Anyone in DFW area taken training classes at Tiger Valley???

Sigma 40 Blaster · January 15, 2008, 07:10 AM

I've been looking for some professional training in my area and haven't been able to find any so I did some snooping and found www.tigervalley.com located in Dallas, TX. Not exactly in my area but about as close as I can get. Anyone care to share any experiences with this place?.

The course descriptions (Pistol I and Pistol II) look pretty cool, some actual experiences from this place would help in making my final decision. Basically I'm looking for something to re-inforce the basics and fix any technical problems that I have (grip, stance, trigger control, drawing, moving while firing).

I did use the search function and came up empty, sorry if this is a duplicate post.

vox rationis · January 15, 2008, 09:02 PM

Wow, never knew about this place, I'm gonna have to check it out, thanks for the info.

This is another training site in Texas run by one and only Paul Howe, the ex Delta Operator featured in Blackhawk Down. Have you heard anything about his training facility/courses?
http://www.combatshootingandtactics.com/

And there is this one near Forth Worth that sounds interesting.
http://www.tacproshootingcenter.com/index.html
I was planning to take a course at one of these places soon, but I might check out the one in Garland even sooner as it is basically a stone's throw away from me.

mjoy64 · January 15, 2008, 11:54 PM

Quote:

The course descriptions (Pistol I and Pistol II) look pretty cool, some actual experiences from this place would help in making my final decision. Basically I'm looking for something to re-inforce the basics and fix any technical problems that I have (grip, stance, trigger control, drawing, moving while firing).

Sigma,

I attended the Tactical Pistol I class back in November at the Tiger Valley location outside of Waco. The class was taught by T.J. Shilling and one other instructor whos name escapes me.

At that time I had just taken up IDPA (for about 3 months) and was looking to improve on my technique. Up until then I was pretty much self taught from reading books, shooting on my own, and what others would share with me (on how to improve) at the matches. I decided to attend the course for pretty much the same types of things you are looking for.

To summarize... I think you'll enjoy the class. I ended up shooting about 2K rounds over the weekend. The only classroom time was a short discussion (maybe 30 minutes) prior to going out to the range on the first day. I honestly don't remember all he covered in the discussion, but it was very general. I do believe we covered saftey, the basic operation of a semi-auto, the proper grip, and the isosceles stance (and why he teaches that stance over Weaver).

The following two days were all range instruction and shooting drills. All targets were steel. Here's my best recollection of what we covered:

Day 1

- From 3 yards (this is the only drill shot on paper targets), single shots trying to shoot the smallest group you can. Followed by same drill shooting a full magazine. I believe we covered trigger control here and the instructors were getting some idea of each students comfort level/capabilities.
- All other drills were shot from 10 yards or further.
- Shooting drills from low ready
- Draw from holster instruction and drills. Broke it down as a three step process: 1. Strong hand on gun, weak hand to center. 2. Bring gun to weak hand at center and up to eye level. Push gun out toward target and break shot as soon as you have sight picture.
- Transitions. Emphasized using the recoil dead time to make your transition. Don't wait to see/hear the hit. Come back and clean up misses.
- Single shot drills from holster on timer.
- Two shot drills from holster on timer.
- Six shot rhythm drills.

Day 2

- Warm up with all drills from Day 1.
- Prone out drills at 25 yards.
- Shooting while moving drills.
- Moving forward (Heal to toe)
- Moving backward (Step drag)
- Combo moving and transition drill. Walking down course w/ steel targets on each side finishing w/ one steel targe in the middle
- 180 drills. Draw from holster shoot target straight in front, shoot target 90 degrees left, shoot target 90 degrees right.
- Finished w/ moving target drills. Fun drill. Load all your mags to capacity and shoot 'em all at the moving target.

I'm sure I've forgotten some. Reloads were in there somewhere but I forget where. I enjoyed the class and I felt it was worth it. I would suggest bringing a soccer chair, sunscreen, bandaids (or something to help w/ blisters), and a cooler w/ water and food.

Sigma 40 Blaster · January 16, 2008, 07:32 AM

mjoy64,

The reasons you listed for taking the course are mainly why I'm looking for training. Been doing IDPA for a few months, made a lot of progress at first but have hit a plateau with marksmanship/speed and basically just looking for something to get my progress headed up again.

I don't shoot IDPA to win, more to practice for SD...so the real win I'm trying to get is about way more than moving up classes.

mjoy64 · January 16, 2008, 09:19 AM

Sigma,

I think this class would help you move toward breaking out of that plateau you speak of. It isn't magic, it's focused practice using good technique.

I shot my first IDPA qualifier shortly after taking the course and scored smack dab in the middle of the marksman range. While I was happy w/ my relative (perceived) improvement, for me... improvement is addicting. On top of that, I really, really like shooting in matches. Good fun!

All that leads me to the thought that shooting skill reminds me a lot of my journey years ago to be a better golfer. The more I played and practiced, the better I got. Given that, instead of shooting my one local IDPA match a month (along w/ some range outings), I've started shooting matches most every weekend now. I'm also shooting different style of matches. My new favorite is an "action pistol" match that is sort of an IPSC/IDPA hybrid.

Last weekend I had a breakout out of my plateau which I attribute some to training and much to more shooting experience. The biggest leap in better times (for me) came from shooting more consistently. I had the ability to shoot a stage fast here and there, but it always seemed to be combined with a couple of stages that I completely blew.

As an aside, I also purchased a couple of DVDs by Matt Burkett off of eBay to help me w/ my fundamentals and technique. I also got a Pact shot timer for Christmas. Good stuff.

Shooting skill is a perishable skill. Practice a lot and practice the right thing and you'll break that plateau. Attending the Tiger Valley class will help you in the right direction but it only starts there.

All IMO!

January 15, 2008, 07:10 AM	#1
Sigma 40 Blaster Senior Member Join Date: July 1, 2007 Location: East Texas Posts: 997	Anyone in DFW area taken training classes at Tiger Valley??? I've been looking for some professional training in my area and haven't been able to find any so I did some snooping and found www.tigervalley.com located in Dallas, TX. Not exactly in my area but about as close as I can get. Anyone care to share any experiences with this place?. The course descriptions (Pistol I and Pistol II) look pretty cool, some actual experiences from this place would help in making my final decision. Basically I'm looking for something to re-inforce the basics and fix any technical problems that I have (grip, stance, trigger control, drawing, moving while firing). I did use the search function and came up empty, sorry if this is a duplicate post.

January 15, 2008, 09:02 PM	#2
vox rationis Senior Member Join Date: April 15, 2007 Posts: 1,855	Wow, never knew about this place, I'm gonna have to check it out, thanks for the info. This is another training site in Texas run by one and only Paul Howe, the ex Delta Operator featured in Blackhawk Down. Have you heard anything about his training facility/courses? http://www.combatshootingandtactics.com/ And there is this one near Forth Worth that sounds interesting. http://www.tacproshootingcenter.com/index.html I was planning to take a course at one of these places soon, but I might check out the one in Garland even sooner as it is basically a stone's throw away from me.

January 16, 2008, 07:32 AM	#4
Sigma 40 Blaster Senior Member Join Date: July 1, 2007 Location: East Texas Posts: 997	mjoy64, The reasons you listed for taking the course are mainly why I'm looking for training. Been doing IDPA for a few months, made a lot of progress at first but have hit a plateau with marksmanship/speed and basically just looking for something to get my progress headed up again. I don't shoot IDPA to win, more to practice for SD...so the real win I'm trying to get is about way more than moving up classes.

January 16, 2008, 09:19 AM	#5
mjoy64 Member Join Date: May 30, 2007 Location: Central Texas Posts: 64	Sigma, I think this class would help you move toward breaking out of that plateau you speak of. It isn't magic, it's focused practice using good technique. I shot my first IDPA qualifier shortly after taking the course and scored smack dab in the middle of the marksman range. While I was happy w/ my relative (perceived) improvement, for me... improvement is addicting. On top of that, I really, really like shooting in matches. Good fun! All that leads me to the thought that shooting skill reminds me a lot of my journey years ago to be a better golfer. The more I played and practiced, the better I got. Given that, instead of shooting my one local IDPA match a month (along w/ some range outings), I've started shooting matches most every weekend now. I'm also shooting different style of matches. My new favorite is an "action pistol" match that is sort of an IPSC/IDPA hybrid. Last weekend I had a breakout out of my plateau which I attribute some to training and much to more shooting experience. The biggest leap in better times (for me) came from shooting more consistently. I had the ability to shoot a stage fast here and there, but it always seemed to be combined with a couple of stages that I completely blew. As an aside, I also purchased a couple of DVDs by Matt Burkett off of eBay to help me w/ my fundamentals and technique. I also got a Pact shot timer for Christmas. Good stuff. Shooting skill is a perishable skill. Practice a lot and practice the right thing and you'll break that plateau. Attending the Tiger Valley class will help you in the right direction but it only starts there. All IMO!