Finished up my VATA Group pistol classes yesterday

Man, it was pretty intense. I did the intro and tactical level 1 classes. I learned a large amount of info, and now have about 15 different exercises to practice, and am 650 rounds lighter

The instructors' credentials were impressive to say the least. A few members of SWAT, most who are into competitive shooting, and have taught military/police/contractors all over the world. They had all been in firefights, shot at, and had friends shot. Each one was very well versed in all areas, and masters of certain other ones(not pertinent for these classes). Not one of them was brought there as a specialized trainer for one exact area though. Speaking to them, they all loved guns, equipment, teaching, and also learning. While they knew or had their hands on damn near everything at one point in time, they were not the stereotypical "gun nuts". Just regular guys who enjoyed teaching and shooting. At the end, they also suggested that we check out other schools to see if we can pick up any other things that work better for us, which I though was extremely professional. They also spent a few days a year going to other companies' classes in hopes of furthering their knowledge, and gave us their contact info if we had any questions further down the line.

We went through everything that we were supposed to in each of the classes, and had sufficient amount of time to learn everything properly. The three instructors each watched ~4 people at a time shooting, identified problems, and offered corrective tips. We also were allowed to spend extra time on the line, if we couldn't fully grasp something. Second day was much more shooting than the first day, but that is understandable because they build on each other.

I am no expert pistol marksmen, but everything I learned was practical and explained to us why it was. In the second class, we even got to learn some physiology.

I had a problem transitioning from the Weaver stance to Isosceles. I had just target shot my entire life, and making the move to tactical shooting was rough. They fully explained to me the benefits and problems with each stance, and when they are each appropriate. They spent a lot of time showing me and watching me screw it up . In the end, they told me it is something I need to practice on my own, with no distractions, in many, many shooting sessions and at my house not shooting anything at all.



It was a great time, I fricking suck at shooting Isosceles, put 650rds though my gun, and learned a huge amount of info and what exercises I should be practicing. It was a top notch school, and I'd recommend it to anyone who has a little bit of knowledge of how guns work. It was a bit much and fast paced for a first time shooter, but can certainly be completed by any competent person. If you shoot a couple hundred of rounds through your pistol, you will be ready for the class.

Safety was paramount, and because everyone there had some pistol knowledge, it was no problem for us at all. I did get the feeling that the instructors would stop everything in a heartbeat, and at one point, two of the instructors who were 15 yards apart noticed the same miniscule thing and put an end to it in under a second. I was thinking, "How the frick did this dude way over there see that shite?", but they both caught it.




Oh yeah, no pics because I was holding a gun in my hand 90% of the time, loading 8%, and eating lunch for the other 2%. I was tired as hell after 8hrs straight of shooting yesterday, and have still been waiting to get home to dry fire all afternoon. I am pissed at how I was shooting, but completely dedicated to improving that now, and the class gave me the drive to do so. Going from a bullseye shooter to a full-on retard shooter was rough, but I will have it corrected within 2 weeks for sure.

If any of the instructors are lurkers and