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car15a2 · April 23, 2007, 10:43 AM

I just returned from a two day tactical rifle class taught by Pat Goodale of Practical Firearms Training in Alderson WV. http://www.pgpft.com/info.htm

This was a private class with only 10 students, and as such each of us received a lot of personal attention.

The first morning was lecture in the classroom, including demonstration of positions and various techniques for moving into and out of position, plus the function and use of a tactical rifle. It was a lot to absorb, but Pat supplies you with a detailed outline that serves to refresh your memory when you review the material. The afternoon started off with equipment checks and zeroing, follwed by several shooting drills.

Day two was the meat of the course, with a lot of movement to contact drills, conventional and unconventional shooting postions, use of cover, shooting on the move, moving targets, and combinations of all of these techniques.

Overall I found this class extremely useful and enjoyable, and overall challenging. I have taken other tactical courses before, so a lot of the material was familiar to me, but plenty of it was different than that I learned in the past. It is good to have different perpectives on how to solve the same problem, and then choose that which suits the individual best.

One of the most important lessons I learned was just how quickly ones skills deteriate without constant practice. My training budget has dropped significantly over the last 2-3 years, and while I shoot semi-regularly, I have not practiced many skills I had acquired at considerable expense, and have therefore lost the edge I once had. I know my shooting sessions must become more frequent and better planned to retain training, rather than simple fun shooting.

Pat is a no nonsense guy, but he works to make the class enjoyable as he puts you through some occasonally grueling workouts (at least for out of shape 50 somethings).

I know I will return to PFT, and I reccomend it to anyone, regardless of their former level of training.

April 23, 2007, 10:43 AM	#55
car15a2 Junior Member Join Date: April 4, 2007 Posts: 2	I just returned from a two day tactical rifle class taught by Pat Goodale of Practical Firearms Training in Alderson WV. http://www.pgpft.com/info.htm This was a private class with only 10 students, and as such each of us received a lot of personal attention. The first morning was lecture in the classroom, including demonstration of positions and various techniques for moving into and out of position, plus the function and use of a tactical rifle. It was a lot to absorb, but Pat supplies you with a detailed outline that serves to refresh your memory when you review the material. The afternoon started off with equipment checks and zeroing, follwed by several shooting drills. Day two was the meat of the course, with a lot of movement to contact drills, conventional and unconventional shooting postions, use of cover, shooting on the move, moving targets, and combinations of all of these techniques. Overall I found this class extremely useful and enjoyable, and overall challenging. I have taken other tactical courses before, so a lot of the material was familiar to me, but plenty of it was different than that I learned in the past. It is good to have different perpectives on how to solve the same problem, and then choose that which suits the individual best. One of the most important lessons I learned was just how quickly ones skills deteriate without constant practice. My training budget has dropped significantly over the last 2-3 years, and while I shoot semi-regularly, I have not practiced many skills I had acquired at considerable expense, and have therefore lost the edge I once had. I know my shooting sessions must become more frequent and better planned to retain training, rather than simple fun shooting. Pat is a no nonsense guy, but he works to make the class enjoyable as he puts you through some occasonally grueling workouts (at least for out of shape 50 somethings). I know I will return to PFT, and I reccomend it to anyone, regardless of their former level of training.