Review of Stage I Handgun, Louis Awerbuck, Pelham, NH

[andy t]

Stage I Handgun, Louis Awerbuck, Pelham, NH

9/8-9/10, 2006

I had the pleasure of spending the weekend of 9/8 - 9/10 attending Louis
Awerbuck's Stage I Handgun class in Pelham,NH.
The focus of the class was shooting problem diagnostic and engagement of irregularly shaped targets, culminating with the engagement of moving mannequins.
On the first day, after the introductions were finished Louis asked if there
were any shooters with an issue they knew. A few, including me, raised our
hands. Since I recently transitioned from a Glock 23 to a Walther P99C, I
noticed some anomaly with my shots from the P99C sometimes going low.
After a brief review of range protocol, it was time to head down to the
range.
Louis does not use markers for distance. However, we started
around 3-4 yards for the first string of fire. Surprisingly, my shots were
all right. One key point that Louis brought up - especially when dealing with
small targets - use the small target as an optical key. Do not get worked up
over its small size - that's a recipe for a miss. Just align the sights and
press the trigger. I came up with a phrase - think big and hit center. This is
probably a good way to sum up that idea.
Towards the middle of the day we started shooting at curved targets. This is
where angles come into play. Since the targets simulate bipeds (pc speak)
with curved body profiles, a hit that was good on a flat target can simply be
a graze or surface hit on a curved target, especially if the shooter is not head on. Therefore, strive for "deep" hits.
On day two we started shooting at "negative targets". These targets have
pieces of cardboard cut out, and you have to aim into the emptiness. They
make it clear if someone still has any issues left over. After the first
string I was shooting just below the hole. This was because I was aiming a
little lower, since I wanted to see the hole. When I changed my aiming point,
my hits improved. We also did drills with lateral movement while engaging the
negative targets.
After a few shooting strings, it was again my relay's turn. I went on the
line, drew, aimed and fired... "F*ck! where is my front sight?!!!!" Somehow
the front sight on my P99C separated. We organized a quick search party and
one of the guys found the #4 sight. I put about 500 rounds through the gun before the course with no problems. Unfortunately, I don't remember examining in detail whether the front sight had a screw through it or not during cleaning. A lesson learned however - always keep a spare front sight, and front sight screws for Glocks - since they use the same attachment system - and P99's.
Since my Glock was at home, I had no gun to go with. Luckily Doug from
NEShooters was kind enough to let me use his Kimber. This was the first time I used the M1911 weapons system for an extended period of time. It felt a
little large for me, but it handled well. The muzzle flip was even less than
on P99C, and it was fun stuffing the fat 0.45 rounds into the mag.
Despite different triggers, I did fairly well with the M1911.
As the dusk came around we geared up for the night shoot. Louis covered some
of the most common techniques including Harries, Ayoob, Rogers, neck hold,
and a few others I whose names escape me. I decided to try out the neck hold. It was
all right, however, I ended up blinding myself of my primary hand more than
once. Perhaps one of the disadvantages of neck hold is making sure the light
doesn't reflect too much off the gun hand.
On the last day the weather was cool and refreshing. I was using Glock 23.
We started off by shooting at the same targets as on day one and then did a number of front/back and lateral strings.
Afterwards Louis took us through the non-dominant hand draw stroke, kneeling shooting, and my favorite drill – shooting from retention followed by rearward diagonal movement and transition to two handed shooting.
After a break it was time for moving targets. Granted, it sounds more impressive than they really are, however, the moving mannequins taught a number of valuable lessons:
1. Angles.
2. Watch the backstop.
Also the height of an individual came into play here. A taller person could take a shot that a shorter one couldn’t and vice versa – because of the danger to the bystanders.
I have learned a lot over the three day course. Despite not using a large amount of ammo – I went through 500, my shooting has definitely benefited from the course.
This was the first time Louis was in the North East. Hopefully, he will be here again to offer his own unique perspective on the art and science of marksmanship.

I would like to thank everyone who attended the class.Special thanks to NEShooters for organizing this training. Thanks to Doug for allowing me to borrow his Kimber and complete the second half of Saturday.

Andrew.

 

[JimConway]

Awerbuck

Andy
it was a pleasure to shoot with you again, I must thank you for the kind comments about Neshooters. For this course most of the credit must go to Doug Robinson and Mike Nastek.

 

[JimConway]

Louis Awerbuck is a native of South Africa and did his military service in a special forces unit in the South African Defense Force before emigrating to the United States. He worked for a time at Gunsite under Col. Jeff Cooper and was Chief Rangemaster there when he left in 1987 to found his own business, the Yavapai Firearms Academy. He has written the books Hit or Myth: An analysis of practical range training for street preparedness, Tactical Reality: An Uncommon Look at Common-Sense Firearms Training and Tactics,More Tactical Reality:. Why There's No Such Thing as an "Advanced" Gunfight , and Defensive Shotgun: Tactics & Techniques and has also produced several video tapes. He writes regularly for SWAT magazine and in the past has written for Soldier of Fortune and other gun magazines. (My personal favorite book is "More Tactical Reality" )


We did all the shooting on YFA's proprietary silhouette target, available from www.speedwelltargets.com.The YFA target is done in tan disruptive-pattern camo with primary scoring zones in the head, upper chest, and pelvis. The target is printed on heavy card stock, and has reduced rifle and sight-in targets on the back.

Louis stressed the high degree of accuracy needed to actually get an incapacitating hit on the street in a real gunfight.

SHOT PLACEMENT: HOW BIG IS THE VITAL ZONE?
« The target area on the human head is about 6 inches by 6 inches. From the front, aim for the cranio-occular cavity -- the eye sockets are the best place. Aiming at the forehead may result in the bullet skipping off or not penetrating the skull. From the side, try to put the bullet into the ear canal.
« Adult males are about 19 inches tall from shoulder to waist
« Adult females are about 14 inches tall from shoulder to waist.
« The major difference in height between people is in the length of their legs.
« The width of the adult body nipple to nipple is 8 or 9 inches.
« If the target is standing sideways/bladed to you, the vital area may only be 3 or 4 inches wide, depending upon the angle.

When practicing defensive shooting on the range, strive for a 4 inch group. If the group is bigger than that, slow down and concentrate on your sights and trigger. If the group is smaller than that, speed up -- you're probably going too slow.

One of the interesting aspects of the course was the use of "negative targets". Irregular size holes were cut at various places on the cardboard target backers, and for a series of drills we were directed to shoot AT THE HOLE. That sounds pretty simple, but it's harder than it looks. It's also a good way to help diagnose shooters with a trigger jerk, or those who are "bucking" or "milking" the grip of the pistol at the moment it fires, because the errant shot is easy to find on the cardboard.

On the afternoon of day 3 we had an opportunity to shoot in several exercises on the mirage target system. (to see pictures and a description of the mirage target system, (http://www.yfainc.com/target.htm). In this case, the target had two plastic humanoid targets, dressed in T-Shirt and baseball hat, surrounded by "no shoot" targets. The targets can be manipulated to pivot around in a circle and back and forth, and they're also mounted on springs, to give movement in multiple directions. In the exercises we ran, one target was designated as a "no shoot" and the other as the suspect, a situation requiring deadly force was stipulated, and only a headshot on the hostile target would work to end the problem. Consistent with safety and the limitations of the backstop, we had some limited ability to move forward or laterally to get a proper angle to take a shot on the target as it was moving. We shot this target system individually and in 2 man teams.

Shooting at the mirage target was very interesting -- you had to track a moving target with your sights, be aware of the angles to get a good shot, and aware of the location of a bunch of "no-shoot" targets, one of which was also moving. (I particularly enjoyed this part of the training -- Louis had described the prototype version of the mirage target in his book Hit or Myth which came out in 1991. Both Jim Crews and Randy Cain use similar versions of this target system and it can become very difficult if the instructor has any sadistic tendencies

Louis stressed the importance of PROPER FOLLOW THROUGH during all exercises during the class. He feels that proper follow through is probably the most neglected fundamental of good shooting. He also stress a quick trigger reset which I am still trying to master.

I've taken a variety of different classes from different instructors over the last 10 years. Everyone teaches the basics in a similar way, but they all prioritize things in a different way, teach different variations in technique and run different kinds of exercises. I really enjoyed the YFA tactical handgun class and have requested that Louis come back in 2008 and he has agreed.

The wisdom of Louis Awerbuck: A few quotes:

"This is a basic class. I teach what I perceive to be the primary skills that you need to survive a confrontation. In an "advanced" class we polish the basic skills, teach some new skills, and have more challenging and complicated tactical exercises. That's the difference between the "basic" and "advanced" classes. There's no such thing as an "advanced" gunfight. We break the classes up that way so students know what to expect, but the reality is, the secret to "survival" in any gunfight is the performance of basic skills at a high level." --Louis Awerbuck

"I'll train you with the methods that I believe work best. If you have another technique that works for you, and it's safe, you go ahead and use it. It's not MY gunfight. It's YOUR gunfight. You select the techniques that work best for you. Whatever you do HAS to work. Everytime." --Louis Awerbuck

"Skill with a handgun deteriorates very quickly. Once your basic skills are well developed, you can probably go about three months and then pick up a shotgun or a rifle or a carbine and still shoot reasonably well. With a handgun, if you go three weeks or a month without shooting, you will probably find that your skills have deteriorated, at least a little bit. Frequency and quality of your practice is more important than how many rounds you fire." --Louis Awerbuck

"I don't care what kind of gun you have or what caliber it is or what kind of special magic bullets you load it with. Those things don't really matter all that much. Your weapon has to be reliable and you have to hit the target. You have to hit the target."
--Louis Awerbuck

"If you are instructing, don't over-coach your students. It's too distracting for them. Point out one thing to them and then leave them alone for a while to work it out." --Louis Awerbuck

"Shooting IPSC or IDPA matches is fine. It can be a lot of fun. Just remember, those targets have A zones and B zones and C zones and D zones. On the street, there is only the A zone. Train yourself to be accurate. Accuracy is more important than pure speed. You have to hit the target." --Louis Awerbuck

"We all like to shoot a lot. In reality, if you could shoot 50 rounds with your handgun in quality practice on a good practice drill every other week or so, that would be about enough to keep your hand in." --Louis Awerbuck

"None of us have all the money that we'd like to have. However, life is too precious and too short to risk it using cheap ammo to defend yourself." --Louis Awerbuck

"I like to carry auto pistols with a big magazine capacity. I like them to have lots of bullets. If you have small hands, a handgun with a high capacity magazine will probably be too big for your use. It will be too big for your hand and you won't be able to work the trigger properly." --Louis Awerbuck

"Never under-estimate the power of luck and good fortune. Gunfights are very dangerous. Once the bullets start flying, anything can happen. You can do everything right and still get killed. The best way to "win" a gunfight is to avoid being in one in the first place." --Louis Awerbuck