are exceptionally rare items to train on in my experience.
I have yet to find an instructor who so easily involves these subjects. This whole course was amazing, and I cannot say enough. It was very much like drinking from a fire hose. The best training I’ve ever been a part of. The scope was so vast, and yet very easily consumed. Frost even suggested that we take several hours and digest our notes. This was exceptional advice. I highly recommend taking copious notes for these classes. Frost is extremely considerate of those who take notes and will give additional time to them.
When Frost identifies items as common sense, then explains the logic and practical application it feels almost silly that you didn’t think of it yourself. The unsettling part is how many men and women died for us to have that training. God Bless America. She needs it.

- Dan

CQB / SEP 2018

I recently attended a low vis vehicle and CQB course put on by CSG. The group attending training had a fairly wide range of backgrounds and experience levels specifically when it came to weapon manipulation and handling skills. 

I have a military and law enforcement background, though most definitely not the kind our instructors K and P brought to the table. I also have a very extensive background in my professional career of teaching basic through master level technical/physical skills. I have attended numerous “shooting” courses both the kind provided by .gov as well as those on my own dime. 

Given my background, I can say that K and P are by far some of the best—if not the best—teachers I have had the pleasure of training with. Their ability to teach to students at multiple skill levels at the same time was impressive. 

To me, one of the traits of an exceptional instructor is their ability to teach the “why” behind what they are teaching. This was done with every skill or technique that was taught. 

Anyone who has attended multiple skills type classes can tell you that there is more than one way to skin a cat. Some instructors only teach a specific set of techniques they deem to be best. K and P constantly continue their professional development—another mark of a great instructor. They have a vast knowledge of different techniques and can tell you when and why a specific technique is or is not optimal for a given situation. There is never only one right answer.  

I was very impressed with how K and P targeted our training to what we wanted or needed and adjusted their course to fit us. I don’t think I could begin to list the numerous small tweaks to my previously developed skills that made a marked improvement to my abilities. When it came to new skills, their teaching methods concentrated on doing it right slowly with reps to help set in the muscle memory needed. There was a lot of time spent on the thinking side of what we were learning. Awareness and judgement are critical when it comes to this kind of training.  

A common problem with many courses put on by former military/LE instructors is that many of the techniques they teach are based upon what they did with the military or LE department. I don’t have the logistical support of .gov so I need techniques that are suited for not having that logistical support. Given the background that K and P have, their techniques are better suited for what I need. I don’t drive in a multiple armored vehicle convoy, and I don’t have a team with overwatch to clear my home. 

The value of the training CSG provides is worth many dollars more that what the courses cost and they are an absolute pleasure to attend. I am very much looking forward to my next set of classes!

-GW

 

September 2018 CSG review

(5 stars)

Our ‘family & friends’ group brought K from the Combat Studies Group to our ranch for three days of training. Everyone in our group had participated in two or more classes with other tactical trainers, so we had an idea of where we needed the most work.

We had told K ahead of time we wanted to focus on low-vis vehicle operations and CQB. Since he had never worked with us, the first order of business was for him (and his very able AI ‘P’) to assess our fundamentals and live fire proficiency. Two hours of square range drills not only got the rust knocked off, but K & P introduced us to some weapons handling techniques particularly suited to CQB. From there we proceeded to vehicle ops. While most of us had done at least one vehicle oriented course, K & P brought their decades of experience to bear, and we learned all kinds of things we had never considered, let alone practiced. Just for example: our group is ‘medical heavy’ (this time we had two ER MD’s and three nurses training), but none of us had ever learned how to safely remove a wounded or unconscious compatriot from a vehicle while under fire. Trust me, there is a right way to go about this, and you are unlikely to figure it out on your own, let alone while someone is shooting at you.

The next day we focused on CQB. The  Army, Marines and many police departments have been working on standardizing CQB for a good while, focusing on stacking  four or more armored up guys and ‘flooding the room,’ which may be the best way to go when you have the resources. Those techniques are less than optimal when one or two people have to fight indoors or around buildings. Fortunately for us K & P are extremely well versed in the techniques developed for one or two people operating without dust-off, armored vehicles and all the other advantages ‘regular’ units bring to the fray. My wife and I had never cleared our house as a team. With the benefit of expert and patient instruction, we can now function as a team, and our survival quotient is much, much higher than it was before.

Finally we worked a number of scenarios, complete with OPFOR. We got opportunities put together the lessons we had learned the previous days with the additional stress of dealing with living, breathing and uncooperative opponents.

A final observation: there are a good number of guys out there who can teach you to run your rifle or pistol. The number of trainers who have both a lot of real world experience and are skilled instructors is much smaller. Damn few of that last group are so good they can assess, adapt and instruct on the fly. The guys at CSG are that good. They are the best I have trained with.

Cheers!

-D 

Low-Vis Tac Vehicle and CQB
SEP 2018

I always find it helpful in reading a review to understand the background of the author.  I am not previous military/LE.  I have an extensive medical background and have been doing tactical training for the last several years.  I also enjoy competition shooting (precision rifle and two gun) when my schedule allows.  Our small group has been training together for years now and continues to work on bettering ourselves from multiple standpoints: basic firearms manipulation to small unit tactics.  Our areas of expertise are vast, ranging from career military to career moms, so finding a training class that can bring us all to the same level is always a challenge.

Enter the guys from CSG.  Their level of expertise and life experience shone through in their ability to teach us the fundamentals of CQB.  What was a huge win for us was the adaptability of their teaching style.  We don't have the assets to run "swat team" CQB with a stacked 4 plus man team ready to clear a building under the shock and awe approach.  We needed to adapt to 1 and 2 man clearing scenarios with specific focus on home defense.  Learning to work as an even smaller team, communicate and effectively execute the mission became the hallmark of our training weekend. 

Some of our team brought out our tacticool NVG's.  Our awesome instructors were willing to take us out on a night patrol.  This wasn't scheduled nor a part of the original curriculum, but they were willing to impart on us some basics of night ops, patrolling, etc.  This further highlighted their adaptability for training.  I never once felt they were pushing a "product" nor doing this to make money, but truly felt they were there to teach us to the best of their abilities for the sole purpose of making our team better.

In closing, there are a lot of schools/instructors/products available.  Our specific parameters when searching were adaptability, quality, mobility (come to us as opposed to travel to a school), and cost.   CSG will not disappoint you on any of those points.  We've already scheduled our next iteration.

- M.U.


Low-Vis Tac Vehicle and CQB
SEP 2018

Class Review


I recent completed a 72 hours private class with K and P.
We had a small cadre of 7 students.
This was a an extremely helpful, immersive, and comprehensive course.
It is amazing how much K was able to cover in 3 days.  We now have a lot to practice on our own.  But we have a good foundation to build on.
K and P were both easy going and simply great guys to hang out with during class time and after class was over.  They were both experienced and knowledgable, but extremely humble and down to earth in there interactions with our group.  I have a lot of respect for what these two have done and the service they have given our country.  They know what they are talking about and they know how to instruct both experienced as well as amateur students.  They were patient, but quick to correct our mistakes.  They understand that we are training to survive.  This is about life and death.  They take it very seriously.


K teaches common sense techniques, which have been proven over time, both through his own experience and through the experience of those he previously taught, including US soldiers and special operators.


K instructed us on simple weapons handling and manipulation, body position and movement, as well as individual and team movement.  We were taught CQB techniques including fighting from vehicles, moving to and from vehicles, clearing buildings alone and in teams.  We were instructed using carbines and handguns.  Some of his techniques differ from what we have been taught by others.  More common sense. It was good to add more tools to the toolbox.  And since K is considered one of the best in the business, I will follow his recommendations when the lives of my family, my cadre, and myself are on the line.


I highly recommend that you contact K regarding training and instruction.  And request that P comes along to assist in the training.  They were both great!


DocMac


Low-Vis Tac Vehicle and CQB
SEP 2018

I recently had the pleasure of being part of a small group of friends and family who contracted K to teach us CQB tactics. Being the only female and the least adept in the group at gun handling and tactical skills, I was more than a little intimidated.  In fact, I was looking for any excuse to be excused! However, after the first hour, when we given a quick gun handling review, my fears began to subside as K and his AI, P, were able to engage with the group, address our needs and weaknesses, and provide input in a manner which was safe, non-threatening, and based in their vast knowledge.  Additions were made to our skills as to how we handled our guns, including different ready positions, as well as firing positions. By noon, my legs stopped shaking and I was hooked!

As the training proceeded, I not only became more at ease, due to the practical and encouraging manner of both K & P, but also fascinated with the training based in the experience, knowledge and skill that both instructors exhibited. We proceeded through simple moves of CQB at the beginning, focusing on keeping others in our group safe and incorporating the skills we learned along the way in a manner that moved us forward while allowing us to become more familiar with new skills. K & P not only provided interesting, and seemingly realistic, scenarios but adapted to the needs and wants of our group. We eventually practiced clearing buildings that were common to most of us, move people from our own vehicles, and practice organizing and utilizing strategies that were appropriate in our familiar places. 

All in all, K & P provided a serious, yet interesting (dare I say fun?) training experience that focused on awareness, built skills, and provided practice for mobility and CQB training based in practical, safe, easy to understand principles that were adaptable to the group, regardless of level of ability. I enjoyed both K & P and was constantly impressed with their personableness, experience, and teaching ability. 

-M

CLASS: ​Gunfight Concepts - Carbine
DATE: AUG 2017
LOCATION: NW WA

Having followed K online for a while I decided to attend one of his training classes.

I have attended other carbine training classes from great instructors, so I was curious how this one would compare.  I also decided to take this opportunity to bring my 18 yo son along for some quality time.

I was a little worried when I didn't have the location a week before class because I like to prepare and have all my ducks in a row.  As with other classes, the details don't always shake out until the last minute, but not to worry, You can trust K to have things ready and get you the information you need with enough time to prepare.

The initial location provided by the host was less than ideal, but somehow K and his assistant D had a backup location that was perfect, almost as if they planned it.

We discussed some initial details and then got out our gear and went to sighting in our rifles.  Ours were ready to go, and I'd suggest you do this ahead of time. Even so, I did appreciate the information and I learned a lot from this evolution.

I mentioned to K and D that my son did not have a lot of experience with his AR, and they were very helpful and attentive to his instruction.  It turned out he ran it better than I did. 

We ran assorted shooting drills that progressed with our needs, focusing on basic skills, yet K constantly added tips and "tricks of the trade" that added benefit you just can't get by a book or YouTube video.

That evening we had dinner in town together as a class.  I appreciated that K ate with us and made himself accessible.  Conversation ranged from tactical gear to crypto currencies.  My son got really excited learning about Bitcoin and has made a few hundred bucks on it already!

We happened to be staying at the same hotel and K brought out his NODS and allowed us to try it out in the woods near the hotel. Very cool.

Day 2 started with more shooting drills, and then progressed into communication and moving while engaging targets.  This was very enjoyable for me, especially running and gunning with my son.  We don't have many places to do this in occupied territory where I live (western WA)

I took lots of notes, but instead of listing every single thing we did, I want to boil it down to what was most meaningful

1) K was professional, yet approachable and amiable
2) There was lots of opportunities to ask questions and learn more about specific things we were interested in
3) The people in this class were all quality individuals, and K's assistant did a great job and was very helpful to my son.
4) The class is an adult learning environment and he runs a hot range, which give you valuable opportunities to fine tune your LBE
5) K brings a wealth of experience and wisdom from actually doing the job.  360 degree awareness and movement was one specific skill that I improved

I definitely would recommend taking a course from K.  I am just waiting to get a date and location for the Tactical Vehicle Operations course so I can sign up.


-BW

GroundRod Primer - Austin, TX February 2017

On 04-05 February, “K” from Combat Studies Group (K@CSG) held a GroundRod Primer course in Austin, Texas.  I had the opportunity to attend, and I encourage you to attend his courses, as well.

If this course is centered on two things, it’s problems and solutions.  In a more technical sense:  vulnerabilities and countermeasures.  What is an adversary’s “attack surface”and how do we harden ourselves against that attack?  Utilizing electronic means to communicate — whether that’s via the internet, a cellular network, or radio signals — opens us up to electronic surveillance (at a minimum) and possibly direct targeting to exploit our communications.  As was discussed in the class, Gen. Michael Hayden (Ret.), who was the director at both CIA and NSA, famously quipped, “We [the US] kill people based on metadata.”  Your cell phone number, its IMEI number, call times and duration (what’s referred to as “exposure”), and geolocation of those calls are all examples of metadata.  Furthermore, your email address, IP address, and MAC address are metadata easily found via the internet.  This metadata is associated to the caller or emailer, which is another data point in your pattern of life.  With sufficient data points, analysts like myself  can map out your pattern of life and begin to anticipate future activity.  That’s a vulnerability, and it’s one that deserves a hard look.  Luckily, K@CSG has developed some hardened platforms — the Sepio laptop, Verus cell phone, and Libertas tablet — which are countermeasures, and I’ll get to those later.

The instructor did a great job of explaining the vectors through which communications are targeted; and not just by state-sponsored entities like NSA and foreign intelligence services, but also by criminals.  These attack vectors are inherent vulnerabilities.  And if we don’t understand the way in which our communications are attacked, then our greatest vulnerability is ignorance.  The very first countermeasure to that vulnerability is education, which is why I’m glad to have attended the GroundRod Primer course.  I’m a reasonably tech savvy individual, and I learned quite a bit.  Throughout the weekend, I saw lightbulbs come on as students were exposed to new information, and then made connections with applicability to their own lives.  This course is for privacy conscious individuals who don’t want their personal information sold by third parties, as well as digital privacy advocates and individuals who travel or work in non-permissive environments.  Remember:  if the product is free (Gmail, Yahoo, etc.), then you are the product.

The instructor also taught about cryptocurrencies, their dangers and benefits, and how to use them anonymously.  We understood its immediate use for bugout or escape and evasion (E&E) scenarios, because having a Bitcoin wallet on a burner phone or tablet means that you can access cash from anywhere in the world.  And with the growing number of stores, kiyosks, and individual buyers and sellers; that means there’s a good chance that you can get access to cash anonymously in those types of scenarios.  Digital cryptocurrency is certainly lighter than cash, silver, and gold, and also less susceptible to confiscation.  For those who may be leery or skeptical, I’m sufficiently convinced that using a few guidelines, and with a few caveats, I can anonymously trade in Bitcoin and a host of other cryptocurrencies.  For me, it’s a welcomed addition to E&E planning, and the instructor of this course will make sure that you understand its implications as well.

This course covers a lot about encryption.  And perhaps one of the greatest benefits is having the instructor explain the reasoning behind why some products are better than others.  There are a ton of options when it comes to encryption, and there’s a growing number of encryption apps for smart phones.  Choosing one is not a panacea.  Just having Signal or Wickr on your cell phone is not the silver bullet to your privacy concerns, because there are some caveats to their use.  Additionally, there are encryption products still on the market — and some that are still quite popular — that have been proven to be unsecure, or to have bugs or backdoors.  The instructor outlined to us those products and explained why we want to avoid using them.  And on that note, encryption doesn’t mean that your communications are anonymous.  You’re still exposing metadata, even with encrypted emails, and the instructor ensures that every student understands the principles and guidelines of using electronic communications in the most secure method feasibly possible.  It doesn’t mean that you’re bulletproof; just that your privacy has a much greater advantage — and some would argue a near certainty of — withstanding state-sponsored and criminal hacking attempts.

This course covers a lot of information in a relatively short amount of time.  After two days, every student walks away with more tools in their kit, and those with reasonable tech skills will find themselves with a more advanced understanding of how to make their electronic communications more secure. When you take this class, be sure to check out the Sepio laptop — I’m sold on it and will be ordering one shortly.  Its operating system is Linux-based, so you’re already operating on a platform built for security.  And when you begin to add additional layers of security, whether that’s TOR, TAILS, other anonymizing or spoofing tools, or encryption, then you’re going to have the hardware to be secure online.  But regardless of your hardware decisions, everyone needs a software upgrade: that’s your brain, your knowledge, and the way you think about security.


Course Rating:  ★★★★★ (5/5)

-- Sam Culper, Forward Observer Magazine


GroundRod 2 - Phoenix,AZ 

Praise for GroundRod2

* K is the Marcus Aurelius of Cyber Privacy and Security.

* Groundrod2 (GR2) was awesome. If you thought Groundrod1 was good, GR2 is even better

* K is an incredible instructor. He offers a wealth of experience and expertise related to privacy, security and liberty. The course is not just for those who like to be prepared, people who live off-grid, etc. GR2 is a hands-on, cyber security “boot camp” for freedom-loving Americans who cherish their constitutional rights. The training course is immersive, takes place in a small class environment while the goal for students is to leave with cutting-edge skills they can immediately apply in their daily life.

* K’s classes can be understood by individuals as well as both the business and the technical side of any organization. By way of example, K’s military and technical expertise combined with his attention to detail allow him to walk through complex scenarios and use cases with ease while applying risk principles to each situation so students can visualize the best outcome and discern the reasoning behind the analysis.

* K’s course will empower students with the skills and tools needed to win the battle against the wide range of cyber adversaries who want to harm you, your family and your environment.

*GR2 was a high-quality learning experience against a backdrop of constantly changing technologies and threats. Put another way, K’s class is a “Proving Ground” for all the latest, best and most secure technologies to safely and securely communicate.

*It’s clear based on the quality of class instruction and extensive classroom training tasks, K has extensive experience with successful classroom teaching techniques and delivering technical training for adult learners in corporate, government and military environments.

* Heaven forbid, but ... If Weimar Germany in 1923 or Venezuela in 2017 are any indication of what may happen here in the future in the US; If you care about your family, friends and loved ones and want to have the ability to communicate candidly, effectively and securely in a potentially hostile environment, you will want to take this class.

* Most people view insurance as something they need for their car, home or if they die ... for their loved ones after they pass on. Think of K’s class as insurance against “Normalcy Bias”. It’s the elixir against denial for what we already know is a mathematical certainty (the US Government will default on the 20T in national debt in the near future). Very few people have the skills and know-how to communicate securely over long distances with others in a hostile environment. And, you will be equipped with knowledge that will be in exceptionally high demand.


-PN01


Intro to Gunfight Concepts (Carbine)  June 2017

Recently, I took a one day, very condensed version of CSG's Gunfight Concepts (carbine) course. The day started with a discussion of different zero ranges and the advantages and disadvantages of each. We then zeroed or checked zeroes from 25 yards, 36 yards, 50 yards and 100 yards as participants desired. Even during zeroing, we were coached on maintaining our situational awareness - to be aware of the changing battlefield as we rose from prone to standing. Magazine changes were covered and practiced. K identified this as an area where we were all in need of improvement, so all the remaining drills for the day were shot with only two to six rounds in each magazine so that we had to do many magazine changes throughout the day. During down times, K discussed maintenance issues, gear choices, cleaning and other advice.

The traditional standing, prone and kneeling shooting positions were covered and fired from, but several other shooting positions for various circumstances were also covered and fired from. Changing from primary to secondary weapon was drilled briefly. K spent a chunk of time showing us how to induce various less-common weapon malfunctions, how to clear them and go on to continuing the fight. This was information that I had not previously learned in any firearm class. We spent some time doing timed failure to stop drills, mostly with carbine but also with pistol. There were also rapid fire drills to teach recoil control, trigger control and sight re-acquisition. Offhand shooting was also stressed at different points throughout the course. The day ended with an exhausting reaction to contact/movement drill.

I hesitate to list all of the above, because it felt like K was adjusting the class to the needs of the participant, so I don't know that any other class would get the same training day, though undoubtedly some would be the same. While the day was somewhat physical - especially the movement drill - K never asked people to do more than they could. About half my class was over forty with various bad knees and out of shape problems. We were encouraged to just do what we could, but we all pushed ourselves. In addition to the training value, most of us learned something about our carbines or equipment that we wanted to change. I soon learned that my war belt, when filled with water and full magazines, wanted to slip over my hips and on down to the ground. I had to rig a makeshift suspender to finish the day. Others learned that some customizations made their carbines picky with ammunition. One person fell during the maneuver drill and lost all of his magazines from his pouches.


It was a long, one day class, exhausting but fun. I definitely learned a lot about my equipment and my shooting. I look forward to another class with CSG, though after my sore muscles recover. 

-MT




Gunfight Carbine (One Day)

"Kris teaches a great class.  His insistence on safe practice carries over into learning to do things right and why it's the right way.  He demonstrates flawlessly thereby  painting on your brain the proper performance and then he attends to each student to make sure they, too , can do it right.  He could probably teach 10 hour days for weeks before he ran out of stuff yet he took the basics as seriously as we students do since these are the fundamentals which support more advanced training.  He is patient, treats everyone as equals and has a keen eye for what is happening in the learner.  Well worth the money."

-L



Secure Comms Class  19 May 2013

"Kris provides the practical knowledge needed to truly have secure data communications. He brings to bare an awareness of your own personal risk communicating across the Internet and then delivers the instruction, tools, and process to significantly reduce your vulnerability. When class was finished, I had a hands-on understanding of LINUX, TOR, VPN, Tails, PGP, and creating a password template. Great class, I only wish there was more time to pick Kris’s brain."

-Nathan


"I wasn't sure where to start on this review. The volume of information you packed into the course was enormous. I had no idea our information was so unsecure! It boggles my mind that all these years I've been just leisurely swimming through a shark infested pool and didn't know it!
Oh sure, I thought my antivirus and malware was all I needed, but you showed me other wise! Now I know how to avoid being a victim, and maintain my privacy.
 It boils my blood that people like Google and Bing take advantage of us on that large of a scale! Thanks for showing me the alternatives of how to operate securely and privately, and still maintain an excellent level of convenience!
Today I operate my computers differently and with my eyes wide open thanks to your class!

To whomever is reading this review, I hope your planning on taking this course. It's the only computer course I've ever seen that offers this information to us. The Government isn't going to and private empires like Google and Bing certainly don't want you to know what is being taught in this course! Do yourself a favor, save time, money and your privacy! Take this course!

Thank you Kris, I will be at the next course, you can count on it!"


-D.

Gunfight Carbine (One Day)  18 May 2013

"I wanted to thank you for the course last weekend. Your ability to train top level Operators and day one beginners side by side never ceases to amaze me! I know that I was challenged, informed, and educated in a short period of time. The techniques on clearing malfunctions will never leave me. I've never seen some of the malfunctions you showed us how to clear, and I would consider myself an average/moderately experienced shooter with the AR platform.
What I took from your course was the foundation I need to build on to successfully employ this platform effectively and accurately as a new and intermediate user. If only I would have had this base years ago, I'd be a far more proficient shooter!
The information you shared on equipment and how it effects performance was eye opening! I don't think a single person left the training area without making the decision to purchase better equipment! I know I didn't! Those kinds of critiques and advice can only come from years of experience like yours.

Thank you Kris, I have no doubt that I'll be at your next class. 

Safe travels,"

-Dan White
www.gravemrwhite.wordpress.com


"Having taken Kris’s class almost a year ago I was hesitant about spending the money again because I thought it would be the same class.

But leave it up to Kris, there was quite a bit of new stuff and things I may have missed the first time because I came out of there with even more confidence and skills than I arrived with. 

He always brings good props to make the courses fun and challenging.

Money permitting I will be at every class he offers as he is an awesome instructor and has the patience of a Saint."

- R


" I wanted to write you a quick note about the carbine class last Saturday taught by Kris .  As you know, I'm an old guy at age 58 and I have had a hip replacement.  And I came in knowing next to nothing about the use of an AR-15.  So there were some things I simply couldn't do but Kris was outstanding at working with me (and all the others) at my own level and taking me from being a rank amateur with that weapons system to feeling absolutely comfortable with its function and with dealing with all the basic malfunctions.  He is extremely knowledgeable and is obviously a born teacher.  I can't believe how much I picked up from him in one long day together.  Well worth the time and money."

-P.W.

  "Kris is hands-down the best weapons and tactics instructor I have ever worked with. He has the ability to work with students of diverse backgrounds and levels of experience in a manner that no one gets "left behind" while constantly challenging more-experienced students. I would recommend Kris without hesitation for any corporate, agency, or personal protection training needs; to include program and instructor cadre development." August 31, 2011
Capt. Christopher Kent, Infantry, US Army

Gunfight Concepts Pistol Review, 8 OCT 2011

"Recently my wife and I took the Pistol Combat Concepts class and it was excellent.  Education included awareness, gun handling skills, shooting skills, communication, movement and most importantly to us was shooting under stress. The "bag drill" is permanently etched in my memory!  As civilians we really appreciated how Kris kept the class real for us without too much focus on military or LE mindset.  Kris kept us safe, focused and challenged though out the day.  It will take weeks or more to assimilate all we learned in just one day, even with all the notes we took.   We are looking forward to the carbine class next!"

Bruce & Lorni

   (re-posted with permission of student)

Gunfight Concepts Carbine Review, 15-16 OCT 2011

Overview: The course of instruction covered two days. Instruction covered weapons handling skills, primary and support hand shooting, immediate and remedial action (primary and support hand), shooting positions, nine hole barricade, transition from primary weapon to secondary and tactical movement. My entire family having taken Kris’s basic pistol course we were extremely excited to learn that we was mounting a carbine course in the valley and we readily made plans to attend.

Three Sustains (sorry, Kris but you must realize that I am institutionalized. You wanted an AAR, you’re getting one.)

1. You may well be the most gifted instructor I ever saw and I say that as a career grunt with 21 years in the Army. There are two reasons for this. The first is that too often the instructor’s ego gets in the way. There are the “I’m an operator and you’re not” types that insist that what you know is crap and that their way is the only way of executing a specific task. These are usually the same guys (I’m thinking of a combatives instructor I met at Camp Rilea a couple of years ago) who’ve not deployed and don’t realize that you’ve shot at smarter people than them. They are, in short, not there because of the student; they’re there because it makes them feel superior about themselves. You, on the other hand, would give the same level of attentive patience to the housewife who’s never shot a weapon before in her life as you would a CAG operator who showed up to one of your courses for some refresher training. The operative word there is patience. I really, really appreciate the amount of time you spent working with my wife and so does she. As far as myself, I realize that the teacher/student relationship is one of subordinate and superior and you are one of the very few people I feel completely comfortable taking instruction from. And of course the career path you’ve chosen over the last couple of years gives me complete confidence that what you’re teaching are the most up to date techniques, ones that have a practical application and are proofed on the battlefield.
2. All your courses have a holistic approach. What I’m talking about is how you continually stress being situationally aware. It’s not just about the shooting. You incorporate situational awareness into every aspect of all your courses and I could not agree with you more completely as to its importance. It’s easy when you are as perennially paranoid as we are on a continual basis, but for Trudy and Devon it’s an introduction in how one should behave beyond the bounds of the family plantation. The point was driven home to me the second week were patrolling in Iraq; you simply can’t operate at red all the time. This means that everyone in the patrol has to be situationally aware or in other words “Be polite, be professional, be ready to kill everyone you meet.”
3. Your courses are physical. Ground combat is not a static sport. There is running, ducking, hiding, leaping, zigging, zagging, etc. Your courses always reflect that and as you said during this last class one of the consequences of all that moving is that it helps your proof your kit. The downside is that my family has decided that all their kit, besides their weapons, are shite and have developed the most extensive Xmas lists. The other thing is that you find yourself often having to shoot out of breath, anxious and not a little scared (that freaking hood/box drill) which is exactly what happens in combat as well. Damn good training, that.

Three Improves

1. Give a time limit to your breaks. Tell the students to take ten or fifteen or thirty for lunch and stick to it. Your classes are fluid, they reflect how you continually asses how everyone is doing and what you should stress and what you can briefly hit upon and that is the mark of a superior instructor. No one likes the guys who teaches to the POI and won’t deviate from it at all. But you are in charge of the class and a little more time discipline would reinforce that and keep it moving along.
2. I loved the drills. That’s the way I learn. Can’t do enough of them. If you’ve got to carve out some time to set up the next evolution, a technique might be to put one of the students in charge of running the last drill to burn it into everyone’s medulla oblongata. Just a thought.
3. This isn’t really an improve, but while I’m being the Good Idea Fairy, Trudy and I were talking about how we’d be happy to give you money to run some sort of sustainment class for both the pistol and carbine. You’re right. A lot of these drills can be done in the living room. But there is no substitute for putting bullets down range under the watchful eye of someone who can tell you where you’re screwing it up.

Conclusion

I take my second amendment rights very seriously. I have had a concealed carry permit for years. But while I consider it my right to bear arms, I consider it my duty to do it responsibly. Carrying responsibly means that I can use my weapons in a way that will cause the most harm to the threat without causing any to the innocent. Your courses enable me to do that. I have yet to complete one of your courses without feeling that my skills have grown exponentially and that, for my money, is what it’s all about. Thanks for everything and I can’t wait until the next time.  

(Review courtesy of Pete S.)

Gunfight Concepts Carbine Review

The training was Awesome! This IS the most complete firearms training course that I have ever been through.

Personally/Professionally speaking, if you want to move far beyond the “mundane firearms training course”, then CSG is capable of taking you to a level only seen in S.W.A.T. and other Professional services at the Highest Level of Combat Arms proficiency; weapons jams, weapons control, shoot and move, ambidextrous shooting, multiple shooting positions, rifle and pistol transitioning drills, communication skills, fight awareness, fine motor and travelling skills.  The Hole Enchilada, A-Z!

 

Kris is an excellent Instructor and I give him Top Marks for his Expert Level honed skills, attention to detail and the flexibility to teach even novice shooters.  Absolutely Impressive!
 

Jess Hanson, Expert Wilderness Survival Instructor.




Gunfight Concepts Carbine Review


Kris
Once again you have enlightened me as to the importance of learning, practicing, & opening my eyes to the gear options out there. I will be up grading at least 1/2 of it.
I learned a lot of techniques & proper posture to improve my success, your class was priceless, look forward to another.
Thank you, Michael G.