KR Training assistant instructor Levi Nathan contributed this review of the recent FPF Training Concealed Carry Advanced Skills and Tactics course.
“We do not react to a situation, we respond appropriately.”
That was the phrase that burned itself into my memory as John Murphy of FPF Training said it with a loud and booming voice while discussing the topic when to use force. You *must* think and be able to articulate why you took the actions you did during the course of a fight. And his class was all about that.
(John Murphy spent a long weekend at KR Training, attending our Force on Force Instructor course on Friday, and assisting with the Defensive Pistol Skills 2 course, running the shoot house, and serving as a roleplayer in the AT-2 Force on Force scenario course on Saturday before teaching his course on Sunday.)
We gathered at the A-Zone Range owned by Karl Rehn of KR Training in Manheim TX. Mr. Murphy did a quick role call and we got started.
First item of the day was watching a few short videos and having a class discussion afterwards. We then transitioned into a Stop The Bleed course, OC (pepper spray) skills and Mr. Murphy’s take on Managing Unknown Contacts (MUC first coined by Craig Douglas of Shivworks).
We had a short break for lunch and then we headed to the range. The range portion was extremely informational. All the videos we had watched, MUC skills and discussions about accuracy under stress came together. Shooting drills were often very short, extremely fast paced, timed and some data or metric was being collected. My personal favorite part was when we got to draw, fire 2 shots at a 4 inch group at 3 yards. Using a timer, you were told exactly what your draw to first shot, your split time and then final shot was and if needed, critique on your drawing or shooting technique. I was pleased to learn how to control split times down to the quarter second, it wasn’t easy, but I learned how.
It all came together seamlessly. I doubt anyone questioned why we were shooting small groups at fast paces under stress, because that’s how most gun fights for armed citizens go. Another key point is Mr. Murphy knew when to tell spicy jokes and when to be completely serious.
An unexpected but welcome training technique was, at random times (when guns were in holsters and no one was on the firing line), he would start yelling “RIGHT LEG TOURNIQUET! RIGHT LEG TOURNIQUET!” until everyone clued in and put a TQ on their leg. It was timed. Not everyone completed the task successfully but it was homework.
Overall I highly recommend this course to anyone who is thinking of getting training. If you are competent at drawing from concealment and can hit a 5 inch group at 5 yards in 5 seconds, then take this course. It will be an overview of all the street skills you need for EDC and it will help you find what you are good at, if you can articulate your actions and what you can improve upon.
10/10 will train with John again.
(KR Training will be hosting FPF Training again in 2021, details to be announced later this year. FPF Training is hosting KR Training’s Advanced Handgun course June 13, 2020. FPF Training hosts their own classes and traveling trainers at their Culpepper, VA facility and teaches many road courses at locations all over the US. Visit their site for more information.