10-8 Forums: Rob Pincus - Combat Focus Shooting

A couple of points. First in reference to "seeing it for yourself". That's all well and good, and there is a certain point in life when we can take a very hard critical look at what's out there, but when it comes to initial training and working on a very thin training budget, I want three things in an instructor.

1.-Vast experience and knowledge of the instructor in using what they are teaching in the real world. Do they know for absolute sure what they are teaching works, and not on the range. This is why instructors who are not "educators" first, but tip of the spear operational folks first who then become instructors to their own folks and then progress outside (usually in retirement) are in demand. They have used what they are teaching (often times with the good ones-a lot, and successfully), they tend to have reams of VERY first hand reports (most of the time they were actually there, even if they didn't pull the trigger) and debriefs of how techniques have faired. They also know first hand what "seemed like a good idea" on paper, but failed in the field. They are in positions to share knowledge with other folks who are also in the field that the public will never see. They have full access to AAR's and OIS reports that are never made public, and are not depending on 14th hand war stories for verification. They have had decades of both success and failure to rely on. This is more important to "gunfighters" than what wins in shooting matches or on the range. A .001 second improvement is sure nifty in the 1% of the picture that is a gunfight, but it is very un-important in the big picture.

2.-The ability to teach. Can they convey knowledge in an efficient manner. Most of the folks I like working with have decades of experience in teaching both cops and military folks. They are a tough audience. It also requires very harsh standards for the top end instructors in those fields. How many "play shooting" instructors have ever actually had to sit in courtrooms or depositions defending what they teach, how it was taught, how it was applied, on a regular basis? The ability to shoot really well or having great operational background does not make one a good teacher.

3.-They need to be able to effectively demonstrate what they are teaching. While age creeps up on everybody, and many of the older guys are better at passing on knowledge than they are at shooting, they should have been outstanding shooters at some point, and should still be able to effectively demonstrate the application of their techniques. There was a time when none of my students could out shoot me-success is when some can. Some instructors are fantastic shooters. All of the above still apply. They need to stay in their lane. A super master class competitor, with decades of competitive victories, is great for teaching mechanics and match strategy-it is not gun-fighting and don't pretend it is.

If you look at the above, you will see that very few people have all three. The names listed above are some of those folks. Many of the great instructors never see the light of day and are teaching in institutions with limited access. Some do, and they are treasures of the training world.

Now we look at others who have some or one of the above. They can be very good instructors, but lane selection and staying in it is critical. Those who don't will quickly go from being a good, solid instructor with limited range- to goof balls of the training world because they are using smoke and mirrors to try to expand their opportunities and overcome their limitations. Money tends to drive this. Money driven combined with ego.........stand by. There is nothing wrong with guys who don't have the whole package, but when it comes to spending money, especially early in one's journey, you will get the most bang for your buck and a better foundation with one of the whole package guys. Down the road, you can get away with maybe cleaning up a specific area or look at some different things with the limited folks. This should be at a point where you have enough broad knowledge to separate the good from the bad or to discount the whole thing if the class is a lemon without causing a major problem. I would rather work through three or four whole package guys than 10 limited instructors and programs.

So where does Mr. Pincus fit in all this. I don't know. The original poster was looking for experience of the instructor and thoughts on the program. Mr.Pincus linked us to a video that seems to be a description of re-marketed flash sight picture stuff. I know every one of the whole package guys will teach when, and how precise of a sight picture you need, and what scenarios are applicable-usually based on first hand experience of actually applying this in the field with successful results. I have no idea if Mr. Pincus does that or not. I don't jump on the "just come try it out with one of my "certified" instructors stuff anymore-you will need a little more than that.

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Go tell the Spartans, stranger passing by,
that here according to their laws is where they lie.