I had the privilege of taking 1,000 rounds of 9mm NATO down to GLOCK US headquarters in Smyrna, GA last week to take the GLOCK Instructor’s Workshop. While it’s geared to Law Enforcement and Military instructors, I was given a pass based on my prior military service and current firearm instruction roles. Here are seven things I learned from the three-day class that provided lifetime certification as a GLOCK instructor.
- Drop the gun!
- Are you cross-eye dominant?
- Manipulate the pistol
- Fire on the buzzer
- Tap, Roll and Rack
- GLOCK Immediate Action
- One-handed reloads
Drop the gun!
I had never thought about it but the instructor told some stories about folks losing grip of their handguns. They fumble with it, trying to get it before it hits the ground. Often this causes a finger to get in the trigger guard, and a negligent discharge occurs. Yet for the past 20 years or more, most reputable handguns have had drop safeties built in. So if you fumble the gun and it’s going to fall – let it! If you grab for the falling pistol you actually increase the chances of a negligent discharge. Makes sense, but I can’t imagine this nickel-plated sissy pistol falling on the concrete. L
Are you cross-eye dominant?
The way we normally teach folks to determine their dominant eye is to extended your arms, make a teardrop with your hands, and bring your hands slowly back toward your face. You end up looking directly through your dominant eye. Our instructor did this MUCH more simply! POINT at the target with your right hand! Close your left eye. Did the target move? No? You’re right-eye dominant. Yes? You’re cross-eye dominant. Bam! How easy is that??
Manipulate the pistol
Muscle memory, repetition, neural channels, whatever you call it, we react to our practiced performance. Even a piano virtuoso that has memorized an intricate sonata must review it periodically in order to maintain proficiency. The same is true with your handgun manual of arms. If we manipulate the pistol once or twice a week, perhaps some dry-fire and some reload practice, we will maintain our proficiency. Make it a habit to holster up, draw a few times, dry-fire 10 or 20 shots and practice 5 or 10 emergency (slide-lock) reloads. Just do something with your handgun each week. This will make a big difference on the range – and in a dynamic critical incident.
Fire on the buzzer
It’s helpful to put numbers to your training so you can track your progress. As I’ve written before, I timer is a great help. The tip I got from GLOCK was to use the par time as the time to fire, rather than the time to beat. Just fire on the buzzer. The exercise goes something like this, with a par time of 3 seconds. Wait for the timer, then draw as quickly as you safely can, then bring your sights on target. When you hear the par time buzzer, take the shot. Practice until you’ve got a bullseye at 3 seconds every time. Then lower the par time to 2½ seconds and start practicing again. By continuing to lower the par time, you train yourself to get methodically and incrementally faster. I’ve tried it. It works. Remember, Slow is Smooth, and Smooth is Fast!
Tap, Roll and Rack
When I first began shooting a semi-automatic pistol, I was taught about immediate action. You may have learned it as “tap-rack-bang.” If you get a misfire or jam, you should train to instinctively tap the magazine to ensure it’s seated properly, then rack the slide to load a new round, then pull the trigger. But suppose you don’t want to necessarily fire?? If you’ve got the “bang” built into your training… you might shoot when you don’t need/want to.
The new/better method to memorize is tap, roll and rack. Tap that mag (hard) as before, then roll the gun clockwise to point the ejection port towards the ground, getting help from gravity, and rack the slide to load. Without the “bang” as part of our muscle memory, we can choose to fire or not.
The GLOCK instructor gave each student a Tap Rack Training Aid (TRT) developed by Bill Rogers, founder of the Roger’s Shooting School.
When you insert the device (like a cartridge) into an empty magazine, it stops the magazine follower from locking open the slide. So your tap/rack or reload exercises don’t require dummy rounds, or pressing the slide stop lever. I was so impressed with this little thing that I bought a pack of 20 myself and I’m giving them away to fellow shooters. You may be thinking, “I do those exercises and I’ve never needed some weird device.” Yep. I hear you. Try it. Very neat invention. Even if you don’t come over the pistol and pull the back of the slide during your reloads, pressing the slide stop lever is easier if it’s not being pushed up by the magazine follower.
GLOCK Immediate Action
We also learned something interesting about immediate action when using a GLOCK Safe Action Pistol.
With a double-feed, the remedial action is to strip out the magazine (it’s under pressure,) rack two or three times, then reinsert the magazine, tap, rack and you’re in business. GLOCK taught us that this time consuming procedure can be curtailed but only on GLOCK pistols, by simply removing/reinserting the magazine then rack the slide. Simple and fast! This procedure does NOT work on SIGs or Walthers (I tried) but it always works on GLOCKs. Nice. Try it – but be sure to use dummy rounds to practice.
One-handed reloads
How are you with one-handed reloads? Yep. Me neither. The “injured officer drills” involved shooting one-handed (which everyone is practicing already, right?) and reloads with one-hand. The trick I learned in this class was placing the pistol between my knees! You keep the muzzle pointed safely between your feet while inserting the new magazine, then squeeze your knees against the slide in order to rack it. Brilliant! It even works when you’re sitting down.
Well that’s it. Seven things to think about when you’re practicing or training. Next time we’ll talk about the difference… Until then, shoot often, shoot safe. I’ll see you at the range.
JoeGLOCK
nice