Introduction to Defensive Pistol
Introduction to Defensive Pistol
Class Level: BeginnerClass Type: Live Fire
Class Length: Approximately 2 hours
Prerequisites: Handgun Marksmanship Fundamentals Recommended
Student Provided Equipment: The student will be expected to have a reliable handgun and serviceable ammunition. A semi-automatic or a revolver is acceptable and any common handgun caliber is acceptable (no rifle caliber handguns). No holster is needed but we recommend at least two magazines or revolver loading devices (speed loaders, speed strips, moon clips, etc).
Round Count: 130-150
Introduction to Defensive pistol is our beginner class that takes students from a focus on accuracy to a focus on balancing speed and accuracy. When a handgun is being used for self defense the most critical skill a person needs is being able to make fast accurate hits at typical defensive shooting distances. Perfect hits and small groups are great, but in the context of self defense a person must learn to balance good enough accuracy with fast enough performance.
The drills we shoot in this class are all designed with this balance in mind. We will work on rapidly acquiring sights, pressing the trigger quickly without upsetting the sights, and controlling recoil to make follow up shots faster.
Equipment
Students will need to supply a handgun and ammunition for this class. We strongly encourage students to take this class with whatever handgun they intend to use for protection, either in the home or for carry. For this reason, we recommend using a defensive caliber handgun (at least a .380 but 9mm is better). You can take this class with a .22LR handgun, but we do not recommend the .22LR caliber for self defense.All shooting in this introduction class will be done from the low ready inside the shooting stalls. No holster is needed. A magazine carrier isn’t needed but at least two magazines or revolver loading devices are needed to keep the pace of the class moving on schedule.
The Range
Our classes always begin with a safety brief. Once on the range we will start with a refresher and warm up on marksmanship fundamentals. After that we will dive straight into drills designed to improve speed. After some time is spent on the techniques that will support faster shooting, we introduce a timer so that students can evaluate their performance and gauge improvement against a standard.The round count for this class is 130 to 150 rounds. We will do a fair amount of dry practice during the live fire sessions to reinforce good habits and help shooters make the proper techniques ingrained. The goal is good repetition to make the shooter’s habit the proper technique. We will use live fire to confirm results. Shooters will have some latitude in the number of rounds fired as we understand that ammo cost is a significant factor.
The Skills Evaluation
At the end of this class we will have a skills evaluation that will include time pressure. Time pressure is new to most shooters, even those with experience, if they have not engaged in competitive shooting or defensive pistol training. The standards for this test will not be excessively difficult, as this is a beginner level defensive pistol course. They are merely a gauge for whether the student is ready to advance to our next class, Defensive Pistol 1 – Fundamentals.Register For This Class Here