I think it’s a bit of a supply/demand problem. While there are a lot of mediocre trainers out there, if I’m going to be spending $500+ for the class, $300-800 on ammo, traveling, taking time off work, etc I want to be getting training from someone who is really good, not just “ok”. That list of nationally recognized instructors and schools is actually not that big. So lots of people wanting to train with a small number of schools means they get booked quickly.
I thought of signing up for WPSN to watch John Lovell's Rifle training, but I just don't think that watching a training on a screen will be all that impactful.
I am not on WPSN and I haven’t seen the videos, but I can speak to watching videos for other classes. While watching is not a substitute for actually going there and doing the training yourself, it does generally give you a good outline of the class. It lets you see if the class is a good fit for what you’re trying to learn and it lets you get some insight into the teaching method, class structure, and some drills. For me having an idea of what would be happening beforehand was really helpful when I was first getting into the more advanced training.
I've been to many of these trainings and I'm noticing that most who attend are all kitted out in plates and helmets and very few are focused on realistic concealed carry scenarios.
That depends a bit on what kind of class you’re in. If it’s just a CCW class (even an advanced pistol class) then yeah, I’d expect people to be using normal carry gear. But if it’s a rifle class, and especially if it’s a more advanced rifle class with stuff like buddy pair and team movement, all of those plate carriers, chest rigs, pouches, and slings become pretty useful. Even if it’s just to carry extra mags so the group doesn’t have to break so often to get more ammo. And who doesn’t love being able to just reach into a pocket and grab a snack?
Wearing that gear in class is also useful to test the setup. I’ve seen a bunch of people who have pouches on a vest that hinder drawing their pistol. Shouldering a gun against or around a plate is also a bit of a learning experience the first time. Much better to figure that out in a class than a real fight.
And I know it’s a bit cliche but if there’s ever a fight that I’m not able to avoid, I would rather have a rifle than a pistol. If I had the choice I’d also want to be wearing armor (because sometimes the other guy can make hits too). And I’d much rather have a few friends with rifles, armor, and training. And I’d like to have an AC-130 orbiting.
Everything except the aircraft is completely possible for a regular person to accomplish if they want to.
Plus, some of that advanced training is a bunch of fun. And a lot of shoot houses require that you wear body armor and helmets.
