TheClimbDG
Newbie
ABD CONCEPTS: TACTICAL PISTOL COURSE
BRIEF SUMMARY (TL;DR):
Those who have been in the Western Canadian Training circuit should know SVT quite well. But if you have not had the pleasure yet, he is a phenomenal instructor because he is one of the best students anyone could ask for. Not only learning concepts and techniques from seriously accredited instructors, but adapting and applying them to reality, and giving them the context needed. His background with Tactical Units and Patrol work are evident as he bases a lot of lessons in reality, and being a professional LE instructor, he presents a massive amount of knowledge at a very efficient tempo.
If you are in Law Enforcement, or any profession that uses a handguns and wanted to start somewhere, I would 100% beyond a doubt recommend the ABD concepts Tactical Pistol Course. While only two days, each one is completely packed with a fundamental introduction to what students need to know to begin seeking external training. Legal Authorities, nomenclature, RDS pistols, manipulations, draw mechanics, movement, low light, dynamic exercises, and drills. While the course never really explains any one thing to exhaustion, it will certainly point you in the right direction of where you to take your training next.
INSTRUCTOR:
“Stef” (Also known as SVT) ABD concepts and cohorts
DATE:
September 19-20, 2020
LOCATION:
Brooks Pistol and Small Bore Club, Brooks, Alberta Canada
EQUIPMENT USED:
Glock 17 Gen 4 with RMR type 1 milled by Blackbox customs. Agency Compensator and barrel.
Glock 17 Gen 5 with RMR type 2 MOS with CHPWS gen 3 plate.
147 Federal FMJ 9mm (1200 rounds)
CLASS COMPOSITION:
Primarily Law Enforcement of numerous Alberta agencies. Several Military in attendance. Approximately 18 candidates.
STUDENT BACKGROUND:
Active Law Enforcement in Canada for 13 years. Full time tactics and firearms instructor. Instructing for 8 years. I have also attended a few courses with Steph as a student in the past as well on inter-agency courses. I routinely have been able to hit the range a few times a month, even during COVID-19 however have been unable to attend any courses due to work commitments/ COVID-19 so have not been a student on a course for almost a year.
DAY 1:
The first day began at around 0900 hours with a classroom lecture. Covering the facility, social media concerns pertaining to OPSEC issues, and COVID-19 mitigations. SVT goes into explaining his Law Enforcement background in Patrol, Instruction and in a Tactical Unit as well. He also goes into who the partner companies are like Q-Division, Blackbox customs and the creation of ABD concepts. He also outlines the mission statement they have.
“To raise the standard of training within the Law Enforcement community, using data driven, objective focused and performance-based approach.”
I am a stickler for Mission Statements, as it brings the philosophy of a plan or agency back down to it’s most macro baseline of what it exists to do. So having a clear picture of what SVT’s intentions are, in a format you could actually recite off the top of your head is a breath of fresh air from a lot of the nonsense you see driven from most Law Enforcement agencies. While mission statements may not arouse you in the same way they do for me, it was at this point of the course (within the first hour) that I realized I was going to get a lot from SVT and his team.
The Classroom then went into Legal Authorities, as well as applicable case law. I have attended several “LE/MIL” classes as well as Civilian ones, and it not necessarily that I learned any forbidden techniques like the “death touch” or “Kalima” heart rip in a LE only class. They usually have this connecting component about how what we learn on the range will apply to our profession. We didn’t spend much longer in the classroom before hitting the range.
When you start looking into ABD concepts, you will see other names like Q-Division and Blackbox come up as well. Easiest way to explain it to the layman is they are all partners. But with having them all working as a team, a lot of the admin and logistics was all set up or addressed. On other courses I have attended, it’s usually the Instructor and perhaps one or two assistants for demos and logistics. The Q-Division and ABD concepts unity was like attending a full LE agency course with everything set up ready to go. Areas prepared for everyone to manage kit, isolate 9mm from .40 S&W, hanging targets was all handled for the most part. All you had to do is load mags, have an open mind, and not shoot anyone.
Another great addition that I haven’t seen before was a progress log. The students were broken into two relays, and you often worked with a partner. Whenever we ran a timed or accuracy-based drill, your partner would document the results. If it was done more than once, you could document the progress and SVT actively encouraged you to progress even after the course, applying what you had picked up. For example, if ran a “Bill Drill”, you would write your partner’s time down, exchange at the end of the day, and you had a baseline to work from there.
While you would progress through each concept or drill, SVT would hit the brakes, and give the session context. One that stood out for me was “Scanning”. While most LE agencies will advocate for a complete scan of the environment around them after engaging a “threat”, that may not always be the best practice once you examine the data from real opposed encounters. I’m not going to try and paraphrase the session out of respect for SVT and trying to convince more people to take his course. But that was likely the most stand out example of basing an idea off data and reality, and not just a good idea. It goes right back to their mission statement.
As Day 1 was wrapping up I filled more than a few pages of notes. I am always big on notes, but SVT runs the course at a lightning fast pace so went back to the hotel with the back of my hands covered in ball point pen. Big takeaways for the day were :
-Though I shoot RDS a lot off duty, it’s not my issued handgun. I have to really emphasize that Jedi 90/10 mindset as I had lost my dot on a few presentations.
-When we covered malfunctions, it made me really understand the downsides of having a magwell on my gun. Definitely need some extended basepads for mag rips. SVT uses spent casings to cause malfunctions so I had some really gross ones.
-When we reviewed movement to shoot, I didn’t realize how much of the movement is generated from the orientation of the hips. I’ve heard Will Petty talk about it when I attended a VCQB course, but SVT explained it in such a way that it clicked this time.
-While the daily safety med brief should not be foreign to anyone who has taken a class (I have to do it at the start of every day with my job.) SVT expanded on it, in a way that put it in an entirely different light for me. I have a whole new respect for it, not just because it’s a plan for if someone gets hurt, but sets the expectation for the class, builds a mindset and even mitigates liability to a certain degree.
DAY 2:
Day 1 ran a little later, so the class agreed to start an hour earlier since we all had to commute back after. It started back in the classroom. We expanded more on using case law, legal precedence, and the Criminal Code in the context of what we learned yesterday. We also spoke more about ideas and concepts having to survive opposition. In Law Enforcement, we all learn how to deal with common problems, but for the most part, they are designed around compliance, or to meet a learning outcome. When they are tested against someone who wants to win or escape no matter the cost, these theories quickly unravel. We also spent some time relating how these rounds we were firing will relate to an actual person, and not just USPSA targets.
As we wrapped up the classroom session, SVT referenced something he had picked up on a course. He had acknowledged that he referenced concepts that he had picked up as a student. “Steal from people smarter than you.” Just rounding the bend of the second morning, SVT had referred to Scott Jedlinski, Mike Pannone, Steve Fisher, Aaron Cowan, Chris Butler, Varg Freeborn, Will Petty, and others. While he certainly has a very deep well of knowledge from his own background, SVT makes it very clear that he attributes a lot of his lessons are developed from when he was in the role of a student. I think this is one of my favorite parts about Stef is that he not only knows that wisdom comes from experience, but from listening to others.
After a relaxing classroom session, we broke the ice with the FBI course of fire on B8’s. I managed to squeak a 277 out, but was warmed up from a little dot torture we had started the day with. If you haven’t shot the FBI B8 standards before, it will humble you. I think for a lot of the class it was a bit of an eye opener that not all LE quals are a walk in the park. Even SVT acknowledged it kicked his ass the first time at it.
As the day went on, we were exposed to some proprietary targets that ABD concepts had been developing with Q-Division and a local equipment distributor, 911 supply based in Calgary, Alberta. Printable 8.5”x 11” targets are my jam, so was having a blast using them. They still seem to be in development, and aren’t available yet, so won’t go into detail. We were able to take some home, so have some to play around with still to see what I can use them for.
As day 2 was wrapping up, the complexity of the drills was ramping up. Before it was more about applying a single concept in a drill, but now it was about applying what you had learned over the last few days entirely. I saw the benefit in myself, as well as the rest of the students as we were concluding the day. Despite starting the day an hour early, we weren’t out any sooner. That isn’t a bad thing at all however. Everyone had a smile on their face, and it was clear that a lot of these students wanted to keep working.
On that note, I am going to start wrapping this AAR up. If I had to surmise this course, it would be the sample platter of exterior law enforcement training. SVT doesn’t explain any one thing to it’s full potential, but instead chose to cover a broad variety of topics over few days. It absolutely is like drinking from a fire hose, but for most Law Enforcement who have never seen a course outside of their own agency, it has to be a mind blowing experience. It’s the perfect introduction to everything beyond what your Range Officer or Instructor tells you once a year on the academy range. You could legitimately see the spark in the candidates eyes that they had just started to realize how much they didn’t know. And for those guys who have a few courses under their belt, there is so much to get out of this course. I had to teach on the range the day after this, and immediately implemented concepts that I had learned the day before because I found them to be that worthwhile. I got a lot out of this both as an instructor myself, and as a student. Which is something I don’t get to be often nowadays.
We all said out farewells, exchanged some swag and certificates and headed home after that. ABD concepts has both an alumni and instructor page to manage new information and updates which we were invited to join.
As for Day 2 takeaways:
-I need to reference far more body cam/ dash cam videos when researching or teaching. What better tool to underline a teaching point than it being applied in reality?
-In the last two days, I’ve probably put about 1000 rounds on a comped G17 (Agency Arms G17 single port) and got a lot of beneficial time out of that. The variety of the courses lessons really put it through it’s paces.
-While most candidates were running iron sights or duty guns, there were a lot of RDS mounted pistols there. Q-Division and Black Box Customs who does custom work on guns, including LE agencies had brought demo guns out to expose candidates to how they work. While not an RDS course specifically, it was a great intro to some guys on the value of them. We even spent some classroom time on why RDS is preferred for Law Enforcement.
-Learned a way to clear malfunctions and manipulate a handheld light by simply shifting your pinky. Something so simple completely changed how I approach handheld lights. I have been working this idea for about 2 weeks now and this alone was worth the cost of tuition.
-Give context to anything you teach. I have this written in my notes probably 15 times underlined and highlighted.
CONCLUSION:
1200 rounds later, and my only on-range course in the last 12 months, I feel totally recharged. This course is exactly what I needed. Regardless of your experience in Law Enforcement, time on a handgun, teaching, etc you will get your money’s worth from this course. It appeals to most, but I think the greatest bang for your buck will be that officer who has never taken a course before and wants to see what is outside of their own Agency regarding a handgun.
Also Wall F, (@charliekilozero) over at TV-Presspass.com wrote an amazing AAR on this course that I encourage you to check out over at http://tv-presspass.com/abd-concepts-pistol-course-aar/
-The Climb Development Group
BRIEF SUMMARY (TL;DR):
Those who have been in the Western Canadian Training circuit should know SVT quite well. But if you have not had the pleasure yet, he is a phenomenal instructor because he is one of the best students anyone could ask for. Not only learning concepts and techniques from seriously accredited instructors, but adapting and applying them to reality, and giving them the context needed. His background with Tactical Units and Patrol work are evident as he bases a lot of lessons in reality, and being a professional LE instructor, he presents a massive amount of knowledge at a very efficient tempo.
If you are in Law Enforcement, or any profession that uses a handguns and wanted to start somewhere, I would 100% beyond a doubt recommend the ABD concepts Tactical Pistol Course. While only two days, each one is completely packed with a fundamental introduction to what students need to know to begin seeking external training. Legal Authorities, nomenclature, RDS pistols, manipulations, draw mechanics, movement, low light, dynamic exercises, and drills. While the course never really explains any one thing to exhaustion, it will certainly point you in the right direction of where you to take your training next.
INSTRUCTOR:
“Stef” (Also known as SVT) ABD concepts and cohorts
DATE:
September 19-20, 2020
LOCATION:
Brooks Pistol and Small Bore Club, Brooks, Alberta Canada
EQUIPMENT USED:
Glock 17 Gen 4 with RMR type 1 milled by Blackbox customs. Agency Compensator and barrel.
Glock 17 Gen 5 with RMR type 2 MOS with CHPWS gen 3 plate.
147 Federal FMJ 9mm (1200 rounds)
CLASS COMPOSITION:
Primarily Law Enforcement of numerous Alberta agencies. Several Military in attendance. Approximately 18 candidates.
STUDENT BACKGROUND:
Active Law Enforcement in Canada for 13 years. Full time tactics and firearms instructor. Instructing for 8 years. I have also attended a few courses with Steph as a student in the past as well on inter-agency courses. I routinely have been able to hit the range a few times a month, even during COVID-19 however have been unable to attend any courses due to work commitments/ COVID-19 so have not been a student on a course for almost a year.
DAY 1:
The first day began at around 0900 hours with a classroom lecture. Covering the facility, social media concerns pertaining to OPSEC issues, and COVID-19 mitigations. SVT goes into explaining his Law Enforcement background in Patrol, Instruction and in a Tactical Unit as well. He also goes into who the partner companies are like Q-Division, Blackbox customs and the creation of ABD concepts. He also outlines the mission statement they have.
“To raise the standard of training within the Law Enforcement community, using data driven, objective focused and performance-based approach.”
I am a stickler for Mission Statements, as it brings the philosophy of a plan or agency back down to it’s most macro baseline of what it exists to do. So having a clear picture of what SVT’s intentions are, in a format you could actually recite off the top of your head is a breath of fresh air from a lot of the nonsense you see driven from most Law Enforcement agencies. While mission statements may not arouse you in the same way they do for me, it was at this point of the course (within the first hour) that I realized I was going to get a lot from SVT and his team.
The Classroom then went into Legal Authorities, as well as applicable case law. I have attended several “LE/MIL” classes as well as Civilian ones, and it not necessarily that I learned any forbidden techniques like the “death touch” or “Kalima” heart rip in a LE only class. They usually have this connecting component about how what we learn on the range will apply to our profession. We didn’t spend much longer in the classroom before hitting the range.
When you start looking into ABD concepts, you will see other names like Q-Division and Blackbox come up as well. Easiest way to explain it to the layman is they are all partners. But with having them all working as a team, a lot of the admin and logistics was all set up or addressed. On other courses I have attended, it’s usually the Instructor and perhaps one or two assistants for demos and logistics. The Q-Division and ABD concepts unity was like attending a full LE agency course with everything set up ready to go. Areas prepared for everyone to manage kit, isolate 9mm from .40 S&W, hanging targets was all handled for the most part. All you had to do is load mags, have an open mind, and not shoot anyone.
Another great addition that I haven’t seen before was a progress log. The students were broken into two relays, and you often worked with a partner. Whenever we ran a timed or accuracy-based drill, your partner would document the results. If it was done more than once, you could document the progress and SVT actively encouraged you to progress even after the course, applying what you had picked up. For example, if ran a “Bill Drill”, you would write your partner’s time down, exchange at the end of the day, and you had a baseline to work from there.
While you would progress through each concept or drill, SVT would hit the brakes, and give the session context. One that stood out for me was “Scanning”. While most LE agencies will advocate for a complete scan of the environment around them after engaging a “threat”, that may not always be the best practice once you examine the data from real opposed encounters. I’m not going to try and paraphrase the session out of respect for SVT and trying to convince more people to take his course. But that was likely the most stand out example of basing an idea off data and reality, and not just a good idea. It goes right back to their mission statement.
As Day 1 was wrapping up I filled more than a few pages of notes. I am always big on notes, but SVT runs the course at a lightning fast pace so went back to the hotel with the back of my hands covered in ball point pen. Big takeaways for the day were :
-Though I shoot RDS a lot off duty, it’s not my issued handgun. I have to really emphasize that Jedi 90/10 mindset as I had lost my dot on a few presentations.
-When we covered malfunctions, it made me really understand the downsides of having a magwell on my gun. Definitely need some extended basepads for mag rips. SVT uses spent casings to cause malfunctions so I had some really gross ones.
-When we reviewed movement to shoot, I didn’t realize how much of the movement is generated from the orientation of the hips. I’ve heard Will Petty talk about it when I attended a VCQB course, but SVT explained it in such a way that it clicked this time.
-While the daily safety med brief should not be foreign to anyone who has taken a class (I have to do it at the start of every day with my job.) SVT expanded on it, in a way that put it in an entirely different light for me. I have a whole new respect for it, not just because it’s a plan for if someone gets hurt, but sets the expectation for the class, builds a mindset and even mitigates liability to a certain degree.
DAY 2:
Day 1 ran a little later, so the class agreed to start an hour earlier since we all had to commute back after. It started back in the classroom. We expanded more on using case law, legal precedence, and the Criminal Code in the context of what we learned yesterday. We also spoke more about ideas and concepts having to survive opposition. In Law Enforcement, we all learn how to deal with common problems, but for the most part, they are designed around compliance, or to meet a learning outcome. When they are tested against someone who wants to win or escape no matter the cost, these theories quickly unravel. We also spent some time relating how these rounds we were firing will relate to an actual person, and not just USPSA targets.
As we wrapped up the classroom session, SVT referenced something he had picked up on a course. He had acknowledged that he referenced concepts that he had picked up as a student. “Steal from people smarter than you.” Just rounding the bend of the second morning, SVT had referred to Scott Jedlinski, Mike Pannone, Steve Fisher, Aaron Cowan, Chris Butler, Varg Freeborn, Will Petty, and others. While he certainly has a very deep well of knowledge from his own background, SVT makes it very clear that he attributes a lot of his lessons are developed from when he was in the role of a student. I think this is one of my favorite parts about Stef is that he not only knows that wisdom comes from experience, but from listening to others.
After a relaxing classroom session, we broke the ice with the FBI course of fire on B8’s. I managed to squeak a 277 out, but was warmed up from a little dot torture we had started the day with. If you haven’t shot the FBI B8 standards before, it will humble you. I think for a lot of the class it was a bit of an eye opener that not all LE quals are a walk in the park. Even SVT acknowledged it kicked his ass the first time at it.
As the day went on, we were exposed to some proprietary targets that ABD concepts had been developing with Q-Division and a local equipment distributor, 911 supply based in Calgary, Alberta. Printable 8.5”x 11” targets are my jam, so was having a blast using them. They still seem to be in development, and aren’t available yet, so won’t go into detail. We were able to take some home, so have some to play around with still to see what I can use them for.
As day 2 was wrapping up, the complexity of the drills was ramping up. Before it was more about applying a single concept in a drill, but now it was about applying what you had learned over the last few days entirely. I saw the benefit in myself, as well as the rest of the students as we were concluding the day. Despite starting the day an hour early, we weren’t out any sooner. That isn’t a bad thing at all however. Everyone had a smile on their face, and it was clear that a lot of these students wanted to keep working.
On that note, I am going to start wrapping this AAR up. If I had to surmise this course, it would be the sample platter of exterior law enforcement training. SVT doesn’t explain any one thing to it’s full potential, but instead chose to cover a broad variety of topics over few days. It absolutely is like drinking from a fire hose, but for most Law Enforcement who have never seen a course outside of their own agency, it has to be a mind blowing experience. It’s the perfect introduction to everything beyond what your Range Officer or Instructor tells you once a year on the academy range. You could legitimately see the spark in the candidates eyes that they had just started to realize how much they didn’t know. And for those guys who have a few courses under their belt, there is so much to get out of this course. I had to teach on the range the day after this, and immediately implemented concepts that I had learned the day before because I found them to be that worthwhile. I got a lot out of this both as an instructor myself, and as a student. Which is something I don’t get to be often nowadays.
We all said out farewells, exchanged some swag and certificates and headed home after that. ABD concepts has both an alumni and instructor page to manage new information and updates which we were invited to join.
As for Day 2 takeaways:
-I need to reference far more body cam/ dash cam videos when researching or teaching. What better tool to underline a teaching point than it being applied in reality?
-In the last two days, I’ve probably put about 1000 rounds on a comped G17 (Agency Arms G17 single port) and got a lot of beneficial time out of that. The variety of the courses lessons really put it through it’s paces.
-While most candidates were running iron sights or duty guns, there were a lot of RDS mounted pistols there. Q-Division and Black Box Customs who does custom work on guns, including LE agencies had brought demo guns out to expose candidates to how they work. While not an RDS course specifically, it was a great intro to some guys on the value of them. We even spent some classroom time on why RDS is preferred for Law Enforcement.
-Learned a way to clear malfunctions and manipulate a handheld light by simply shifting your pinky. Something so simple completely changed how I approach handheld lights. I have been working this idea for about 2 weeks now and this alone was worth the cost of tuition.
-Give context to anything you teach. I have this written in my notes probably 15 times underlined and highlighted.
CONCLUSION:
1200 rounds later, and my only on-range course in the last 12 months, I feel totally recharged. This course is exactly what I needed. Regardless of your experience in Law Enforcement, time on a handgun, teaching, etc you will get your money’s worth from this course. It appeals to most, but I think the greatest bang for your buck will be that officer who has never taken a course before and wants to see what is outside of their own Agency regarding a handgun.
Also Wall F, (@charliekilozero) over at TV-Presspass.com wrote an amazing AAR on this course that I encourage you to check out over at http://tv-presspass.com/abd-concepts-pistol-course-aar/
-The Climb Development Group