Training Never Ends

I wrapped up a two-day Urban Rifle class this weekend with John Farnam, one of the originators of the idea of the close-quarters AR-15. That class marks the end of my training for 2022, and what a year it’s been. Things started off with a two day class at Front Sight in Nevada, of all places. The training there is a bit (okay, a lot) outdated, with things like a hard Weaver stance and pinning the trigger on the menu, but the fact of the matter is, they train (or rather, trained) hundreds of people every month, which is something very few other schools can brag about. 

Another highlight of this year was taking classes from people who I’ve wanted to train with for a long time, including Fletch Fuller, Steve Anderson and Greg Elllifirtz. I also attended Tac-Con once again this year, where among other things, took in Ed Monk’s absolutely terrific lecture on countering an active shooter and Jon and Sarah Hauptmann’s brilliant lecture on effective concealed carry. 

All in all, I was able to take in 195 hours of training this year, an all-time high for me, and for that I am very grateful. Some of that training was so I could be a more competent marksman, but the vast majority was so that I could be a more effective instructor. 

And things don’t stop there, as I just signed up for my first class for next year, a one-day vehicle defense class with John Murphy (pictured above). I am a big fan of Murphy’s two-day Street Encounter Skills class, and I’m really looking forward to this class. Other highlights for next year will include getting certified to teach how to use OC spray from the people at Sabre Red and more instruction on how to introduce newcomers into a safe and effective armed lifestyle. 

The bottom line of all of this is that sometime around the middle of next year, I should pass 1000 hours of training. That just blows my mind, because I can still remember what it was like to start this journey, and it’s my sincere hope that each of you reading this will take at least a few steps down this path as well. It doesn’t have to be 1000 hours of training, it just has to be enough to save your life.