AAR: Paragon 6 VSM Basic Pistol

[Annie Oakley]

Hey everyone! I just took a basic pistol class yesterday with Paragon 6 and wanted to share my thoughts on it. I am just going to follow the basic outline.

1. Previous training experience

F.I.R.E One Day Handgun Clinic
MSC Edged Weapons
RZS Basic Carbine Operator

As you can see I'm pretty new but not new new. I know the basics and my way around a handgun.

2. The trainer or organization’s name: Paragon 6 Anthony "Stony" Smith
Name of the course: VSM Basic Pistol 1-Day
Date: Sunday June 12, 2011
Location: Pitcairn-Monroeville Sportsman's Club
Cost: $175

3. Training hours and the approximate round count.

There was no formal "classroom" training. Everything was taught in the field as we went along for the most part (I liked that.) There was a safety talk at the beginning of the class i which we went over the four unbreakable safety rules.

As far as everything else it was first verbally explained with real world examples, then demonstrated by the instructor, repeated if necessary and then practiced by participants.

We went over all of the following basics:

Anatomy of a handgun and ammunition. eg: They are rounds, not bullets. It is a magazine, not a clip.

Loading and unloading
Grip
Site Alignment
Stance
Draw Stroke (Smooth and slow is the way to go!)
Magazine Reloads
Surveying the area

I know I am forgetting some but that happens. Feel free to ask me if I left anything out.

Because Stony emphasized accuracy as well as slow and deliberate movement we went through less than 100 rounds each.

4. The course description:

As I said previously the day started out on the range with a safety talk. We immediately moved into grip and site alignment and then draw stroke and rounded back to more site alignment.

We did the "penny drill" which trains you to focus on the front site, not to "snatch" the trigger, and really helped me with my flinch. For those of you who are not familiar, the penny drill is when you pair up with a partner, he places a penny on the site and you pull the trigger (unloaded.) If the penny falls off you have to do the drill five more times. The goal is to focus in on that front site. I found this drill extremely helpful and one that can be practiced at home (unloaded of course.)

Next we did "ball and dummy drill" which is where your partner takes your gun and hands it back to you with or without a round in the chamber (your not supposed to know.) If you "snatch" the trigger you have to do the penny drill 5 times.

We did a ton of draw stroke. Stony's method is a little different from what I was originally taught. I was taught , I think it was a five step stroke where Stony teaches just a slow and smooth draw stroke. I found his method much more fluid than the one I was originally taught. Another great one to practice at home (again, unloaded.)

We did "the chorus" multiple times to practice draw stroke, reloading and surveying. The chorus has us starting at 5 yards, shooting 3 rounds, moving back to 10 yards, shooting 3 rounds and so on.

5. Positives and negatives about the course.

I will begin with the positives.

Pace: First and foremost I thought that the pace was perfect. We had a few brand spankin' new shooters with us and they were able to easily keep up with the more experienced.

Personally, I was a little bored but that was not a defect of the class. I just think that I am ready to move on to a more advanced class. This was a good indicator of that fact.

Ability of Instructor: Personally, this is a HUGE one for me and has many aspects. This includes but is not limited to instructor background, teaching methods and personality.

Stony's background is substantial. He did give us a run down of his credential but I honestly didn't absorb most of that information. I do remember that he has extensive personal security experience and military training. My husband (Shawn L.) respects him so that is good enough for me.

His teaching methods were completely hands on. He would demonstrate a technique and then we would practice it. He came around to check our progress one by one for every single exercise. I really liked getting feedback every step of the way. Because of this student problem areas and errors were caught quickly and this opened the door for impromptu teaching moments.

Stony's personality is what I think made the class the most enjoyable. He provided an upbeat and positive atmosphere full of laughs and bad jokes. I felt completely comfortable and safe and am pretty sure that everyone else felt the same way.

Overall the positives far exceed the negatives. The only negatives are a few areas that were not covered that I thought should have been.

Clearing jams: This was not formally covered in class. There was an instance that a student had a jam and at that point it was taught to him one on one.

Stance: This was covered a little but not much. Maybe this is more appropriate for a more advanced class though. I don't know if it's such a good idea to overwhelm a new student with the gazillion different stances that are out there and the pros and cons of each...

Breathing: Once again, this might be appropriate for a more advanced class. When I was new I had a tendency to hold my breath before pulling the trigger which caused me to get shaky and shoot off target.

6. Did you get your money’s worth, and do you recommend others spending their time and money with this course and trainer?

In a word, definitely on all accounts.

[Shawn.L]

Nicely written , and good blog post too
http://www.anniesdish.com/2011/06/bi...ing.html#links

Now to pick out a level 1 pistol ............