What is better than one Maryland IBC in 2023? TWO IBCs in two months!
After receiving a rifle IBC in March from Maximum Ordinate, Monkey, and very own SI and State Coordinator BeSwift, our local-ish Charter Pistol Instructors/Shoot Bosses Kniwolf, BillP_556, and Catch-10-22 took on the challenge of hosting a PIBC.
Maryland has hosted 9 Pistol Clinics in the last two years and we were able to leverage all of that learning, the newest manual, as well as experiences from members of the VA, PA, and OH cadre who attended to grow our pistol instructor ranks and help all of our Orange Hats who work events (but who cannot yet be promoted to Pistol Instructors) to master the pistol material.
We kicked off early on Saturday in the clubhouse of the Anne Arundel Fish and Game Association. We could not appreciate their support for the program more - hosting more than 12 events per year, on average, and then the boot camp as a lot to ask and we appreciate every bit of the support!
BillP, Kniwolf, and I had prepared an outline and were able to tag-team effectively to present the material - we are lucky to have worked many events together so it was reasonably seamless for our first PIBC. We gave each participant a "Bluegun" (actually a yellow, orange, and blue 1911 replica with working slide, trigger, magazine release, and "preparable" magazine with foam dummy bullets) which they could use for the course, practice at home, and at events.
We began with a review of Appleseed guidelines and teaching methods (teach them to fish, creating the right mindset, etc.) with extraordinary emphasis on safety and some of the unique challenges pistols present. We were blessed to be able to build on the recent IBC but since we had new attendees it was great to review and relate that material to the Appleseed Pistol Clinic (APC). We then talked what we teach at the APC and what we do not - like the Master Instructors that developed and refined the program, our instructors have other pistol training backgrounds, so having a frank conversation of what is in, what is out, and why was valuable. That dovetailed into a detailed discussion of insurance related matters directly from the Pistol manual. We want our volunteers to have the right protections and mindset going into this course - this helped frame quite a few discussions and questions from the Instructors throughout the course. We ended that section with a detailed discussion of the new Pistol Loaner policy.
We then transitioned to an overview of pre-shoot preparations: types of ranges we experience with APCs, safety considerations, range set-up, different types of target stands and backers, organization of lines, shooters, where instructors should stand, incorporation of Blueguns and SIRT pistols, and other materials that Pistol Shoot Bosses, in particular, should plan to provide.
This led directly into our Safety Verbatims, including the APC-unique ammunition issues guidance from the manual. From there we focused on unique aspects of Line management (particularly firing line considerations for instructors to remain safe), medical emergencies, and then an extended discussion of safety issues we have observed on the line at our Pistol Clinics. That was a lively Q&A and discussion at that point with Chico from OH and BBQ_Bandit from PA throwing in observations from their clinics as well. Safety is the first Appleseed guideline and it was a significant focus the entire day!
We then transitioned to APC pistol terminology and how to teach it, breaking up into small groups after the demo to get sets and reps on that part of the presentation. We then talked about revolver-specific and other important terms to be used consistently for simplicity and precision. That included a discussion of our ready positions, presentation, and workspace.
The group then began working through the APC COF, hits count, stance and grip, eye dominance, trigger reset drills, 6 steps to firing a shot/NPOA, smooth reloads, ball and dummy, controlled pairs, target transitions, the Maryland-style Big Dot Little Dot Challenge (as well as the OH and VA approaches) - ok, I am not going to rewrite the manual here or the standard COF but we did demos and then small group practice on everything up to how to instruct the PQT before dinner. I can't thank my fellow Charter Pistol Instructors and our "students" enough for their focus and diligence as we worked through all of these topics.
We brought in dinner from a local BBQ restaurant to decompress and wrap up the day.
Sunday kicked-off early with reviews of some of the core material (as we would do on Sundays with shooters) and then we focused on demoing and practicing clearing malfunctions, stopping muzzle sweeps. We talked through and practiced how to instruct pistol and holster considerations and the instructor-only holster draw demo, answering more questions about what we should and shouldn't include or engage in with shooters based on liability considerations.
We talked about the critical importance of the Three Strikes for APCs but then went through individual history assignments on the Onion of Self Defense and Sam & Sam. Kniwolf helped frame the Onion with his mix of TPI and heavy benediction that really resonated with the class. I talked about framing Sam & Sam and some of the challenges we face in adhering to our "no current history" guideline and ways to frame it - though BBQ_Bandit's section of Sam & Sam going back to the influence of Cesare Beccaria on the founders did it better than I could! The history presentations were frankly fantastic - it was great to see people excited to present these new modules.
We lunched on leftover BBQ and continued formal and informal discussions into the afternoon before getting folks on the road for, in some cases, long trips home. But not before awarding Chico his Maryland Immortal 400 patch, with Lycos providing the Revolutionary War story behind our state patch. Huzzah!
I couldn't have been prouder of my fellow instructors for their attention to the class and progress made. I hope they will continue to practice and we will love to have more support at upcoming pistol clinics. I think we event made BeSwift into a pistol guy, which would be a crowning accomplishment! Thanks again to BillP_556 and Kniwolf for their help in preparing and delivering the content. And thank you again to Maximum Ordinate and Monkey for setting a standard with the rifle IBC.
I didn't get any pictures but am hopeful that someone did. I guess we will see below.
Catch-10-22, BillP_556, and Kniwolf, I'd like to give a big THANK YOU to you three for sacrificing time with your families and giving up an entire weekend to teach us how to be better instructors. Your guidance and patience with all of us this weekend was second to none. I think I speak for everyone when I say JOB VERY WELL DONE GENTLEMEN! ^:)^