DISCLAIMER: I do not represent Steve Silverman or Firearms Research & Instruction Inc. in any way. I speak only as a satisfied customer.
I had followed Steve's postings on the Glock List, and had read the many complimentary reviews of his courses. After a negative experience with a well-known shooting school which shall remain unnamed (but its initials are LFI) I decided to give him a shot. I called Steve and signed my brother Jim and myself up for his Level II course at Knob Creek. Incidentally, I like the fact that he makes you *call* him to set up your reservation; it's a nice personal touch. Steve makes himself available by phone and Email at all times (he even takes a laptop on the road with him, so that he's not out of touch), and was up-front and accommodating about the questions we had. I told him my brother had no previous formal handgun training, and that I was concerned that Level II would be too advanced. Steve replied that Level II was the intro "tactical" course, and that as long as he knew the basic principles (sight alignment, trigger control, breathing) and nomenclature, he'd do fine.
THE STUDENTS
There were only five of us in the class. I knew from talking to Steve that it was going to be a small group, but he said that he'd sooner lose money than cancel. :-) By profession, only one or two of us had any military or law enforcement background. I at 24 was the youngest. By trade, we were all professionals - publishers, pharmacists, state housing authorities and the like. And most of us seemed to belong to the Glock List, Glock-L, Tactics-L or all three. Steve himself is a firearms instructor, bounty hunter and licensed private investigator, though he admits that FR&I has pretty much become his full-time gig. "It's just too much fun," he said.
DAY ONE
Day One began with an overview of the Level I written exam, which covered the basics of gun function and handling, safety and defensive mindset. Not realizing there was a time difference between Indy and Louisville, we arrived about an hour late the first day... Steve was kind enough to play catch-up with us during the first break. With that out of the way, we quickly moved into the "lecture" portion of the class, which included rules justifying the use of lethal force, the awareness color codes (NOT invented by Jeff Cooper, I was surprised to learn), the force continuum, and what to do AFTER a shooting incident. Just before lunch, we moved outside for a hands-on discussion on selection and use of cover. After lunch, we were introduced to a few basic hand-to-hand techniques, including disarming and gun retention. Jim, having a judo background, was really tickled by these, and lamented the fact that many if not most martial arts did not include gun disarms as part of their curriculum. Day One concluded with a basic shooting skills evaluation, which Steve said served to weed out "anyone so unsafe that I give them their money back." This was conducted using a 60-round modified PPC course of fire, shot twice. Not surprisingly, we all got to stay for Day Two.
DAY TWO
Day two began with Steve covering the rules for a "hot range," the four-point draw, and the various types of reloads (administrative, speed, tactical and emergency) that we would be utilizing during the various courses of fire. We then proceeded to load up and do some serious shooting. Each course of fire Steve uses in his class features a unique tactical element. For example, the GA State Police COF includes "scanning," or going to combat ready and sweeping 45 degrees left and right to break tunnel vision and look for additional threats. US Customs includes shooting from the kneeling position, FBI features forward movement, and so on. Courses of fire shot on Day Two were Modified PPC (Level II), GA State Police, US Customs, Baltimore City Sheriff's Dept., and FBI. Between each course of fire, we would learn and practice the new element that was to be introduced. By the time we broke for dinner, we were incorporating all these things into our shooting routine; such things as the four-point draw and lateral movement were starting to become second-nature. But we weren't done yet. After dinner, we came back to shoot in the dark.
NIGHT SHOOTING
For my dollar, this was the most valuable part of the entire class. Shooting at night, both with and without a flashlight, is something most shooters never get to do because of range restrictions and the like. But statistically, that is the time when we are most likely to have an armed encounter. Steve may not be a salesman, but he is a big advocate of what works. Two such things that we got firsthand exposure to at night were the Harries flashlight-shooting technique and the Sure-Fire line of flashlights. The Harries - it is so stable and makes so much sense, it's a surprise that folks such as Ayoob and Chapman would endorse such obviously inferior techniques. The Sure-Fire - I ordered my own 6P within a week of getting home, if that's any indication. But what amazed me the most is that you don't need a flashlight to be able to shoot effectively in the dark. Steve's also big on "body indexing" - learning by correct repetition what "feels" right, so that it the action becomes subconscious. "It would be unreasonable," Steve says, "to develop a new position for reduced-light shooting if our present daylight shooting position is sound."
He even told us about successfully teaching a blind woman how to shoot! Then we locked and loaded and proved it to ourselves...
DAY THREE
Day Three began with another shot at the FBI course of fire, followed by an introduction to tactical movement - not just laterally, but in all directions. That progressed into shooting at Tactical Teds while moving (being pulled by Steve) around an obstacle course as the other students graded your footwork. Then we shot the US Air Marshal COF, which was seriously bad-ass. Because of the times involved, this was easily the most challenging COF of the entire class. Finally, we came back and covered some basic house-clearing ("slicing the pie") and took the Level II written exam. Then came the Practical final, which though not complicated, was enough stress to really get our blood pumping and our nerves frazzled. By the time we closed with the Tueller Drill, how to counter a knife attack, and shooting from retention, we were all exhausted.
FINAL THOUGHTS
This brief summary really doesn't do the class justice, nor is it intended to. Steve has such a gift for instruction - conveying a LOT of information in an entertaining but serious way - that his course has to be experienced to get the full effect. Unlike other instructors/courses, Steve isn't out to sell a particular product or technique. He will tell you what he likes - Glocks, Sure-Fire, and the .40S&W round, to name a few - but doesn't cram it down your throat. He teaches basic systems that work (Weaver, Harries, etc), but allows for individual nuances (thumbs-up/down, gun arm bent/locked, etc). Most importantly, he is out to see that you acquire the skills to effectively use whatever hardware you select. And it's when a student "gets it" and can demonstrate that knowledge, that Steve knows he has been successful as a teacher.
I give the FR&I Level II Handgun class my highest recommendation for anyone who chooses to carry a gun for self-defense. "There are better carbine and shotgun guys out there," Steve says of his instructor peers, "but nobody puts out a better handgun product." After taking this course, I am inclined to agree.