AAR: Ken Crawford, Nevada CCW / Fundamentals of Concealed Carry

[zombietactics]

LINK TO YOUTUBE REVIEW

After-Action Report
Nevada CCW / Fundamentals of Concealed Carry Powered by Combat Focus Shooting
w/ Ken Crawford, Instructor

On February 2, 2014 my wife and I braved the sub-freezing temperatures of Northern Nevada, and headed out to the Washoe County Regional Shooting Center. We have been pursuing CCW permits to cover all the states to which we commonly travel, and since Arizona recently ended their reciprocity with Nevada, we are in need of Nevada permits.

In case you haven't checked, there isn't exactly a lack of instructors holding Nevada CCW classes. A quick check of Google reveals all manner of cleverly-marketed programs, and you'll even see more than a few billboards if you find yourself in the Reno or Las Vegas areas. In most CCW classes you'll receive the bare-minimum of classroom and range hours, and shoot just enough to pass the qualification standards. Yes, you'll get your certificate and probably your CCW ... but no more. Given that this might be the only structured instruction that many gun owners receive, I've always found this approach lacking.

This is where Ken Crawford's approach shines by contrast. In addition to the same classroom material taught by almost everyone, we received top-notch self-defense oriented firearms instruction, based upon the principles of Combat Focus Shooting (CFS). Instead of a bare-bones range safety and static marksmanship session , we were taught to use a handgun efficiently to defend ourselves, in a manner consistent with what actually happens in a self-defense incident.

I've had exposure to the CFS program earlier, so some of this was going over old ground, but welcome as a refresher. My wife, on the other hand has had only a few days of square-range-oriented training elsewhere. For her, CFS was something of a minor revelation, as she came to understand how working with "what the body does naturally" resulted in improved shooting results. (Her qualification target shows some of the best shooting she's done to date).

Ken's a good instructor, and knows the program well. He seemed to be able to effortlessly find the balance between pushing towards better performance, and throttling it back to make sure everything was sinking in and well understood.

This is without reservation the best CCW class we've taken to date, and I'd recommend that anyone pursuing a Nevada permit look no further. This is the one you should take, and this should be how all CCW classes are taught.

[PawPaw]

Good! Glad you got something out of the training.