KR Training March 2025 Newsletter

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2025 UPDATE

We have scheduled most of the classes we plan to offer through June 2025, with a few May/June weekends left open so we can respond to student requests. Weekday private lessons are available with Karl at the A-Zone, by appointment on any gun, at any level on any topic we offer. Some classes on our calendar have already sold out and aren’t listed below.

Upcoming classes and events with space available:

    MARCH 2025

    PERSONAL TACTICS & FORCE ON FORCE SCENARIOS MARCH 22

    On Saturday, March 22 we will offer two classes back to back: Personal Tactics Skills and AT-2 Scenarios. These two classes are really part 1 and part 2 of a one day course, so we encourage people to take both if possible. The most common failure in a self-defense incident is decision making, not shooting skill.

    These courses develop decision making skill via a structure process that begins by answering the question “what should I do if…” for the most common situations, progresses by using the Image Based Decisional Drills classroom exercises, and provides hands on training in use of inert training pepper spray units.

    The afternoon course (AT-2 Scenarios) continues the training by running scenarios with live roleplayers using SIRT laser guns and Simunition marking pistols to give students opportunity to practice making the right choices. We only offer the AT-2 course twice a year (spring and fall), and it’s a required course for those wanting to complete their Defensive Pistol Skills Program challenge coin.

    This video from a 2005 episode of Shooting Gallery shows a sample “stop and rob” scenario similar to those in the AT-2 scenarios class.

    Both courses are suitable for anyone that has taken our Basic Pistol course or has their Texas carry permit. Often students will say they don’t feel “ready” for this type of training, thinking that better live fire skills training will make them more “ready”. It doesn’t. Shooting competitions where you run memorized sequences of targets does not develop the critical skill of making use of force decisions in real time. The carry permit course teaches the law but does NOT teach tactics or decision making.

    I believe that these two courses are the most important, most useful classes we offer and I encourage anyone that has not taken them to take advantage of this training opportunity.

    RED DOT PISTOL LEVEL 1 – MARCH 23

    Our level 1 Red Dot Pistol class provides instruction in these essential skills: selecting an appropriate red dot sight for defensive use, zeroing the sight, understanding the need for and use of backup iron sights, learning how to quickly find the dot when the gun comes from ready or holster to target, and automating the task of compensating for holdover (aiming high) for close range shots. A properly zeroed red dot sight will be “on” from 15-75 yards but will shoot low for closer shots.

    We have loaner red dot guns for those wanting to learn about red dot sights without investing in

    DEFENSIVE PISTOL SKILLS 2 and LOW LIGHT SHOOTING MARCH 23

    Due to low enrollment in the March 8 sessions we delayed the Defensive Pistol Skills 2 / Low Light Shooting 1 combo to March 23rd. DPS-2 is in the afternoon and Low Light shooting runs from 6-9 pm.

    Both of these courses are required classes in the Defensive Pistol Skills Training challenge coin program. DPS-2 continues where DPS-1 ends, improving student ability to draw from concealment, adding the skills of “armed movement in structures” (aka houseclearing) and shooting from cover. Students get a run in our live fire shoot house during DPS-2.

    This video shows me doing a live fire shoothouse run at the 2010 Rangemaster Tactical Conference held at the US Shooting Academy in Tulsa, OK.

    “Burglar in the nighttime” is the most common concern of the armed homeowner, yet very few ever do any low light practice or learn proper flashlight or weapon mounted light skills. Our course teaches those skills, including a low light shoot house run. This will be the only low light course we offer until October 2025.

    Here’s some video from a 2021 low light shooting course

    APRIL 2025

    MAY & JUNE 2025

      INTRO TO COMPETITION PISTOL – APRIL 19

      In May we will start up our summer match series, running USPSA-format matches on Wednesday nights. To kick off the summer match season we will offer our 6 hour Intro to Competition Pistol course. It explains the different types of handgun matches available in our area (USPSA, Steel Challenge, IDPA, Falling Steel, Glock Shooting Sports), provides coaching on competition specific skills (shooting, draws, reloads, one handed shooting and safe movement), and concludes with sample stages: IDPA classifier, plate rack (falling steel/Glock shooting sports), Steel Challenge, and a shoot house stage shot twice (IDPA and USPSA format). Shooting local matches is a great way to practice and improve your skills, and this course is the best way to get started in pistol competition.

      Here’s a video of USPSA Grand Master Cory K shooting a shoot house stage.

      GUEST INSTRUCTORS 2025 (check our schedule for more information)

      Courses marked with *** are classes that count toward the Defensive Pistol Skills Program challenge coin.
      Prices and registration links are at www.krtraining.com

      Click HERE to register for any class.

      STAFF & ALUMNI NEWS

      Karl was a guest on the Defenders Live podcast (episode to be released in March), and did a 10 minute interview on Tom Gresham’s nationally syndicated “Gun Talk” show.

      DISCOUNT CODES

      I have collected up all the discount codes we have set up with vendors we recommend. Alumni of KR Training classes will find them in the monthly e-news email. You’ll have to open the email and scroll to the bottom to find them. It’s a reward for actually opening and reading the email!

      REFRESHER DEALS

      Re-take any class you’ve taken before for half price! Contact me to get the alumni discount code. Firearms skills deteriorate without practice. Most ranges don’t allow drawing from a holster, shooting quickly, moving or shooting from cover. If you don’t practice the skills you learned in class, they won’t be there when you need them.

      BLOG O RAMA

      All the articles you missed if you don’t follow the KR Training Facebook page and Instagram feed. John Daub and Paul Martin have both stepped back from blogging, so at the moment Uncle Zo and I are the only KR Training staff actively writing. Some of my writing is being published on the NRA’s Shooting Illustrated website (one article linked below). Greg Ellfritz has been writing a lot recently, in addition to his Weekend Knowledge Dump, and I have included some of his recent articles here.

      MUSIC VIDEO OF THE MONTH

      Here’s a visualization video of one of my original songs: “It’s True” from my Respectable CD. The full album is available on iTunes, Spotify and many other streaming audio platforms. “It’s True” is a bluesy love song in the vein of The Band and the Allman Brothers. I’m playing lead guitar, keyboards and bass on this track, with Mike Riemann on drums. I’m singing lead, backed up by Aaron Roughton.

      FOLLOW US ONLINE!

      Keep up with the interesting articles, links, and stories we share in real time. Follow KR Training on Facebook, Instagram or X. Subscribe to this newsletter or follow this blog (right) for more frequent posts and information. Send me an email to schedule your private weekday training session.

      We look forward to training you!
      Karl, Penny and the KR Training team

      BOOK ORDERING LINK: https://blog.krtraining.com/kr-training-registration/