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(More customer reviews)I originally had intended to review Volumes One and Two separately, but after a detailed analysis of both volumes, I decided to review them as a complete set. In my system of beliefs, to separate the two volumes is akin to writing a dictionary in two volumes: A through M, and then: N through Z. While both works may be used independently of one another, accurately and reliably--there is just something missing when one volume is separated from the other.
The principal instructors in both volumes present: Chris Costa, Director of Training at Magpul Dynamics and Travis Haley, the founder, President and Director of Operations at Simply Dynamic Tactical. Between these two gentlemen, there is possessed approximately 33 years of real-world operational experience from both a military standpoint and private contractor's perspective. Together, they bring a unique, diverse, and out-of-the-box pragmatism not normally found in commercially available instructional. There integrated instructor's skills are what we are expected to find being taught to SWAT/SpecOps communites.
The video presentations are top-notch and professional. Using long-range, high-speed photography and video recording equipment, we receive a very high resolution moving picture with direct, close visibility of the actual action, with some very unique angle-shots I don't normally observe in other firearms training videos.
Fast paced, concise, precise and as Mr. Costa likes to say, "The Down and Dirty..." the instructional aspect of this entire Two Volume DVD set of seven discs really does leave no stone unturned. There is no repeating of things in these two volumes--that's what the rewind and slow motion options are for on our DVD players. Instruction is broken down into a lecture phase, an instructor detailed demonstration phase of the skills and necessary actions and then with the follow up phase of these two instructional phases where the students execute the lesson's live-fire drill with instructor supervision pointing out the mistakes as the participants complete the drills. There is no wasted filming, movement or information in either volume. The viewer will obviously observe repeated actions, as all superior systems reaching a level of master naturally possess redundancies. But such redundancies are natural to the intense and information-rich learning and instructional format
Addressing the combative application of primarily the AR-weapons system, Volume One thoroughly discusses and clearly demonstrates firearms safety, fundamentals of solid marksmanship, gear placement, tactical and speed reloading actions, solving the malfunctions dilemmas, shooting positions as well as task specific shooting postures, shooting while on the move and other weapons handling skills needed to excel when deploying the tactical carbine in a real-live lethal force scenario. Interestingly enough, one student participant did use and navigate the sessions successfully with an Avotomat Kalashnikova Modernizirovanniy platform (AKM-47 platform).
With a thorough understanding of one's weapon's system or tactical carbine platform, what is presented in both volumes will nicely extrapolate to any tactically-oriented, carbine weapons' system. It merely takes a full working knowledge of one's weapon system (on the part of the operator) and thoroughly being able to use and apply the basic principles as they are taught, demonstrated and documented within these two volumes of instructional materials. Like both volumes encourage and stress, individual problem solving skills and a willingness to think outside the box are absolutely instrumental and fundamental for achieving the kind of mind-set essential for winning a gunfight involving lethal force.
Specifically, Volume Two covers a multitude of advance combat skills, with the carbine as the primary weapon, and the sidearm as the secondary weapon. Volume Two offers the same fast paced, concise and precise demonstrative instruction, which once again covers safety, with the addition to MEDIVAC briefs, integrating and mastering the basics in all transitions from primary to secondary back to primary, as well as moving and shooting and shooting while on the move. Also covered in great detail are using numerous task required positional shooting postures, how these postures facilitate accurate shooting platforms, how to get into and out of the postures--while on the move. One needs to be both mentally and physically fit to gain the full benefit from the training sessions found in both volumes.
Volume Two continues with multiple target acquisition and neutralization, shooting at distance, shooting from the reactionary (off-side) side, using barriers for cover and shooting an moving from vehicle to vehicle, while engaging multiple targets.
Both videos cover all the drills demonstrated throughout the volumes on a single, respective disc in each volume, so if one merely wants to review the drills, select the disc that has the drills consolidated on it. Nice, neat, orderly.
Weapons and gear selection-placement, weapon's nomenclature, accessories, weapons' storage and travel are covered in Volume One, with a more detailed explication of the M-4 platform with all the possible "bells and whistles" that can be added to this weapon's system is fully covered in Volume Two.
The students operating in the first volume are a diverse coed mixture, including a husband-wife team, while those students participating in the advanced curriculum of Volume Two are largely from a military and/or other professional background--save one experienced civilian shooter. In both volumes, the students are coached to failure and then coached to resolve those failures. The idea being, we cannot become too comfortable if we are to continue to excel at combat shooting under the duress of life and death. Complacency is our enemy.
And the duress created during these training session is as real as safety permits. The duress elicited and witnessed in both volumes, are induced through drill time constraints and a fast paced curriculum which demands out-of-the-box, creative problem solving within these time constraints and movements facilitated throughout all the drills implemented. Safety was and is paramount and absolutely maintained, which actually adds to the duress. There is genuine risk involved during live fire exercises, when and where multiple students are moving about in a fast, yet controlled and deliberate fashion, engaging single and/or multiple targets.
Throughout, the instructors asked questions of the participants, keeping the students on their toes. At all times, these two instructors where in control of their classes, yet exemplified professionalism, concern for their student's well-being and learning curve, and true humility.
Aggressive spirit, establishing and maintaining the proper mind-set and situational awareness at all times, creative problem solving, and mastering one's chosen weapon's system precisely were always the training goals--over and above just simply mastering a unique weapons' skills set. This was true for both volumes. The three words of Magpul Dynamics: "Reality, Efficiency and Consistency rang true at all times. And like I mentioned, we must add to these three words: "outstanding instructor professionalism and humility."
It was apparent to me that both the instructor cadre and student participants had deposited their individual egos far and away outside of the range when these two training/instructional volumes were generated. As serious and as intense as the training was, one could see that the participants were enjoying their training experiences and the instructors likewise, enjoyed what they were doing. The video learning medium that generated these two volumes captured the humanity of teachers and students alike--fallible, imperfect, but humbly willing to set aside egos in order to really learn something of value. This humanness has been a quality I find lacking in so many video instructional mediums. This aspect of both Volume One and Two was most refreshing.
When one arrives at a certain age through trail and error of the worst kinds, few things impress or surprise such an individual. This video presentation, creating these two volumes of tactical carbine skills, succeeded in surprising me and impressing me. The two volumes accomplished this with the degree of organization and ease of getting to whatever I wanted to view; on the uniqueness of the filming angles of the actions; and mostly on the amount and level of expertise taught and demonstrated on these seven discs. To witness and learn the skills and drills shared on these videos more often than not, requires one to enlist into upper tier operational groups in the military or law enforcement. Some may complain and bitch that this material is now available to the enemy. All I can say is that is just plain silly and ignorant of our current global situation and subsequent security requirements, where the enemies have more information about us then we possess about them.
Magpul Dynamics has set a new professional standard for the level of expertise offered, of the magnitude of safety responsibility in sharing this type of information, and in the overall quantity of quality instructional data provided.
The Art of the Tactical Carbine Volumes One and Two possess a lifetime worth of pertinent study and practice for those who take deploying their tactical carbines seriously in the real-world, in real-time applications.
Rev. Arthur Bodhi Chenevey, RM, DD
Hikaze Learning Corner
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