I apologize ahead of time for any vagueness, omissions, or mistakes in the AAR, as my notes are a bit incomplete, low-light environments make my already atrocious handwriting even worse, and the large amount of discussion that arouse organically during the free-form portions of the course.
Tactical shooting requires agile and adaptive thinkers able to handle the challenges of full spectrum operations in an era of persistent conflict. To meet this requirement, TAPS delivers a comprehensive, systematic, progressive Train-the-Trainer shooting program focused on fundamental mastery and built for Law Enforcement officers, military, and qualified civilians. Designed for leaders and trainers, the TAPS course also applies to the patrol-level officer, basic level Soldiers, and civilian self & home defense minded shooters. The approach to instruction is through coaching and mentorship and both demonstrates and transfers a training method that is safe, effective, combat relevant. It encourages a continuous thought process that demands accountability.
Training is conducted on the range both day and night and focuses on advanced refinement of the basic fundamentals of marksmanship as applied to the side arm. Utilizing a building block learning model, TAPS combines the pressures and dynamics of competitive shooting and tactical application. While course of instruction is on the firing range, the TAPS training approach also translates into training venues outside the range.
This is my twelfth formal pistol-oriented course, including those that were more oriented toward low-light, vehicles, and combatives. I have also had some coursework in edged weapons, long gun, and medical. Almost all the courses I have attended have been taught by nationally reputable instructors. Like the last few classes I had taken, this was hosted by Matthew Shockey of Falcon Tactical http://www.falcontactical.net.
I used an H&K P30LS with the Grayguns Reduced Reset Carry Perfection Package carried in condition 1, with X400 Ultra - Green laser/light mounted with the DG-11 and zeroed for 25 yards using Speer Gold Dot 124 gr. +P. Sight used was a Trijicon RMR RM06 mounted by L&M Precision, also zeroed for 25 yards, with a Dawson Precision suppressor height tritium front sights and Ameriglo suppressor height rear sight mounted behind the RMR. Lube was Slip 2000 EWL, magazines were modified with Taylor Freelance Border Special +5 magazine extensions with the included Wolff springs (first generation baseplates loaded only up to +4), carried using a Kytex Shooting Gear open top magazine carriers. Holster used was a lightly modified RCS Phantom using IWB soft loops. Round count at the start of the class was at 5535.
I ran the course basically in my EDC outfit, though they differed due to the drastically different weather on the two training days. The gun was conceal carried in the appendix position, the cover garment being an Arc’teryx LEAF Naga on TD1, and a size small t-shirt on TD2; while I wore jeans and Converse Chuck Taylor IIs on TD1, I switched to OR Ferrosi pants and Salomon GTX trail runners on TD2, due to concerns about possible inclement weather. I also carried the rest of my EDC, which included a SFB, folder, SOFTT-W, multitool, phone, Surefire E1B (slightly modified with a zip tie and two Scünci No Damage elastic hair bands to form a jury rigged lanyard), etc. PPE used were Oakley M-Frames 3.0, Oakley Radars, and MSA Sordin Supreme Pro-X with gel earpads and OC Tactical headband.
Patrick McNamara was the primary instructor. There were ~20 students in the class, including a number of LEOs. Student firearms choices included several H&Ks, a classic series SIG, an M&P, and a plethora of Glocks, including several highly modified ones, such as a Roland Special and an Agency Arms NOC. Pat shot a highly modified Glock 19. Many of the students also had WMLs, mostly Surefire and Streamlight. I also saw at least one more laser-equipped gun besides my own. There were also several red-dot equipped handguns, all utilizing RMRs. Student handhelds were quite varied, but Surefire was well-represented. Most students were open carrying strong side OWB, including a few LEOs using duty rigs.
Class started at 1400 on TD1. Weather was fairly chilly (for SE Texas), starting at about 50 °F, with overcast skies and some wind, and reaching the mid-40s °F after sunset, which was about ~1730.
We started out with Matt, the range host, going over some basic medical issues, such as designating a primary and secondary on-scene medical provider, establishing an EMS staging area, etc. We also went over some basic range issues, such as restrooms, etiquette inside the lodge, etc.
Pat then went over his own bio. He is a retired member of the military, and spent a number of years in SOF, before retiring from the military in 2008, and has been teaching ever since (though he started teaching before he even left the military). Pat then stated his appreciation for the challenges of modern day LE, given the ambiguity of the situations LE often has to respond to, and the increasingly litigious society, in which one is often damned if one does, and damned if one doesn't. On the civilian concealed carry side, Pat spoke about the responsibility that each one of us as CCWers had, it order to better serve both ourselves and our communities, and that we should be carrying where ever we are legally allowed to, while also obeying any and all laws that restrict our abilities to carry; while this is not such a huge issue in Texas and the surround states, Pat noted that there can be huge differences between carry and transport laws in some areas of the USA.
Pat then gave a short overview of the class itself. This was a TAPS pistol course that incorporated low-light shooting portions; fundamentals are key in any TAPS course, and Pat actively incorporates some level of ambiguity into the class to encourage critical thinking upon the student's part. He noted that since this was an open enrollment course, there will of course be skill disparities (this particular class had novice shooters all the way up to a production GM), which he does not see to be a huge issue for his type of teaching. This is because he emphasizes performance-based training, rather than the traditional model of outcome-based training. Pat stated that this dichotomy in training techniques could be applied to almost any discipline, and not just shooting. With the use of performance-based training, the skill disparity between students no longer a major hindrance to teaching, as the expectation is on incremental improvements on self-set standards.
For Pat, it is also important to avoid a flat range mentality, as it tends to restrict thinking and allow people to make unrealistic assumptions. He also encourages discourse between the students and the instructor; however, he does note that he what he teaches is grounded in his experience, and so one should be prepared to properly defend their assertions should they have an alternating POV.
Finally, Pat finished off with a basic idea on training in general, that if one does what one's always done, one will simply get what one's always gotten.
Pat next went over his own safety brief. For him, there are 4 basic rules of gunhandling. The first rule is to always know the status of your weapon. Pat dislikes the more mainstream wording, which states that a firearm is always loaded; this obviously can't be true, otherwise dry fire wouldn't be done. One can visually and/or tactilely confirm a firearm is unloaded. While this rule might make sense for teaching to young children, it makes little sense to impose such a blanket statement on a firearm's status to responsible adults. Pat also noted that this applies to the flip side; don't mistake your gun for being loaded when it's not. This is something he's seen many times on the line, where a shooter will attempt to shoot a drill on an empty chamber.
The rest of the three basic rules were much more aligned closely with their traditionally worded counterparts. The second rule was to keep the finger off the trigger until an acceptable sight picture is found; this allows for prepping of the trigger even before a perfect sight picture. The third rule is to not muzzle anything you're not willing to shoot. The fourth rule is to know the conditions around the target, both in front and behind, along with to the side. Pat notes that this last rule is particularly important for long guns, due to the extended ranges they can be shot at.
Next up was the fundamentals of marksmanship. According to Pat, too many people have a tendency to say too much, and thus introduce too much minutia, tripping up students; a classic example is the old 70/30 grip ratio theory. Does this mean that if someone grips at 65/35, they have an unacceptable grip? Will a 60/40 grip ratio get them killed? This train of thought becomes something of a recurring theme throughout the course.
The first fundamental is stance. Pat states to simply do what works; allow the body to naturally find its position of comfort for standing. The second fundamental is grip. One should find a grip that works for multiple shots; most gunfights do not end after a single shot, so do not work with a grip that falls apart after the first shot. Grip the strong hand up as high as possible, and then whatever left over regions of the handgun's grip that is left uncovered, use the weak hand to cover the remainder. One can also cant the weak hand forward, to create more stability. The third fundamental is presentation, which is how the gun moves from the ready position to the firing position. Pat prefers to have his presentation be as flat as possible, with the grip getting tighter and tighter as it reaches the firing position. It should be a smooth action, and not a thrust. The fourth fundamental is sight alignment, which is nothing more than equal height, equal light relationship between the front and rear sights. The fifth fundamental is trigger control. Pat argues for as much finger as possible on the trigger. He feels that the use of splitting the distal flanges is nothing more than institutional anachronism. He related a story in which he was attempting to learn how to shoot a Glock before teaching a class, and he noticed that while his groups were good in size, they were all to the left of the target. He had a friend in the AMU that recommended that he used as much finger as possible; the AMU friend stated that he was using so much trigger finger that he could hit the magazine release with his trigger finger. Pat found this method to work quite well across a broad range of hand size and hand strength; he noted that while there are other methods that work well for some people, he preferred to teach a method that worked well for almost everyone. He also noted that trigger control is ultimately the most important of the fundamentals; for him, due to his age, his sights are no longer easily seen, but he is still able to accurately put rounds on target due to his excellent trigger control.
I found Pat's idea on the presentation strikingly similar to Todd Louis Green's concept of a press-out, though this was not mentioned in the course. While the press-out can often seem slow, both Pat and Todd showed that it could be shot at a very high level of speed.
Pat then went over the first drill, which was simply a drill he wanted to use to allow us to focus on the fundamentals. Shooters start at the 7 yard line, and shoot a single shot at the IPSC target from the low ready. After the first shot, use the bullet hole as the POA for the rest of the shots. Decock or safe the handgun between each shot, if running double action or a safetied handgun. This would be done for an entire magazine, with no time limit. Pat demoed the drill for us, emphasizing each fundamental.
I was able to shoot a decent group, with just one ragged hole, albeit one that was kinda big.
Pat then pulled us in, after finishing the drill, and stated that over two-thirds of the students failed to shoot the drill as explained. He talked a bit about methods of instructions; the most fundamental way of learning if vicarious learning, which is learning by doing. The next level is introspection-based, where one actually thinks about what one is doing, and can self-improve. Pat likes to walk the line during drills, and see recurring themes, and then discuss what he saw with the class, rather than call out people one by one; he felt that people learn better if it comes from a self-realization, rather than being told directly what their issue was.
One of the major issues he saw was that two of the students left their fingers on the trigger during the ready positions, which is a huge no-go. He also saw that many shooters had excessive muzzle flip during this drill, which suggested that they had a poor grip. There were also many shooters that ran the drill very fast, which suggested that they did not check their work through their sights; one should always have proper follow through, ending with two sight pictures, so that one is always ready for the next shot. There were also a number of shooters that exhibited poor trigger control. Pat stated that one should have a steady squeeze of the trigger, rather than trying to yank through the wall at the end; he equated it to pulling the trigger at a steady 5 MPH all the way through, rather than going at 5 MPH and then suddenly yanking it to 25 MPH at the end. Pat noted that when given the opportunity to go slow, there is no reason to not go slow. Finally, he told use to not accept mediocrity.
For the next drill, the same parameters were held, except that instead of a single shot, we would be doing controlled pairs. Pat also demoed this.
Again, I was able to maintain a decent group. I was also much more cognizant of taking in the last sight picture before dismounting the gun; I think I had been doing it the first time around, but this time I made a conscious decision to do so.
We then reshot the drill, but this time as a single shot, from the holster. Pat started out with some talk about the the draw procedure. He stated that the support hand should always be in the same place during a draw. Personally, he has found that a support had that's up higher in the chest during the draw allows for a higher, flatter presentation overall. While this generally does not improve speed very much, Pat has found it to improve first round accuracy, it it allows one to prep the trigger sooner. Regardless of the overall speed of the draw, the presentation should be slowing down toward the end. Pat also told us about something Rob Leatham had told him, that the best draw stroke is one that looks like holstering in reverse; people don't do the scoop, or fishing, or the Bow-flex during reholstering, so why do it on the draw?
Pat stressed that we should be building repetitions to gain subconscious levels of proficiency. A gunfight is about tactics, so being forced to think about gunhandling during gunfight will take away time and energy to think about tactics, as people are inherently poor multitaskers.
Again, Pat demoed this, while verbally emphasizing trigger control throughout his whole magazine.
Once again, no issues, just concentrating on the follow-through.
For the last of the basic drills, we then did SHO draws with single shots. Pat listed several reasons to practice one-handed shooting. The first is the simple fact that one-handed shooting helps improve two-handed shooting quite a bit. The second reason is that many gunfights do go to one-handed shooting, whether it be due to injuries, having to manipulate other objects (e.g., other people, handheld lights, etc.), or for stability issues (e.g., splaying out during a fall). Pat suggested for greater stability, one should consider stepping into the draw, so that there is some slight blade, with the leg forward on the same side as the hand shooting; this allows for less tension in the shoulders, and thus affects the natural point of aim less. When asked about whether or not the cant the gun, Pat said that he just did what came naturally, which meant that for him, the was no cant when shooting with his right, but that there was a slight cant when shooting with his left.
As expected, my groups opened up a little here, but at the end of it all, I had a probably a ~3" group overall.
After having everyone tape up everything outside of the A-zone, Pat then gave us the next course of fire, which would introduce a timer. Pat admitted that the timer was nowhere near the stress of a gunfight, but it is nevertheless invaluable for its ability to introduce snippets of pressure.
This next course of fire is what Pat called the 5 Second Standards. There are three strings of fire, each with a 5 second par time: 2 from the ready, 2 from the draw, and 2 from the draw SHO. Only A-zone hits counted. Distance starts at 7 yards, which Pat terms level 1, and as one runs the standard clean, push the distance back. level 2 is 10 yards, while level 3 is 15.
I was able to run all three levels clean.
After running the 5 second standards through level 3, Pat then noted that this drill was most definitely an outcome-based drill. Paradoxically, Pat has found that most people tend to do better at the drill once they let go of chasing the time. He also notes that it is far better get all good hits on target, and miss the 5 second par time, than to shoot within the par time, but have all misses. Pat then told us his nickname for this drill: "I don't want to tape". Pat also noted that people have a tendency to miss the second shot, due to attempting to rush it. He also used misses as a teaching point, that it is fine to fail in training, so long as corrections are made, and one does not dwell on the failure and thus waste time agonizing over something that's already done. As a reminder, he told us that this is an excellent time to start really checking the condition of one's weapon before starting the drill, as it's free; there is no reason to come up and attempt to start a timed drill on an erroneously empty chamber. Pat also stressed the importance of breathing; unless one takes the time to breath during drills, one is liable to start holding their breath during a real gunfight.
We taped up the targets again, and then ran the 5 Second Standards again, this time all the way to 20 yard, level 4.
I was able to run all four levels clean. Pat also noted that about half the class improved from their first run, which was always a good thing.
Pat then went over the Einstein drill, named so due to one of Albert Einstein's quotes ("One should not pursue goals that are easily achieved. One must develop an instinct for what one can just barely achieve through one's greatest efforts."). Essentially, at 7 yards, one picks a target zone off of the IPSC target that one think they can hit within 2.5 seconds, from the draw. However, one should strive to at least try to improve, so one should try to do better than the target zone picked; e.g., Pat picked the entire head of the IPSC target, but attempted to keep all shots within the credit card box.
Pat had us break up into four groups, with each group having their own timer, with the par time set to 2.5 seconds. These were student groups that were kept for the remainder of the class, which we often broke into when we needed to time each other, rather than having Pat run multiple lines. We all either drew the target zone out on the target with a marker, or simply told the person timing us what we were going to aim for. This was done for a total of five shots.
I had picked the entire head, but was aiming for the credit card box. My times ranged between ~2 to ~2.25 seconds, which is slower than usual, but I was attempting for maximum accuracy, rather than speed.
Pat noted that this drill is essentially impossible to max out, as one can just simply change the time allowed or the size of the selectable targets. It is also an excellent drill to run for groups with wide skill disparities.
Pat then demonstrated how one can present slower, and yet go very fast. The key was to break the shot as soon as one reaches the end of the presentation, without having to reconfirm the sight picture, since one should have been refining that the entire time during the presentation. Even with draws that seemed extremely slow, Pat was hitting the credit card box under 2.25 seconds.
We then ran an accuracy test, in which we shot from the 15 yard line, with 5 shots two-handed, 5 shots SHO, and 5 shots WHO. Pat suggested for WHO, one can try closing the strong side eye and using the weak side eye, even if it's the non-dominant eye.
I did not shoot as well as I had hoped, though I managed to keep everything within the A zone.
After the accuracy test, we then ran the infamous Pick Your Poison drill. Each shooter will pick the maximum number of points that they start with; if one chooses 150 points, each shot outside the A zone is a -10; if one chooses 140 points, each shot outside the A or C zone is a -5 (COM zones, only, credit card box does not count as A zone); if one chooses 130 points, each shot off the target is -1. There are ten shots at the 20 yard line, two-handed, then ten shots at the 15 yard line SHO, then ten shots at the 10 yard line WHO; no time limit. Pat advised us to choose wisely, given the results of the accuracy test we had just performed. This drill would be run twice, once for practice, while the second time would be for the Third Semi Biannual Eagle Lake Range Pick Your Poison Johnny Ringo Memorial National Championships, with the winner receiving an official TMACS INC Certificate of Victory, and an S3F Glock 19 barrel if the shooter used a Glock. In case of a tie, a roll of tape will be centered over the A in the A zone and the number of hits will be counted there.
4 students got a full 150 on the practice run, while only 2 did on the championship run; over half was able to shoot the drill clean on the point value they picked for the practice run. I picked 150 both times, and was able to clean it for both practice and for the championship; I was also usually the last person to finish on the SHO and WHO strings, sometimes by a considerable margin, as my relative lack of upper body strength meant that I was often taking just one shot, before putting the gun back down to rest and breath. My shot group was tight enough for me to win the Certificate of Victory, being the top shooter for this drill.
At this point, 1715, we broke for dinner.
Some of the students went to town for dinner, while others had paid for dinner at the lodge, which were fajitas tonight. Like any meal cooked by Nolan, the range owner, it was delicious.
We resumed class at 1815.
Pat went over his choice in sights. While he finds fiber optics to be excellent daytime sights, he did not think them to be duty ready due to breakage issue and inability to be used effectively in many low-light situations. He personally runs Trijicon HDs, which allow him to track the sights fairly well during the day time, due to the high visibility front sight, while also allowing him to work in low-light, particularly when working without a white light, which is his preference in a home defense scenario, as he felt that he his knowledge of the layout of his house gives him a distinct positional advantage, one that would be lost if he utilized white light.
In terms of equipment, Pat personally ran a Streamlight handheld with a large o-ring attached to it, so that he could easily draw it from his weak side pocket, and manipulate the light as needed (a similar concept to the Raven Concealment Systems pocket clips for Surefire lights, which also have an o-ring). He preferred to use a graduated clicky system, and simply learning how to avoid putting the light in constant on based off of tactile feedback of the clicky, in order to use the light in momentary. For concealed carry, Pat personally did not carry a handgun with a WML, as he preferred to run as slick as possible, to maximize mobility and flexibility for empty-hand confrontations. He did have a Streamlight MicroStream with a Rogers Rail Light adapter that could easily be installed onto the gun; while it has only limited output, it should still suffice for some form of PID.
For the remaining courses of fire of the night, Pat encouraged us to run our EDC and/or duty outfits as much as possible, to work out any kinks that might exist for low-light shooting. For once, there were multiple people at the class that ran WMLs as part of their EDC.
We then attempted to shoot 10 rounds at the targets completely off of ambient lighting, starting at the 7 yard line, simply to see what we were capable of with our guns, in the dark (the overcast sky limited the moonlight available). Pat stated that at 7 yards, with slow fire, we should still be able to get good hits on target, given how close we were to the targets.
I had swapped out my practice gun with my carry gun during dinner, and forgot to swap it back, so I accidentally shot three rounds of Speer Gold Dot 124 gr. +P here; I had been pleasantly surprised by the relatively low flash of my ammo, before I realized that it wasn't practice ammo. The three shots I did shoot were all within 3" of the center of the A zone.
We then tried the same thing at the 10 yard line.
I had turned my RMR to auto-adjust for this, as otherwise the dot would completely wash out my vision (I usually keep it at 6 out of 8). For whatever reason, it was noticeably easier to see the targets of the shooters to my left and right than my own, once my gun had been presented; I assume this had something to do with the fact that the RMR was reducing the amount of light being transmitted to my dominant eye, while my non-dominant eye simply wasn't projecting the target into my head. Still, I was able to keep all 10 rounds in the A zone; it was exceedingly easy to adjust for windage and elevation of the gun itself, to hit where I was aiming at, as I could simply center the RMR dot over my tritium front sight, and adjust windage based on what I knew to be close to the proper offset, based on experience; the only hard part was to figure out where to aim.
After that, we then tried to shoot 10 rounds in purely ambient light at the 15 yards.
At this point, I really couldn't see where my target was, after presenting the gun out; I aimed strictly at the perceived middle point between the targets of the shooters on my right and left; I was able to keep all my rounds in the A, with one in the C, with a slight left bias.
We then pushed it all the way back to 20 yards.
Like at 15, my POA strictly based off of the position of the targets to my left and right. I was able to keep seven hits in the A zone, and three in the C, this time with no bias.
Pat then spoke a little about the various handheld positions. He was not a fan of the Harries, primarily because he did not like having the weak hand being tied up to the strong hand like that. He also was not a fan of the FBI technique (free hand light hold above and to the left of the body), as that then places the hand way far off the body; it also has the admittedly theoretical issue of placing your body to the low-left of the light, which would possibly make one more likely to be hit by poor shooters trying to shoot at the light. Instead, Pat generally utilizes a jaw index.
We then ran through the 5 second standards once again. Pat noted that for students running handhelds, all the drills had turned into SHO; one could also incorporate drawing of the handheld for the strings of fire that stipulated drawing the handgun from the holster. The SHO only string also meant that for those that could not manipulate the WML one-handed, ideally they'd have to shoot with a handheld (for the purposes of the drill). It was run at both level 1 and level 2 (7 yards and 10 yards).
While I cleaned the standards on both levels, most people did not. The DG switch made WML activation trivial.
Now that we had one run under out belts, we re-taped the targets, and ran the 5 second standards once again, but moved all the way to level 3 this time (15 yards).
This time, many people were able to clear level 2, which showed excellent improvement for the class. I personally was able to clear all three levels.
After taping, we then ran a set of drills designed simply to generate our own data on our own abilities, while also preparing us for another drill down the line. The first drill was to simply draw and shoot as fast as possible, and still be able to guarantee a single shot in the A zone at 7 yards, repeated three times. The second was to start with our backs to the target, but do the same thing. The third drill was to step to the left, while accomplishing the same thing.
Beyond the oft-cited potential to reset an aggressor's OODA loop and the possibility to move further off an aggressor's line of fire, particularly if they end up shooting low left, Pat has also found that some people actually draw and hit faster when doing the side step, compared to simply standing there. He is unsure as to why this occurs; his theories include the idea that people think and react more efficiently while in motion (something sports psychologist have apparently found), along with a possible increase of confidence while moving. Pat emphasized to for us to not take his word for it, but to actually try it out and see for ourselves if any improvements were seen.
My flat-footed draws were 1.90, 2.04, and 2.03. My draws incorporating the turns were 2.18, 2.19, and 2.29. My side-step draws were 1.91, 2.34, 2.08. Thus, I did not see any improvements during the side-step; however, over half of the class did.
We then taped up the targets, and then marked certain ones to create the set-up needed for the next class; the targets were grouped into 5s, and the far left and far right targets were marked. This next drill was simply a target transition drill, where each shooter would draw, shoot one of the targets on the far side (did not matter left or right), transition to the other far target and shoot, and then transition back to the first target shot; this would continue for a total of five shots per run, with all hits in the A zone, standing 7 yards from the center (unused) target. Each shooter would have a chance to run this twice.
Pat noted that the eyes have to lead, with the sights following, particularly in low-light, since it is far more difficult to cheat the transitions, as there is much less usable peripheral vision. He suggested using the body as a turret, twisting the waist or even at the knees, but keeping the upper torso, particularly the arms, to be in line with the target as usual.
On my first run, I ended up dropping a shot to the left into the C on my fourth shot; my time was 6.15. My second run was a 5.98 clean.
Pat then talked about reloads; when doing a handgun reload without any kind of retention, four things should happen at the same time. There should be a breaking of the grip/position (to get the gun into one's workspace), dropping of the magazine, sweeping the weak hand toward the centerline to access the fresh magazine, and a focal shift from the sights to the magwell. For handguns, Pat stated that the bullets should be facing forward while carried on the belt (rifle magazines, he's more ambivalent about). After inserting the magazine, the focal shift should move from the magwell, to the threat, to the sights.
We then ran the El Prez Lite three times. Unlike the regular El Presidente, this was shot at 7 yards, with the targets basically standing next to each other, so the transitions aren't as wide. The shooter still starts with their backs to the target, and upon hearing the timer go off, turns, draws, shoots each target twice, reloads (does not have to be slide lock), then re-engages each target twice. All hits must be in the A zone; any hits outside of the A zone is an automatic fail, and no time is given to the shooter, something that Pat insisted on for most of the timed drills run for the remainder of the course. This drill was run twice.
My first run I had an 11.46, which could had been improved upon if I hadn't of bobbled my reload. On my second run, I ran out of ammo after my reload; I did not realize that my reload magazine was so low, as I was setting it up so that I would run into slide lock after the 6th shot. My third run went smoother mechanically, but I ended up throwing two shots.
Overall, only a few people improved from the first run to the second run on the El Prez Lite. Pat argued that this was a result he often saw because people started chasing times, which reverts back to an outcome-based outlook. An obsession with the outcomes would have a tendency to block one's ability to perform. He noted that one should be realistic about one's ability to perform, and not try to chase the performance of those at a higher level (particularly in classes where there are large skill disparities between the students), but merely be concerned about one's own ability to have incremental improvements. As he put it, one should find one's own home, and make small improvements to it over time, rather than trying to move directly into someone else's home.
Thus, we ran the El Prez Lite three more times.
On my first run, I had a 10.87 clean. Once again, I bobbled the reload, but then figured out why. I had positioned my second mag carrier in front of the first, so in theory it should be faster to reload from; however, due to the positioning of my Clinch Pick, I was not able to get a good index on the magazine, and would bobble the reloads consistently. I moved my second magazine pouch toward the back, mostly as an admin reload, for the remainder of the course. My second run was a 9.44, my third was a 9.04.
Pat then quickly summarized what drills were run for the day.
Class ended at this point, at 2105.