Image Based Decisional Drills Instructor Certification
The beauty of this training company is not just What you Learn, but their delivery of the topics and comradely/team building that happens so naturally during instruction, passionate seems trite, but their dedication to the subject is forthright. The buzz words of success "To quickly make ONE good FIRST decision..." starts at Registration for The Complete Combatant/Imaged Based Decisions class. What are you waiting for? Register today! You will be welcomed into the fold of citizens who are a part of this incredible organization. They (Shelly and Brian) walk the talk! Hours of training well spent, drills can't be beat, overall outcomes are ones you can't live without. Really enjoyed my time learning from The Complete Combatant, however, it's just the beginning of a life changing awareness on my journey of life. Well done shout out to The Complete Combatant!
Kat Joel-Reich, Owner
Fundamental Enlightenment
Keeping you safe with the building blocks of fundamental instruction.
The beauty of this training company is not just What you Learn, but their delivery of the topics and comradely/team building that happens so naturally during instruction, passionate seems trite, but their dedication to the subject is forthright. The buzz words of success "To quickly make ONE good FIRST decision..." starts at Registration for The Complete Combatant/Imaged Based Decisions class. What are you waiting for? Register today! You will be welcomed into the fold of citizens who are a part of this incredible organization. They (Shelly and Brian) walk the talk! Hours of training well spent, drills can't be beat, overall outcomes are ones you can't live without. Really enjoyed my time learning from The Complete Combatant, however, it's just the beginning of a life changing awareness on my journey of life. Well done shout out to The Complete Combatant!
Kat Joel-Reich, Owner
Fundamental Enlightenment
Keeping you safe with the building blocks of fundamental instruction.
Deliberate Coaching
I just wanted to tell you how much I enjoyed the class. Before that class I had no idea how much of a difference there was between an instructor and an instructor that can actually coach!
I truly appreciate Brian's no BS approach to teaching and was blown away by the "miles deep" knowledge that he brought to the course. I really opened my eyes into a new way of teaching! Teaching to the student rather than teaching the material which makes so much more sense than the other methods that I'd been taught.
I also appreciated the environment that Brian set in the class. A much better approach, IMO, to build the student up with positivity than tearing them down. On one hand Brian could come off as a little brash in his thoughts, but on the other you could feel how much he cared about how his students were progressing and wanted them to get better! That directness of thought was the best way to get the points across and drove them home for better retention all while making it a super positive experience.
Lastly, learning about the "flow state" was incredible. I'd been dipping my toe into it every once in a while for a couple years but didn't really know what it was and how to get there more often. Now I have a framework to work with and that will help me take advantage of that incredibly powerful tool!
My biggest takeaways: Teaching to the student, student engagement methods, the flow state, modulation and 3 types of trigger presses.
I'd recommend this class to anyone that wants to get better at coaching your students and putting them on the path to understand how they can develop their skills.
Patrick Walker
Defensive Mechanics
I just wanted to tell you how much I enjoyed the class. Before that class I had no idea how much of a difference there was between an instructor and an instructor that can actually coach!
I truly appreciate Brian's no BS approach to teaching and was blown away by the "miles deep" knowledge that he brought to the course. I really opened my eyes into a new way of teaching! Teaching to the student rather than teaching the material which makes so much more sense than the other methods that I'd been taught.
I also appreciated the environment that Brian set in the class. A much better approach, IMO, to build the student up with positivity than tearing them down. On one hand Brian could come off as a little brash in his thoughts, but on the other you could feel how much he cared about how his students were progressing and wanted them to get better! That directness of thought was the best way to get the points across and drove them home for better retention all while making it a super positive experience.
Lastly, learning about the "flow state" was incredible. I'd been dipping my toe into it every once in a while for a couple years but didn't really know what it was and how to get there more often. Now I have a framework to work with and that will help me take advantage of that incredibly powerful tool!
My biggest takeaways: Teaching to the student, student engagement methods, the flow state, modulation and 3 types of trigger presses.
I'd recommend this class to anyone that wants to get better at coaching your students and putting them on the path to understand how they can develop their skills.
Patrick Walker
Defensive Mechanics
Online Reactionary Zones
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CLICK HERE:
AAR – Reactionary Zones By Claude Werner The Tactical Professor By tacticalprofessor on November 7, 2022#mindsetmonday I recently had the opportunity to attend REACTIONARY ZONES, a 3 Hour Online Session with Shelley Hill. This is an online class conducted via Zoom. This is my After Action Review of the class..................... |
Red Dot Concepts
If you know me personally, you know I’m a HUGE fan of Brian Hill, so when I say his Red Dot Concepts class was life changing you may think I’m exaggerating – I’m not.
Brian is the consummate professional, with a great deal of coaching experience (BJJ, MMA, shooting, etc). What Brian brings to his classes is his expertise at “reading” his students. It’s amazing how he studies each student (even in a class of 20+!) and knows what each one needs to hear, and how they need to hear it.
In the class I attended last weekend we had a super high speed guy (won Black Belt patch #3 – congrats Matt!), alongside shooters who were much newer to shooting and using a red dot, with lots of us in between.
Brian was able to challenge the top level students to get even better, while encouraging the less experienced students to also improve, while not comparing themselves to anyone but themselves.
Personally, I was super impressed by one student who commented on day one, “I feel like I’m out of my element, like I shouldn’t be here” yet this student stuck with it, ignored everyone else, and improved by a huge amount – all because Brian was there to gently encourage and instruct every step of the way.
For me personally, Brian helped me finally understand shot calling, how to do it, and why it’s important. He challenged me in a way that resonates with me (as an athlete), and made me excited to practice again. He helped me refine my technique, but more importantly, he helped me to really believe in myself – that I could be good. That’s a HUGE breakthrough for someone who has suffered from impostor syndrome for years.
I know that the lessons I learned in this class – which include discipline, mental preparation, dealing with struggle, and belief in my abilities - will spill over to other areas of my life, and that, my friends, is life changing. If you have the opportunity to train with Brian Hill – jump on it! Thanks for sharing him with us, Shelley Luehder Hill!
Ashley Clark Chin
If you know me personally, you know I’m a HUGE fan of Brian Hill, so when I say his Red Dot Concepts class was life changing you may think I’m exaggerating – I’m not.
Brian is the consummate professional, with a great deal of coaching experience (BJJ, MMA, shooting, etc). What Brian brings to his classes is his expertise at “reading” his students. It’s amazing how he studies each student (even in a class of 20+!) and knows what each one needs to hear, and how they need to hear it.
In the class I attended last weekend we had a super high speed guy (won Black Belt patch #3 – congrats Matt!), alongside shooters who were much newer to shooting and using a red dot, with lots of us in between.
Brian was able to challenge the top level students to get even better, while encouraging the less experienced students to also improve, while not comparing themselves to anyone but themselves.
Personally, I was super impressed by one student who commented on day one, “I feel like I’m out of my element, like I shouldn’t be here” yet this student stuck with it, ignored everyone else, and improved by a huge amount – all because Brian was there to gently encourage and instruct every step of the way.
For me personally, Brian helped me finally understand shot calling, how to do it, and why it’s important. He challenged me in a way that resonates with me (as an athlete), and made me excited to practice again. He helped me refine my technique, but more importantly, he helped me to really believe in myself – that I could be good. That’s a HUGE breakthrough for someone who has suffered from impostor syndrome for years.
I know that the lessons I learned in this class – which include discipline, mental preparation, dealing with struggle, and belief in my abilities - will spill over to other areas of my life, and that, my friends, is life changing. If you have the opportunity to train with Brian Hill – jump on it! Thanks for sharing him with us, Shelley Luehder Hill!
Ashley Clark Chin
Close Quarter Decisions and Red Dot Concepts
Ladies and gentlemen: I can’t express enough what a joy it is to train with @brian Brian Hill there are a few people who are naturally good teachers for conveying information. It’s a rare person who is naturally good at transmitting information and psychomotor skills effectively. Brian is one of these people and runs a great course. It is well worth your time to drive or fly to where he is teaching and since he moves all over you have no excuse if he is in your neighborhood.
With the current cost of ammo it is well worth your time to spend a day or two with him for the efficiency in training he teaches. I highly recommend the complete combatant experience.
Dr. M Tipton
Mississippi
Ladies and gentlemen: I can’t express enough what a joy it is to train with @brian Brian Hill there are a few people who are naturally good teachers for conveying information. It’s a rare person who is naturally good at transmitting information and psychomotor skills effectively. Brian is one of these people and runs a great course. It is well worth your time to drive or fly to where he is teaching and since he moves all over you have no excuse if he is in your neighborhood.
With the current cost of ammo it is well worth your time to spend a day or two with him for the efficiency in training he teaches. I highly recommend the complete combatant experience.
Dr. M Tipton
Mississippi
Deliberate Coaching
I am a Deputy in a metropolitan Sheriff’s Office and I am one of the primary coaches on our range staff. Additionally, I am a USPSA Master and have taken a decent amount of training from across the spectrum.
Brian’s class is easily the best single class a coach could take, as it provides you with strategies and tactics that aren’t just firearm centric. If you’ve ever heard Steve Anderson talk, you’ll find a lot of similarities in this material. The techniques discussed are hugely beneficial in developing a positive learning environment and priming your students for maximum retention of the material.
It is vitally important to understand how to present the material in a way it lands for your student, but also be their “cornerman” and provide them with the individualized feedback they need to perform in the moment. Brian not only provides you with some tactics for doing so, but explains why they work.
Take this class with confidence, it is easily one of the finest instructor/coach level classes on the market. These methods have paid off in a big way already for my students, and I plan on taking the class again to watch Brian work and sponge up all that I can.
-H.O.
I am a Deputy in a metropolitan Sheriff’s Office and I am one of the primary coaches on our range staff. Additionally, I am a USPSA Master and have taken a decent amount of training from across the spectrum.
Brian’s class is easily the best single class a coach could take, as it provides you with strategies and tactics that aren’t just firearm centric. If you’ve ever heard Steve Anderson talk, you’ll find a lot of similarities in this material. The techniques discussed are hugely beneficial in developing a positive learning environment and priming your students for maximum retention of the material.
It is vitally important to understand how to present the material in a way it lands for your student, but also be their “cornerman” and provide them with the individualized feedback they need to perform in the moment. Brian not only provides you with some tactics for doing so, but explains why they work.
Take this class with confidence, it is easily one of the finest instructor/coach level classes on the market. These methods have paid off in a big way already for my students, and I plan on taking the class again to watch Brian work and sponge up all that I can.
-H.O.
Deliberate Coaching
A few short weeks ago I posted about an achievement in a class I took, that being Brian Hill's "Deliberate Coaching" class. This course was sincerely amazing, and so I'm going to dedicate a bit more time to speaking about it. TLDR version - If you care about your teaching abilities, if you want your students to learn the most and be able to help them as effectively as possible, you MUST consider taking this course.
Those who don't know Brian Hill of The Complete Combatant http://www.thecompletecombatant.com/ ... follow that link and learn about him. In the Deliberate Coaching class Brian brings his almost 4 decades worth of coaching and teaching in martial arts to bear as he helps you see people in a whole new light. This isn't just "woo-woo, feel good thoughts"... Brian backs up his discussion over the 3 days of class with a mountain of scientific studies and data.
The class reminds me of what I would expect to learn in a Master's level college course, but even with all the information Brian's ability to communicate helps bring the material to your ears in a way that you will be best able to understand, internalize and understand it.
I'm trying not to share too many specifics, but each day allowed classroom learning of subject matter to be effectively tested and put into practical application on the range. Not only did I walk away with a cornucopia new ways to help my students learn more effectively, I also found ways to better my own skills and coach myself!
In summary, the Deliberate Coaching class is a boon to any serious instructor. For those who enjoy "the why behind the what", this course is right up your alley. I hope to take the class again in 2023 and continue learning even more!
Chris Griese of The Practical Guardian
A few short weeks ago I posted about an achievement in a class I took, that being Brian Hill's "Deliberate Coaching" class. This course was sincerely amazing, and so I'm going to dedicate a bit more time to speaking about it. TLDR version - If you care about your teaching abilities, if you want your students to learn the most and be able to help them as effectively as possible, you MUST consider taking this course.
Those who don't know Brian Hill of The Complete Combatant http://www.thecompletecombatant.com/ ... follow that link and learn about him. In the Deliberate Coaching class Brian brings his almost 4 decades worth of coaching and teaching in martial arts to bear as he helps you see people in a whole new light. This isn't just "woo-woo, feel good thoughts"... Brian backs up his discussion over the 3 days of class with a mountain of scientific studies and data.
The class reminds me of what I would expect to learn in a Master's level college course, but even with all the information Brian's ability to communicate helps bring the material to your ears in a way that you will be best able to understand, internalize and understand it.
I'm trying not to share too many specifics, but each day allowed classroom learning of subject matter to be effectively tested and put into practical application on the range. Not only did I walk away with a cornucopia new ways to help my students learn more effectively, I also found ways to better my own skills and coach myself!
In summary, the Deliberate Coaching class is a boon to any serious instructor. For those who enjoy "the why behind the what", this course is right up your alley. I hope to take the class again in 2023 and continue learning even more!
Chris Griese of The Practical Guardian
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Reactionary Zones
"I just took the online course Reactionary Zones with Shelley Hill and it was AWESOME!" Brandon Fisher of Precision Defensive Solutions "Thank you so very much for taking the time to do this video. I also appreciate your commitment to training and practice outside of the lethal options. OSS" Shelley |
Deliberate Coaching
In September I was fortunate enough to attend Brian Hill's 3 day Deliberate Coaching Class in Dahlonega, Georgia. I wasn't sure what to expect, but I had read the reviews and knew I wanted this class. I had taken a class with Brian at the 2022 AGAG National Conference and knew I wanted more time with this talented coach!
This class exceeded any of my expectations!!! I've never left a class so disappointed that it was over!! The weirdness of actually calmly waiting for the shot timer to "beep" was a huge win for me - thanks to Brian's coaching! Since I've been home, I have taken a dive into my dry fire and have logged over 2 hours - doing some everyday - no excuses. I'm consistently on my dot!
I can't wait to take this class again. Once is not enough - the coaching to understand and analyze a student's performance through posture, speech, body language and goal setting is something all instructors need to learn and practice.
Thank you Coach Brian for one of the most awesome classes I have ever taken. I left with the tools to improve my shooting and provide my students with a more complete training experience.
MEASURE REFINE PERFORM
Jackie La Simpson Lairmore
p.s. Shelley Hill, thank you for inviting me to help herd cows on day 1!
In September I was fortunate enough to attend Brian Hill's 3 day Deliberate Coaching Class in Dahlonega, Georgia. I wasn't sure what to expect, but I had read the reviews and knew I wanted this class. I had taken a class with Brian at the 2022 AGAG National Conference and knew I wanted more time with this talented coach!
This class exceeded any of my expectations!!! I've never left a class so disappointed that it was over!! The weirdness of actually calmly waiting for the shot timer to "beep" was a huge win for me - thanks to Brian's coaching! Since I've been home, I have taken a dive into my dry fire and have logged over 2 hours - doing some everyday - no excuses. I'm consistently on my dot!
I can't wait to take this class again. Once is not enough - the coaching to understand and analyze a student's performance through posture, speech, body language and goal setting is something all instructors need to learn and practice.
Thank you Coach Brian for one of the most awesome classes I have ever taken. I left with the tools to improve my shooting and provide my students with a more complete training experience.
MEASURE REFINE PERFORM
Jackie La Simpson Lairmore
p.s. Shelley Hill, thank you for inviting me to help herd cows on day 1!
1 Day Intro to the Red Dot and 1 Day Rifle Marksman's classes "back to back":
Greetings Shelly and Brian,
I recently had the opportunity to take part in the Pennsylvania offering of the One-Day Intro to Red Dot Pistol and One-Day Rifle Marksmanship classes, hosted by SAFE Firearms Training and taught by Mr. Brian Hill. Having been familiar with Brian's YouTube presence, I was expecting a kind but relatively clinical instructor, and was privately questioning the utility of taking classes on topics with which I felt comfortably familiar.
I gleefully, openly admit that my private doubts were both hubristic and wrong.
Brian was an exceptionally energetic and warm personality, brimming with a genuine gratitude for the presence of his students and the opportunity to teach about a subject which he obviously loves. The width and breadth of his knowledge regarding using physiology and body mechanics to help his students use their bodies to work more efficiently in concert with their firearms was readily apparent and endlessly valuable, and the insights I was given into that particular world of knowledge lit my imagination on fire in ways I'm still processing and expanding upon weeks later.
His genuine, easy manner and kind approach to coaching fostered a comfortable environment where learning and performing to a high level was a matter of course, coaxing excellence out of shooters of all skill levels in the class. I think it was as much this environment and fostering of achieving "flow state" as it was my own skill that allowed me to earn an Accurate Ant Award during the pistol course of instruction.
The class acted as a jumping-off point into the wider world of performance shooting, dispelling biases I honestly was not consciously aware I held, and allowing me to grow as a shooter and instructor in measurable ways since taking the class. Pursuing the obstacle is indeed the way.
I cannot thank Brian enough for the kind words, the encouragement, and the quiet confidence he extended to not only me, but all of the students he interacted with during the class. I look forward to when our paths cross once again, hopefully next year!
Thank you, and with kind regards,
Sam Dutterer
Senior Instructor
SAFE Firearms Training, LLC
Greetings Shelly and Brian,
I recently had the opportunity to take part in the Pennsylvania offering of the One-Day Intro to Red Dot Pistol and One-Day Rifle Marksmanship classes, hosted by SAFE Firearms Training and taught by Mr. Brian Hill. Having been familiar with Brian's YouTube presence, I was expecting a kind but relatively clinical instructor, and was privately questioning the utility of taking classes on topics with which I felt comfortably familiar.
I gleefully, openly admit that my private doubts were both hubristic and wrong.
Brian was an exceptionally energetic and warm personality, brimming with a genuine gratitude for the presence of his students and the opportunity to teach about a subject which he obviously loves. The width and breadth of his knowledge regarding using physiology and body mechanics to help his students use their bodies to work more efficiently in concert with their firearms was readily apparent and endlessly valuable, and the insights I was given into that particular world of knowledge lit my imagination on fire in ways I'm still processing and expanding upon weeks later.
His genuine, easy manner and kind approach to coaching fostered a comfortable environment where learning and performing to a high level was a matter of course, coaxing excellence out of shooters of all skill levels in the class. I think it was as much this environment and fostering of achieving "flow state" as it was my own skill that allowed me to earn an Accurate Ant Award during the pistol course of instruction.
The class acted as a jumping-off point into the wider world of performance shooting, dispelling biases I honestly was not consciously aware I held, and allowing me to grow as a shooter and instructor in measurable ways since taking the class. Pursuing the obstacle is indeed the way.
I cannot thank Brian enough for the kind words, the encouragement, and the quiet confidence he extended to not only me, but all of the students he interacted with during the class. I look forward to when our paths cross once again, hopefully next year!
Thank you, and with kind regards,
Sam Dutterer
Senior Instructor
SAFE Firearms Training, LLC
Deliberate Coaching
Dear Coach!
“You’re always one choice away from changing your life.” - Mac Anderson
I came across this quote after finishing the Deliberate Coaching class in Spokane a month ago and it really resonated with me as did your description of a pilot trying to land on a carrier in the constantly moving seas and relating that to riding the waves in shooting. Perhaps, being a Navy Mom of two sons, one who navigates beneath the seas, and the other who maintains the F35’s and V22’s landing on carriers helped me relate to your analogy in a very real sense. Complete and absolute presence and focus is essential to do the job successfully. Don’t fear the turbulence – ride it and with the conscious removal of distractions do what you know how to do with unconscious confidence.
I walked away from the Deliberate Coaching Instructor course with an abundance of new knowledge about coaching and how important getting to know myself is. It is the first step in being able to help others. Understanding who I am as a person and as a shooter, how I operate, and how to correct that which prevents me from being able to execute successfully opened my eyes to the reality that I must choose to be completely present in order to perform at a level of personal acceptability to reach my goals. It does not come without hard work, focus and repetition. Also, I learned each performance must be celebrated - or corrected without emotion. No beating myself up. New goals must be set after success to further growth.
I could write a ton of fluffy, but true stuff about the class full of accolades to commend you for being the finest coach and mentor a person could ask for, but I would prefer to put into practice what I have learned and as I implement this new knowledge into my personal training be able to write you again months from now and share real stories of how this class changed not only my life, but the lives of my students for the better, as shooters and as human beings. Expect a future fluffy letter! (This email never made it to you after the class, so I've added Part II below)
Thank you, Brian for sharing stories of your life and how you could have easily, but did NOT, become a bitter person. You chose to walk a different path and became such a marvelous mentor and coach – Captain America is a name you well deserve! And, it would not be possible if you did not have Wonder Woman at your side! Thank you, Shelley!
TCC has provided a serendipitous opportunity for me to discover new colleagues with whom I can communicate. It is with a most joyful alacrity that I venture off to begin my new dry fire practice routine. I just wanted to put that in so you knew I was paying attention to your every word.
Respectfully,
Tricia Reiss
HK Lefty from Three Forks, Montana
PART II - Not so fluffy, but this girl is on fire!
I just returned home from a 40 hour training at Gunsite and wanted you to know that the teaching I received from you and putting it into practice paid off as I earned a Marksman 1 grade on my certification for intermediate pistol. Not only was that a tremendous achievement for me to be able to perform to that standard, but it seemed all of the pieces of recent training and practice were melded together during that week. The hard work paid off and I am ever so thankful that your coaching played a huge part in my mental marksmanship. Just wanted you to know! Continue to do what you do and remember to make time for you and your family to step away once in a while. It is soooo important!
Dear Coach!
“You’re always one choice away from changing your life.” - Mac Anderson
I came across this quote after finishing the Deliberate Coaching class in Spokane a month ago and it really resonated with me as did your description of a pilot trying to land on a carrier in the constantly moving seas and relating that to riding the waves in shooting. Perhaps, being a Navy Mom of two sons, one who navigates beneath the seas, and the other who maintains the F35’s and V22’s landing on carriers helped me relate to your analogy in a very real sense. Complete and absolute presence and focus is essential to do the job successfully. Don’t fear the turbulence – ride it and with the conscious removal of distractions do what you know how to do with unconscious confidence.
I walked away from the Deliberate Coaching Instructor course with an abundance of new knowledge about coaching and how important getting to know myself is. It is the first step in being able to help others. Understanding who I am as a person and as a shooter, how I operate, and how to correct that which prevents me from being able to execute successfully opened my eyes to the reality that I must choose to be completely present in order to perform at a level of personal acceptability to reach my goals. It does not come without hard work, focus and repetition. Also, I learned each performance must be celebrated - or corrected without emotion. No beating myself up. New goals must be set after success to further growth.
I could write a ton of fluffy, but true stuff about the class full of accolades to commend you for being the finest coach and mentor a person could ask for, but I would prefer to put into practice what I have learned and as I implement this new knowledge into my personal training be able to write you again months from now and share real stories of how this class changed not only my life, but the lives of my students for the better, as shooters and as human beings. Expect a future fluffy letter! (This email never made it to you after the class, so I've added Part II below)
Thank you, Brian for sharing stories of your life and how you could have easily, but did NOT, become a bitter person. You chose to walk a different path and became such a marvelous mentor and coach – Captain America is a name you well deserve! And, it would not be possible if you did not have Wonder Woman at your side! Thank you, Shelley!
TCC has provided a serendipitous opportunity for me to discover new colleagues with whom I can communicate. It is with a most joyful alacrity that I venture off to begin my new dry fire practice routine. I just wanted to put that in so you knew I was paying attention to your every word.
Respectfully,
Tricia Reiss
HK Lefty from Three Forks, Montana
PART II - Not so fluffy, but this girl is on fire!
I just returned home from a 40 hour training at Gunsite and wanted you to know that the teaching I received from you and putting it into practice paid off as I earned a Marksman 1 grade on my certification for intermediate pistol. Not only was that a tremendous achievement for me to be able to perform to that standard, but it seemed all of the pieces of recent training and practice were melded together during that week. The hard work paid off and I am ever so thankful that your coaching played a huge part in my mental marksmanship. Just wanted you to know! Continue to do what you do and remember to make time for you and your family to step away once in a while. It is soooo important!
Deliberate Coaching
I recently completed the Deliberate Coaching Course in Spokane, WA. I am relatively new to shooting but have an extensive background as a Coach and Instructor in other disciplines. I was very interested in seeing how Brian’s curriculum would compare to the other Instructor’s training that I have had the privilege of taking.
I am a sales person by trade and value my ability to read body language and appeal to individual personal interests and learning styles. Nothing prepared me for the insight and genius of Brian, and his ability to see right through his students into the core of their psyche. Not only was he able to immediately address the mechanics and physical aspects of one’s shooting style and stance, but he was also able to communicate those changes in the manner most likely to be absorbed by his students.
In addition to Brian’s ability to read people, his insights into brain chemistry and how Stress and Relaxation can be transformed into a Performance/Flow State astounded me. I was able to use the signals my body was giving me as road signs, and instead of getting caught in a Stress/Nervous/Emotional State, I was able induce relaxation through breathing and begin riding the wave into a true Flow State. Being able to view my emotional states as places on a map on the way to performance, has changed my outlook completely.
Throughout the class, Brian was able to give personal time, attention and insight to each of his students. This was no small task considering we had the largest class yet, at 20 students. He has the ability to give tips to even the most talented of students. Each shooter was able to learn more about both themselves, and their own partner/students, during the process. I went into this class doubtful about my own abilities and questioned if I even belonged in the class. Brian took the time to make sure that I built the tools I needed to gain the confidence necessary to succeed and to pass the curriculum.
I am truly a Complete Combatant Convert. I am looking forward to taking more classes from Brian in the future and applying what I have learned about myself in the meantime.
Thank you,
Nicole Altese
Bozeman, MT
I recently completed the Deliberate Coaching Course in Spokane, WA. I am relatively new to shooting but have an extensive background as a Coach and Instructor in other disciplines. I was very interested in seeing how Brian’s curriculum would compare to the other Instructor’s training that I have had the privilege of taking.
I am a sales person by trade and value my ability to read body language and appeal to individual personal interests and learning styles. Nothing prepared me for the insight and genius of Brian, and his ability to see right through his students into the core of their psyche. Not only was he able to immediately address the mechanics and physical aspects of one’s shooting style and stance, but he was also able to communicate those changes in the manner most likely to be absorbed by his students.
In addition to Brian’s ability to read people, his insights into brain chemistry and how Stress and Relaxation can be transformed into a Performance/Flow State astounded me. I was able to use the signals my body was giving me as road signs, and instead of getting caught in a Stress/Nervous/Emotional State, I was able induce relaxation through breathing and begin riding the wave into a true Flow State. Being able to view my emotional states as places on a map on the way to performance, has changed my outlook completely.
Throughout the class, Brian was able to give personal time, attention and insight to each of his students. This was no small task considering we had the largest class yet, at 20 students. He has the ability to give tips to even the most talented of students. Each shooter was able to learn more about both themselves, and their own partner/students, during the process. I went into this class doubtful about my own abilities and questioned if I even belonged in the class. Brian took the time to make sure that I built the tools I needed to gain the confidence necessary to succeed and to pass the curriculum.
I am truly a Complete Combatant Convert. I am looking forward to taking more classes from Brian in the future and applying what I have learned about myself in the meantime.
Thank you,
Nicole Altese
Bozeman, MT
Red Dot Concepts
Context: I was (and still mostly am) a beginner in using a Red Dot sight. While I've used open/iron sites on handguns for many years and am a pretty decent shot with those, I showed up at Red Dot Concepts training with a new firearm, new optic, and new holster. I used these at this first structured, live fire pistol training I've had since very limited handgun training I received in the military over 30 years ago.
Summary: a superb course, well-crafted and executed, worth every minute and every penny!!
Detail:
1. Safety was of paramount importance and Brian led our group from start to finish with a keen focus and emphasis on 'safety first.'
2. During our two days of training it got hot and humid (90+ in the afternoons) and while there were already varying levels of mental stress for each student, the physical stress added just a bit more. Brian successfully guided us through that as he accurately gauged students' need for time on the firing line and the need for shade and breaks.
3. Brian is an exceptional coach and trainer. His knowledge of the material, pace, awareness of those he instructs, and anticipation of student needs (especially his ability to adapt to those needs) really is five star. He is hands-on and direct with just the right amount of direction and correction to lead the students towards improved understanding and performance.
4. The structure of the course was logical and effective. The course built up skill levels from simpler to more complex sets, moving the students in a very short time to more effectively integrated skills and concepts in the use of a red dot system.
5. My improvements were, I believe:
a) achieving a better understanding of my own mental and physical responses,
b) better understanding where I needed to focus further training/attention, and
c) my more effective use of a red dot sight for timing and accuracy.
6. This course proved to be much more than just about how to simply operate a red dot outfitted handgun. Brian's training joined up the physical and mental dimensions of using the weapon.
7. I found Brian's emphasis on the mental aspects of using a red dot were outstanding and his analogies regarding sports (Jiu Jitsu in particular) especially helpful. Brian's honesty and genuine humility with a strength of conviction were something I don't see very often. I enthusiastically recommend this course and any course where Brian is the instructor-coach.
Please pass my thanks to Brian for his hard work and sterling effort. Thank you for your help, Shelley, supporting all the additional business-side actions I'm sure are necessary for you and Brian to make The Complete Combatant events successful. I look forward to my next course!
Best Regards,
Bob Crosby
Troy, Illinois
Context: I was (and still mostly am) a beginner in using a Red Dot sight. While I've used open/iron sites on handguns for many years and am a pretty decent shot with those, I showed up at Red Dot Concepts training with a new firearm, new optic, and new holster. I used these at this first structured, live fire pistol training I've had since very limited handgun training I received in the military over 30 years ago.
Summary: a superb course, well-crafted and executed, worth every minute and every penny!!
Detail:
1. Safety was of paramount importance and Brian led our group from start to finish with a keen focus and emphasis on 'safety first.'
2. During our two days of training it got hot and humid (90+ in the afternoons) and while there were already varying levels of mental stress for each student, the physical stress added just a bit more. Brian successfully guided us through that as he accurately gauged students' need for time on the firing line and the need for shade and breaks.
3. Brian is an exceptional coach and trainer. His knowledge of the material, pace, awareness of those he instructs, and anticipation of student needs (especially his ability to adapt to those needs) really is five star. He is hands-on and direct with just the right amount of direction and correction to lead the students towards improved understanding and performance.
4. The structure of the course was logical and effective. The course built up skill levels from simpler to more complex sets, moving the students in a very short time to more effectively integrated skills and concepts in the use of a red dot system.
5. My improvements were, I believe:
a) achieving a better understanding of my own mental and physical responses,
b) better understanding where I needed to focus further training/attention, and
c) my more effective use of a red dot sight for timing and accuracy.
6. This course proved to be much more than just about how to simply operate a red dot outfitted handgun. Brian's training joined up the physical and mental dimensions of using the weapon.
7. I found Brian's emphasis on the mental aspects of using a red dot were outstanding and his analogies regarding sports (Jiu Jitsu in particular) especially helpful. Brian's honesty and genuine humility with a strength of conviction were something I don't see very often. I enthusiastically recommend this course and any course where Brian is the instructor-coach.
Please pass my thanks to Brian for his hard work and sterling effort. Thank you for your help, Shelley, supporting all the additional business-side actions I'm sure are necessary for you and Brian to make The Complete Combatant events successful. I look forward to my next course!
Best Regards,
Bob Crosby
Troy, Illinois
Deliberate Coaching
A few weeks ago, I made my way up to Illinois to take Brian Hill's Deliberate Coaching class. If you know anything about Brian, you have probably heard that he has a gift of reading people, assessing their skills and prescribing steps to get their performance to the next level. To be fair, it is more than simply a gift, it is years of study and practice that have helped him hone his craft. Who wouldn't want a little insight into that kind of magic?
I have taken my fair share of instructor classes over the years. Some focus primarily on shooting and others focus mostly on presentations. This is not either one of those things. It is truly not your average instructor certification class. It is a hybrid of lecture, shooting skills and coaching development on the line. The misnomer about this class is that you need to be an instructor to benefit from it. While you could apply the principles you learn to a class of students, you could just as easily take the information and apply it to improving your own skillset. As Brian likes to say, "you are your first client". While I did learn things that I can use to help coach my customers, I learned just as many things that will help me improve my own shooting skills.
The class takes place over the course of three days and is broken down into three distinct segments. Each day has a classroom portion and a range portion. In the classroom portion, you gain insight into the principles on which the program is based. There is a lot of psychology and neuroscience to explain the WHY behind the WHAT. On the range, you put some of those principles into action. Brian uses a series of four scored drills in the class and explains how those drills not only test a variety of skills but somewhat work together to give you as a shooter a clearer picture of what you are good at and what you need to improve. As his tagline states, 'measure. refine. perform'. I don't think I am giving anything away as the drills in question are listed on The Complete Combatant website. (http://www.thecompletecombatant.com/challenges.html). After running the drills individually, you are then paired with another person in class to practice coaching. That really is some gold right there as you get coaching from Brian as you coach someone else.
I don't know if this is true for all Deliberate Coaching classes or just the one I attended but the class size was smaller than your typical class. With six people on the line, it made for a great opportunity to get a lot of individual coaching which was a great bonus. It was three days well spent soaking up knowledge. I wasn't entirely sure what I signed up for when I clicked on that 'register' button but am so glad I did. It was the perfect blend of coaching tips and self improvement. Go sign up, you won't regret it.
Karen Whitlock of Trigger Time
A few weeks ago, I made my way up to Illinois to take Brian Hill's Deliberate Coaching class. If you know anything about Brian, you have probably heard that he has a gift of reading people, assessing their skills and prescribing steps to get their performance to the next level. To be fair, it is more than simply a gift, it is years of study and practice that have helped him hone his craft. Who wouldn't want a little insight into that kind of magic?
I have taken my fair share of instructor classes over the years. Some focus primarily on shooting and others focus mostly on presentations. This is not either one of those things. It is truly not your average instructor certification class. It is a hybrid of lecture, shooting skills and coaching development on the line. The misnomer about this class is that you need to be an instructor to benefit from it. While you could apply the principles you learn to a class of students, you could just as easily take the information and apply it to improving your own skillset. As Brian likes to say, "you are your first client". While I did learn things that I can use to help coach my customers, I learned just as many things that will help me improve my own shooting skills.
The class takes place over the course of three days and is broken down into three distinct segments. Each day has a classroom portion and a range portion. In the classroom portion, you gain insight into the principles on which the program is based. There is a lot of psychology and neuroscience to explain the WHY behind the WHAT. On the range, you put some of those principles into action. Brian uses a series of four scored drills in the class and explains how those drills not only test a variety of skills but somewhat work together to give you as a shooter a clearer picture of what you are good at and what you need to improve. As his tagline states, 'measure. refine. perform'. I don't think I am giving anything away as the drills in question are listed on The Complete Combatant website. (http://www.thecompletecombatant.com/challenges.html). After running the drills individually, you are then paired with another person in class to practice coaching. That really is some gold right there as you get coaching from Brian as you coach someone else.
I don't know if this is true for all Deliberate Coaching classes or just the one I attended but the class size was smaller than your typical class. With six people on the line, it made for a great opportunity to get a lot of individual coaching which was a great bonus. It was three days well spent soaking up knowledge. I wasn't entirely sure what I signed up for when I clicked on that 'register' button but am so glad I did. It was the perfect blend of coaching tips and self improvement. Go sign up, you won't regret it.
Karen Whitlock of Trigger Time
Deliberate Coaching
How do I describe the gratitude I have for Brian and Shelley? I write an after action report and encourage the rest of you to take a class from them.
I have worked with Brian and Shelley Hill for several different courses over the last 3 or 4 years (times flies...) and this one hit differently. I have been in a space where I have had lots of questions about my abilities, and about my coaching capabilities. Brian and Shelley are aware of these struggles and continue to foster and encourage me to do more than I think I'm ready for. The deliberate coaching course was no exception.
While I still have a lot of thoughts that are trying to gel in my head, what I want you all to know is that Brian is different. He is a true coach. He celebrates your victories, doesn't let you settle, doesn't make your growth about him (instead he chooses to make you see how you are making the gains from within), makes you want to do more, goads you to the right amount, smiles, encourages, and makes you feel like you are the only person on the range when he is talking with you (oh, and he does not talk at you, he talks with you). As a shooter these are all the things I crave in this industry because there's not enough of that. As a coach, I love seeing these things modeled.
The course itself is packed full of neuroscience information (a win for my geek brain), diagnostic solutions, and different tools and tricks that you can use when you leave to take your coaching to the next level. However, the real genius of this course is that it forces you to coach another shooter during several coaching sessions while you are being observed by Brian. This is something that I have not had in any other instructor course, to receive feedback about what you are doing as a coach is priceless. The revelations and nuggets that we all walked away with pushed the entire group to perform better and think differently about thinking.
The course gave me a high because it makes me think that the tide is changing in the shooting world and we are working our way beyond the platitudes (stop slapping the trigger for example) really digging into the hard work of shooting and excellence (identifying mechanisms for immediate feedback, fixing grip problems, and so much more).
I highly recommend this course for the shooting coach looking to push themselves to understand their clients better. Last night I had a chance to put some of what I learning into action with a group of 10 shooters (this is a group of shooters I see regularly) and almost all of them experience instant gains where they had been struggling. When you base your teaching in the science, it works!
Thank you to Brian for teaching the class, and thank you to Shelley for being an indispensable wizard of everything! I loved the class and can't wait to be back at a Complete Combatant class again!
Edit: I forgot to thank our amazing hosts Jesse Johnson and Katie Simon Johnson. They welcomed everyone and invited us into their store and their gun range. Thank you for caring for us like family. If you're in the east St Louis area go check out STS Armory.
Heather Kramer Reeves
How do I describe the gratitude I have for Brian and Shelley? I write an after action report and encourage the rest of you to take a class from them.
I have worked with Brian and Shelley Hill for several different courses over the last 3 or 4 years (times flies...) and this one hit differently. I have been in a space where I have had lots of questions about my abilities, and about my coaching capabilities. Brian and Shelley are aware of these struggles and continue to foster and encourage me to do more than I think I'm ready for. The deliberate coaching course was no exception.
While I still have a lot of thoughts that are trying to gel in my head, what I want you all to know is that Brian is different. He is a true coach. He celebrates your victories, doesn't let you settle, doesn't make your growth about him (instead he chooses to make you see how you are making the gains from within), makes you want to do more, goads you to the right amount, smiles, encourages, and makes you feel like you are the only person on the range when he is talking with you (oh, and he does not talk at you, he talks with you). As a shooter these are all the things I crave in this industry because there's not enough of that. As a coach, I love seeing these things modeled.
The course itself is packed full of neuroscience information (a win for my geek brain), diagnostic solutions, and different tools and tricks that you can use when you leave to take your coaching to the next level. However, the real genius of this course is that it forces you to coach another shooter during several coaching sessions while you are being observed by Brian. This is something that I have not had in any other instructor course, to receive feedback about what you are doing as a coach is priceless. The revelations and nuggets that we all walked away with pushed the entire group to perform better and think differently about thinking.
The course gave me a high because it makes me think that the tide is changing in the shooting world and we are working our way beyond the platitudes (stop slapping the trigger for example) really digging into the hard work of shooting and excellence (identifying mechanisms for immediate feedback, fixing grip problems, and so much more).
I highly recommend this course for the shooting coach looking to push themselves to understand their clients better. Last night I had a chance to put some of what I learning into action with a group of 10 shooters (this is a group of shooters I see regularly) and almost all of them experience instant gains where they had been struggling. When you base your teaching in the science, it works!
Thank you to Brian for teaching the class, and thank you to Shelley for being an indispensable wizard of everything! I loved the class and can't wait to be back at a Complete Combatant class again!
Edit: I forgot to thank our amazing hosts Jesse Johnson and Katie Simon Johnson. They welcomed everyone and invited us into their store and their gun range. Thank you for caring for us like family. If you're in the east St Louis area go check out STS Armory.
Heather Kramer Reeves
Reactionary Zones
All of us who have trained in the art of defensive shooting skills have heard of the danger of letting a threat get too close to us. It's measured in feet between where the threat is to it's contact with us! But what is ten feet or 21 feet or fifteen feet or 3 feet? Can we tell? Can we waste time measuring? Or heaven forbid, guessing? Nope! It has to register in our minds instantaneously!
Well if you think that is not going to happen, then you had better take Shelley Luehder Hill "Reactionary Zones" online class! With her multiple technique learning approach, you will soon discover you can instantly gauge distance with her familiar everyday measurement system (the length of a rental truck, the length of a twin bed or two for example) but you will also learn the distance is not just a straight line between you and the threat but a volume of space that expands on both sides of that straight line by her use of color to represent the width of the danger area!
These are the best representations I have ever seen of up close and scary! Cheers for Shelley Luehder Hill!
Vicki Farnam
Defensive Training International
All of us who have trained in the art of defensive shooting skills have heard of the danger of letting a threat get too close to us. It's measured in feet between where the threat is to it's contact with us! But what is ten feet or 21 feet or fifteen feet or 3 feet? Can we tell? Can we waste time measuring? Or heaven forbid, guessing? Nope! It has to register in our minds instantaneously!
Well if you think that is not going to happen, then you had better take Shelley Luehder Hill "Reactionary Zones" online class! With her multiple technique learning approach, you will soon discover you can instantly gauge distance with her familiar everyday measurement system (the length of a rental truck, the length of a twin bed or two for example) but you will also learn the distance is not just a straight line between you and the threat but a volume of space that expands on both sides of that straight line by her use of color to represent the width of the danger area!
These are the best representations I have ever seen of up close and scary! Cheers for Shelley Luehder Hill!
Vicki Farnam
Defensive Training International
Red Dot Concepts
Overview:
On a hot, humid, July weekend myself and another Deputy (CID Investigator) attended the 2-Day Red Dot Concepts training course Instructed by Brian Hill at The Complete Combatant on their home range, located in the beautiful, rural outskirts of Dahlonega, Georgia.
Working for a County Law-Enforcement Agency looking to progress into the world of Red Dot Optics (RDO's) this was my first foray into shooting with an optic mounted to a handgun - in particular, geared specifically for duty-use.
In this case I was running a new, personally acquired Holosun HE507C-GR X2 (green reticle) optic on my personally-owned 9mm Staccato P-DPO double-stack 2011. My partner was running an Agency issued 9mm GLOCK 45 MOS with the new integrated battery/solar combo Holosun CSC-GR with the very same green reticle options. We both elected to run with the green dot only function instead of the Circle-Dot, or Circle only options.
There is always a little apprehension in taking a course to push your personal development, to learn something new and meet new people with a similar goal, to learn to run an optic on a handgun well enough to be proficient enough to score hits in sub-1.4-seconds from 25-yards, and, sub -1-second draws with a good hit for some at the 5. But, we would have to learn to crawl, walk, run first. Participants ranged across the board from all walks of life. Individuals carrying for personal protection to competitive shooters, and, prior Military/Law-Enforcement to our representing the current, active Law-Enforcement segment.
Firearms carry ranged from concealed strong-side, and, appendix carry IWB to open carry strong-side and duty carry (belt and thigh-rig respectively). Numerous GLOCKs and Shadow Systems (full and mid-sized), Walther PDP/Q5, SIG P320's, a Jagerwerks Custom CZ P10C, and, an HK VP9 were represented, along with a variety of Holosun, Trijicon RMR/SRO, Leupold Delta Pro and SIG RDO's
We started off with an initial introduction from Brian Hill and an introduction to his new accomplis, Chris Bean. Both have extensive histories and experience as Instructors and excel in their own right. Together they fit well in teaching a class together and passing on the knowledge.
Bullets to Paper on The Dot:
I must admit that having experience running an RDO on rifles, from EoTechs and Aimpoints, the transition does not take long at all. You just have to realize that you will likely lose the dot in your window briefly, in that split of a second, and will recover your sight picture quickly - if you do your part. It still felt like cheating, now that I wasn't looking at three focal plains to align and simply had to look at my target - which is where you should be looking when the fit hits the shan - put my dot where I wanted the bullet to go and press on my trigger to achieve the desired result. The same principles to accuracy apply, you'll have to put in the work.
Learning is simply about orientation and repetition until it becomes second nature, that processing takes place in the sub-consciousness, virtually instantaneously, without much if any effort. As with anything, the more you repeat those steps the easier it gets and the faster you process and react to the data. It is just one big OODA Loop/Boyd's Cycle. Rinse and repeat. When you were younger and started driving a car you were nervous and inexperienced, likely all over the road and trying to orient yourself on the functions and behavior of the vehicle just to give it direction. Now the only conscious thought you may have out on the road is your speed and general road safety, you don't have to think about everything else because you do it every single day. Running a RDO is much the same. After mastering your iron sights, put in the time and effort to master your RDO and handgun. You may never want to go back to irons ever again.
Meat and Potatoes - Day 1:
Hitting the range started off with an initial course of fire to make sure that you had a reasonable zero on your optic. Starting close to verify from the 3, 7, 10 and the 25-yard line.
Crawling: Drills working on the draw and finding/tracking the dot drills were next. We were finally crawling. Starting off with one round then working our way up to two rounds and tracking the recovery of the dot.
Some of the following topics were covered: Predicting and reading the dot for follow-up shots at various distances to build student confidence. Overlaying the dot and focusing on the target. Target focus. Drawing from appendix carry concealed, strong side and duty carry. Those running competition speed rigs were fast, but it still comes down to the user, drawing with purposeful alacrity and smoothness to apply projectiles to paper quickly, balancing both speed and accuracy (equally important).
Walking: Multiple drills, multiple strings of fire at multiple distances were the order of the day. Progressively increasing in demand and skill level.
Brian will push you so that you are made to perform on each evolution. Hell, you came here to learn didn't you? Put in the work! :) Ah yes! Padawan, and work you will!
You will also be tested each day, and based on your skill level you will start to acquire rank, much like Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, based on your performance. Little holes in paper don't lie and they will definitely tell you when you are putting in the work and applying yourself in concert with the dot.
Straight to the Meat - Day 2:
Day 2 started off at the speed that we left off on at the end of the previous day. By now you are getting to know the standards expected of you by your new Life Coaches, Brian and Chris. As always, the drills will be demonstrated to you first-hand so you can physically see they are achievable - with practice and training.
With the constant repetition of drills and increasing difficulty you may even surprise yourself at your progress! You will be tested again on Day 2 and will have to shoot for score. Everything you have learned and done over the course of 2-days, whether starting with zero experience running a RDO, having some limited experience, to testing your new skill level as it increases substantially in a few short hours - the more you stay focused and committed the better your results will be. Every drill Brian and Chris show you are with purpose and with increased performance based outcomes. When you fail you succeed in learning, when you succeed in performing you celebrate your learning.
Running: Man-on-Man drills through the power of elimination were also conducted and utterly enjoyable, putting your speed and accuracy to the test in real-time, against multiple competitors.
At the end of Day 2, your level of confidence will be so far ahead of where you started on the morning of Day 1. Your time, commitment and initiative to learn from some of the best Instructors in the industry will put you ahead of the game.
In Closing:
This isn't a tactics course, it's a very thorough orientation, familiarization and skills developed course. You will walk away a more capable individual. Guaranteed learning will take place and that learning curve is steep - and fun! Challenge yourself, it's worth it! Make sure your gear is squared away before you arrive: a good, sturdy (reinforced) belt, a decent holster (kydex preferable) and spare magazine pouches, eye-pro, ear-pro (electronic recommended), a hat/ballcap, suntan lotion, hydration and snacks to keep you going. And definitely bring more than 300-rounds of ammunition, you're going to want to put additional rounds downrange! It's just too much fun with a RDO equipped handgun! Take advantage to shoot one of Brian's Heckler & Koch VP9 Tacticals with the PMM compensator and Holosun RDO. You will appreciate how well this set up runs and it will leave you pining for a VP9 so equipped. Brian will show you how to shoot one like a laser beam, you will be duly impressed.
Additionally, one thing I really appreciated in Brian's methodology in teaching is that he doesn't really consider himself as an "Instructor", which is less personable, but rather prefers to be considered as a Coach. I like the mentality and approach of a "Life Coach" per se. Someone who will talk you through and guide your development on a one-to-one personal, and, ongoing basis, rather than just "convey data" and information to you - hoping that you grasp the information (and maybe retain it) - tap you on the back as you walk out of the door and wish you well, and, that is where it ends. You won't find the latter here.
What you will find is very personable, professional, direct and very honest feedback. If you have a thin skin you may need to toughen up some - as Zen Master Bodhi would say in the old film classic "Point Break" (the original, not the retrash): "It will sting a bit, but....uhhh, it's for your own growth, bruh!" This couldn't be more true.
Be accountable for your actions and abilities and simply learn to accept them and make yourself better. Leave your pride and ego at the door. You'll be glad that you did! If you're an armed civilian, competitive shooter, contractor, First Responder or in active Government service and you want to learn to "Run the Dot", you need to attend this training. Your personal development to make you a better shooter is incumbent upon you and it will pay its dividends here. Your life or someone else's may depend on it.
Thank you to Brian and Chris for making each day valuable - it was a pleasure to be humbled by, and, to learn from you both.
Finally, a shout out to Shelley, Brian's wife, for doing all the hard work behind the scenes - we would all be lost without you!
Bryan D.
County Sheriff's Office Corporal, GA.
Overview:
On a hot, humid, July weekend myself and another Deputy (CID Investigator) attended the 2-Day Red Dot Concepts training course Instructed by Brian Hill at The Complete Combatant on their home range, located in the beautiful, rural outskirts of Dahlonega, Georgia.
Working for a County Law-Enforcement Agency looking to progress into the world of Red Dot Optics (RDO's) this was my first foray into shooting with an optic mounted to a handgun - in particular, geared specifically for duty-use.
In this case I was running a new, personally acquired Holosun HE507C-GR X2 (green reticle) optic on my personally-owned 9mm Staccato P-DPO double-stack 2011. My partner was running an Agency issued 9mm GLOCK 45 MOS with the new integrated battery/solar combo Holosun CSC-GR with the very same green reticle options. We both elected to run with the green dot only function instead of the Circle-Dot, or Circle only options.
There is always a little apprehension in taking a course to push your personal development, to learn something new and meet new people with a similar goal, to learn to run an optic on a handgun well enough to be proficient enough to score hits in sub-1.4-seconds from 25-yards, and, sub -1-second draws with a good hit for some at the 5. But, we would have to learn to crawl, walk, run first. Participants ranged across the board from all walks of life. Individuals carrying for personal protection to competitive shooters, and, prior Military/Law-Enforcement to our representing the current, active Law-Enforcement segment.
Firearms carry ranged from concealed strong-side, and, appendix carry IWB to open carry strong-side and duty carry (belt and thigh-rig respectively). Numerous GLOCKs and Shadow Systems (full and mid-sized), Walther PDP/Q5, SIG P320's, a Jagerwerks Custom CZ P10C, and, an HK VP9 were represented, along with a variety of Holosun, Trijicon RMR/SRO, Leupold Delta Pro and SIG RDO's
We started off with an initial introduction from Brian Hill and an introduction to his new accomplis, Chris Bean. Both have extensive histories and experience as Instructors and excel in their own right. Together they fit well in teaching a class together and passing on the knowledge.
Bullets to Paper on The Dot:
I must admit that having experience running an RDO on rifles, from EoTechs and Aimpoints, the transition does not take long at all. You just have to realize that you will likely lose the dot in your window briefly, in that split of a second, and will recover your sight picture quickly - if you do your part. It still felt like cheating, now that I wasn't looking at three focal plains to align and simply had to look at my target - which is where you should be looking when the fit hits the shan - put my dot where I wanted the bullet to go and press on my trigger to achieve the desired result. The same principles to accuracy apply, you'll have to put in the work.
Learning is simply about orientation and repetition until it becomes second nature, that processing takes place in the sub-consciousness, virtually instantaneously, without much if any effort. As with anything, the more you repeat those steps the easier it gets and the faster you process and react to the data. It is just one big OODA Loop/Boyd's Cycle. Rinse and repeat. When you were younger and started driving a car you were nervous and inexperienced, likely all over the road and trying to orient yourself on the functions and behavior of the vehicle just to give it direction. Now the only conscious thought you may have out on the road is your speed and general road safety, you don't have to think about everything else because you do it every single day. Running a RDO is much the same. After mastering your iron sights, put in the time and effort to master your RDO and handgun. You may never want to go back to irons ever again.
Meat and Potatoes - Day 1:
Hitting the range started off with an initial course of fire to make sure that you had a reasonable zero on your optic. Starting close to verify from the 3, 7, 10 and the 25-yard line.
Crawling: Drills working on the draw and finding/tracking the dot drills were next. We were finally crawling. Starting off with one round then working our way up to two rounds and tracking the recovery of the dot.
Some of the following topics were covered: Predicting and reading the dot for follow-up shots at various distances to build student confidence. Overlaying the dot and focusing on the target. Target focus. Drawing from appendix carry concealed, strong side and duty carry. Those running competition speed rigs were fast, but it still comes down to the user, drawing with purposeful alacrity and smoothness to apply projectiles to paper quickly, balancing both speed and accuracy (equally important).
Walking: Multiple drills, multiple strings of fire at multiple distances were the order of the day. Progressively increasing in demand and skill level.
Brian will push you so that you are made to perform on each evolution. Hell, you came here to learn didn't you? Put in the work! :) Ah yes! Padawan, and work you will!
You will also be tested each day, and based on your skill level you will start to acquire rank, much like Brazilian Jiu-Jitsu, based on your performance. Little holes in paper don't lie and they will definitely tell you when you are putting in the work and applying yourself in concert with the dot.
Straight to the Meat - Day 2:
Day 2 started off at the speed that we left off on at the end of the previous day. By now you are getting to know the standards expected of you by your new Life Coaches, Brian and Chris. As always, the drills will be demonstrated to you first-hand so you can physically see they are achievable - with practice and training.
With the constant repetition of drills and increasing difficulty you may even surprise yourself at your progress! You will be tested again on Day 2 and will have to shoot for score. Everything you have learned and done over the course of 2-days, whether starting with zero experience running a RDO, having some limited experience, to testing your new skill level as it increases substantially in a few short hours - the more you stay focused and committed the better your results will be. Every drill Brian and Chris show you are with purpose and with increased performance based outcomes. When you fail you succeed in learning, when you succeed in performing you celebrate your learning.
Running: Man-on-Man drills through the power of elimination were also conducted and utterly enjoyable, putting your speed and accuracy to the test in real-time, against multiple competitors.
At the end of Day 2, your level of confidence will be so far ahead of where you started on the morning of Day 1. Your time, commitment and initiative to learn from some of the best Instructors in the industry will put you ahead of the game.
In Closing:
This isn't a tactics course, it's a very thorough orientation, familiarization and skills developed course. You will walk away a more capable individual. Guaranteed learning will take place and that learning curve is steep - and fun! Challenge yourself, it's worth it! Make sure your gear is squared away before you arrive: a good, sturdy (reinforced) belt, a decent holster (kydex preferable) and spare magazine pouches, eye-pro, ear-pro (electronic recommended), a hat/ballcap, suntan lotion, hydration and snacks to keep you going. And definitely bring more than 300-rounds of ammunition, you're going to want to put additional rounds downrange! It's just too much fun with a RDO equipped handgun! Take advantage to shoot one of Brian's Heckler & Koch VP9 Tacticals with the PMM compensator and Holosun RDO. You will appreciate how well this set up runs and it will leave you pining for a VP9 so equipped. Brian will show you how to shoot one like a laser beam, you will be duly impressed.
Additionally, one thing I really appreciated in Brian's methodology in teaching is that he doesn't really consider himself as an "Instructor", which is less personable, but rather prefers to be considered as a Coach. I like the mentality and approach of a "Life Coach" per se. Someone who will talk you through and guide your development on a one-to-one personal, and, ongoing basis, rather than just "convey data" and information to you - hoping that you grasp the information (and maybe retain it) - tap you on the back as you walk out of the door and wish you well, and, that is where it ends. You won't find the latter here.
What you will find is very personable, professional, direct and very honest feedback. If you have a thin skin you may need to toughen up some - as Zen Master Bodhi would say in the old film classic "Point Break" (the original, not the retrash): "It will sting a bit, but....uhhh, it's for your own growth, bruh!" This couldn't be more true.
Be accountable for your actions and abilities and simply learn to accept them and make yourself better. Leave your pride and ego at the door. You'll be glad that you did! If you're an armed civilian, competitive shooter, contractor, First Responder or in active Government service and you want to learn to "Run the Dot", you need to attend this training. Your personal development to make you a better shooter is incumbent upon you and it will pay its dividends here. Your life or someone else's may depend on it.
Thank you to Brian and Chris for making each day valuable - it was a pleasure to be humbled by, and, to learn from you both.
Finally, a shout out to Shelley, Brian's wife, for doing all the hard work behind the scenes - we would all be lost without you!
Bryan D.
County Sheriff's Office Corporal, GA.
2 Day Red Dot Concepts
No one reads long AARs. Here are 6 things you need to know about Brian Hill’s red dot class.
1. A lot of squared away folks say that Brian Hill is one of the best shooting instructors in the country, but hardly anyone has heard of him. Why? It’s because nothing in Brian Hill’s class is about him. It’s not about his personality, ego, or any kind of bullshit coolguy lifestyle marketing. It is about the student and their learning process, from start to finish.
2. The secret to shooting well is doing the right things with good timing, with no wasted time or movement in between. This is also the secret to teaching well, and Brian Hill has figured out how to get people on the path to mental, physical, and emotional performance with the least possible wasted effort.
3. Human beings are basically just sacks of electrified meat with a tenuous window to reality and a whole bunch of emotions. Brian Hill understands this and respects it. His teaching style works with human nature rather than against it. He makes learning easy.
4. At first glance, the exercises and tests in Brian Hill’s class are not flashy. They actually feel pretty basic and easy when you’re shooting them. But I saw both the highest level and lowest level shooters in the class make major performance breakthroughs. As a solidly middle-of-the-pack shooter, I achieved two all-time personal bests shooting my slim subcompact carry gun from concealment. Brian Hill modulates his coaching effortlessly to meet the student’s skill level.
5. Brian Hill is gathering information about you from jump. You don’t need to explain your skill level. He already knows. You can’t fool him, but you don’t need to. He is respectful, considerate, and nonjudgmental, and the only obstacles to your learning are the ones you choose to retain.
6. Number six is number one repeated, because it’s that important. Student-centered classes are not the norm in this industry. Brian Hill does not impress you by focusing on himself or marketing his brand. He impresses you by focusing on YOUR abilities and facilitating YOUR accomplishments. There is a difference. Make sure you’re primed to notice, or it may sneak past you.
If you get a chance to train with Brian Hill, be prepared to make the most of the opportunity, because this level of teaching skill is rare.
Sarah Cade Hauptman of PHLster
No one reads long AARs. Here are 6 things you need to know about Brian Hill’s red dot class.
1. A lot of squared away folks say that Brian Hill is one of the best shooting instructors in the country, but hardly anyone has heard of him. Why? It’s because nothing in Brian Hill’s class is about him. It’s not about his personality, ego, or any kind of bullshit coolguy lifestyle marketing. It is about the student and their learning process, from start to finish.
2. The secret to shooting well is doing the right things with good timing, with no wasted time or movement in between. This is also the secret to teaching well, and Brian Hill has figured out how to get people on the path to mental, physical, and emotional performance with the least possible wasted effort.
3. Human beings are basically just sacks of electrified meat with a tenuous window to reality and a whole bunch of emotions. Brian Hill understands this and respects it. His teaching style works with human nature rather than against it. He makes learning easy.
4. At first glance, the exercises and tests in Brian Hill’s class are not flashy. They actually feel pretty basic and easy when you’re shooting them. But I saw both the highest level and lowest level shooters in the class make major performance breakthroughs. As a solidly middle-of-the-pack shooter, I achieved two all-time personal bests shooting my slim subcompact carry gun from concealment. Brian Hill modulates his coaching effortlessly to meet the student’s skill level.
5. Brian Hill is gathering information about you from jump. You don’t need to explain your skill level. He already knows. You can’t fool him, but you don’t need to. He is respectful, considerate, and nonjudgmental, and the only obstacles to your learning are the ones you choose to retain.
6. Number six is number one repeated, because it’s that important. Student-centered classes are not the norm in this industry. Brian Hill does not impress you by focusing on himself or marketing his brand. He impresses you by focusing on YOUR abilities and facilitating YOUR accomplishments. There is a difference. Make sure you’re primed to notice, or it may sneak past you.
If you get a chance to train with Brian Hill, be prepared to make the most of the opportunity, because this level of teaching skill is rare.
Sarah Cade Hauptman of PHLster
Deliberate Coaching with the Complete Combatant
Hey everybody. This gonna be a bit long, but bear with me. I really want to make sure I do it justice.
Recently I attended the Deliberate Coaching 3 day class presented by Brian Hill of The Complete Combatant and this is my review.
This class is awesome, and I believe it is what is missing in the firearms training world. I have attended several firearms instructor classes over the last few years and found this one to be the only one that discusses how to teach. All of the other instructor classes covered the subject matter, which is necessary, but never discussed the methods of teaching. This one does that and more.
First of all, Brian calls them clients, not students, and we are coaches, not instructors. This makes it a cooperative endeavor, not an instructional one. It denotes a different type of relationship. We are both on the same team, working toward the same goal: their improvement. In this class, Brian covers the client, the coach, and the principles involved in firearms instruction.
With regard to the client, Brian teaches how to create a connection from the very beginning. How to observe physical attributes such as posture and gait. And how to determine the client's learning style such as visual (seeing), kinesthetic (feeling), or auditory (hearing). And ties it into the technical, physiological, and psychological aspects of coaching. How to diagnose shooting problems, how to manage excitement levels, and how to guide learning toward the end results.
With regard to the coach, Brian teaches how to know yourself and augment your own coaching style by broadening your focus. Taking classes, reading books, watching videos, and listening to podcasts. We learned what creates an engaging speaker, using both verbal and non-verbal skills. How to ensure you are not contradicting your words by your actions. How to avoid traps that lead to teaching what you struggled with rather than addressing your client's struggles. How to create group flow, avoid over teaching, and adapt to changing circumstances.
With regard to the principles, Brian's focus is on measure, refine, and perform, using the 3 practice methods of accuracy/precision, speed/efficiency, and performance. He covers metrics and scoring methods, such as scored, timed, combination, and competition. Brian has done in-depth research into how the brain works and how to prepare the shooter for the best learning. He shares all of that and so much more.
Along with this amazing subject matter coverage, Brian also demonstrated these principles during the shooting portion of the class. Not only does he use them on us as we learn and work on the drills, he also has us coach other students. That gave us a great deal of hands-on experience during the range time. Brian lives by the measure, refine, perform model, and showed that in the drills. We started the class by measuring our abilities, we refined our capabilities while being coached by the other students, then we performed those drills again at the end of the class. So much improvement was seen by so many.
I cannot say enough good things about this class. I highly recommend it to anyone interested in becoming a better coach in firearms training or even just becoming a better shooter. Brian does say you are your first client! There is so much to gain from Brian and his methods, that I expect I will take this class again and again. As I grow in my knowledge of myself and my abilities, I can see gaining more and more from this class.
In truth, this class would help in any field, not just firearms.
Thank you Brian and Shelley for such an fascinating and enriching class!
Harriett Williams
Hey everybody. This gonna be a bit long, but bear with me. I really want to make sure I do it justice.
Recently I attended the Deliberate Coaching 3 day class presented by Brian Hill of The Complete Combatant and this is my review.
This class is awesome, and I believe it is what is missing in the firearms training world. I have attended several firearms instructor classes over the last few years and found this one to be the only one that discusses how to teach. All of the other instructor classes covered the subject matter, which is necessary, but never discussed the methods of teaching. This one does that and more.
First of all, Brian calls them clients, not students, and we are coaches, not instructors. This makes it a cooperative endeavor, not an instructional one. It denotes a different type of relationship. We are both on the same team, working toward the same goal: their improvement. In this class, Brian covers the client, the coach, and the principles involved in firearms instruction.
With regard to the client, Brian teaches how to create a connection from the very beginning. How to observe physical attributes such as posture and gait. And how to determine the client's learning style such as visual (seeing), kinesthetic (feeling), or auditory (hearing). And ties it into the technical, physiological, and psychological aspects of coaching. How to diagnose shooting problems, how to manage excitement levels, and how to guide learning toward the end results.
With regard to the coach, Brian teaches how to know yourself and augment your own coaching style by broadening your focus. Taking classes, reading books, watching videos, and listening to podcasts. We learned what creates an engaging speaker, using both verbal and non-verbal skills. How to ensure you are not contradicting your words by your actions. How to avoid traps that lead to teaching what you struggled with rather than addressing your client's struggles. How to create group flow, avoid over teaching, and adapt to changing circumstances.
With regard to the principles, Brian's focus is on measure, refine, and perform, using the 3 practice methods of accuracy/precision, speed/efficiency, and performance. He covers metrics and scoring methods, such as scored, timed, combination, and competition. Brian has done in-depth research into how the brain works and how to prepare the shooter for the best learning. He shares all of that and so much more.
Along with this amazing subject matter coverage, Brian also demonstrated these principles during the shooting portion of the class. Not only does he use them on us as we learn and work on the drills, he also has us coach other students. That gave us a great deal of hands-on experience during the range time. Brian lives by the measure, refine, perform model, and showed that in the drills. We started the class by measuring our abilities, we refined our capabilities while being coached by the other students, then we performed those drills again at the end of the class. So much improvement was seen by so many.
I cannot say enough good things about this class. I highly recommend it to anyone interested in becoming a better coach in firearms training or even just becoming a better shooter. Brian does say you are your first client! There is so much to gain from Brian and his methods, that I expect I will take this class again and again. As I grow in my knowledge of myself and my abilities, I can see gaining more and more from this class.
In truth, this class would help in any field, not just firearms.
Thank you Brian and Shelley for such an fascinating and enriching class!
Harriett Williams
Deliberate Coaching with the Complete Combatant
Recently, I was able to attend the Complete Combatant’s “Deliberate Coaching” course taught by Brian Hill in Florida. I found this class to be absolutely spot on in both its naming as well as its structure. It was exactly the type of high level, cerebral, and well thought out approach to coaching that I expected from Brian and Shelley.
Day one began as most classes do, or should in my opinion, with introductions. Even before class began, the education had started. Brian has some solid insights as to how one introduces themselves in a class setting. His use of diagnostics, even before class has begun, is outstanding. Brian used these observations throughout the course, later going into detail on HOW he accomplishes these diagnostics. More on that later.
The day continued ,as most firearms-based classes do, with the listing of safety rules and protocols. If you were to attend this class, I would highly encourage you to pay special attention to the way Brian explains and breaks down the classic firearms safety rules. His in-depth approach and understanding of the “why” behind them is excellent, and I would encourage all coaches, teachers, and instructors to spend some time dissecting them as Brian has.
As not to give the whole class away, I will only touch on a few of the many, many, many excellent points in the course. As I said before, Brian is an outstanding diagnostician. His powers of human observation are unparalleled. In my younger days, I had a job that focused much on human observation. Ekman facial cues, body language, and language itself were a huge part of how we conducted our job, and I was surrounded by several individuals who were very good at reading people. Brian is the best I’ve ever seen. To top that, he uses those skills to help guide and coach students, which is a fantastic and effective approach. The use of these observational skills are a huge help in understanding a student as well as predicting their actions.
We then moved onto the range for the second part of day one. This class was a purely technique agnostic class, which was perfect based on its scope. I would call this part of the class “Data Gathering.” We were introduced to some drills and exercises that Brian uses and what their intended purposes are. The exercises are well structured and used very appropriately. An intended byproduct of this part of the course was allowing us to identify some of our own shooting habits or mistakes. For me, it was an obvious lack of patience through strings of fire. What can I say, Ricky Bobby wanna go fast. But this entire data gathering section and introduction to Brian’s standards was well thought out and utilized. Day one ended with us partnering up with another student who would be our coach/student team for the next day.
Day two kicked off again with some amazing power points and classroom discussion on what I would call the science of coaching. The information given that morning was very much a how and why structure. I have pages and pages of notes taken from this day, and would love to talk about all of them, but I would say that this is why you need to take the class! I will highlight just a couple for you though.
Brian has a great understanding of what many refer to as flow states. Not only can he identify them, but he was able to show us what causes them as well as how to induce them. This has been a topic Brian and I have discussed at length before. As a competitive shooter, a flow state is what we are constantly trying to achieve during matches, though can be very elusive. I am eager to utilize the breakdowns Brian discussed through his awesome power point (built by Shelley) in my own personal practice and matches. If I had learned nothing else in this course, this would have been well worth the price of admission right there. I cannot say enough great things about this.
Due to some weather concerns, we ended up going over some of the lecture for day three at this time as well. This is really where I was able to identify some ways to better my coaching on an emotional level with my students. Brian's focus on this day was clearly on developing the coach and their program or style. I thought it was an excellent approach, using different techniques to manage student emotions and arousal levels. This was a great learning experience for me. I discovered that it was something I did subconsciously but perhaps not enough. Brian easily identified it and was able to help coach me through that on day three. But back to day two.
We then headed to the range for some real hands-on coaching time with our partners. I thought this was a hallmark of this course. I have been to several “instructor” courses where we did little to no actual work or development as teachers or coaches. Not the case here. Under Brian’s observation, we were allowed to start developing our coaching partners using the techniques we had been taught over the last couple of days. Brian would lend guidance where he thought necessary, at some points even playing the role of the student and allowing others to coach him. Halfway through the afternoon we switched, coach becoming student and vice versa. It was a fantastic way to allow all of us to develop both ourselves and our partners.
Onto day three, which began with an awesome exercise Brian put together that assessed all of us on our understanding of the coaching principles we had been learning over the last two days. It involved one student acting as a coach and one as a student with a very specific issue. I will not go into detail on this other than to say that it is a fantastic exercise which really lets you practice coaching a student through targeted and identifiable issues. Again, this was another exercise that I think Brian knocked out of the park.
After the exercise, it was back to the range for more development. These developmental sessions are great for multiple reasons, but specifically, they allowed us to really and truly develop not only our partner, but ourselves as coaches on an individual basis. We were able to work on things we identified as areas to develop, whether they be technical skills, or what seemed more prominent, mental and emotional errors. I can’t speak highly enough of these sessions. With Brian observing and guiding when needed, lots of great information and coaching occurred and these alone, again, would be worth the price of admission.
Finally, it was test time. Again, I will not go too much into the tests or how they are graded as that is a central part of the class that you must experience. The testing, however, was very well done and put together. It is comprised of a well-rounded structure of skills that are isolated properly and combined properly to make an excellent assessment tool in my opinion. All that said, I was able to earn Black Ant Patch #1. While I get the patch, credit must go to my coaching partners and Brian for their excellent observations and understanding which lead to my earning the patch.
Following testing, Brian did an outstanding job of allowing each student to run a line. This is something that I feel is truly an important part of firearms related teaching that rarely is practiced outside certain circles of teachers and instructors. Many instructors in the private sector develop excellent one-on-one management skills but tend to lack in line management. The inverse is also a common trend, where those coming out of large group training environments have very good line management skills but lack in one-on-one instances. Brian’s recognition of this was apparent and allowing each student to run a line was an excellent way to finish off the range portion of the course.
Overall, I have nothing but great things to say about this course. There are few courses whose names are more properly suited to what they are. This was truly a “Deliberate Coaching” course. Brian and Shelly’s passion and expertise truly shine through this program, and I would encourage anyone who is serious about making people better to take this course! If Brian Hill, the person, was a course, this would be it. It is cerebral and on point. The skills you will learn here will help you develop not only as a teacher/coach but also as a student. My thanks to Brian and Shelley for letting me share in the experience of the inaugural “Deliberate Coaching” course and allowing me the honor of helping more people through the use of their knowledge.
Take. This. Course.
AJ Zito of Practical Performance
Recently, I was able to attend the Complete Combatant’s “Deliberate Coaching” course taught by Brian Hill in Florida. I found this class to be absolutely spot on in both its naming as well as its structure. It was exactly the type of high level, cerebral, and well thought out approach to coaching that I expected from Brian and Shelley.
Day one began as most classes do, or should in my opinion, with introductions. Even before class began, the education had started. Brian has some solid insights as to how one introduces themselves in a class setting. His use of diagnostics, even before class has begun, is outstanding. Brian used these observations throughout the course, later going into detail on HOW he accomplishes these diagnostics. More on that later.
The day continued ,as most firearms-based classes do, with the listing of safety rules and protocols. If you were to attend this class, I would highly encourage you to pay special attention to the way Brian explains and breaks down the classic firearms safety rules. His in-depth approach and understanding of the “why” behind them is excellent, and I would encourage all coaches, teachers, and instructors to spend some time dissecting them as Brian has.
As not to give the whole class away, I will only touch on a few of the many, many, many excellent points in the course. As I said before, Brian is an outstanding diagnostician. His powers of human observation are unparalleled. In my younger days, I had a job that focused much on human observation. Ekman facial cues, body language, and language itself were a huge part of how we conducted our job, and I was surrounded by several individuals who were very good at reading people. Brian is the best I’ve ever seen. To top that, he uses those skills to help guide and coach students, which is a fantastic and effective approach. The use of these observational skills are a huge help in understanding a student as well as predicting their actions.
We then moved onto the range for the second part of day one. This class was a purely technique agnostic class, which was perfect based on its scope. I would call this part of the class “Data Gathering.” We were introduced to some drills and exercises that Brian uses and what their intended purposes are. The exercises are well structured and used very appropriately. An intended byproduct of this part of the course was allowing us to identify some of our own shooting habits or mistakes. For me, it was an obvious lack of patience through strings of fire. What can I say, Ricky Bobby wanna go fast. But this entire data gathering section and introduction to Brian’s standards was well thought out and utilized. Day one ended with us partnering up with another student who would be our coach/student team for the next day.
Day two kicked off again with some amazing power points and classroom discussion on what I would call the science of coaching. The information given that morning was very much a how and why structure. I have pages and pages of notes taken from this day, and would love to talk about all of them, but I would say that this is why you need to take the class! I will highlight just a couple for you though.
Brian has a great understanding of what many refer to as flow states. Not only can he identify them, but he was able to show us what causes them as well as how to induce them. This has been a topic Brian and I have discussed at length before. As a competitive shooter, a flow state is what we are constantly trying to achieve during matches, though can be very elusive. I am eager to utilize the breakdowns Brian discussed through his awesome power point (built by Shelley) in my own personal practice and matches. If I had learned nothing else in this course, this would have been well worth the price of admission right there. I cannot say enough great things about this.
Due to some weather concerns, we ended up going over some of the lecture for day three at this time as well. This is really where I was able to identify some ways to better my coaching on an emotional level with my students. Brian's focus on this day was clearly on developing the coach and their program or style. I thought it was an excellent approach, using different techniques to manage student emotions and arousal levels. This was a great learning experience for me. I discovered that it was something I did subconsciously but perhaps not enough. Brian easily identified it and was able to help coach me through that on day three. But back to day two.
We then headed to the range for some real hands-on coaching time with our partners. I thought this was a hallmark of this course. I have been to several “instructor” courses where we did little to no actual work or development as teachers or coaches. Not the case here. Under Brian’s observation, we were allowed to start developing our coaching partners using the techniques we had been taught over the last couple of days. Brian would lend guidance where he thought necessary, at some points even playing the role of the student and allowing others to coach him. Halfway through the afternoon we switched, coach becoming student and vice versa. It was a fantastic way to allow all of us to develop both ourselves and our partners.
Onto day three, which began with an awesome exercise Brian put together that assessed all of us on our understanding of the coaching principles we had been learning over the last two days. It involved one student acting as a coach and one as a student with a very specific issue. I will not go into detail on this other than to say that it is a fantastic exercise which really lets you practice coaching a student through targeted and identifiable issues. Again, this was another exercise that I think Brian knocked out of the park.
After the exercise, it was back to the range for more development. These developmental sessions are great for multiple reasons, but specifically, they allowed us to really and truly develop not only our partner, but ourselves as coaches on an individual basis. We were able to work on things we identified as areas to develop, whether they be technical skills, or what seemed more prominent, mental and emotional errors. I can’t speak highly enough of these sessions. With Brian observing and guiding when needed, lots of great information and coaching occurred and these alone, again, would be worth the price of admission.
Finally, it was test time. Again, I will not go too much into the tests or how they are graded as that is a central part of the class that you must experience. The testing, however, was very well done and put together. It is comprised of a well-rounded structure of skills that are isolated properly and combined properly to make an excellent assessment tool in my opinion. All that said, I was able to earn Black Ant Patch #1. While I get the patch, credit must go to my coaching partners and Brian for their excellent observations and understanding which lead to my earning the patch.
Following testing, Brian did an outstanding job of allowing each student to run a line. This is something that I feel is truly an important part of firearms related teaching that rarely is practiced outside certain circles of teachers and instructors. Many instructors in the private sector develop excellent one-on-one management skills but tend to lack in line management. The inverse is also a common trend, where those coming out of large group training environments have very good line management skills but lack in one-on-one instances. Brian’s recognition of this was apparent and allowing each student to run a line was an excellent way to finish off the range portion of the course.
Overall, I have nothing but great things to say about this course. There are few courses whose names are more properly suited to what they are. This was truly a “Deliberate Coaching” course. Brian and Shelly’s passion and expertise truly shine through this program, and I would encourage anyone who is serious about making people better to take this course! If Brian Hill, the person, was a course, this would be it. It is cerebral and on point. The skills you will learn here will help you develop not only as a teacher/coach but also as a student. My thanks to Brian and Shelley for letting me share in the experience of the inaugural “Deliberate Coaching” course and allowing me the honor of helping more people through the use of their knowledge.
Take. This. Course.
AJ Zito of Practical Performance
Pistol Essentials & BEYOND:
Good morning Shelley,
This weekend was a great experience. My only regret was I didn’t get to meet you and thank you personally for all you do to make it happen.
Within the first hour I was thinking what the hell am I doing here. I’m not prepared for this. Deep inside I know if you don’t think this once in a while during something you’re trying to get better at, you’re not pushing hard enough. Nevertheless, I was uncomfortable. Between Brian’s coaching skill and method he got me through the first day and gave me enough tools to come back Sunday ready to go, being as prepared as I was able at the time. I continued to progress and at the end of the day I had done things I was convinced I was not capable of when Brian first told us what was expected of us. Incredible!
I could go on more, but I got to get to work.
Thank you, Thank you, Thank you,
Tom Bledsoe
Good morning Shelley,
This weekend was a great experience. My only regret was I didn’t get to meet you and thank you personally for all you do to make it happen.
Within the first hour I was thinking what the hell am I doing here. I’m not prepared for this. Deep inside I know if you don’t think this once in a while during something you’re trying to get better at, you’re not pushing hard enough. Nevertheless, I was uncomfortable. Between Brian’s coaching skill and method he got me through the first day and gave me enough tools to come back Sunday ready to go, being as prepared as I was able at the time. I continued to progress and at the end of the day I had done things I was convinced I was not capable of when Brian first told us what was expected of us. Incredible!
I could go on more, but I got to get to work.
Thank you, Thank you, Thank you,
Tom Bledsoe
REACTIONARY ZONES
Friends! Last night I had the pleasure of attending Shelley Luehder Hill 's "Reactionary Zones" live zoom class (with special guest, The Tactical Professor, Claude Werner). It was outstanding! Shelley does a deep dive into managing the distance between you and a (potentially) bad guy/girl/animal. She explains the different zones of space surrounding us, and how we might react when someone enters a close zone inappropriately. After that she gets each participant involved in practicing what they've just learned. Finally, she finishes up with Q & A. Whether you carry a gun for self defense, or you have no desire to do that, this class will benefit everyone.
You can tell from the way she presents, Shelley has really done the research and knows what she is talking about. Even more importantly you can tell Shelley cares about each student! We had a person new to the whole "self-protection/firearms" world and Shelley invited her to email so the she (Shelley) could help her plan a course of training, helping her identify instructors to train with. Truly, Shelley goes above and beyond in this class.
I am registered for the Image Based Decisional Drills Instructor Certification in August and I can NOT wait to study with Shelley and her husband, Brian.
Ashley Clark Chin
Friends! Last night I had the pleasure of attending Shelley Luehder Hill 's "Reactionary Zones" live zoom class (with special guest, The Tactical Professor, Claude Werner). It was outstanding! Shelley does a deep dive into managing the distance between you and a (potentially) bad guy/girl/animal. She explains the different zones of space surrounding us, and how we might react when someone enters a close zone inappropriately. After that she gets each participant involved in practicing what they've just learned. Finally, she finishes up with Q & A. Whether you carry a gun for self defense, or you have no desire to do that, this class will benefit everyone.
You can tell from the way she presents, Shelley has really done the research and knows what she is talking about. Even more importantly you can tell Shelley cares about each student! We had a person new to the whole "self-protection/firearms" world and Shelley invited her to email so the she (Shelley) could help her plan a course of training, helping her identify instructors to train with. Truly, Shelley goes above and beyond in this class.
I am registered for the Image Based Decisional Drills Instructor Certification in August and I can NOT wait to study with Shelley and her husband, Brian.
Ashley Clark Chin
The Complete Combatant - AAR
Deliberate Coaching: Diagnostic, Predictive, Adaptive.
I’ve spent countless days and hours away from my family, out of town, in strange places. Money comes and it goes but experiences last. I’ve spent all of this time and money in pursuit of something. At times that “something” has been hard to grasp. I’ve been an amateur, a hobbyist but now I am seeking to become a professional. Craig Douglas said to me I should seek to do “something” rather than to be “someone”. That something is passing along the knowledge and lessons I’ve learned along the way to new and aspiring students.
I met Brian during two of the classes I took as a student and I immediately identified him as humble, stoic, affable and a consummate professional. When I learned that he was offering an Instructor level course I unhesitatingly registered because I KNEW that it would undoubtedly be worth the time and the money. I found that my gut instinct was absolutely correct. This would be my very first instructor level course and I chose Brian & The Complete Combatant consciously because of the trust I had already established with him.
Brian delved deeper into the human mind, teaching methodologies, the science of learning and all things instruction then I thought would be possible in three days. This is an all expenses paid trip behind the mind and methods of a man who has put 10’s of thousands of hours into the art - and I do mean art. His delivery and execution are self evident of his mastery in this domain and he spares nothing, baring it all out to the students of this course. You will learn to teach but you will also learn about yourself in this course. Brian will gently lead you down a path that can be uncomfortable but he is exposing you to the obstacles you will invariably find in your tenure as an instructor. You will learn, you will share, you will coach, you will teach, you will GROW. Brian will honestly assess your abilities, show you how to improve them and show you how to help others improve their own.
This class is head and shoulders above the competition and in the words of the hip “Ya’ll are sleeping on Brian Hill & The Complete Combatant!”. Stop sleeping on this class and this amazing human being - you wont regret it, I surely didn’t.
-Chris Kossmann (First Cohort: Deliberate Coaching)
Deliberate Coaching: Diagnostic, Predictive, Adaptive.
I’ve spent countless days and hours away from my family, out of town, in strange places. Money comes and it goes but experiences last. I’ve spent all of this time and money in pursuit of something. At times that “something” has been hard to grasp. I’ve been an amateur, a hobbyist but now I am seeking to become a professional. Craig Douglas said to me I should seek to do “something” rather than to be “someone”. That something is passing along the knowledge and lessons I’ve learned along the way to new and aspiring students.
I met Brian during two of the classes I took as a student and I immediately identified him as humble, stoic, affable and a consummate professional. When I learned that he was offering an Instructor level course I unhesitatingly registered because I KNEW that it would undoubtedly be worth the time and the money. I found that my gut instinct was absolutely correct. This would be my very first instructor level course and I chose Brian & The Complete Combatant consciously because of the trust I had already established with him.
Brian delved deeper into the human mind, teaching methodologies, the science of learning and all things instruction then I thought would be possible in three days. This is an all expenses paid trip behind the mind and methods of a man who has put 10’s of thousands of hours into the art - and I do mean art. His delivery and execution are self evident of his mastery in this domain and he spares nothing, baring it all out to the students of this course. You will learn to teach but you will also learn about yourself in this course. Brian will gently lead you down a path that can be uncomfortable but he is exposing you to the obstacles you will invariably find in your tenure as an instructor. You will learn, you will share, you will coach, you will teach, you will GROW. Brian will honestly assess your abilities, show you how to improve them and show you how to help others improve their own.
This class is head and shoulders above the competition and in the words of the hip “Ya’ll are sleeping on Brian Hill & The Complete Combatant!”. Stop sleeping on this class and this amazing human being - you wont regret it, I surely didn’t.
-Chris Kossmann (First Cohort: Deliberate Coaching)
ONLINE Reactionary Zones:
I had the pleasure of attending an on-line class put on by Shelley Hill of The Complete Combatant. This session focused on a program she has developed called "Reactionary Zones". This is a much needed and welcomed addition to the already popular Images Based Decisional Drills (IBDD). The session started out with some brief introductions and Shelley pointed out the four IBDD Certified Instructors along with the other eight students … which included her Mom!
Shelley jumped right in with the lesson and broke down the reactionary zones for us along with how why she arrived at them. Because of her particular method of learning, Shelley broke down the zones with a colorful, visual representation and everyday examples of what they are. This was very helpful and really put things in a realistic perspective.
After the formal presentation, Shelley ‘allowed’ the certified IBDD instructors to ‘teach back’ to the group. She chose a slide and then a ‘victim’. As we went through the slides, Shelley helped some and made sure each of us thoroughly understood the information presented.
We ended the class with a chance to ask questions but, true to form, Shelley had covered the material so well, there wasn’t much to ask!! I really liked the graphics which I think will help bring the sometimes tedious classroom presentations ALIVE for the students.
As one of the first clients to attend their IBDD Instructor course, I have been impressed with the program from the beginning and the Reactionary Zones information will make the program even better. I highly recommend the IBDD program!!
Gary Glemboski of Florida
I had the pleasure of attending an on-line class put on by Shelley Hill of The Complete Combatant. This session focused on a program she has developed called "Reactionary Zones". This is a much needed and welcomed addition to the already popular Images Based Decisional Drills (IBDD). The session started out with some brief introductions and Shelley pointed out the four IBDD Certified Instructors along with the other eight students … which included her Mom!
Shelley jumped right in with the lesson and broke down the reactionary zones for us along with how why she arrived at them. Because of her particular method of learning, Shelley broke down the zones with a colorful, visual representation and everyday examples of what they are. This was very helpful and really put things in a realistic perspective.
After the formal presentation, Shelley ‘allowed’ the certified IBDD instructors to ‘teach back’ to the group. She chose a slide and then a ‘victim’. As we went through the slides, Shelley helped some and made sure each of us thoroughly understood the information presented.
We ended the class with a chance to ask questions but, true to form, Shelley had covered the material so well, there wasn’t much to ask!! I really liked the graphics which I think will help bring the sometimes tedious classroom presentations ALIVE for the students.
As one of the first clients to attend their IBDD Instructor course, I have been impressed with the program from the beginning and the Reactionary Zones information will make the program even better. I highly recommend the IBDD program!!
Gary Glemboski of Florida
Deliberate Coaching
Brian Hill is unlike any coach I have ever learned from, both as a shooter and as an instructor. I thought I had an idea of what to expect and what I was getting myself into when I came to his class. I had watched many of his videos and read a lot about the Deliberate Coaching class. What I learned was that this class is very different for everyone individually. What you individually need is provided in ways you don't even see coming. "When the student is ready, the teacher appears" is definitely true. And Brian has such a deep well of teaching to draw from that he can help anyone right where they are, and in immediate profound ways.
My experience in this class was the equivalent of getting onto a boat for the first time (and I really don't care for water) and learning how to sail with Brian as the captain. Many things I thought I knew went out the window. I learned that if I let go of the struggle of fighting the waves (while, in this case, also metaphorically learning how to adjust the sails) and started to ride WITH the waves, I could actually soar beyond levels even I knew was possible.
Brian often talks about the importance (as a coach/instructor) of becoming your student's advocate, not just their coach. What an incredible way to look at helping people. What an honor to be in that space for people. In that sense, the student can bring their guard down to learn in a completely different way and on a deeper level if they trust that advocate. In the sailing analogy, I knew that if waves were about to get crazy or if the boat was getting too unsteady, I could trust Brian to help guide me through.
BUT here is the magic, and for me, one of the biggest gifts I received during that class. It wasn't enough to only trust Brian to guide me through the waves. Ultimately the gift he gave me was to show me that I can trust myself and I can do it myself. I didn't need to rely on him by the time the lesson was learned. The truth was that I had it all along. I just didn't see it. And he helped me see it (and own it) in a non-hippy dippy way. :)
That's the gift that Brian gave me during Deliberate Teaching. And I'm forever grateful.
Lora Thorson
Brian Hill is unlike any coach I have ever learned from, both as a shooter and as an instructor. I thought I had an idea of what to expect and what I was getting myself into when I came to his class. I had watched many of his videos and read a lot about the Deliberate Coaching class. What I learned was that this class is very different for everyone individually. What you individually need is provided in ways you don't even see coming. "When the student is ready, the teacher appears" is definitely true. And Brian has such a deep well of teaching to draw from that he can help anyone right where they are, and in immediate profound ways.
My experience in this class was the equivalent of getting onto a boat for the first time (and I really don't care for water) and learning how to sail with Brian as the captain. Many things I thought I knew went out the window. I learned that if I let go of the struggle of fighting the waves (while, in this case, also metaphorically learning how to adjust the sails) and started to ride WITH the waves, I could actually soar beyond levels even I knew was possible.
Brian often talks about the importance (as a coach/instructor) of becoming your student's advocate, not just their coach. What an incredible way to look at helping people. What an honor to be in that space for people. In that sense, the student can bring their guard down to learn in a completely different way and on a deeper level if they trust that advocate. In the sailing analogy, I knew that if waves were about to get crazy or if the boat was getting too unsteady, I could trust Brian to help guide me through.
BUT here is the magic, and for me, one of the biggest gifts I received during that class. It wasn't enough to only trust Brian to guide me through the waves. Ultimately the gift he gave me was to show me that I can trust myself and I can do it myself. I didn't need to rely on him by the time the lesson was learned. The truth was that I had it all along. I just didn't see it. And he helped me see it (and own it) in a non-hippy dippy way. :)
That's the gift that Brian gave me during Deliberate Teaching. And I'm forever grateful.
Lora Thorson
Deliberate Coaching
I absolutely loved the Deliberate Coaching class. Let me begin with something I am sure you hear after every class Brian teaches, he is so confident in his skills and abilities, he is passionate in his desire to improve the field of instructors, he is just as confident and passionate in praise for his partner and wife!! So refreshing to hear someone who is a role model to so many singing the praise of his wonderful wife, you are without a doubt the most important part of his ability to be successful in what he is able to accomplish. Just wanted you to hear (Im sure over and over) how much he praises you to his classes and respects your partnership.
Now on to the class………. Brian’s approach to the students was unique for me, It is not just another instructor course that attempts to impart the “instructors” special curriculum. It is not just another instructor course that imparts the “secret way to shoot faster” if only the student follows the new and improved method. Instead, Brian takes the approach of developing instructors who are able to adapt and conform to students physical and/or psychological barriers to learning or growing in the craft. For me, I am a solid intermediate shooter, having taken several high level pistol classes in the past. Brian did the 1 thing no other instructor had ever done, he took the time to evaluate me as a shooter and then determine what was holding me back from improving. Nope, it wasn’t my grip or stance or any other technical skill, it was “I was not comfortable missing the target” so I weighted precision over performance and then convinced myself that I didn't know how to go faster. Brian took the time to watch and listen and speak truth to me about what he saw. Amazing, he is about mentoring the student.
I have to add, and he taught the class without any vulgar language or filthy jokes, which I find refreshing. I look forward to taking another class with Brian in the future and will sing his praises to friends.
He is a great shooter, but skills are fleeting, he seems to be a wonderful man who is driven to help people be “better"
Darla Steetle
Spokane, WA
I absolutely loved the Deliberate Coaching class. Let me begin with something I am sure you hear after every class Brian teaches, he is so confident in his skills and abilities, he is passionate in his desire to improve the field of instructors, he is just as confident and passionate in praise for his partner and wife!! So refreshing to hear someone who is a role model to so many singing the praise of his wonderful wife, you are without a doubt the most important part of his ability to be successful in what he is able to accomplish. Just wanted you to hear (Im sure over and over) how much he praises you to his classes and respects your partnership.
Now on to the class………. Brian’s approach to the students was unique for me, It is not just another instructor course that attempts to impart the “instructors” special curriculum. It is not just another instructor course that imparts the “secret way to shoot faster” if only the student follows the new and improved method. Instead, Brian takes the approach of developing instructors who are able to adapt and conform to students physical and/or psychological barriers to learning or growing in the craft. For me, I am a solid intermediate shooter, having taken several high level pistol classes in the past. Brian did the 1 thing no other instructor had ever done, he took the time to evaluate me as a shooter and then determine what was holding me back from improving. Nope, it wasn’t my grip or stance or any other technical skill, it was “I was not comfortable missing the target” so I weighted precision over performance and then convinced myself that I didn't know how to go faster. Brian took the time to watch and listen and speak truth to me about what he saw. Amazing, he is about mentoring the student.
I have to add, and he taught the class without any vulgar language or filthy jokes, which I find refreshing. I look forward to taking another class with Brian in the future and will sing his praises to friends.
He is a great shooter, but skills are fleeting, he seems to be a wonderful man who is driven to help people be “better"
Darla Steetle
Spokane, WA
Brian and Shelley,
Wanted to send a quick note saying how much I enjoyed both the private lessons and the 2 day Pistol Essentials & Beyond course. I could not have expected a more complete training session. Thank you again to you and to Brian for the outstanding product and support. Look forward to training at the home rage sometime soon!
Thanks again and best wishes,
Joey of Alabama
Wanted to send a quick note saying how much I enjoyed both the private lessons and the 2 day Pistol Essentials & Beyond course. I could not have expected a more complete training session. Thank you again to you and to Brian for the outstanding product and support. Look forward to training at the home rage sometime soon!
Thanks again and best wishes,
Joey of Alabama
1 Day Intro to the Red Dot
Tony and I absolutely LOVED the Intro to Red Dot class this past Friday. Neither of us were convinced we would be Red Dot fans but Brian managed to turn us around and make us true believers. We learned a ton and we have a lot to work on but Brian is such a great teacher we now have our path forward. Thanks Brian!
Thanks Shelley for all you did to get us ready for class and keep us on track. We know Brian cannot do it without you! 😊 We are thankful for your teamwork to bring such great training out to us in this crazy state we call California.
Charlie of Cali
Tony and I absolutely LOVED the Intro to Red Dot class this past Friday. Neither of us were convinced we would be Red Dot fans but Brian managed to turn us around and make us true believers. We learned a ton and we have a lot to work on but Brian is such a great teacher we now have our path forward. Thanks Brian!
Thanks Shelley for all you did to get us ready for class and keep us on track. We know Brian cannot do it without you! 😊 We are thankful for your teamwork to bring such great training out to us in this crazy state we call California.
Charlie of Cali
2 Day Red Dot Concepts:
After incorporating what I learned at the 2 day Red Dot Concepts class into my weekly training, I've discovered immense improvement in not only speed, but I can find my dot. I now have the confidence to trust what I've learned, when I pull the trigger, I know where the round is going to land. Highly recommend.
Chancie of Georgia
After incorporating what I learned at the 2 day Red Dot Concepts class into my weekly training, I've discovered immense improvement in not only speed, but I can find my dot. I now have the confidence to trust what I've learned, when I pull the trigger, I know where the round is going to land. Highly recommend.
Chancie of Georgia
Deliberate Coaching: Diagnostic, Predictive, Adaptive.
I had the pleasure of attending the first Deliberate Coaching class. When I first saw the announcement, I thought this is just what I was looking for. This 3 day class is broken down into three sections. The curriculum is thorough and relatable. Brian is a passionate Instructor dedicated to helping others reach success in the firearms industry. I learned a wealth of information that I plan to use on a regular basis. I learned a lot from my fellow classmates, as well. A wonderful group of men that I am grateful to have met. The host range was on a beautiful private property. The owners were hospitable and welcoming. The overall experience was wonderful.
In the class, Brian mentioned that being an excellent shooter isn’t a natural gift or a stroke of luck, but a skill that is cultivated through hard work and self discipline.
By taking this class you are investing in yourself, as well as your future students. You will learn more than you thought possible. This class is a one of a kind. It is born of Brian’s heart, soul, and a desire to see others achieve greatness.
If you are thinking about whether you should take this class and you are on the fence for whatever reason, whether it is because you don’t have the time or you are short on money-do it.
Take the plunge and dive head first into the journey of Deliberate Coaching. You will not be disappointed.
Elisabeth P. G of North Carolina
I had the pleasure of attending the first Deliberate Coaching class. When I first saw the announcement, I thought this is just what I was looking for. This 3 day class is broken down into three sections. The curriculum is thorough and relatable. Brian is a passionate Instructor dedicated to helping others reach success in the firearms industry. I learned a wealth of information that I plan to use on a regular basis. I learned a lot from my fellow classmates, as well. A wonderful group of men that I am grateful to have met. The host range was on a beautiful private property. The owners were hospitable and welcoming. The overall experience was wonderful.
In the class, Brian mentioned that being an excellent shooter isn’t a natural gift or a stroke of luck, but a skill that is cultivated through hard work and self discipline.
By taking this class you are investing in yourself, as well as your future students. You will learn more than you thought possible. This class is a one of a kind. It is born of Brian’s heart, soul, and a desire to see others achieve greatness.
If you are thinking about whether you should take this class and you are on the fence for whatever reason, whether it is because you don’t have the time or you are short on money-do it.
Take the plunge and dive head first into the journey of Deliberate Coaching. You will not be disappointed.
Elisabeth P. G of North Carolina
Reactionary Zones class is a must! This takes personal safety to a new level. Shelley Luehder Hill presents the class in a way that teaches you how to THINK in any situation. You don't know what you don't know until you experience this class! Honestly, everyone can benefit from this type of training that could honestly save your life by being able to make a good first decision. I appreciate the level of experience and depth of knowledge that Shelley brought to the class. I can't wait to learn more and train more with Shelley and Brian! Thank you so much!
Pilar S. Cobb
Pilar S. Cobb
AAR Deliberate Coaching with Brian Hill
Brian Hill is a friend, mentor and outstanding instructor. He is also the finest shooting coach I have ever seen. Coaching is skill. Instructor courses spend a great deal of time on the curriculum and technical skill of shooting, coaching, however, is neglected. If you endeavor to be a great firearm instructor, you have to learn how to coach. No one teaches you. You take a bunch of classes you get corrected, and you watch as others are corrected, and you try to figure out what the instructor saw. There is not practical examination in firearms instruction. If you wanted to be a doctor you would make rounds as a resident and you would be presented with a patient and must diagnose a condition based on the available information and examination. A chief resident or attending would then question you and correct any errors in your diagnosis and you would learn. To become a dentist part of your licensing is to actually treat people and you are graded on how well you perform your treatment. As an attorney you literally have to write a brief during the bar exam and the quality of your work is reviewed before you are admitted to the practice. As a firearms instructor there is no practical exam to take. No one gives you a new shooter and supervises you as you attempt to correct their errors. So, shooting instruction, generally, takes the form of correcting obvious technical errors with the admonition to practice more. A common recommendation given to aspiring instructors is to take many classes from well-respected instructors, and this is good advice. It makes you a better shooter, but it is hard to glean the coaching lessons from such instruction. This class fills that void in firearm instruction.
Day one we talked about the Client. He encourages you to be a keen observer of the person you are about to teach to look for, gait, posture, personality, speech, body language, and injuries. He discusses the importance of interviewing prospective clients. What are their goals and what type of personality do they have, what is their experience level. Here is the thing, Brian gets deep here. He goes hard into neurology, and psychology. Prepare to get into the weeds. Anyone who has Daniel Kahneman, and Richard Thaler on their reading list is about to drop some science on you. Admittedly, some of the reading that Brian suggests is deep. I read Thinking Fast and Slow by Kahneman and it is exceptional, however, it is not on the typical firearms instructor’s syllabus. One of the comments I have heard regarding Brian is that he uses multi-syllabic words in his podcasts and instruction. I find it refreshing to be challenged by new ideas and concepts that I have not heard of. It’s okay to look up a word or idea. Really it is.
The next part is gold. Brian then discusses his mental processes for evaluating and coaching a client. He starts with prediction coaching, then diagnosis and finally gives a system for Diagnosis and finding the right correction. Brian has been teaching most of his life, primarily martial arts and his knowledge of the body and how it works is amazing. You learn to look at the whole person when coaching. Getting beyond the grip, and trigger and into the whole body. What is the head doing, where are his feet, what is their physiological state, where are they mentally, what are they focusing on, and what should they be focusing on and how can we get them to focus on what we want.
The last part of day one was us taking a series of tests. Essentially, he gathered data on the baseline of the students in the class. Our class had world class shooters and relative new instructors. After taking the baselines, Brian decided who would coach who, and we went to work. He stopped by sometimes noticed and sometimes not. He asked questions and instructed on better ways to make corrections. This was pretty fun. We all got to watch each other and had been gathering information about how to help/coach potential issues. Part of our goals was to make our students better.
Day 2:
Brian discussed the principles of coaching. Advocacy, purpose, focus, and curriculum. This section was much more focused on us as coaches and how we needed to deal with students individually. We talked about how to Measure, Refine and Perform. Different methodologies for practice. The importance of qualifiers, tests and drills and the different types of scoring an timing we should use depending upon the type of students that we are teaching and our goals for the class. Perhaps the most interesting part of the day was Brian’s idea of creating a flow state in the shooter. Flow is a psychological state of total absorption in a task, where a person is fully focused on what they are doing. Brian discusses 17 flow triggers. I think many of us have experienced flow but bringing it on at will is difficult and Brian attempts to give us the tools to share with those who desire reaching that state. The idea of struggle, release, flow and recovery were introduced. I am still working with the ideas he presented in this section. I have trouble getting into flow myself, but I can see it when I am coaching.
Day 2 on the range was working with different students in the class. That was great too and Brian allowed us a free hand to do what we wanted. He came to check on us but really allowed us to put the principles to work.
Day 3:
Our lecture was brief, and we each had to diagnose shooting errors in front of the class. No pressure. Brian made each student “pretend” to have a problem that we already had. Then he picked a person to diagnose the problem. I got a student that was just shooting underneath the bullseye. As a gateway instructor, if I get a student that shoots slightly under the bullseye count that as a win celebrate and walk away. Brian, however, wanted me to correct it. I reverted to my typical advice and failed to see the problem with his stance and was inducing the error. Once identified I could correct it. That was awesome. I wish we could have spent more time doing that. We then took our baselines again and compared them to where we started. Everyone improved in some significant way on the baseline.
The class was great, and my only complaint is that he covered too much material. This easily could have been a five-day class. If you are thinking about instruction this is the class for you. To teach you have to coach. Learn from the best coach in the game.
Howie Marbury of HM Training & Consulting
Brian Hill is a friend, mentor and outstanding instructor. He is also the finest shooting coach I have ever seen. Coaching is skill. Instructor courses spend a great deal of time on the curriculum and technical skill of shooting, coaching, however, is neglected. If you endeavor to be a great firearm instructor, you have to learn how to coach. No one teaches you. You take a bunch of classes you get corrected, and you watch as others are corrected, and you try to figure out what the instructor saw. There is not practical examination in firearms instruction. If you wanted to be a doctor you would make rounds as a resident and you would be presented with a patient and must diagnose a condition based on the available information and examination. A chief resident or attending would then question you and correct any errors in your diagnosis and you would learn. To become a dentist part of your licensing is to actually treat people and you are graded on how well you perform your treatment. As an attorney you literally have to write a brief during the bar exam and the quality of your work is reviewed before you are admitted to the practice. As a firearms instructor there is no practical exam to take. No one gives you a new shooter and supervises you as you attempt to correct their errors. So, shooting instruction, generally, takes the form of correcting obvious technical errors with the admonition to practice more. A common recommendation given to aspiring instructors is to take many classes from well-respected instructors, and this is good advice. It makes you a better shooter, but it is hard to glean the coaching lessons from such instruction. This class fills that void in firearm instruction.
Day one we talked about the Client. He encourages you to be a keen observer of the person you are about to teach to look for, gait, posture, personality, speech, body language, and injuries. He discusses the importance of interviewing prospective clients. What are their goals and what type of personality do they have, what is their experience level. Here is the thing, Brian gets deep here. He goes hard into neurology, and psychology. Prepare to get into the weeds. Anyone who has Daniel Kahneman, and Richard Thaler on their reading list is about to drop some science on you. Admittedly, some of the reading that Brian suggests is deep. I read Thinking Fast and Slow by Kahneman and it is exceptional, however, it is not on the typical firearms instructor’s syllabus. One of the comments I have heard regarding Brian is that he uses multi-syllabic words in his podcasts and instruction. I find it refreshing to be challenged by new ideas and concepts that I have not heard of. It’s okay to look up a word or idea. Really it is.
The next part is gold. Brian then discusses his mental processes for evaluating and coaching a client. He starts with prediction coaching, then diagnosis and finally gives a system for Diagnosis and finding the right correction. Brian has been teaching most of his life, primarily martial arts and his knowledge of the body and how it works is amazing. You learn to look at the whole person when coaching. Getting beyond the grip, and trigger and into the whole body. What is the head doing, where are his feet, what is their physiological state, where are they mentally, what are they focusing on, and what should they be focusing on and how can we get them to focus on what we want.
The last part of day one was us taking a series of tests. Essentially, he gathered data on the baseline of the students in the class. Our class had world class shooters and relative new instructors. After taking the baselines, Brian decided who would coach who, and we went to work. He stopped by sometimes noticed and sometimes not. He asked questions and instructed on better ways to make corrections. This was pretty fun. We all got to watch each other and had been gathering information about how to help/coach potential issues. Part of our goals was to make our students better.
Day 2:
Brian discussed the principles of coaching. Advocacy, purpose, focus, and curriculum. This section was much more focused on us as coaches and how we needed to deal with students individually. We talked about how to Measure, Refine and Perform. Different methodologies for practice. The importance of qualifiers, tests and drills and the different types of scoring an timing we should use depending upon the type of students that we are teaching and our goals for the class. Perhaps the most interesting part of the day was Brian’s idea of creating a flow state in the shooter. Flow is a psychological state of total absorption in a task, where a person is fully focused on what they are doing. Brian discusses 17 flow triggers. I think many of us have experienced flow but bringing it on at will is difficult and Brian attempts to give us the tools to share with those who desire reaching that state. The idea of struggle, release, flow and recovery were introduced. I am still working with the ideas he presented in this section. I have trouble getting into flow myself, but I can see it when I am coaching.
Day 2 on the range was working with different students in the class. That was great too and Brian allowed us a free hand to do what we wanted. He came to check on us but really allowed us to put the principles to work.
Day 3:
Our lecture was brief, and we each had to diagnose shooting errors in front of the class. No pressure. Brian made each student “pretend” to have a problem that we already had. Then he picked a person to diagnose the problem. I got a student that was just shooting underneath the bullseye. As a gateway instructor, if I get a student that shoots slightly under the bullseye count that as a win celebrate and walk away. Brian, however, wanted me to correct it. I reverted to my typical advice and failed to see the problem with his stance and was inducing the error. Once identified I could correct it. That was awesome. I wish we could have spent more time doing that. We then took our baselines again and compared them to where we started. Everyone improved in some significant way on the baseline.
The class was great, and my only complaint is that he covered too much material. This easily could have been a five-day class. If you are thinking about instruction this is the class for you. To teach you have to coach. Learn from the best coach in the game.
Howie Marbury of HM Training & Consulting
Image Based Decisional Drills Instructor Program and Reactionary Zones:
I had the opportunity twice to sit in on Brian & Shelley teaching an abbreviated "class" regarding their Image Based Decisional Drills curriculum, and knew that I needed to know more and wanted to teach this to my students. In October took the step to become an IBDD instructor, and most recently attended their Reactionary Zones training to add to my toolset in teaching. This class is exactly what my students need, from the teenager to seasoned adults taking a concealed carry class, to better understand how important it is to make the BEST FIRST CHOICE when in a situation. For me personally during the IBDD Instructor class, it showed that I (yes, calling myself out) still need to work on my skills as I did not make some good choices when in those scenario situations. Even just a bit of stress in class can make the difference in how we respond to a stimulus. It was incredible to experience it, and I know that teaching an IBDD class to my students will be just as eye opening to them as it was to me when it comes to understanding the tools they may want to have on them, as well as the knowledge and skills to use the tools properly. This is the kind of training the firearm industry needed!!!! If you have the opportunity to take "the class", do it!
Cara Conry of Spirit Firearms Training
I had the opportunity twice to sit in on Brian & Shelley teaching an abbreviated "class" regarding their Image Based Decisional Drills curriculum, and knew that I needed to know more and wanted to teach this to my students. In October took the step to become an IBDD instructor, and most recently attended their Reactionary Zones training to add to my toolset in teaching. This class is exactly what my students need, from the teenager to seasoned adults taking a concealed carry class, to better understand how important it is to make the BEST FIRST CHOICE when in a situation. For me personally during the IBDD Instructor class, it showed that I (yes, calling myself out) still need to work on my skills as I did not make some good choices when in those scenario situations. Even just a bit of stress in class can make the difference in how we respond to a stimulus. It was incredible to experience it, and I know that teaching an IBDD class to my students will be just as eye opening to them as it was to me when it comes to understanding the tools they may want to have on them, as well as the knowledge and skills to use the tools properly. This is the kind of training the firearm industry needed!!!! If you have the opportunity to take "the class", do it!
Cara Conry of Spirit Firearms Training
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Rangemaster's Tac Con 2021
"Friday morning I attended a 3 hour live fire block taught by Brian Hill of the Complete Combatant................." Karl Rehn CLICK HERE for Part 2 of a 3 Series BLOG from Karl Rehn of KR Training. Since 1991, KR Training has been offering high quality, affordable firearms and self-defense courses. We're the oldest and largest firearms training school in Central Texas, staffed by male and female instructors with decades of combined experience and national level credentials in firearms training, defensive shooting and tactics, competition shooting, threat and risk assessment, law enforcement and military service. In addition to teaching our own courses, we host multiple national level trainers every year. |
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ONLINE Reactionary Zones:
Turns out the old saying, “You’re never too old to learn” is true. I had the pleasure of sitting in on Shelley’s Reactionary Zones course last night and it was terrific. And what a learning experience it was. Shelley has the ability to take the mind to places it s never been before and stretches you to dig deep into your personal ‘tool box’ to ascertain, through experience and knowledge, to bring to the forefront the right decision for a variety of situations. This course is highly recommended for the young, old, male, female, everyone who wants to hone their safety-first skills. The lessons learned are applicable to so many life situations. I believe it can be useful in making a variety of wise and preplanned decisions. Marla L. of St. Louis |
HOSTED IN TEXAS: Image Based Decisional Drills, Pistol Essentials and Pistol Proficiency
There is an old Chinese adage, “When the student is ready, the teacher will appear.”
One of my favorite Teachers appeared at my elbow during a clinic several years ago. I had not been shooting regularly for several years, and my shooting skills had declined severely. I was struggling mightily just to grip my handgun in a useful manner. Brian Hill came up, gently adjusted my hand positions, and the result was immediate. From 25 feet away he could easily see my struggle, and he quickly got me back on my lost path to success.
I sought out his range so I could get a complete training class, and ended up spending a day assisting him, and two days in his classes. Brian teaches the whole student, not just the parts that hold the firearm. Emotionally, mentally, physically, spiritually. It is an immersive experience, and you take home not just a faster trigger finger, or a smoother draw, but a complete attitude, your own skillset of how to analyze and improve, and a Teacher who asks you contact him if you have problems. You don’t just get a piece of paper at the end, you get the beginning of a long term relationship as you learn to build and analyze your skills.
When Tim Reedy told me that he was bringing Brian Hill to train at our range in Bandera, I was very excited. Not just for me, but for all of friends who are shooters – they could experience Brian’s methods for themselves. Once again, Brian calmly focused our attention – not on the guns and ammo, but on our challenges. I have modified another old adage as a personal reminder: “Seeing is Believing – If I hadn’t believed it, I would never have seen it.” Sometimes we have to trust enough to be able to see things as they are, not as we have convinced ourselves otherwise. Building trust, opening eyes, demonstrating a path to success, and helping students To Believe and to Trust their own assessments – these are the skills that are strengthened, as well as how to draw better, shoot better, and self-improve.
If you are fortunate to have Brian Hill come teach in your area, I encourage you to sign up immediately. In these days of expensive ammo, Brian’s instructions can help you get the maximum value from each shot taken. And the ability to adjust one’s own attitudes, analysis, and accomplishments, belongs to you forever.
Phil Yantis
Assistant Firearms Instructor
TDR Training
There is an old Chinese adage, “When the student is ready, the teacher will appear.”
One of my favorite Teachers appeared at my elbow during a clinic several years ago. I had not been shooting regularly for several years, and my shooting skills had declined severely. I was struggling mightily just to grip my handgun in a useful manner. Brian Hill came up, gently adjusted my hand positions, and the result was immediate. From 25 feet away he could easily see my struggle, and he quickly got me back on my lost path to success.
I sought out his range so I could get a complete training class, and ended up spending a day assisting him, and two days in his classes. Brian teaches the whole student, not just the parts that hold the firearm. Emotionally, mentally, physically, spiritually. It is an immersive experience, and you take home not just a faster trigger finger, or a smoother draw, but a complete attitude, your own skillset of how to analyze and improve, and a Teacher who asks you contact him if you have problems. You don’t just get a piece of paper at the end, you get the beginning of a long term relationship as you learn to build and analyze your skills.
When Tim Reedy told me that he was bringing Brian Hill to train at our range in Bandera, I was very excited. Not just for me, but for all of friends who are shooters – they could experience Brian’s methods for themselves. Once again, Brian calmly focused our attention – not on the guns and ammo, but on our challenges. I have modified another old adage as a personal reminder: “Seeing is Believing – If I hadn’t believed it, I would never have seen it.” Sometimes we have to trust enough to be able to see things as they are, not as we have convinced ourselves otherwise. Building trust, opening eyes, demonstrating a path to success, and helping students To Believe and to Trust their own assessments – these are the skills that are strengthened, as well as how to draw better, shoot better, and self-improve.
If you are fortunate to have Brian Hill come teach in your area, I encourage you to sign up immediately. In these days of expensive ammo, Brian’s instructions can help you get the maximum value from each shot taken. And the ability to adjust one’s own attitudes, analysis, and accomplishments, belongs to you forever.
Phil Yantis
Assistant Firearms Instructor
TDR Training
ONLINE Reactionary Zones:
I am so thankful to Shelley Hill for her “Reactionary Zones” Online Class! I took the class and it was so helpful to my understanding of what space and time look like and why they matter. This information is invaluable if you truly want to improve your personal safety and your ability to make good first decisions when dealing with other people and situations that are part of our daily lives. The picture examples in the presentation, use of color, combined with her sincere and friendly personality, knowledge of her subject matter, and the thoughtful questions and group discussion resulted in a fun, informative and interactive learning experience.
We started with the definitions of the zones and what they mean for healthy adult individuals as well as how they vary for different cultures. We then moved into examples of each zone and how to relate that to various activities or events that were very relatable in the context of our normal daily lives and life experiences.
Each of the examples, questions and discussions centered around how we can analyze a given situation based on the zones and determine the level of danger we’re in, and how much time we realistically have to make a decision on what action to take.
We ended with practice and coaching for the IBDD Certified Instructors that attended. They all did a great job and we all learned from each other too. I felt privileged to see Shelley’s insightful and intuitive coaching style come to life in this class. It was wonderful to observe first-hand!
If you haven’t had the opportunity to take Image Based Decisional Drills “The Class”, or purchase and use, the IBDD program (kit or no kit), you should consider doing so. It’s beautifully put together and there’s also a special one for parents and kids called Smart Choices.
I’ve used the kit for over a year and it’s very helpful to me. But I have to admit that there are images in the kit that I had been struggling to understand how to judge the distance from me and interpret it in a way that would have resulted in making a better first decision. I had been struggling with how to determine how much time I had to make that decision if presented with that situation in real life. I couldn’t understand WHY I was struggling until I took the “Reactionary Zones” class last night. I now have the context I needed to improve the way I was interpreting some of the IBDD image cards and applying it in my daily life.
Excellent, Excellent Class! Thank you, Shelley!
Kandy Balyeat Harrell of South Carolina
I am so thankful to Shelley Hill for her “Reactionary Zones” Online Class! I took the class and it was so helpful to my understanding of what space and time look like and why they matter. This information is invaluable if you truly want to improve your personal safety and your ability to make good first decisions when dealing with other people and situations that are part of our daily lives. The picture examples in the presentation, use of color, combined with her sincere and friendly personality, knowledge of her subject matter, and the thoughtful questions and group discussion resulted in a fun, informative and interactive learning experience.
We started with the definitions of the zones and what they mean for healthy adult individuals as well as how they vary for different cultures. We then moved into examples of each zone and how to relate that to various activities or events that were very relatable in the context of our normal daily lives and life experiences.
Each of the examples, questions and discussions centered around how we can analyze a given situation based on the zones and determine the level of danger we’re in, and how much time we realistically have to make a decision on what action to take.
We ended with practice and coaching for the IBDD Certified Instructors that attended. They all did a great job and we all learned from each other too. I felt privileged to see Shelley’s insightful and intuitive coaching style come to life in this class. It was wonderful to observe first-hand!
If you haven’t had the opportunity to take Image Based Decisional Drills “The Class”, or purchase and use, the IBDD program (kit or no kit), you should consider doing so. It’s beautifully put together and there’s also a special one for parents and kids called Smart Choices.
I’ve used the kit for over a year and it’s very helpful to me. But I have to admit that there are images in the kit that I had been struggling to understand how to judge the distance from me and interpret it in a way that would have resulted in making a better first decision. I had been struggling with how to determine how much time I had to make that decision if presented with that situation in real life. I couldn’t understand WHY I was struggling until I took the “Reactionary Zones” class last night. I now have the context I needed to improve the way I was interpreting some of the IBDD image cards and applying it in my daily life.
Excellent, Excellent Class! Thank you, Shelley!
Kandy Balyeat Harrell of South Carolina
Pistol Essentials & Force Readiness:
Brian and Shelley are simply awesome! I decided to have my family attend Brian’s courses after I was in the same Rangemaster Revolver and Advanced Instructor Course with him. I observed his calm and quiet demeanor on and off the range. Not only is he an extremely focused shooter that succeeds under pressure, but his methodical feedback while shooting next to me at the Rangemaster Reunion not only motivated me but improved my performance.
I made the arrangements for the courses with Shelley. She does not have Brian’s quiet and calm demeanor, but is vivacious, and I doubt she has ever met a stranger. They are both uniquely passionate about The Complete Combatant.
I have a large family with a wide range of ages, personalities, and strengths. I am leery of taking them to just any instructor, but felt that Brian had the patience to work with my family consisting of relatively new shooters to those that have attended formal courses. And I knew we were going to have a positive learning experience after talking to Shelley. She was so kind and accommodating to some special needs we had.
I really wanted my family to take TCC’s Force Readiness Course. Most of them have never had any type of similar training. There was much trepidation from some of the naturally timid members, but Brian and Shelley put them at almost immediate ease. They were very gracious at keeping the atmosphere of both courses we took (Force Readiness & Pistol Essentials) “family friendly” while still instilling the seriousness and skills needed during a threatening encounter. In the last week, I have heard of two attempted kidnappings in our area. As a parent, you cannot help but be concerned for your kids in this crazy world, but through the scenarios Brian, Shelley, and Gedde put them through, I have confidence they are more apt to react instead of freeze. I cannot recommend the Force Readiness Course enough. My wife was super stressed before her scenario and really did not want to do it, but once she finished, it broke a barrier. I can now see her check the parking lot before opening the car door, watching people in the store, etc. BTW: much of the information she heard was not new to her. I was in the military/law enforcement for 28 years and have talked with her about mindset, awareness, responses, etc. for years. However, going through the scenarios was like a lightbulb moment. There is something about mock situations that gets you past the “freeze” moment. Brian, Shelley, and Gedde are exceptional at bringing that out of people. Gedde who was an instructor and role player for the Force Readiness day was super to us all day and was key to making the day a success.
Brian is a master at instructing. Malcom Knowles, known as the father of adult learning theory, says it has six underlying assumptions. In the two courses we were in, TCC’s curriculum contained each. The courses are packed with evidence-based knowledge and TCC’s philosophy of efficiency and “you are the weapon” interweaved throughout.
The shooting instruction was outstanding. They completely dismantle every aspect of what a good shooter possesses and rebuilds it by teaching it piece by piece while focusing on the importance of the part to the whole. Not only do Brian and Shelley work with the line of shooters after each skill is taught, but there are times, they work with each student individually. However, I found them to be “too” observant. I did not realize I was shaking my head in disgust at my shooting, but Brian caught it and challenged me on it. He is big on positive attitude, which I am as well. I tell my students not to look in the rearview mirror at their past performance and here Brian caught me being hypocritical—I needed to know I was doing that.
At no time were the days even remotely unsafe. TCC stresses safety without scaring or maligning their students. They give expectations and consistently demand they be followed. One of the students did have a violation and Brian calmly addressed it and we got back to work. Shelley definitely complements Brian’s teaching, always looking at it from the student’s perspective to ensure optimal learning occurs. We went later than their normal classes because of rain. I think this bothered TCC more than the students, but only because they were concerned for our comfort and wanting to respect our time. Honestly, it was great. They easily adapted and rolled with the circumstances.
The skills learned in the Pistol Essentials Course were concise and imperative for concealed carriers. There is no fluff or wasted time. TCC has encapsulated the most important skills for everyday carriers to master. Each of the skills taught throughout the day are tested at the end with qualifications that are developed on realistic performances. (Full disclosure, I did not shoot well throughout the day. Yet, I learned tons as a shooter and as an instructor). I had many personal take aways from the course that Brian diagnosed: (1) trigger process, (2) when shooting single shots for speed, I would jerk the gun back to retention out of habit, (3) I allowed a poor shot to control my emotions, and the biggest came in an answer from Brian to a statement I made. I was telling Brian I need to find out why I am inconsistent. He quickly said, “How is your dry fire practice?” The word that immediately came to mind was, “inconsistent.” Talking about getting to the heart of the issue!
There were seven of us that went through the two courses, and we all felt that we not only got exceptional, personalized training, but we also had a weekend full of fellowship with some great folks.
The one negative feedback I will give TCC is the fact they are so far away from us in Louisiana. We all hope to train with them in the future!
Ron Kooper
When Seconds Count Training Services
Pistol Essentials & BEYOND:
A week ago I was standing on a beautiful range, on a cold Georgia morning, with the melodious sounds of gunfire ringing through the forest. The Complete Combatant had been on my “To-Do” list of training schools to visit in my quest to stave off the reality of my aging eyes and gun skills, and improve my skills with top notch instructors around the country.
I met Brian Hill and Shelley Luehder Hill at Rangemaster, and after Brian helped me immensely in improving my wonky grip within minutes, I knew I had to come get The Complete package. I expected some improvement from his class, but the reality was far better.
Brian is a life long martial arts instructor, as well as a firearms aficionado. He is very in tune with what the body actual does when moving, handling tools, and using them them effectively. His training is both a demonstration of how to do things, but also a skill builder in self diagnosing what is actually happening, and how to correct your own issues as you train and practice. Brian uses measurements of results – time and accuracy, as well as the repetitive skill building that only comes with perfect practice. I am still impressed with not only his holistic training of the shooting skillset, but of the Shooter as well – mind, body, and how they work together. Even with the very experienced class members, every person gained greater awareness of their abilities, their current limitations, and what to work on next in their personal shooting journey. My To-Do list is quite do-able, and I have started on it already.
I encourage anyone seeking to ‘Up Their Game’ to invest in a visit to the Georgia mountains, and open your mind to Brian and his teachings. I will visit again next year, both for the training value, and also for the amazing hospitality Brain and Shelley share with everyone at their little slice of Heaven in Georgia.
Phil Yantis of Texas
Brian and Shelley are simply awesome! I decided to have my family attend Brian’s courses after I was in the same Rangemaster Revolver and Advanced Instructor Course with him. I observed his calm and quiet demeanor on and off the range. Not only is he an extremely focused shooter that succeeds under pressure, but his methodical feedback while shooting next to me at the Rangemaster Reunion not only motivated me but improved my performance.
I made the arrangements for the courses with Shelley. She does not have Brian’s quiet and calm demeanor, but is vivacious, and I doubt she has ever met a stranger. They are both uniquely passionate about The Complete Combatant.
I have a large family with a wide range of ages, personalities, and strengths. I am leery of taking them to just any instructor, but felt that Brian had the patience to work with my family consisting of relatively new shooters to those that have attended formal courses. And I knew we were going to have a positive learning experience after talking to Shelley. She was so kind and accommodating to some special needs we had.
I really wanted my family to take TCC’s Force Readiness Course. Most of them have never had any type of similar training. There was much trepidation from some of the naturally timid members, but Brian and Shelley put them at almost immediate ease. They were very gracious at keeping the atmosphere of both courses we took (Force Readiness & Pistol Essentials) “family friendly” while still instilling the seriousness and skills needed during a threatening encounter. In the last week, I have heard of two attempted kidnappings in our area. As a parent, you cannot help but be concerned for your kids in this crazy world, but through the scenarios Brian, Shelley, and Gedde put them through, I have confidence they are more apt to react instead of freeze. I cannot recommend the Force Readiness Course enough. My wife was super stressed before her scenario and really did not want to do it, but once she finished, it broke a barrier. I can now see her check the parking lot before opening the car door, watching people in the store, etc. BTW: much of the information she heard was not new to her. I was in the military/law enforcement for 28 years and have talked with her about mindset, awareness, responses, etc. for years. However, going through the scenarios was like a lightbulb moment. There is something about mock situations that gets you past the “freeze” moment. Brian, Shelley, and Gedde are exceptional at bringing that out of people. Gedde who was an instructor and role player for the Force Readiness day was super to us all day and was key to making the day a success.
Brian is a master at instructing. Malcom Knowles, known as the father of adult learning theory, says it has six underlying assumptions. In the two courses we were in, TCC’s curriculum contained each. The courses are packed with evidence-based knowledge and TCC’s philosophy of efficiency and “you are the weapon” interweaved throughout.
The shooting instruction was outstanding. They completely dismantle every aspect of what a good shooter possesses and rebuilds it by teaching it piece by piece while focusing on the importance of the part to the whole. Not only do Brian and Shelley work with the line of shooters after each skill is taught, but there are times, they work with each student individually. However, I found them to be “too” observant. I did not realize I was shaking my head in disgust at my shooting, but Brian caught it and challenged me on it. He is big on positive attitude, which I am as well. I tell my students not to look in the rearview mirror at their past performance and here Brian caught me being hypocritical—I needed to know I was doing that.
At no time were the days even remotely unsafe. TCC stresses safety without scaring or maligning their students. They give expectations and consistently demand they be followed. One of the students did have a violation and Brian calmly addressed it and we got back to work. Shelley definitely complements Brian’s teaching, always looking at it from the student’s perspective to ensure optimal learning occurs. We went later than their normal classes because of rain. I think this bothered TCC more than the students, but only because they were concerned for our comfort and wanting to respect our time. Honestly, it was great. They easily adapted and rolled with the circumstances.
The skills learned in the Pistol Essentials Course were concise and imperative for concealed carriers. There is no fluff or wasted time. TCC has encapsulated the most important skills for everyday carriers to master. Each of the skills taught throughout the day are tested at the end with qualifications that are developed on realistic performances. (Full disclosure, I did not shoot well throughout the day. Yet, I learned tons as a shooter and as an instructor). I had many personal take aways from the course that Brian diagnosed: (1) trigger process, (2) when shooting single shots for speed, I would jerk the gun back to retention out of habit, (3) I allowed a poor shot to control my emotions, and the biggest came in an answer from Brian to a statement I made. I was telling Brian I need to find out why I am inconsistent. He quickly said, “How is your dry fire practice?” The word that immediately came to mind was, “inconsistent.” Talking about getting to the heart of the issue!
There were seven of us that went through the two courses, and we all felt that we not only got exceptional, personalized training, but we also had a weekend full of fellowship with some great folks.
The one negative feedback I will give TCC is the fact they are so far away from us in Louisiana. We all hope to train with them in the future!
Ron Kooper
When Seconds Count Training Services
Pistol Essentials & BEYOND:
A week ago I was standing on a beautiful range, on a cold Georgia morning, with the melodious sounds of gunfire ringing through the forest. The Complete Combatant had been on my “To-Do” list of training schools to visit in my quest to stave off the reality of my aging eyes and gun skills, and improve my skills with top notch instructors around the country.
I met Brian Hill and Shelley Luehder Hill at Rangemaster, and after Brian helped me immensely in improving my wonky grip within minutes, I knew I had to come get The Complete package. I expected some improvement from his class, but the reality was far better.
Brian is a life long martial arts instructor, as well as a firearms aficionado. He is very in tune with what the body actual does when moving, handling tools, and using them them effectively. His training is both a demonstration of how to do things, but also a skill builder in self diagnosing what is actually happening, and how to correct your own issues as you train and practice. Brian uses measurements of results – time and accuracy, as well as the repetitive skill building that only comes with perfect practice. I am still impressed with not only his holistic training of the shooting skillset, but of the Shooter as well – mind, body, and how they work together. Even with the very experienced class members, every person gained greater awareness of their abilities, their current limitations, and what to work on next in their personal shooting journey. My To-Do list is quite do-able, and I have started on it already.
I encourage anyone seeking to ‘Up Their Game’ to invest in a visit to the Georgia mountains, and open your mind to Brian and his teachings. I will visit again next year, both for the training value, and also for the amazing hospitality Brain and Shelley share with everyone at their little slice of Heaven in Georgia.
Phil Yantis of Texas
ONLINE Reactionary Zones:
I did the Zoom class for Reactionary Zones and it is Awesome! A huge Thank You to Shelley for making this available in a platform that anyone can attend from anywhere!
Reactionary Zones is a class that simplifies a seemingly complex problem people have. Managing personal space by distance is something we all need to learn.
This class starts with a brief history lesson in “proxemics”, as defined by Edward T Hall. This describes the distances people use when communicating. It is very interesting to hear and see how these distances where defined and labeled.
Shelley takes you through the incredible journey of how this class came to be. She has developed a visual way to understand how to adapt the concepts from Hall’s research to help us learn how to measure distance to possible danger and the amount of time it takes to decide how to respond to it. Understanding the “Most” time down to “No” time is an eye-opening experience. Time and Space effect your ability to respond. In self-protection situations distance allows you time for decisions that just may save your life.
I have taken classes with both Brian and Shelley for the Image Based Decisional Drills in person. I found that taking this class on a Zoom call was just as great an experience. It is an informal setting. All the participants are comfortable in their own spaces but interact with each other and Shelley just as if we were sitting together in the same room. I refer to us as “participants” over students because we each had an opportunity, with Shelley’s guidance, to work through a scenario on the screen to help better understand the meaning of it.
Shelley’s presentation of this material is dynamic and passionate. She is totally in her element when she takes you through this program. My favorite part of this class, and it is almost impossible to pick just one, is when she called me first to present one of the slides. I am an instructor for IBDD and thought I knew how I should present my slide. I learned more in that short amount of time, through her coaching, how to best present this information to my own students. If you are already an IBDD instructor I cannot urge you strongly enough to take this class. You will absolutely love it!
This class is for everyone! You will learn that distance allows you time. Time allows you decisions. Decisions can save your life. You will also learn that without practice, distance, time and decisions do not come easily. Take this class!
BL Butts of GST Training Solutions in Texas
I did the Zoom class for Reactionary Zones and it is Awesome! A huge Thank You to Shelley for making this available in a platform that anyone can attend from anywhere!
Reactionary Zones is a class that simplifies a seemingly complex problem people have. Managing personal space by distance is something we all need to learn.
This class starts with a brief history lesson in “proxemics”, as defined by Edward T Hall. This describes the distances people use when communicating. It is very interesting to hear and see how these distances where defined and labeled.
Shelley takes you through the incredible journey of how this class came to be. She has developed a visual way to understand how to adapt the concepts from Hall’s research to help us learn how to measure distance to possible danger and the amount of time it takes to decide how to respond to it. Understanding the “Most” time down to “No” time is an eye-opening experience. Time and Space effect your ability to respond. In self-protection situations distance allows you time for decisions that just may save your life.
I have taken classes with both Brian and Shelley for the Image Based Decisional Drills in person. I found that taking this class on a Zoom call was just as great an experience. It is an informal setting. All the participants are comfortable in their own spaces but interact with each other and Shelley just as if we were sitting together in the same room. I refer to us as “participants” over students because we each had an opportunity, with Shelley’s guidance, to work through a scenario on the screen to help better understand the meaning of it.
Shelley’s presentation of this material is dynamic and passionate. She is totally in her element when she takes you through this program. My favorite part of this class, and it is almost impossible to pick just one, is when she called me first to present one of the slides. I am an instructor for IBDD and thought I knew how I should present my slide. I learned more in that short amount of time, through her coaching, how to best present this information to my own students. If you are already an IBDD instructor I cannot urge you strongly enough to take this class. You will absolutely love it!
This class is for everyone! You will learn that distance allows you time. Time allows you decisions. Decisions can save your life. You will also learn that without practice, distance, time and decisions do not come easily. Take this class!
BL Butts of GST Training Solutions in Texas
AAR: The Complete Combatant Pistol Essentials Course
TL:DR – Brian and Shelley are phenomenal instructors. Make time to take their class it will be well worth your while.
I met Brian at Rangemaster’s Advanced Instructor Class by Tom Givens. Brian was to the left of me on the range and I was the recipient of his “golden shower” of brass. Brian was suffering from a groin pull and still was one of the best in the class. I had the opportunity not only to see him shoot, which was impressive, but also to see him coach other students in the class. (A huge component of Mr. Givens instructor program is learning how to coach and diagnose shooting errors). I knew I wanted to take his class when I had the opportunity. So when that opportunity came in the form of Pistol Essentials in the beautiful mountains of Georgia I had to take it. The Complete Combatant is as professional a run school as I have seen. Registration and paperwork are all completed before you arrive. Brian and Shelly have been teaching for decades and it shows in every aspect of the class experience.
The class: This class is for beginners to intermediate shooters looking for an introduction to using a pistol for self defense in the civilian context. In that mission it does not disappoint. The class takes place in the beautiful Dahlonega mountains. There is a well appointed outdoor pavilion with tables, chairs, fans, and bathrooms. It was hot and rained at times through the day but it was fine. Indeed it was so hot that the cloud cover was welcome.
The class begins with a comprehensive safety and medical brief. This was done exceedingly well. All students knew the range commands and what was expected of them before we began live fire. He began with teaching us how to learn, how to accept constructive criticism, how to actively listen, how to accept compliments. There was so much to this discussion that it is hard to relay. It is a great way to start a class. It sets the tone for what is to follow and provides a road map for how to handle the information that you are about to receive. Brian’s teaching is dense, and is effective on many levels. We worked on the fundamentals of shooting with blue guns and Brian and Shelly spent time with every student to make sure that they understood the lessons. From grip, stance, sight alignment, sight picture everything was explained in detail and explanations provided for why Brian wanted it done a specific way. Here is where Brian’s lifelong passion for martial arts and learning came through for me. He assisted me with my stance and provided insight into why the way I was doing it fell short. Impressive. We performed repetitions with blue guns until Brian and Shelley were satisfied that we were performing to a standard that was acceptable. We had a quick sack lunch and then to the range.
Brian had us run through a series of shooting drills. Progressing from assessing our marksmanship through presentation to the target. Brian demonstrates every drill. He works one demo slowly so the student can see exactly what he is doing (Shelly reminds him to slow down on occasion), and one at speed to show students what is possible. Brian separated more experienced students from beginning students and allowed the more experienced shooters to go first so that newer students could watch. Brian then gave individual feedback to each student. Everyone who participated improved. Brian identified inefficiencies in my AIWB draw that I will continue to work on. He pointed out several areas of improvement for me and I am thankful that he took the time to do so. I have been to classes where people who were competent shooters were ignored in favor of those that needed more attention. Not here. If you don’t learn something from Brian you weren’t trying.
At the conclusion of the class Brian has several standards based on martial arts belts. You get a white combat “ant” for having the courage to come to class and get better. You then progress from blue to black. They are challenging. Several did not pass, but were close. He also gives the old west shooting a card five times in five seconds test. If you are successful you get the card signed. Super fun. Brian offers a multitude of classes. He is the Complete Combatant; I am looking forward to taking many more.
Howard Marbury or HWM Training
TL:DR – Brian and Shelley are phenomenal instructors. Make time to take their class it will be well worth your while.
I met Brian at Rangemaster’s Advanced Instructor Class by Tom Givens. Brian was to the left of me on the range and I was the recipient of his “golden shower” of brass. Brian was suffering from a groin pull and still was one of the best in the class. I had the opportunity not only to see him shoot, which was impressive, but also to see him coach other students in the class. (A huge component of Mr. Givens instructor program is learning how to coach and diagnose shooting errors). I knew I wanted to take his class when I had the opportunity. So when that opportunity came in the form of Pistol Essentials in the beautiful mountains of Georgia I had to take it. The Complete Combatant is as professional a run school as I have seen. Registration and paperwork are all completed before you arrive. Brian and Shelly have been teaching for decades and it shows in every aspect of the class experience.
The class: This class is for beginners to intermediate shooters looking for an introduction to using a pistol for self defense in the civilian context. In that mission it does not disappoint. The class takes place in the beautiful Dahlonega mountains. There is a well appointed outdoor pavilion with tables, chairs, fans, and bathrooms. It was hot and rained at times through the day but it was fine. Indeed it was so hot that the cloud cover was welcome.
The class begins with a comprehensive safety and medical brief. This was done exceedingly well. All students knew the range commands and what was expected of them before we began live fire. He began with teaching us how to learn, how to accept constructive criticism, how to actively listen, how to accept compliments. There was so much to this discussion that it is hard to relay. It is a great way to start a class. It sets the tone for what is to follow and provides a road map for how to handle the information that you are about to receive. Brian’s teaching is dense, and is effective on many levels. We worked on the fundamentals of shooting with blue guns and Brian and Shelly spent time with every student to make sure that they understood the lessons. From grip, stance, sight alignment, sight picture everything was explained in detail and explanations provided for why Brian wanted it done a specific way. Here is where Brian’s lifelong passion for martial arts and learning came through for me. He assisted me with my stance and provided insight into why the way I was doing it fell short. Impressive. We performed repetitions with blue guns until Brian and Shelley were satisfied that we were performing to a standard that was acceptable. We had a quick sack lunch and then to the range.
Brian had us run through a series of shooting drills. Progressing from assessing our marksmanship through presentation to the target. Brian demonstrates every drill. He works one demo slowly so the student can see exactly what he is doing (Shelly reminds him to slow down on occasion), and one at speed to show students what is possible. Brian separated more experienced students from beginning students and allowed the more experienced shooters to go first so that newer students could watch. Brian then gave individual feedback to each student. Everyone who participated improved. Brian identified inefficiencies in my AIWB draw that I will continue to work on. He pointed out several areas of improvement for me and I am thankful that he took the time to do so. I have been to classes where people who were competent shooters were ignored in favor of those that needed more attention. Not here. If you don’t learn something from Brian you weren’t trying.
At the conclusion of the class Brian has several standards based on martial arts belts. You get a white combat “ant” for having the courage to come to class and get better. You then progress from blue to black. They are challenging. Several did not pass, but were close. He also gives the old west shooting a card five times in five seconds test. If you are successful you get the card signed. Super fun. Brian offers a multitude of classes. He is the Complete Combatant; I am looking forward to taking many more.
Howard Marbury or HWM Training
Recently, I was able to attend virtually Reactionary Zones with Shelley Luehder Hill . You should RUN to get into the next available class. And here’s “Why.”
This class literally teaches YOUR BRAIN how much time YOU have to react to a possible threat with multiple visuals. By knowing the distance and amount of time you have to make 1 good decision this may give you MORE options. Do you think the “bad guys” have classes about this? You bet they do; it’s called experience with trial and error. This class gives YOU experience!!!
Shelley, as an Instructor in Reactionary Zones, is just PHENOMENAL. I’m consistently blown away by her many talents and passions. And this class is just another way that she is able to prepare and to help so many law-abiding citizens.
As the Public Relations Director for IBDD and a IBDD Certified Instructor, my BRAIN is still blown away from the wealth of information I learned and all that I can tell is you is that you absolutely NEED to take advantage of this class.
Bobbi Duck
The Complete Combatant's Public Relations Director
This class literally teaches YOUR BRAIN how much time YOU have to react to a possible threat with multiple visuals. By knowing the distance and amount of time you have to make 1 good decision this may give you MORE options. Do you think the “bad guys” have classes about this? You bet they do; it’s called experience with trial and error. This class gives YOU experience!!!
Shelley, as an Instructor in Reactionary Zones, is just PHENOMENAL. I’m consistently blown away by her many talents and passions. And this class is just another way that she is able to prepare and to help so many law-abiding citizens.
As the Public Relations Director for IBDD and a IBDD Certified Instructor, my BRAIN is still blown away from the wealth of information I learned and all that I can tell is you is that you absolutely NEED to take advantage of this class.
Bobbi Duck
The Complete Combatant's Public Relations Director
PRIVATE LESSONS:
It looks like I'll be going to train with Brian Hill again in a few months. If you have not trained with him, you should.
He serves as proof that consistency and dedication reap rewards, but beyond that his humility, decency and work ethic always humble me and make me revisit my own behavior and responses to the world's outrages.
TL;DR... he's a great instructor and a good man. He is doing exactly what he was meant to do. Train with him.
Chris W. of Tennessee
It looks like I'll be going to train with Brian Hill again in a few months. If you have not trained with him, you should.
He serves as proof that consistency and dedication reap rewards, but beyond that his humility, decency and work ethic always humble me and make me revisit my own behavior and responses to the world's outrages.
TL;DR... he's a great instructor and a good man. He is doing exactly what he was meant to do. Train with him.
Chris W. of Tennessee
PRIVATE LESSONS:
Great private class today with Brian Hill. Learned about transitioning from target to target. Learned where my eyes need to be and speed up my time. Also learned a very valuable lesson about red dot sights today. The front pin is WAY to short. Going to have Dawson precision make a new one for my gun. Im looking to sign up for 5 more private lessons. As Brian works on how I process the information he’s giving me. That is what a great coach he is. He can work with the best (like me 😂) or someone beginning which I highly recommended.👍
Mike T off Georgia
Great private class today with Brian Hill. Learned about transitioning from target to target. Learned where my eyes need to be and speed up my time. Also learned a very valuable lesson about red dot sights today. The front pin is WAY to short. Going to have Dawson precision make a new one for my gun. Im looking to sign up for 5 more private lessons. As Brian works on how I process the information he’s giving me. That is what a great coach he is. He can work with the best (like me 😂) or someone beginning which I highly recommended.👍
Mike T off Georgia
FORCE READINESS & PISTOL ESSENTIALS:
I've trained with Brian Hill at The Complete Combatant several times. I have never come away having not learned something new or become aware of mistakes that were preventing me from becoming better. If you are considering learning new skills or improving the ones you already have, be they on the mat or behind a firearm, there is no better person to learn them from. You might sweat. You might bleed. You will be sore in places that you didn't know were anatomically possible. And you will love every minute of it.
Kris TM of Georgia
I've trained with Brian Hill at The Complete Combatant several times. I have never come away having not learned something new or become aware of mistakes that were preventing me from becoming better. If you are considering learning new skills or improving the ones you already have, be they on the mat or behind a firearm, there is no better person to learn them from. You might sweat. You might bleed. You will be sore in places that you didn't know were anatomically possible. And you will love every minute of it.
Kris TM of Georgia
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Reviews & ARR'sThank you very much to all who sat down to give us feedback in the form of video, letters, or social media posts. Most of The Complete Combatant's student base comes from YOU and you may not even know it. Your shares, invites, testimonials and word of mouth spreads like wildfire and we are still here because of YOU! THANK YOU!
TRIAD TRAINING:
Triad Training is the perfect blend of mindset, legal defense, proper law enforcement interaction, practical firearms handling, shooting skills and realistic hand to hand fighting. These are all of the skills a concealed carry permit holder should possess but often doesn’t. The training is delivered in a very efficient format over one and a half days. We all want to be responsible and capable concealed carry permit holders. This program is a great investment in improving critical skills that defenders at every skill level can benefit from. John Taylor Corporate Chief Risk Officer |
FORCE READINESS:
A few weekends ago I had an opportunity to travel to Kennesaw and take a course with Brian Hill and The Complete Combatant at their training facility Fusion Mixed Martial Arts. They call this one and a one-half day training course Force Readiness.We covered a lot of topics in the Friday afternoon and evening and all day Saturday sessions. There was a tremendous amount of ground covered both literally and figuratively. We dealt with everything from empty handed techniques as simple as how to protect yourself from impacts to the head to leverage positions using some Greco-Roman wrestling principles that can and should be used in training for an entangled gunfight.
We covered an amazing breadth of material dealing with weapon retention and up close entangled hands -on situations. This course deals with what happens when you get knocked down, how to protect yourself while you regain your feet, how to secure and retain your sidearm during such a struggle with one or more opponents. Amazingly these topics are all covered in such an effective manner the student's retention is maximized and the material readily builds on itself as the training progresses.
I cannot say enough good things about Brian's willingness and ability to distill his decades of experience into knowledge suitable for his students to understand, absorb, and apply. He does this without affectation, bravado or useless posturing. Brian is serious, skilled and down-to-earth ... simply a fantastic instructor.
A key component of this training is the scenario based problem the students face as part of the "final exam". These scenarios were extremely effective at putting people in stressful self defense situations and then allowing them to process the situation. The student must deal with the threats that they were facing and also conduct a review in the aftermath with the focus on self defense survival and also legal survival.
The entire effect of the course is really one of seamless immersion in the subject matter. I've been a prosecutor and a criminal defense lawyer for over 20 years and a serious student of self defense arts for many years as well and I wholeheartedly endorse this course, Brian Hill and The Complete Combatant.
Mo Wiltshire of Wiltshire Defense
A few weekends ago I had an opportunity to travel to Kennesaw and take a course with Brian Hill and The Complete Combatant at their training facility Fusion Mixed Martial Arts. They call this one and a one-half day training course Force Readiness.We covered a lot of topics in the Friday afternoon and evening and all day Saturday sessions. There was a tremendous amount of ground covered both literally and figuratively. We dealt with everything from empty handed techniques as simple as how to protect yourself from impacts to the head to leverage positions using some Greco-Roman wrestling principles that can and should be used in training for an entangled gunfight.
We covered an amazing breadth of material dealing with weapon retention and up close entangled hands -on situations. This course deals with what happens when you get knocked down, how to protect yourself while you regain your feet, how to secure and retain your sidearm during such a struggle with one or more opponents. Amazingly these topics are all covered in such an effective manner the student's retention is maximized and the material readily builds on itself as the training progresses.
I cannot say enough good things about Brian's willingness and ability to distill his decades of experience into knowledge suitable for his students to understand, absorb, and apply. He does this without affectation, bravado or useless posturing. Brian is serious, skilled and down-to-earth ... simply a fantastic instructor.
A key component of this training is the scenario based problem the students face as part of the "final exam". These scenarios were extremely effective at putting people in stressful self defense situations and then allowing them to process the situation. The student must deal with the threats that they were facing and also conduct a review in the aftermath with the focus on self defense survival and also legal survival.
The entire effect of the course is really one of seamless immersion in the subject matter. I've been a prosecutor and a criminal defense lawyer for over 20 years and a serious student of self defense arts for many years as well and I wholeheartedly endorse this course, Brian Hill and The Complete Combatant.
Mo Wiltshire of Wiltshire Defense
Private Firearms Training with Brian Hill
Brian Hill is one of the top instructors in the nation!!! He will change the way you think , carry , and live your life. If you value your safety and the safety of your loved ones and you are ready to take responsibility for the safety of you and your loved ones , then you owe it to yourself to go add some mental tools to your mental tool box because if the only tool you have is a hammer you will treat every problem like a nail.....
Tommy F. of the Atlanta Police Department (APD)
Brian Hill is one of the top instructors in the nation!!! He will change the way you think , carry , and live your life. If you value your safety and the safety of your loved ones and you are ready to take responsibility for the safety of you and your loved ones , then you owe it to yourself to go add some mental tools to your mental tool box because if the only tool you have is a hammer you will treat every problem like a nail.....
Tommy F. of the Atlanta Police Department (APD)
PRIVATE LESSONS with Brian Hill
Brian is an excellent and patient teacher, and his private lessons are worth the money. Individual attention helps you really drill down and refine a lot of shooting techniques that invariably get overlooked in a larger, multiperson class environment. If you want to take your self defense shooting to a higher level, these private sessions are worth your time and energy.
Thank you Brian,
Sara Smithe of Kennesaw
Brian is an excellent and patient teacher, and his private lessons are worth the money. Individual attention helps you really drill down and refine a lot of shooting techniques that invariably get overlooked in a larger, multiperson class environment. If you want to take your self defense shooting to a higher level, these private sessions are worth your time and energy.
Thank you Brian,
Sara Smithe of Kennesaw
Thoughts on PISTOL ESSENTIALS with The Complete Combatant...
I consider myself a competent pistol shooter and still left with a lot of homework. My grip was improved astronomically and I picked up a reload tip casually tossed my way that was almost worth the price of admission in and of itself. It's worth noting that I went in thinking I had a great grip and had it dissected and corrected very early on.
C.Wilson
I consider myself a competent pistol shooter and still left with a lot of homework. My grip was improved astronomically and I picked up a reload tip casually tossed my way that was almost worth the price of admission in and of itself. It's worth noting that I went in thinking I had a great grip and had it dissected and corrected very early on.
- The class itself is orderly and progresses in a logical manner that stacks skills; pretty much what I've come to expect from Brian. He builds the foundation before throwing the monkey wrenches in.
- Everyone there shot significantly better by the end of the class. The class used shot timers for several exercises. It was my first time working with shot timers in any meaningful manner and it impressed me as a tool to improve my shooting.
- There was a scored test which I appreciate in a class meant to improve a skill set. The skill sets taught were foundational as might be expected, but my foundation was not as solid as I had thought so it was welcome work.
- The most interesting exercise involved calling your shots. It was a pain to set the drill up but once completed the point was obvious even to me.
- The class size was small and with 2 coaches present we all got a solid amount of TLC. Brian and Gedde are both skilled shooters that can perform on demand and did so throughout the day.
- My biggest take away was to push harder on measurable performance goals. Demonstrable improvement beats feeling like you shot okay.
C.Wilson
The Complete Combatant's Force Readiness:
My wife and I attended a 2 day “The Complete Combatant” course hosted by Brian and Shelley Hill at the Fusion MMA training facility in Marietta, Ga. This was no doubt the most comprehensive training package we’ve experienced. The curriculum was executed like clockwork with a relaxed professional vibe by Brian, a Range Master certified instructor and his team.
We watched 3 videos prior to class that helped prepare us for what was ahead. We wore our street clothes and our shoes we’re sanitized for the mats. On the completion of safety and orientation briefings we disabled our carry gun barrels and magazines with disabling devices, everything else was quarantined and a strict safety protocol included no less than 4 gun checks and 2 full body searches.
On day one we worked on a wide range of skills including verbal commands, pepper spray, caging and fencing moves, grappling techniques and concealed draw strokes. The content would have been overwhelming if not for the clear organized manner it was presented. We had time to let these fundamentals sink in overnight.
We arrived early on day two, reviewed our lessons then began putting the pieces together in training exercises, classroom videos, presentations and lectures. By the end of the day we we’re simulating full speed robberies, attacks and ambushes.
My scenario was an ATM robbery where I successfully defended myself, assessed and ended the attack, called 911, performed medical on myself and others, dealt with the armed police encounter and investigation.
The training modules on medical, law self defense and use of force were crucial pieces. Incorporating these into intense scenarios pushed us to our limits. The class was encouraged to collaborate and critique each scenario which created a learning multiplier effect and many surprises.
My wife participated in her last scenario with only pepper spray. This was not a firearm only enter-trainment class or a wrestling match. It was a complete program for couples, groups or individuals of all ages.
My goal is to have my entire family attend this training in the future with or without firearms.
G and K of Georgia
My wife and I attended a 2 day “The Complete Combatant” course hosted by Brian and Shelley Hill at the Fusion MMA training facility in Marietta, Ga. This was no doubt the most comprehensive training package we’ve experienced. The curriculum was executed like clockwork with a relaxed professional vibe by Brian, a Range Master certified instructor and his team.
We watched 3 videos prior to class that helped prepare us for what was ahead. We wore our street clothes and our shoes we’re sanitized for the mats. On the completion of safety and orientation briefings we disabled our carry gun barrels and magazines with disabling devices, everything else was quarantined and a strict safety protocol included no less than 4 gun checks and 2 full body searches.
On day one we worked on a wide range of skills including verbal commands, pepper spray, caging and fencing moves, grappling techniques and concealed draw strokes. The content would have been overwhelming if not for the clear organized manner it was presented. We had time to let these fundamentals sink in overnight.
We arrived early on day two, reviewed our lessons then began putting the pieces together in training exercises, classroom videos, presentations and lectures. By the end of the day we we’re simulating full speed robberies, attacks and ambushes.
My scenario was an ATM robbery where I successfully defended myself, assessed and ended the attack, called 911, performed medical on myself and others, dealt with the armed police encounter and investigation.
The training modules on medical, law self defense and use of force were crucial pieces. Incorporating these into intense scenarios pushed us to our limits. The class was encouraged to collaborate and critique each scenario which created a learning multiplier effect and many surprises.
My wife participated in her last scenario with only pepper spray. This was not a firearm only enter-trainment class or a wrestling match. It was a complete program for couples, groups or individuals of all ages.
My goal is to have my entire family attend this training in the future with or without firearms.
G and K of Georgia
The Complete Combatant's Force Readiness:
Got to say that was some of the best training ever. So many future things to practice and incorporate in my work. It was a great class for couples. Kay got a lot out of it too. Being able to experience force on force attacks, robberies wrestling for guns, handle the aftermath, call 911, deal with responding officers and even interview about the incident was the most complete process of training I've ever had.
I did much better on the hands on and medical than I feared. I had a harder time pressing the trigger on people my brain didn't really want to shoot. As much as I shoot every year my brain was looking for every chance to not shoot someone. I'm not sure if I'm more worried or happy about that.
I've once again attended yet another class where the safety protocols fascinated and impressed me as much as the technical aspects.
Working distances, threat levels and pepper spray was a great experience too. Brian and Shelley are pure gold but the alumni and assistant coaches they recruited were spectacular.
Now to get my son and daughter in law there next. Kay and I will have to make this a regular future refresh. It was great to fail at things, find holes and be overwhelmed with surprises. Any training where you fail at nothing is a failure. I'm going to be sore as hell at work Monday.
G.S of Athens
Got to say that was some of the best training ever. So many future things to practice and incorporate in my work. It was a great class for couples. Kay got a lot out of it too. Being able to experience force on force attacks, robberies wrestling for guns, handle the aftermath, call 911, deal with responding officers and even interview about the incident was the most complete process of training I've ever had.
I did much better on the hands on and medical than I feared. I had a harder time pressing the trigger on people my brain didn't really want to shoot. As much as I shoot every year my brain was looking for every chance to not shoot someone. I'm not sure if I'm more worried or happy about that.
I've once again attended yet another class where the safety protocols fascinated and impressed me as much as the technical aspects.
Working distances, threat levels and pepper spray was a great experience too. Brian and Shelley are pure gold but the alumni and assistant coaches they recruited were spectacular.
Now to get my son and daughter in law there next. Kay and I will have to make this a regular future refresh. It was great to fail at things, find holes and be overwhelmed with surprises. Any training where you fail at nothing is a failure. I'm going to be sore as hell at work Monday.
G.S of Athens
Private Firearms Training:
Brian is a fantastic instructor. After only one session I had a noticeable improvement in accuracy, speed and head movement. Brian pointed out and corrected habits I didn’t even Know I had than were impending my ability. Overall a great experience ,looking forward to my next session.
Sean of Kennesaw
Brian is a fantastic instructor. After only one session I had a noticeable improvement in accuracy, speed and head movement. Brian pointed out and corrected habits I didn’t even Know I had than were impending my ability. Overall a great experience ,looking forward to my next session.
Sean of Kennesaw
PISTOL ESSENTIALS:
Observations from The Complete Combatant's Pistol Essentials course:
1. This class integrates the four components of pistol marksmanship, i.e. grip, sight picture, trigger pull, and follow-up into a coherent whole that comprises a practical defensive technique for the student.
2. Brian Hill the TCC coaches have employed the techniques taught so thoroughly that they are able to evaluate and improve your pistol handling and shooting in near real time. This quality of instruction, coupled with their acumen for identifying a student's learning style, effect an atmosphere of positive reinforcement that keeps the student engaged throughout the day.
3. If you see it taught, you see it shot. The coaches will not ask you to do anything that they can't do themselves. Feeling your own pistol shooting begin to move towards their level of skill is a powerful motivator.
4. Your skills are evaluated with timed exercises of proven defensive value (single hand shooting, failure to neutralize, etc). The individual student's accountability is at the fore of these exercises. You will unequivocally know your level of progress at the end of the day.
5. It's a remarkably fun day in the Georgia mountains with your comrades in arms and fellow 2nd Amendment supporters. I will certainly be returning for more classes.
Mr. S of Marietta
Observations from The Complete Combatant's Pistol Essentials course:
1. This class integrates the four components of pistol marksmanship, i.e. grip, sight picture, trigger pull, and follow-up into a coherent whole that comprises a practical defensive technique for the student.
2. Brian Hill the TCC coaches have employed the techniques taught so thoroughly that they are able to evaluate and improve your pistol handling and shooting in near real time. This quality of instruction, coupled with their acumen for identifying a student's learning style, effect an atmosphere of positive reinforcement that keeps the student engaged throughout the day.
3. If you see it taught, you see it shot. The coaches will not ask you to do anything that they can't do themselves. Feeling your own pistol shooting begin to move towards their level of skill is a powerful motivator.
4. Your skills are evaluated with timed exercises of proven defensive value (single hand shooting, failure to neutralize, etc). The individual student's accountability is at the fore of these exercises. You will unequivocally know your level of progress at the end of the day.
5. It's a remarkably fun day in the Georgia mountains with your comrades in arms and fellow 2nd Amendment supporters. I will certainly be returning for more classes.
Mr. S of Marietta
POSTED AAR FROM THE COUPLES FORCE READINESS TEAMWORK CLASS:
The Complete Combatant Couples Course is more than worth your investment for a number of reasons....
1. It puts you in the middle of the unexpected in everyday situations. Rachel and I learned the basics of responding to active shooters, carjackings, armed robberies, assaults, and home invasions while acting as a team. Thousands of hours of research are the foundation of an evidence based curriculum of self defense principles that are proven to address these situations.
2. You will obtain a higher level of mindfulness in terms of safety and marksmanship from the additional element of working with an armed partner. Real time communication under stress is an essential feature of this course.
3. Hand to hand self defense skills carefully tailored to the carry of firearms are developed throughout the course of training. You will be better prepared to establish the life saving distance for a clean draw and shoot by the end of the training session.
4. This course delivers on The Complete Combatant's promise that no two TCC sessions are the same. Although I have already taken the introductory TCC course, this variation kept me on my toes, mentally and physically engaged throughout.
5. Brian Hill, Shelley Luehder Hill, and the TCC coaches are gauging your progress from previous classes and know how to push you to the next level based on your style of learning.
Many thanks to The Complete Combatant team for their generosity with this kind of life saving knowledge. You will acquire a wealth of capabilities in any of their classes.
Alumni M.S
The Complete Combatant Couples Course is more than worth your investment for a number of reasons....
1. It puts you in the middle of the unexpected in everyday situations. Rachel and I learned the basics of responding to active shooters, carjackings, armed robberies, assaults, and home invasions while acting as a team. Thousands of hours of research are the foundation of an evidence based curriculum of self defense principles that are proven to address these situations.
2. You will obtain a higher level of mindfulness in terms of safety and marksmanship from the additional element of working with an armed partner. Real time communication under stress is an essential feature of this course.
3. Hand to hand self defense skills carefully tailored to the carry of firearms are developed throughout the course of training. You will be better prepared to establish the life saving distance for a clean draw and shoot by the end of the training session.
4. This course delivers on The Complete Combatant's promise that no two TCC sessions are the same. Although I have already taken the introductory TCC course, this variation kept me on my toes, mentally and physically engaged throughout.
5. Brian Hill, Shelley Luehder Hill, and the TCC coaches are gauging your progress from previous classes and know how to push you to the next level based on your style of learning.
Many thanks to The Complete Combatant team for their generosity with this kind of life saving knowledge. You will acquire a wealth of capabilities in any of their classes.
Alumni M.S
AAR for: The Complete Combatant's Force Readiness
Steve Havey
Attended January 13-14, 2018
Course Summary
This course provides a complete overview of a self-defense encounter from the unknown /unwanted contact, the legal requirements that must be met for use of deadly force by a civilian, the post event call to 911, interaction with police and initial discussion with your lawyer. Through role playing, dry fire firearms manipulations and hands on physical activity you are introduced to the verbal, physical and emotional challenges of dealing with varying levels of unwanted communication and physical assault, both lethal and non-lethal. It also provides basic instruction in the use and application of tourniquets to stop major bleeding. Brian and Shelley are great people with a passion for passing on their knowledge. You can tell for the outset that your well-being is what motivates them and drives their efforts.
WHO IS THIS COURSE FOR:
This course is for anyone who owns a gun that might be used in a self-defense scenario. While the firearms training is focused on the concealed carry firearm many of the concepts apply to anyone who is interested in self-defense. The instructors do a great job of individually making the physical effort challenging yet achievable for each student. We had three ladies and five gentlemen in this class covering a wide variety of age and physical conditioning. I know each felt challenged without being overwhelmed.
SUMMARY RECOMMENDATION:
Anyone who carries a firearm should take this course, especially if, like most of us, your training to date has primarily been in the application of the firearm rather than knowing when to use it, how to minimize the need to use it and what to do after a self-defense encounter of any type.
DETAILED REVIEW AND OBSERVATIONS:
This class had the ambitious goal of covering a list of subjects that would normally take at least three classes to cover, usually more. I know because I had already attended several classes totaling 8 or more days to get exposed to all the material covered in this class. Naturally with the time constraints of a 1.5-day class you will not get immersive training in each of the subjects but you do get enough exposure to understand the basic application, to be able to practice them on your own and most importantly just how critical each of them are to you. Some of the specific things you will do in this class include:
• Learn the 5 requirements needed for the use of force to qualify as self-defense.
• Role paly as both the aggressor and the innocent party.
• Practice deselection, avoidance and retreat.
• Learn to issue verbal challenges and use physical fences to keep an attacker at distance.
• Creating distance from your attacker, including from a grounded position.
• The difference between non-lethal and lethal force and when to apply each.
• Presenting your firearm from a variety of positions including close quarters both standing and on the ground.
• Expose strength and weaknesses related to your personal choice in firearms, holster, carry position etc. Especially if you think you do not have any!
• Applying a tourniquet to yourself or someone else, including doing it without prior warning and under a time constraint.
• Simulated calls to the 911, and interaction with responding police officers.
• Watch video of actual gun fights and 911 calls to drive home aspects of the training.
• Towards the end of class, you will have an individual scenario where you are the victim of an attack and must defend yourself. It is both physically and mentally challenging and a great eye opener on how stress affects your actions including communications with authorities afterwards. You will be surprised by what you say when you are a little winded and stresses, even when you know it is not “real”.
A UNIQUE ASPECT OF THIS CLASS:
Through the use of Train Safe barrel inserts and Rogers Tap Rack Trainers (TRT) magazine inserts this class allows you to use your own firearm in not only dry fire drills but also to point your firearm at your “attacker”. This also means you will have their disabled weapon pointed at you. While this allows you to test your own firearm and holster in close quarters contact I had a lot of trepidation about it even though I knew the guns were rendered safe. I read their safety protocol on line before signing up to take the class and I was already familiar with the Train Safe and TRT products as I use them for dry fire exercises and I do not know of a better way to make a gun inoperable that can be readily applied to a wide variety of firearms. Shelley and Brian want everyone comfortable with the concept and in our class that included allowing a student to inspect everyone else’s firearm even though each firearm was inspected and each student patted down twice, once each by two different staff members. And then they thanked the student for making the request.
FINAL THOUGHTS:
Take this class. Live fire is a lot of fun and too many of us focus on it at the expense of this type of training. Several students in the class had a real eye opening about the aspects of self-defense that have nothing to do with shooting skill and several of them have already signed up to take this class again in a few months. I know I will take it again. Not only do they make it a little harder for alumni each time they repeat they also offer an alumni discount. And I plan to take the other classes they offer. Check them out at: http://www.thecompletecombatant.com
Steve Havey
Steve Havey
Attended January 13-14, 2018
Course Summary
This course provides a complete overview of a self-defense encounter from the unknown /unwanted contact, the legal requirements that must be met for use of deadly force by a civilian, the post event call to 911, interaction with police and initial discussion with your lawyer. Through role playing, dry fire firearms manipulations and hands on physical activity you are introduced to the verbal, physical and emotional challenges of dealing with varying levels of unwanted communication and physical assault, both lethal and non-lethal. It also provides basic instruction in the use and application of tourniquets to stop major bleeding. Brian and Shelley are great people with a passion for passing on their knowledge. You can tell for the outset that your well-being is what motivates them and drives their efforts.
WHO IS THIS COURSE FOR:
This course is for anyone who owns a gun that might be used in a self-defense scenario. While the firearms training is focused on the concealed carry firearm many of the concepts apply to anyone who is interested in self-defense. The instructors do a great job of individually making the physical effort challenging yet achievable for each student. We had three ladies and five gentlemen in this class covering a wide variety of age and physical conditioning. I know each felt challenged without being overwhelmed.
SUMMARY RECOMMENDATION:
Anyone who carries a firearm should take this course, especially if, like most of us, your training to date has primarily been in the application of the firearm rather than knowing when to use it, how to minimize the need to use it and what to do after a self-defense encounter of any type.
DETAILED REVIEW AND OBSERVATIONS:
This class had the ambitious goal of covering a list of subjects that would normally take at least three classes to cover, usually more. I know because I had already attended several classes totaling 8 or more days to get exposed to all the material covered in this class. Naturally with the time constraints of a 1.5-day class you will not get immersive training in each of the subjects but you do get enough exposure to understand the basic application, to be able to practice them on your own and most importantly just how critical each of them are to you. Some of the specific things you will do in this class include:
• Learn the 5 requirements needed for the use of force to qualify as self-defense.
• Role paly as both the aggressor and the innocent party.
• Practice deselection, avoidance and retreat.
• Learn to issue verbal challenges and use physical fences to keep an attacker at distance.
• Creating distance from your attacker, including from a grounded position.
• The difference between non-lethal and lethal force and when to apply each.
• Presenting your firearm from a variety of positions including close quarters both standing and on the ground.
• Expose strength and weaknesses related to your personal choice in firearms, holster, carry position etc. Especially if you think you do not have any!
• Applying a tourniquet to yourself or someone else, including doing it without prior warning and under a time constraint.
• Simulated calls to the 911, and interaction with responding police officers.
• Watch video of actual gun fights and 911 calls to drive home aspects of the training.
• Towards the end of class, you will have an individual scenario where you are the victim of an attack and must defend yourself. It is both physically and mentally challenging and a great eye opener on how stress affects your actions including communications with authorities afterwards. You will be surprised by what you say when you are a little winded and stresses, even when you know it is not “real”.
A UNIQUE ASPECT OF THIS CLASS:
Through the use of Train Safe barrel inserts and Rogers Tap Rack Trainers (TRT) magazine inserts this class allows you to use your own firearm in not only dry fire drills but also to point your firearm at your “attacker”. This also means you will have their disabled weapon pointed at you. While this allows you to test your own firearm and holster in close quarters contact I had a lot of trepidation about it even though I knew the guns were rendered safe. I read their safety protocol on line before signing up to take the class and I was already familiar with the Train Safe and TRT products as I use them for dry fire exercises and I do not know of a better way to make a gun inoperable that can be readily applied to a wide variety of firearms. Shelley and Brian want everyone comfortable with the concept and in our class that included allowing a student to inspect everyone else’s firearm even though each firearm was inspected and each student patted down twice, once each by two different staff members. And then they thanked the student for making the request.
FINAL THOUGHTS:
Take this class. Live fire is a lot of fun and too many of us focus on it at the expense of this type of training. Several students in the class had a real eye opening about the aspects of self-defense that have nothing to do with shooting skill and several of them have already signed up to take this class again in a few months. I know I will take it again. Not only do they make it a little harder for alumni each time they repeat they also offer an alumni discount. And I plan to take the other classes they offer. Check them out at: http://www.thecompletecombatant.com
Steve Havey
Course review: The Complete Combatant's Force Readiness at Fusion MMA.
I had a chance to attend the recent course, The Complete Combatant, 22-23 July 2017. The course was held at Fusion MMA, conducted by the owners, Brian and Shelley Hill. The course is designed to provide some additional skills to the armed citizen, someone already with some handgun shooting ability. The focus is on being a thinking fighter when confronted by an attack, using mental preparation and planning beforehand, and physical skills to better confront a sudden ambush attack.
Course schedule was Saturday 4 to 8 pm, then Sunday 9 am to 5 pm. It was a very full day and a half of classes and hands on practice and drills. Although much of the class is focused on the mental aspects, including judgement, situational awareness, and the laws of self defense, the class requires some level of physical ability. This includes some running, physical contact with other students and coaches, hitting punching bags, and so forth. I didn't find it overly tough, but I was a bit sore a day after the class. Bring plenty of water, and you get time to hydrate and rest. Sack lunch is a must on Sunday. Wear comfortable street clothes; I was comfortable in a tshirt, shorts, and running shoes.
I brought my usual EDC firearm and other equipment, including spare mag, flashlight, knife. Me and the students made our firearms safe at the start of each class, putting in a Trainsafe Disabler into the barrel and Tap Rack Trainers into the magazines. This made the guns inert and safe to point at coaches, during class.
Topics included verbalizing when confronted with predatory or suspicious behavior, understanding criminal behaviors, situational awareness tactics. We practiced some key physical holds on each other, designed really to get an attacker off their game and so to create distance, enabling us to get away or to deploy a firearm, as the case may be. This continued into Sunday, with more advanced topics, including confronting multiple attackers, nonlethal and lethal force, entangled fighting, fighting from the ground and against a wall, disarming techniques against an opponent, some techniques for using knives, some techniques when using flashlights, some basic use of tourniquets (and actual drill of use, during other exercises). Brian used a combination of class discussions, some use of video when appropriate, and always followed by practical practice and drills on techniques. This was a fast paced and energetic course! The course was completed with a practical final "exam" for each student, presented with a unique scenario involving an attack that had to be defended. Key aspects of lawful defense had to be articulated, as well as proper interaction with 911 operator and law enforcement. We had the good fortune to get guest lectures from Lee Weems, who discussed police-citizen contacts, and Claude Werner, who discussed negative outcomes and actual armed citizen successes.
This was a superb course. Brian and Shelley had boundless energy, were very funny and entertaining, as well as thoughtful and caring coaches. The assistant coaches were superb and added much to the class. There is a LOT of information and techniques that we covered, and much of it, we could only practice a little bit. I appreciated the fact, that this course TESTS your equipment and some of your handgun skills, under a certain level of stress, not found in many courses. This is force on force, facing a live opponent who is unpredictable. I also liked the fact that this is a THINKING course, requiring the student to really think about techniques and choices to be made, when confronted by an attacker. Everyone who carries a gun, should seriously consider taking this course. Highly recommend it to all.
Donald of GeorgiaCarry.Org
I had a chance to attend the recent course, The Complete Combatant, 22-23 July 2017. The course was held at Fusion MMA, conducted by the owners, Brian and Shelley Hill. The course is designed to provide some additional skills to the armed citizen, someone already with some handgun shooting ability. The focus is on being a thinking fighter when confronted by an attack, using mental preparation and planning beforehand, and physical skills to better confront a sudden ambush attack.
Course schedule was Saturday 4 to 8 pm, then Sunday 9 am to 5 pm. It was a very full day and a half of classes and hands on practice and drills. Although much of the class is focused on the mental aspects, including judgement, situational awareness, and the laws of self defense, the class requires some level of physical ability. This includes some running, physical contact with other students and coaches, hitting punching bags, and so forth. I didn't find it overly tough, but I was a bit sore a day after the class. Bring plenty of water, and you get time to hydrate and rest. Sack lunch is a must on Sunday. Wear comfortable street clothes; I was comfortable in a tshirt, shorts, and running shoes.
I brought my usual EDC firearm and other equipment, including spare mag, flashlight, knife. Me and the students made our firearms safe at the start of each class, putting in a Trainsafe Disabler into the barrel and Tap Rack Trainers into the magazines. This made the guns inert and safe to point at coaches, during class.
Topics included verbalizing when confronted with predatory or suspicious behavior, understanding criminal behaviors, situational awareness tactics. We practiced some key physical holds on each other, designed really to get an attacker off their game and so to create distance, enabling us to get away or to deploy a firearm, as the case may be. This continued into Sunday, with more advanced topics, including confronting multiple attackers, nonlethal and lethal force, entangled fighting, fighting from the ground and against a wall, disarming techniques against an opponent, some techniques for using knives, some techniques when using flashlights, some basic use of tourniquets (and actual drill of use, during other exercises). Brian used a combination of class discussions, some use of video when appropriate, and always followed by practical practice and drills on techniques. This was a fast paced and energetic course! The course was completed with a practical final "exam" for each student, presented with a unique scenario involving an attack that had to be defended. Key aspects of lawful defense had to be articulated, as well as proper interaction with 911 operator and law enforcement. We had the good fortune to get guest lectures from Lee Weems, who discussed police-citizen contacts, and Claude Werner, who discussed negative outcomes and actual armed citizen successes.
This was a superb course. Brian and Shelley had boundless energy, were very funny and entertaining, as well as thoughtful and caring coaches. The assistant coaches were superb and added much to the class. There is a LOT of information and techniques that we covered, and much of it, we could only practice a little bit. I appreciated the fact, that this course TESTS your equipment and some of your handgun skills, under a certain level of stress, not found in many courses. This is force on force, facing a live opponent who is unpredictable. I also liked the fact that this is a THINKING course, requiring the student to really think about techniques and choices to be made, when confronted by an attacker. Everyone who carries a gun, should seriously consider taking this course. Highly recommend it to all.
Donald of GeorgiaCarry.Org
I can't say enough good things about The Complete Combatant class! 5 stars just doesn't cover it! I am a member of GCO and also lead a group of women shooters at Sharp Shooters USA range in Roswell so I've got experience in shooting and have had alot of training in the past. To be honest, the physical aspects of TCC made me hesitant to sign up initially. From a physical aspect, I was not sure what was in store but was pleasantly surprised at how 'gentle' and encouraging Brian and the rest of the male coaches were with this little woman! I highly recommend this class for all women who carry a gun for personal defense on a daily basis. The Complete Combatant takes what you learned in the "Defensive Handgun" class at your range and jacks it to a higher level! You look at things in a completely different way and realize that real life is so much different than watching YouTube videos of violent encounters - It's alot harder than you think!! I learned so much, am making changes in my 'carry' life as a result - and will definitely be back for a repeat to improve on my weaknesses! Brian and Shelley Hill are passionate about what they bring to the students and it shows! Superb training for the real world! Thank you both for the great opportunity!!!
Cindy of Sharp Shooters USA
Cindy of Sharp Shooters USA
First of all I would like to give a huge shootout to @TheCompleteCombatant and all the instructors that helped with the class, everybody there was top notch. Also to the southeasttraders.com for hosting the GIVE-AWAY and being what it is. I was finally able to get in The Complete Combatant course I won from the SET GIVE-AWAY last year (my work schedule is nuts). Overall I would highly recommend this course to anybody that edc, not only does this course provide practical use of your edc gear but also hands on techniques for those to close for comfort situations. The course I participated in was a 12 hour 2 day course, 4 hours the first day and 8 the next. By the end of the second day I could definitely tell I had put some work in, body was sore and had some nice bruises.
Day 1:
The day started with the safety rules, getting your pistol training ready and what to expect from the class. It then proceeded to a class room setting, watching some videos and going over them regarding what signs to look for before somebody goes for the attack.
After the classroom we moved on to the mats and began running some hand to hand drills. Different defense positions, signs to watch for during a confrontation and what to do to be ready for the defense.
Once the sun set outside we ran a night ops situation, utilizing your flashlight there where different scenarios set up. This was probably the most eye opening part for me. What it really takes to use your flashlight and edc gear in a dark room with a potential threat.
Day 2:
Started bright and early with limited time in the class room setting, then proceeded to a quick over view from the previous day and then the fun started.
We hit the mats hard today with even more hand to hand training. Starting from positions that have never crossed my mind. Doing a lot of ground work and being able to safely incorporate your pistol from various positions. What was my most favorite drill of the day, wrestling for possession of the gun, whether from a standing position or starting from the ground.
We also did a lot of weapon draw exercises, along with moving to cover, weapon jam practices and more hand to hand type exercises. Finishing the day up with running a "live" scenario and having to make split second decisions.
Overall I really feel that the class brought a new prospective to my eyes that I had never really considered. Things that without proper training would be hard to come up with or even practice. I was pushed to a new level of confidence not only with a firearm but with hand to hand skills. A big bonus is you are practicing with your edc firearm, as this really gives you the feel of a real life situation. I would highly recommend this class to anybody, whether new to edc or a seasoned guy. I promise that this class will open up your eyes to something you haven't learned before or even thought as a possibility of happening. I will be making more time to take training from here on out and @TheCompleteCombatant will be at the top of the list.
Alex P. of the good ole USA
Day 1:
The day started with the safety rules, getting your pistol training ready and what to expect from the class. It then proceeded to a class room setting, watching some videos and going over them regarding what signs to look for before somebody goes for the attack.
After the classroom we moved on to the mats and began running some hand to hand drills. Different defense positions, signs to watch for during a confrontation and what to do to be ready for the defense.
Once the sun set outside we ran a night ops situation, utilizing your flashlight there where different scenarios set up. This was probably the most eye opening part for me. What it really takes to use your flashlight and edc gear in a dark room with a potential threat.
Day 2:
Started bright and early with limited time in the class room setting, then proceeded to a quick over view from the previous day and then the fun started.
We hit the mats hard today with even more hand to hand training. Starting from positions that have never crossed my mind. Doing a lot of ground work and being able to safely incorporate your pistol from various positions. What was my most favorite drill of the day, wrestling for possession of the gun, whether from a standing position or starting from the ground.
We also did a lot of weapon draw exercises, along with moving to cover, weapon jam practices and more hand to hand type exercises. Finishing the day up with running a "live" scenario and having to make split second decisions.
Overall I really feel that the class brought a new prospective to my eyes that I had never really considered. Things that without proper training would be hard to come up with or even practice. I was pushed to a new level of confidence not only with a firearm but with hand to hand skills. A big bonus is you are practicing with your edc firearm, as this really gives you the feel of a real life situation. I would highly recommend this class to anybody, whether new to edc or a seasoned guy. I promise that this class will open up your eyes to something you haven't learned before or even thought as a possibility of happening. I will be making more time to take training from here on out and @TheCompleteCombatant will be at the top of the list.
Alex P. of the good ole USA
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An ever increasing number of people feel the personal responsibility to protect themselves and their family from today’s violence. Many purchase a firearm and feel it is their best defense, and it’s mere possession is a talisman to ward off violence. Others will put in time and money to train with the defensive tools that they choose to carry for such an event. “Gun guys” train with guns, “knife guys” train with knives, and proponents of “empty hand” tactics train with the various “martial” methods. As a firearms enthusiast, instructor, and director of training at prominent firearms facility , I suppose I would traditionally fall into the “gun guy” category. However, I find myself with a practical approach to defense, focusing on technique/skill, and mindset, as opposed individual tools or “gear”. Being an instructor I feel reasonably confident that my shooting skills are sufficient for firearms based self-defense. However I don’t feel sufficiently skilled in other areas of defense, particularly physical and edged weapons. After passing 30, the physical attributes require more of my effort.
“The Complete Combatant” class by Brian Hill promised to be a scenario based, mixed method training using your own every day carry (EDC) items, and I jumped at the opportunity to take it. Shelley Hill provided me with clear and concise communication, ensuring that the required paperwork and gear checklist were accomplished prior to class. By my own preference, my typical EDC equipment is somewhat extensive. However, most of the items I carry (with a few minor exceptions) on a daily basis were able to be cleared for safe use in the class by the means of firearm disabler inserts, inert Blue guns, and training knives. I was particularly interested to see that students that did not regularly carry a knife were given a training knife anyways. This came into play later in the class, and would afford each student the ability to pick up a improvised knife or actual knife during the chaos of real attack, and effectively use it defensively. I am not deluded enough to think that as a male I was born with the ability to throw an effective punch. However with some coaching this was accomplished. Student are shown effective techniques to defend the head during an attack. Additionally knife grips and deployment were explored. We were then shown how to increase accuracy of our knife technique by utilizing the chain-link panels of the octagon. There was a definitive flow to the information we are receiving. Starting with standing shadowboxing and basic firearm draws, and progressing slowly to full body contact sparring with firearm retention and deployment. Brian has many years of MMA coaching, and it shows. Techniques were demonstrated thoroughly and then students paired up to practice the learned skill. Anytime a student struggled with a concept or technique due to gear placement, alternative placement and/or potential replacement of the offending equipment were explored. A particular area of personal deficit I discovered was getting off the ground. A seemingly simple task that in actual practice with some one actively trying (shoving, pushing, tripping, etc.) to keep you there, proved challenging. I have spent significant time learning how to fall safely, particularly with a firearm. However, Hill stresses the need to get up off the ground, because staying there will result in you receiving continued trauma (kicks, bunches, elbows, etc.) that will result in a knock out. Being unconscious is bad and completely indefensible. My 6′-3″ lanky frame and generally bad knees require more practice to be proficient. Other ground based methods were show shown non traditionally. “Shrimping” for example (walking with your shoulders and elbows) was demonstrated on a padded wall, to be able to get out of a corner or otherwise off the ground. Kneeing, kicking, and use of your feet to create distance was also discussed and demonstrated. Several large and heavy assistant coaches were on hand to assist and take you out of your comfort zone. Sparring with these individuals was initially intimidating, but bred confidence after working through scenarios. Hill explores the phenomenon of the “freeze”. When facing an heavy mounted attacker, one that is significantly larger that you, or a flurry of punches/kicks, one could find themselves in the “freeze”. A semi-protected defensive ball, or turning the face away, or giving up mid fight. I experienced a freeze during practice of the hip-bump used to dislodge a mounted attacker. A heavy assistant coach played the attacker in mounted position, and lacking the physical strength and stamina for an effective hip-bump, I found myself frustrated and tired. Hill saw it and shouted encouragement to not give up, as you are never out of the fight as long as your still conscious. Not a new concept for me, but in that moment Hill made a permanent impression I will not soon forget. A good deal of time was allocated to personal firearm retention as well as keeping your attackers firearm holstered. Methods were simple, practical, and not solely dependent on physical strength, something myself and the two women in the class appreciated. This methodology led to much adaptability and crossover from gun to knife, improvised impact devices, retention, and back again. In fact the fallacy of “simply” drawing a firearm and shooting your attacker was thoroughly exposed. Each student and myself died many “glorious” deaths during paired scenarios that forced us to work inside the clench, face multiple attackers, deal with bystanders, and maintain vigilant awareness. Dealing with the immediate threat, did not always end scenarios, Hill made sure of that by playing mixed roles of “hysterical bystander”, “concerned citizen”, “cellphone videographer”, “friend of the attacker” or mixing things up by snatching your firearm. Over zealous trigger fingers were kept in check by threats sometimes giving up and complying. This scenario based training method alone is well worth the class fee. Interestingly, many students experienced equipment failures of some kind. Hill sees the need to stress test your gear. Belts failed, holsters dumped guns, holsters stayed on guns, pockets dispensed their contents, firearm safeties stayed on, and ironically several shoes were lost. Although many of my own EDC items have already been vetted by prior classes, I did make a change to the location of my knife. A physically intensive day of training, band-aids were handed out for superficial cuts and scratches that appeared out of nowhere. After being notified that they were leaking, students could not tell you how they were scratched or when. In an era of litigation happy customers, it is refreshing to see the class not watered down for additional liability cushion. Everyone was sweating and tired by class end having put in good work, a testament to Hill’s focus on simulating the chaos of combat in a controlled and safe environment. I never felt uneasy about anything Hill asked us to do or feared injury, though I did not escape unscathed. Hill and his team set a precedent early one by ensuring cleanliness (our street shoes were disinfected) and safety by inquiring about prior injuries, physical disorders, or weak joints. Having attended countless classes and received much continual training over the years I am not easily impressed. However Hill’s delivery was palatable, methodology practical, and his experience credible. The whole team at The Complete Combatant created a family/tribe atmosphere that is contagious. If you are interested in learning the skills and mindset needed to survive the chaos of extreme close quarters combat and develop a game plan tailored to your skills and your everyday carry, this course is for you. Jonathan of Stoddards Atlanta |
Steve Andrews of KnifeKits and HolsterSmith
I highly recommend this class to anyone. It is a lot of good information and training.
I went in with some preconceived notions about how I would react in a given situation. We were placed in a couple of those situations. Let's just say things didn't work like I planned. Evangeline and I learned a lot and we will be back for more classes. The instructors were all fantastic. They kept the stress level high when needed and took the time to debrief after every drill, answering all of our questions.
Brian, please feel free to give my name and number to anyone as a reference. I am happy to tell people how great the class was.
I went in with some preconceived notions about how I would react in a given situation. We were placed in a couple of those situations. Let's just say things didn't work like I planned. Evangeline and I learned a lot and we will be back for more classes. The instructors were all fantastic. They kept the stress level high when needed and took the time to debrief after every drill, answering all of our questions.
Brian, please feel free to give my name and number to anyone as a reference. I am happy to tell people how great the class was.
Hunter Cason of Surviving Violence
The Complete Combatant, what are you going to get? Trained, that's what you will get. A solid education into the world of self protection.
Brian Hill covers a wide range of skills and topics in this 1.5 day class that everyone who is concerned with self protection should know. You will learn about self defense and the law. How to know you are making the right decision at the right time. He will cover personal firearms and safety, how to carry, where to carry, and what you should have on your person all the time. Flashlights and low light techniques are covered. The draw stroke and what the difference between being low ready and aggravated assault is. Keeping the bad guy from taking your pistol or disarming theirs.
Learn striking techniques, fighting on the ground and how to get back up, how to deal with multiple attackers, a good decision making skills under stress. What to say when you call 911 and what to do when the police arrive.
I can not state this enough, what you know before a self defense situation occurs can mean the difference between not only life and death, but freedom and prison. Yes, you can go to prison for doing the wrong thing at the wrong time, but with prior knowledge, you can make the right choice at the right time.
You will work through scenarios that let you make mistakes you can learn from without risking your life. Safety is a high priority with Brian and all his staff of assistant coaches.
Anyone can take this, even if you have an injury. I had a injured shoulder so there were a few training exercises excused myself from, but still was able to complete the class and learn a good deal of life saving skills.
Hey, don't forget about taking care of major injuries like bleeding out, shock and a few others. Sean Brogan does an excellent tutorial during lunch on how to save your life or someone you care about. Invaluable information.
We also received a good knife defense and use course.
The main point I'm sharing is there is no reason for you not to take this class. You will be and feel more prepared if the worst 5 seconds of your life ever does happen.
Call Shelley Hill and sign up today!
Brian Hill covers a wide range of skills and topics in this 1.5 day class that everyone who is concerned with self protection should know. You will learn about self defense and the law. How to know you are making the right decision at the right time. He will cover personal firearms and safety, how to carry, where to carry, and what you should have on your person all the time. Flashlights and low light techniques are covered. The draw stroke and what the difference between being low ready and aggravated assault is. Keeping the bad guy from taking your pistol or disarming theirs.
Learn striking techniques, fighting on the ground and how to get back up, how to deal with multiple attackers, a good decision making skills under stress. What to say when you call 911 and what to do when the police arrive.
I can not state this enough, what you know before a self defense situation occurs can mean the difference between not only life and death, but freedom and prison. Yes, you can go to prison for doing the wrong thing at the wrong time, but with prior knowledge, you can make the right choice at the right time.
You will work through scenarios that let you make mistakes you can learn from without risking your life. Safety is a high priority with Brian and all his staff of assistant coaches.
Anyone can take this, even if you have an injury. I had a injured shoulder so there were a few training exercises excused myself from, but still was able to complete the class and learn a good deal of life saving skills.
Hey, don't forget about taking care of major injuries like bleeding out, shock and a few others. Sean Brogan does an excellent tutorial during lunch on how to save your life or someone you care about. Invaluable information.
We also received a good knife defense and use course.
The main point I'm sharing is there is no reason for you not to take this class. You will be and feel more prepared if the worst 5 seconds of your life ever does happen.
Call Shelley Hill and sign up today!
Special Thank You to Lindsey Stephens for taking these FANTASTIC photos!
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What an awesome class! Thank you to everyone involved in putting together such a thought provoking and mentally and physically challenging 1.5 days. The techniques that were taught, topics and scenarios that were presented, and the following conversation and discussion have provided me, an ordinary citizen without any formal military, hand-to-hand combat, or self defense training background, a sense of confidence and a strong mindset that I can better handle the unfortunate situation of being attacked should it ever occur. The class gave me and the other members an excellent opportunity to not only learn the techniques and skills but to also test our ability to defend ourselves and protect loved ones using real-world scenarios. This occurred in a controlled environment where mistakes would not end up in a tragic situation becoming a deadly event.
Brian and the other instructors presented the course material in such a way that we began with basic firearm draws and aiming, learning how to use a flashlight in conjunction with a firearm, and how to defend ourselves against a surprise attacker where protection of ourselves AND our firearm was a primary concern. The instruction also included how to secure an attacker at gunpoint, call the proper authorities for help, and how to handle the event once the police showed up and began the interviewing process. During the course, every student learned that simply drawing a firearm and shooting an attacker is not as easy as Hollywood and the television make it seem and that there is MUCH more to defending yourself and your family than just carrying a firearm or other weapon. Many students encountered situations that exposed weaknesses in their abilities and mindset, training and equipment, and the classroom environment allowed these mistakes and equipment failures to occur without incident or the loss of life. Discussion was had about how corrections could be made, why certain types of equipment were more prone to failure than others, which types of equipment were better than others, and we were presented with resources and options of how and where to continue training for more practice and even better mastery of the skills. Thank you and I look forward to ding this again! Daniel of Marietta |
Andrea Hill
If you are a female who thinks / prepares to be in bad situations and attempts to plan your escape or way out, this class is everything you need to know your limits and decision making skills. You have the ability to not only mentally prepare for your escape / attack, but physically act it out in a safe and controlled environment. "The body won't go where the mind has never been," is a quote I learned during my military training and this class embodies this quote. As a woman, I live among more powerful and stronger people and I need to know how to survive if put in that position. In order to do that, I must train my mind and body for that.
You will also learn from and train with someone of Brian Hill's caliber, and so far in my military law enforcement career and life, is unprecedented. When he talks, I listen.
You will also learn from and train with someone of Brian Hill's caliber, and so far in my military law enforcement career and life, is unprecedented. When he talks, I listen.
Jonathan H. of Georgia
Spent this past weekend at The Complete Combatant doing some training and I have to say, it was amazing. The TL:DR is simple, if you like staying alive and not being a victim, you need to take one of their classes. This class was working a mix of grappling, edged weapons, small arms, low light, and scenarios. This was done with some amazing instructors. From law enforcement to firearms to grappling and even Alfa Knife was in the building showing just how effective a knife is to surviving.
Day 1 was working on min dset, how to think, how to identify a threat. It’s not simply knowing how to draw a gun or a knife, but knowing when and how to do so. As it got dark we worked on low light activities, learning just how much you lose and how to compensate for the dark, how to use a flashlight, and how to identify threats with lack of light.
Day 2 started with a presentation of knives and an example simulating a body and how much damage a knife can do. Working grappling and how to use or defend against a knife was really eye opening to how easy it is to get hurt from a knife (even your own). The rest of the day was drills, scenarios, and just a wealth of information. Putting yourself in situations you hope to never be in, but experiencing it once so you can figure it out then and not in a real life situation was awesome. I’m already looking at doing more training here as well as at Center Mass Tactical Training. Definitely check them out!
Day 1 was working on min dset, how to think, how to identify a threat. It’s not simply knowing how to draw a gun or a knife, but knowing when and how to do so. As it got dark we worked on low light activities, learning just how much you lose and how to compensate for the dark, how to use a flashlight, and how to identify threats with lack of light.
Day 2 started with a presentation of knives and an example simulating a body and how much damage a knife can do. Working grappling and how to use or defend against a knife was really eye opening to how easy it is to get hurt from a knife (even your own). The rest of the day was drills, scenarios, and just a wealth of information. Putting yourself in situations you hope to never be in, but experiencing it once so you can figure it out then and not in a real life situation was awesome. I’m already looking at doing more training here as well as at Center Mass Tactical Training. Definitely check them out!
Charlie F.
What an amazing class this weekend! I’ve taken some decent self-defense training over the years, but none in an environment that so closely mirrors real-life encounters. If you carry a gun, pocket knife, pepper spray, or anything else you think you’re going to defend yourself with, then this is the class for you! These items can give you a sense of security, but would you actually know what to do with them if your life depended on it? I thought so until I had a training partner completely neutralize my gun by grabbing the slide … and oh by the way, he had a knife I didn’t see before I was attacked! I “died” in at least a dozen exercises this weekend. Those lessons are now etched in my mind as examples of what can go wrong. And as coach Brian said, there’s winning and there’s learning … I’m glad my learning didn’t happen in the streets. This class won’t make you a super hero, but it will absolutely give you the mental tools to better defend yourself!
Randy S.
Here is a little bit about me. I spent 8 years in the Marine Corps Reserve. During my training I partook in the Marine Corps Martial Arts Program earning my grey belt. The training I received during this time was a great asset to have. I learned a little bit of ground fighting, knife fighting, and how to deal with high pressure situations. To be quite frank, my knowledge up to this point was only scratching the surface of what we could face in everyday life. The Complete Combatant brought situations to light that you might not think could happen to you. During the first night of training we learned how low light situations, in which a lot of assaults happen, are some of the most scary things we as civilians face. Not being able to tell what a person could be doing across the parking lot, even with you having a flashlight is a frightful notion to think of. Now on the second day of training every drill we did was turned up a notch. From learning how easy a pocket knife can cut to putting a tourniquet on yourself before you bleed out the stress levels went through the roof. We did some ground fighting with weapons, blindfolded ground fighting to disarm a partner, what it could feel like to be knocked out, how to get up if you’re pinned against the wall with someone over you, and most importantly how to make a 911 call after you just get done being assaulted. All the drills we did throughout the whole weekend flooded my brain with more knowledge than I thought I would walk away with.
The whole weekend we trained proved to be one of the best weekends of training I ever had. At the end of the day I learned at all costs we should avoid being in tangled with confrontations. But if you can’t than at all costs win. There is no such thing as fair fight, and every fight could be a fight for your life. Other things I learned is that not every hostile situation one where the answer is lethal force. Knives never run out of ammo but it is also an equal opportunity slasher. Once you are cut in a critical area the clock starts ticking to your demise. Always remember this, every situation you run into could be your last so always be mindful of your surroundings!
The whole weekend we trained proved to be one of the best weekends of training I ever had. At the end of the day I learned at all costs we should avoid being in tangled with confrontations. But if you can’t than at all costs win. There is no such thing as fair fight, and every fight could be a fight for your life. Other things I learned is that not every hostile situation one where the answer is lethal force. Knives never run out of ammo but it is also an equal opportunity slasher. Once you are cut in a critical area the clock starts ticking to your demise. Always remember this, every situation you run into could be your last so always be mindful of your surroundings!
Joe Hill
The Complete Combatant course was great! This class did several positive things for me however, there is one thing that I would like to touch on that I think is very important and really opened my eyes. TCC highlighted and bridged the gap between reality and disillusion, really taught me what I can and cannot do as far a protecting myself. For example; believing that I am tough enough to fend off multiple attackers. During the course we were given several real life scenarios in which we used hands on training to give an idea just how an attack would be. The results were not the same outcome as I had predicted previously. TCC pointed out just how quickly you can find yourself in a mess and just how little control you could have over the situation if you're not prepared.
I highly recommend this class! Walking away from TCC, I feel that I have the skill set to be aware and most importantly, how to prevent being a victim.
GREAT CLASS!
I highly recommend this class! Walking away from TCC, I feel that I have the skill set to be aware and most importantly, how to prevent being a victim.
GREAT CLASS!
Billy S
I am writing this after action review for The Complete Combatant, a twelve hour course of instruction from Brian Hill. The course was taught at Brian's gym, Fusion MMA, in Marietta, Georgia. Additional Coaches were Gedde Wilson, Damon Lusky and Jorge Santa.
As far as my background and previous training goes, I started out in the military ,joining the Marine Corps at the age of seventeen. Over the next four years of my enlistment I served as an infantry machinegunner, deploying twice to Helmand Province, Afghanistan. After leaving active duty in 2013 I started going to various civilian shooting courses, and am currently certified as an EMT Basic with total hours of civilian instruction sitting at about eight hundred hours of classroom and range time.
The entire course seemed designed to take people who had trained in a wide variety of self-defense methods and show them the strengths and weaknesses of both their training, and chosen equipment. Students consisted of everyone from amateur MMA fighters, to knife guys, to veterans, and even a couple people with no significant prior training. Brian showed himself to be extremely knowledgeable on everything from the fighting aspects to the legal aspects of self defense.
Before I go any further into the review, I believe a safety explanation should be given. Everyone surrendered all live blades and bullets at the beginning of class. Brian and Shelley outfitted every student with a training knife, as well as barrel and magazine blockers for students' handguns. These blockers made it impossible for the weapons to function with ammunition, while enabling them to be used for dry practice and grappling in the course. Everyone involved in training received at least two pat downs to be completely sure all live weapons were removed from the training environment.
The course of instruction is split into two blocks, one four hours and one eight hours. The first day involved a lot of basic movement on the ground and striking, something I hadn't done in a while. Needless to say the fighters loved that portion. Then we moved on to a short low-light clinic where Brian went over different methods of using a flashlight, followed by dry practice with our handguns and lights, and some short scenarios. The second day things got much more interesting. The drills became much more intense with students going through many different scenarios, learning when they were or were not able to justify deadly force, and having to articulate their reasoning afterwards. The competition was also stepped up with higher intensity grappling between students, and getting a taste of what it was like to deal with multiple opponents. This is where gear showed its quality. Guns and flashlights littered the floor as some students suddenly realized they needed to change their setup. The second day also included several presentations on the legalities of self-defense, as well as reviews of some recent cases. One of my favorite blocks was the tissue lab. Damon Lusky of Alfa-Knife was there with meat packaged to simulate limbs and we tried several different types of blades to study the effects. My personal conclusion was that getting stabbed would really suck.
In conclusion, this was a really solid course. most aspects of self-defense received at least one period of instruction, with lots of scenario based training to drive the lessons home. I'll be recommending it to anyone who asks me about where they should train, and will definitely be back again.
-Billy S.
As far as my background and previous training goes, I started out in the military ,joining the Marine Corps at the age of seventeen. Over the next four years of my enlistment I served as an infantry machinegunner, deploying twice to Helmand Province, Afghanistan. After leaving active duty in 2013 I started going to various civilian shooting courses, and am currently certified as an EMT Basic with total hours of civilian instruction sitting at about eight hundred hours of classroom and range time.
The entire course seemed designed to take people who had trained in a wide variety of self-defense methods and show them the strengths and weaknesses of both their training, and chosen equipment. Students consisted of everyone from amateur MMA fighters, to knife guys, to veterans, and even a couple people with no significant prior training. Brian showed himself to be extremely knowledgeable on everything from the fighting aspects to the legal aspects of self defense.
Before I go any further into the review, I believe a safety explanation should be given. Everyone surrendered all live blades and bullets at the beginning of class. Brian and Shelley outfitted every student with a training knife, as well as barrel and magazine blockers for students' handguns. These blockers made it impossible for the weapons to function with ammunition, while enabling them to be used for dry practice and grappling in the course. Everyone involved in training received at least two pat downs to be completely sure all live weapons were removed from the training environment.
The course of instruction is split into two blocks, one four hours and one eight hours. The first day involved a lot of basic movement on the ground and striking, something I hadn't done in a while. Needless to say the fighters loved that portion. Then we moved on to a short low-light clinic where Brian went over different methods of using a flashlight, followed by dry practice with our handguns and lights, and some short scenarios. The second day things got much more interesting. The drills became much more intense with students going through many different scenarios, learning when they were or were not able to justify deadly force, and having to articulate their reasoning afterwards. The competition was also stepped up with higher intensity grappling between students, and getting a taste of what it was like to deal with multiple opponents. This is where gear showed its quality. Guns and flashlights littered the floor as some students suddenly realized they needed to change their setup. The second day also included several presentations on the legalities of self-defense, as well as reviews of some recent cases. One of my favorite blocks was the tissue lab. Damon Lusky of Alfa-Knife was there with meat packaged to simulate limbs and we tried several different types of blades to study the effects. My personal conclusion was that getting stabbed would really suck.
In conclusion, this was a really solid course. most aspects of self-defense received at least one period of instruction, with lots of scenario based training to drive the lessons home. I'll be recommending it to anyone who asks me about where they should train, and will definitely be back again.
-Billy S.
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Customer Contact: thecompletecombatant@gmail.com 404-936-6986
Customer Contact: thecompletecombatant@gmail.com 404-936-6986