Click the Read More Below to read our article on the Tiger Valley Dynamic Shooting Course.  This is the final segment of this series.

Tiger Valley Dynamic Entry Course (Range)

by Jessie Indracusin

Fire and Movement

There are not too many oppurtunities to practice actual fire and movement drills as a non-Law Enforcement or Military person.  One of the things that makes Tiger Valley courses so unique is the ability to have practical training to practice these types of activities.  We were using the Elm Fork shooting range out in Dallas (On Luna between 635 and Northwest Highway 12 in Dallas).  They have a couple of “Wild West” shoot houses there that we used for simulating room clearing activities.  Although I have to heavily edit these videos for posting, hearing all of the real life stores to go along with the lesson plan helps bring a new dynamic to learning.

From Classroom to the Shoot house

The beginning of this portion was a review of the safety procedures.  Since we were doing live fire in close quarters, there was definitely a high concern for safety.  This portion of the class was about 17 guys with AR style rifles using live 5.56/.223 FMJ rounds.  Even though I was wearing Level 3A body armor, these bullets will slice through the armor (but then hell, some protection is better than none).  The body armor was not a requirement and only a couple of us were wearing it.

Muzzle control was a key thing for people to get use to.  Also, proper weapons handling under the added stress of a dynamic entry with flash bangs can create some hesitation.  For some people going through these types of drills for the first time, it was interesting to see how many people neglected to breath as they breached the door.  Once the drill was over, you noticed a lot of people taking a big breath of air. 

We started off doing the drills completely dry.  No bullets shot at all and just done as a dry run.  After everyone was comfortable with that, including most importantly safe weapons handling, we moved on to the next phase which was the live fire.  This is where you could see people starting to get amped up and the excitement build.  The most interesting thing about these types of classes is to see truly how much of Hollywood and Video Games is complete bullshit.  This is probably why I break out into turrets on XBOX live when some 9 year old kid is jumping up and down with an automatic rifle on full auto and hitting me from across the room. 

The basic movement was a natural walk speed.  There was no running into positions.  The goal was to make entry as quick as possible but to ensure you saw EVERYTHING as you entered.  The goal was to have maximum peripheral vision and locate your target quickly…and get out of the way so the next element walked in the same entry way you did.

Adding the flashbang was a nice touch.  Although not quite as impressive as one might think from watching too many movies or playing too many video games, it does make a good quick diversion to screw up someone’s OODA loop (Observe Orient Decide Action).  The flashbang did create a descent amount of smoke which was a little bit unexpected.  All in all, a very fun and educational excercise. 

Conclusion

Just like any other activity, this is an activity that comes naturally with a lot of practice.  Kevin Ross is an excellent instructor and is able to compress a lot of knowledge, lecture and training into a VERY short period of time.  If you like very quick learning training, these types of classes are perfect.  The class I was in was comprised of about 80% Law Enforcement.  A lot of these types of activities are only taught and practiced with SWAT teams of Law Enforcement departments.  Most of these individuals where paying on their own dime to expand their shooting skills.  I actually have a lot of respect for these officers considering the amount of money a Police Officer makes is criminally low and to have to pay for this out of their own pocket is very commendable.

 

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