Best value in Training?

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Paladin
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Best value in Training?

#1

Post by Paladin »

Curious what everyone believes is the best money they spent on training? Something you got a lot of value from, for a bargain price.

Was it a class that had amazing price-to-performance? Some training book or DVD? A training aid you use at home? Something free online?
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oljames3
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Re: Best value in Training?

#2

Post by oljames3 »

Paladin wrote:Curious what everyone believes is the best money they spent on training? Something you got a lot of value from, for a bargain price.

Was it a class that had amazing price-to-performance? Some training book or DVD? A training aid you use at home? Something free online?
The best I ever had was when my uncle paid me to go to an 8 week course in MO that taught me discipline, marksmanship, and improved my physical fitness. But most importantly, this course, and the follow-on 8 weeks in OK, removed my hard-wired reluctance to kill another human being and replaced it with the willingness to kill under strict authority. Thank you, Uncle Sam!
:patriot:

The best money I spent for handgun related training was at KR Training in central Texas. KR hosted Lone Star Medics (Caleb Causey) for a two day session of treating penetrating trauma while in a gun fight. The mix of medical, tactical, and marksmanship was superb. http://lonestarmedics.com/medicine-x-edc/

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Re: Best value in Training?

#3

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Uncle Sam's training is certainly in a league of its own!

I've only heard great things about KR Training and absolutely medical training is incredibly valuable. I'm alive today because of marrying a woman with medical training.
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flechero
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Re: Best value in Training?

#4

Post by flechero »

Paladin wrote:I've only heard great things about KR Training...
I've taken a couple classes with KR and agree that they are an excellent outfit and a very good value.

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Re: Best value in Training?

#5

Post by RHenriksen »

The basic tactical rifle class taught at College of the Mainland (com.edu) in Texas City.

It's offered a few times/year, runs M/Tu/Wed 6-10pm, costs all of $207, and includes all ammunition! First evening is classroom coverage of the AR platform, differences in the trigger group & bolt between semi-auto, burst, and full auto, tear down, cleaning, and assembly, then sighting in all the students' rifles on the 50 yard indoor range. The second & third evenings are all on the range, working through a curriculum that's well designed around step by step building blocks of fundamentals. He isn't just focused on *how* to shoot and run a rifle, but being thoughtful and mindful about *when* to shoot.

Dan Blackford does a great job balancing a strong emphasis on safety and best practices, without taking himself too seriously. We also got a teaser experience with the first person video simulator, which was fantastic. I'm definitely planning on signing up for the simulator class, and bringing my girlfriend to that as well. It's all of $70!

I really think that the program Dan's running at COM is a hidden gem here in greater Houston. No need to spend four figures on airfare, hotel, rental car, restaurants, ammo, and tuition to go off to Thunder Ranch or some such when these classes are right down the road. I just ran the rifle class for the third time, this week. Last time, there was a gentleman who'd driven all the way from Oklahoma to take the class, and said that he'd do it again in a heartbeat.
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Re: Best value in Training?

#6

Post by Paladin »

Thanks! That's a good one. Local colleges are an often overlooked resource. They can offer low cost medical training as well.

Looks like Dan is offering Ladies Classes too.
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Re: Best value in Training?

#7

Post by Paladin »

Thinking about the question, getting paid to train really must be the best value in training. Military service has been mentioned, but another option for a lot of people is signing up for CPR/AED training through their company. If your company has it available, you can get CPR/AED trained "on the clock" at no cost to you.

I would say "FREE" training would be the next best value. There are tons of great FREE resources online (including this website). Shows like First Person Defender are great! Programs like Community Emergency Response Team CERT have basic medical training and preparedness training available at no direct cost to you.

Dry-fire is some of the best training out there that is largely free. While there can be some minor costs of purchasing a snap-cap or getting a target, there is tremendous value and convenience in dry-fire and dry-practice. Regularly practicing the fundamentals of marksmanship to build accuracy, practicing safe gun handling, practicing drawing your firearm, and practicing a variety of shooting positions can put you way ahead of the competition. There are websites with FREE dry fire drills. I like to dry fire against the TV by playing movies with lots of bad guys so I can practice target discrimination.

There are a host of great books and DVD's out there which provide a ton of value at low cost. You have to be careful with these as they are never equal to taking a class or live practicing, but books and DVD's can often get you halfway there by building the right mindset & tactics. Books like The Best Defense or The Tactical Advantage have a ton of invaluable information.

While it can cost a little more than books or DVDs, airsoft guns are an inexpensive way to do target practice and realistic gun handling in your home or backyard.

There is really no substitute for live training. NRA training is inexpensive and widely available. Fundamental classes like "Personal protection in the home" and "Personal protection outside the home" have been very helpful to me over the years.

Appleseed is run by volunteers and provides an incredible value in terms of both time & money. Appleseed does an outstanding job at teaching gun safety, the fundamentals of marksmanship, and teaching vital American history that somehow never gets mentioned at school. Appleseed teaches the basics of riflery to a high level at a speed that many might not have thought is possible.

Competitive shooting can be a good value, as it can put you and your gear through more realistic conditions at a reasonable price. The caveats are that you have to use your use your actual street gear and shooting at paper/cardboard is never the same as operating on a two-way range. If you compete often, beware of building bad habits.

In the end it is hard to put a dollar figure on the value of your life or that of your family. Private instruction, training at big name/high quality programs, combatives, and most especially Force-on-Force have been well worth the money to me.

I would add that proper fitness and health is too often neglected in America today. Lieutenant General Mark Hertling: Obesity is a National Security Issue. Sadly I've lost too many friends due to weight/poor-fitness issues. The secrets to living a long life include living an active lifestyle.
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