Tactical Pistol Course

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I just attended this class in Carthage, NC, given by James Yeager and 2 other instructors from Tactical Response. It was pretty awesome, I learned alot, and gained some valuable experiences and information. He is definitely a BTDT type of guy who presents the material well. There is some classroom time, but, you do shoot alot. The whole idea is to teach you how to fight and win with you pistol. It has changed my concept of pistol training, and I will practice it often. Thanks, James for a great course!

Joe Salva
 
I know nothing of Mr. Yeager.

How many pistol fights has he been in? Under what conditions? What equipment did he use?
 
All I know is that he has been in LE for at least 15 yrs. and has been to Iraq. He is well practiced in what he is teaching.

Did I mention it was a lot of fun? :D
 
Unfortunately, his web biography does not answer my question.

Thanks anyway.
 
WT said:
I know nothing of Mr. Yeager.

How many pistol fights has he been in? Under what conditions? What equipment did he use?
Click to expand...


Is having shot someone the litmus test for being a good instructor?
 
Quote:
"Is having shot someone the litmus test for being a good instructor?"

Yeah. Hmm, let's see... Would I rather have James Yeager for an instructor or some crackhead who is doing hard time for shooting his ho for not bringing enough money home to support his habit.

Tough call, indeed!:rolleyes:
 
WT,
How many pistol fights have you been in, under what conditions and what equipment did you use?

A person does not have to have been in a firefight to be able to teach. I don't think you'll find any BTDT instructor who will list his actual gunfights in his bio. I know James personally. I know all the details of at least one firefight in Iraq when he was working as a PSD contractor. But you know what, I would have trained with James before he ever went to Iraq had I been able to make things work out with my schedule to attend one of his classes. He's an excellent instructor. I will eventually get to train with him.

Jeff
 
I've trained with Tactical Response. The whole crew there is professional, knowledgable, open minded and dedicated to developing skilled warriors.

WT, why don't you call Mr. Yeager up and ask him to tell you about his experience and qualifications. He'd be glad to answer any of your questions.
 
WT said:
Unfortunately, his web biography does not answer my question.

Thanks anyway.
Click to expand...

WT:

Please feel free to PM me. I will give you Yeager's email address and his phone number. Or, you can find them on his website "Tactical Response."

There are a number of trainers in the US who are professional, experienced and outstanding teachers. On the other hand, there are a lot who are frauds, or who are, with the best of intentions, teaching techniques that will likely get you killed. Yeager is in the first group, and is near (if not at) the top of that list.

One clear indicator that you, as an apparent skeptic, might want to look into - find out what other top trainers think of him. I presume you have some experience with other trainers, so go ask them.

p.s. "How many pistol fights has he been in and what equipment did he use?" are pretty lame questions.
 
Jeff - I haven't been in any pistol fights. I make no claims of being an instructor. I have attended classes at various schools.

I merely wanted to know if Mr. Yeager ever used his pistol skills in real world situations. Some instructors, like Cooper, Taylor, Cirillo, have made it known that they have been involved in gunfights.


Edit: borrowing from another thread regarding Ignatius Piazza at Front Sight. How many pistol fights has Piazza been in? Under what conditions? What equipment did he use?

I believe in examining the credentials of those I do business with. I also look at credentials of doctors, lawyers, roofers, etc. I think it is prudent to do so.
 
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WT,
Surviving a gunfight is not in and of itself an indicator that someone can instruct or even if what he/she says is worth listening to. Every fight is different. Good plain old fashioned luck has a lot to do with many of those situations.

I would rather take classes from someone who has never been in a gunfight, but who had a thorough understanding of the physical and mental skills necessary to fight and win, then from someone who somehow managed to survive a gunfight, because a) his opponent was even more inept then he was b) Things just fell into place for him that day and he somehow performed the way he had never in the past nor ever would again c) was a member of a military of police unit that had a fight, but he personally had a very small role, almost so that he could have been considered a non-participant.

There are many different levels and types of combat experience. If you're going to use that as a criteria for choosing an instructor, you need to take the time to look at the details of your prospective instructor's experience.

Jeff
 
I was also at the Carthage, NC class. Had a very good time. Learned a lot.

I would highly recommend the Fighting Pistol class for any one serious about self defense. Not just sticking holes in cardboard and paper.

You guys should check out http://www.getoffthex.com as well.

Chris
 
With all this fuss about whether or not Mr Yeager has ever shot anyone, I'd just like to add that he stressed the importance of deterence, avoidance and de-escalation. In other words, it is better if you can keep yourself from getting into a gunfight in the first place. Makes sense to me!

Hey Chris, you did some great shootin', dude! How's it goin'?

Joe
 
Browns, I believe it is because some, I repeat some, judge a trainer on whether or not he has seen the elephant. Some use it as a controlling factor. Just because they are brave men and have been in combat, does not mean they can automatically impart knowledge/wisdom.

I don't all that bent out of shape about it. It's just part of the mix for me. IF the person knows what they are doing and can help me fight better with firearms, cool, I'm there.

However, I despise those who portray themselves as "combat masters" but have not been in spitballs fights but who are merely mall ninjas or square range veterans. (Part of my phobia about carbine classes and my hesitance to use "cool guy gear"--I don't walk the walk, so why talk the talk).

That's just me and my penny. Lots of folks here have different opinions on it.

Sounds like you learned a lot and had fun! That's the most important part.:)

Hooray for edukashun!:D
 
Browns Fan said:
With all this fuss about whether or not Mr Yeager has ever shot anyone, I'd just like to add that he stressed the importance of deterence, avoidance and de-escalation. In other words, it is better if you can keep yourself from getting into a gunfight in the first place. Makes sense to me!

Hey Chris, you did some great shootin', dude! How's it goin'?

Joe
Click to expand...

Thanks, for the compliment. I did ok but I didn't win the tshirt :(. Just leaves lots of room for improvment. You still been shooting the dots?

As for the instructors being in a gun fight. I'm with most everyone else here who cares. That being said, Yeagers been in at least one. I'm sure if you email him he could clear up all your questions.

One of the best parts about training with him was you relize just how up front and honest of a guy he is. One of my favorite quotes in the class, and I hope I got it right but if not forgive me was, "I don't have all the answers but I like to think I have some of them."

That speaks volumes about a trainer. I'm very much a beliver in JKD as an approach to all things in life. Take what works the best for you and throw away what doesn't work for you. At the same time, one can never have to big of a tool box to pull tools from. This means that I don't expect or want all the answers from one person.

I took a lot away from the class. Not just in shooting skills but in mindset area as well.

He also intergrated sound tactics into every aspect of the training. Even when we where just shooting small groups. We still had to verbalize, move off the line of attack and make sure we scanned for additional targets. Repitioin is the key to building a skill, and I found myself the frist time i went to the range after the class shouting STOP at the top of my lungs, and well everyone stoped... Whoops. :D.

Like I said if you have any questions for Yeager about the class I'm sure if you email him or hop onto http://getoffthex.com the man himself or one of his instructors will answer your question.

Chris S.
 
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