New training outfit: Commonwealth Criminal Justice Academy in Fredericksburg, VA.

I recently finished my 07E and 09E training at Tom Perroni’s Commonwealth Criminal Justice Academy in Fredericksburg, Va.: http://commonwealthcriminaljusticeacademy.com/index.htm. So far as I know, it’s the only training center where you can shoot steel between NOVA and Blackwater. It’s a brand new facility, and he’s got a flexible training program. He added a lot to our classes – these were not the bear minimum 07 and 09E classes just to get the final tests done.

Tom is a shooting professional and an executive protection specialist, a former Fed security professional, and ex-cop. He’s taught at Bw and a host of other places, and he’s instructed first tier teams (and lower) all over.

So when we got to class, he taught us combat shooting basics (which are always good to go over again because of the little bad habits you develop) and then got high speed with executive protection shooting drills, shoot/no shoot drills, and accuracy drills.

He had us shooting two-inch circles for a while based the aim-small-miss-small concept. The shoot/no shoot drills were based on time lapsed Power Point slides in a classroom. These were one-on-one sessions with Tom while the rest of the class was quarantined so as not to give the exercise away. Going through the drills, we issued commands to the "threats" on the screen (huge screen on the wall), made decisions to draw or not, sought cover, and shot dry fire at threats. These were very real scenarios, and they put your head in the “threat space,” which is a place you have to train if you are in LE, EP, or security. It’d be great for any concealed carry class, too. Tom’s critiques taught us how quick a benign looking situation can get nasty, and vice versa.

We did executive protection drills outside with contacts with hostiles in a variety of scenarios at the classroom site, then we walked the same drills on the range and dry fired, and then we did it live fire on steel and paper. Tom did not issue range is hot until we had the drills down pat, so he runs a safe range (his medical bag always on him).

The live fire exercises are exactly what I needed and then some to get me up to speed on the bottom line of EP. It was much more than I thought we’d do. We even bounded live fire with pistols, something the SEALS do – we had an ex-SEAL in our class.

I recommend the Commonwealth Criminal Justice Academy to anyone who wants to get better with a firearm – he can do regular shooting classes – but especially those who do security for a living or even part time.

Lead Sled

http://www.thefiringline.com/forums/showthread.php?t=317106

AAR: 7/25 Tom Perroni's Tactical Handgun I

I attended this class in Fredericksburg, VA yesterday. Although I've been shooting quite some time, I've never considered myself more than an adequate shooter, and I wanted to see if having someone of Tom's ability give me some instruction would help.

I'm not going to bury the lede, as they say in the newspaper business. After the classroom portion and about thirty minutes on the range, my accuracy had improved literally by maybe 200%. I'm not kidding. Now understand, I took the frightening step of letting him take apart my entire way of gripping a gun, which, like a golf coach taking apart a swing and rebuilding it, is a bit disconcerting. But the whole point of going in there was knowing and trusting Tom (from previously having taken his Tactical Carbine course), and I can only say it worked. I was achieving accuracy results I wouldn't have thought possible.

In the classroom part of the course, we went over some basics, including discussion of the OODA loop, Col. Cooper's color coding (as amended by Tom), and Lt. Col. Grossman's understanding of the psychology of combat.

Tom also reduces the entirety of handgun shooting to TWO factors on which to concentrate. Tom has a demonstrated clear understanding of how a person acts in a gunfight, and the physiological and psychological changes that same induce. His gunfighting technique is based on that understanding, and thus has a solid grounding in giving people methods and modalities that will help in the real world. If you're attempting to learn how to repeatedly hit the x-ring at Camp Perry, this is not the place for you. If you're trying to protect yourself, your unit, your home, or your family, you've come to the right place.

Out of the classroom, we went out to the range where we first addressed the accuracy issue to attempt to put the concepts learned in class to use. The teacher/student ratio was very high, and we had tons of instant feedback from Tom as well as his assistants, all of whom are guys who have BTDT. Through now two classes with Tom, I can only say it is impossible to not be impressed with the real world background of the instruction. These are all guys who have seen the elephant (Marines, Blackwater, Police, etc.)

What is just amazing is that Tom picks guys who are not only greatly knowledgeable instructors, also they are great guys. I've been in two classes so far (many more to come), and although I'm surrounded by other students who are Air Force, Marines, Security, etc. (and many who are 20 years younger than I am), I have always been treated with the utmost respect as if I'm the most valued guy they have. It is impossible to imagine that the Special Forces guys Tom trains get any more care, concern, and attention than I have gotten. There is no attitude or looking down on people--it's all about improving your ability to fight, whatever your circumstances.

Because the guys in my group were fairly squared away and knew what end a round comes out of, we were able to move through some pretty interesting drills. Tom takes each class where its own interests and abilities lie. He often can tailor things on the fly depending on what the individuals need and want.

A sampling of the shooting we did once we got through basic accuracy work included: a concentration on reloads, fighting from the ground to your feet, close shooting, extremely CQB shooting, forward and lateral movement, working with cover, and carjacking situations. Tom will often tell you, "This is the same thing I teach the operators coming in next week on a contract."

Obviously I could go on for hours about this course, all I can say is to go in with an open mind, take his instruction to heart, and there is no doubt that your shooting, and more importantly your gunfighting will improve. The cost, $150, is ridiculously low for what you get out of it. As I have said before, if you don't take classes with Tom, and you are interested in fighting with your rifle or pistol, you're only cheating yourself.

http://www.dcshooters.com/showthread.php?t=22447