Firearm Training in South Africa
In South Africa, we have many firearm training academies and private security companies. The firearms industry in general is huge, and every day, more and more people buy handguns not just to have but to actually carry on a daily basis. For companies like myself, that’s brilliant, as business just gets better and better. But for the men and women who want training, it can become tricky. Who do you choose to go to for training? It’s actually really easy; do research and try to find the fastest guys in the country, preferably people that train from concealment. If the instructor can shoot accurately at speed, then you know you are in good hands. Of course, it also depends on whether the instructor is good at coaching or not. In general, people will refer you to someone; just be careful who you choose, and don’t be afraid to ask the instructor to demo.
Firearm Training in Cape Town
Cape Town is much smaller than Johannesburg as far as options for good instructors, but in general, I do think we have a few good trainers that understand fundamentals.
What is Tactics.
Tactics is something we apply in certain scenarios to make sure we have a successful outcome in the shortest possible timeframe.
An Example of Tactical Firearm Application
Let’s say you get involved in a gun fight and see hard cover close to you. You can immediately move to cover and use it to your advantage. Now this is where the tactical part comes into play. When I use the cover, I try not to expose any body parts by kanting my body so that I won’t get shot in the arm or leg. I want to find a good balance between hiding myself and still being able to shoot efficiently and quickly with good accuracy.
Tactics vs Accuracy
Without understanding accuracy at speed Tactics become useless, in fact the shooting part is a lot more difficult. Once you understand shooting the Tactics are easy to apply.
Shooting a handgun
This is the most important part of self-defence, overlooked by the majority of beginners up to intermediate shooters. They do not understand how important it is to be able to put shots on target quickly. With that said, we have a handful of really good instructors in South Africa; they understand this and apply the correct fundamentals in class. The problem is that intermediate shooters focus too much on tactical training.
At Concealment Training we Focus on
Understanding how a handgun should behave and how to achieve this by applying certain fundamentals;
-Stance
-Grip Pressure
-Trigger Press
-Vision
-Relaxation
-Gear check
We specialise in helping beginners and intermediate shooters learn how to apply the correct fundamentals. This can prevent a lot of frustration for beginners, especially going forward. Not having any bad habits can be a huge advantage, so in general, new shooters also improve much quicker. As mentioned above, we focus a lot on fundamentals and a lot less on tactics; however, I think the tactics we apply are some of the best. The movement we teach is very dynamic versus other companies; I feel that we are right up there with the best, if not better. The one thing that stands out most about us is the fact that we do one-on-one coaching over 6–18 weeks and not group training.
Concealing a firearm is not a simple 123-step process; it’s much more complicated than that. CT Tactical and Shinobikydex work in collaboration and have been doing so for close to 7 years. We have a lot of experience when it comes to EDC gear for concealment, so when you do a course with me, we also look at the gear you use to see if we need to change anything.
EDC gear and Accessories
Gear for especially Appendix carry is extremely important, good gear can and will prevent a lot of issues for example;
-Consistent draw stroke
-Safety issues
-Durability and Reliability
EDC belt for concealment
A good EDC belt that is rigid will make sure the handgun does not move; this will give you a more consistent grip and reliable draw stroke. Make sure the belt is made by a reputable company and that they provide good customer service; bad customer service usually means the product is subpar when it comes to quality. We are the agents for Wolf Tactical USA; their service is incredible, and the quality is excellent.
Appendix carry holster
Again, it comes down to a few key points: a quality Kydex holster made by a reputable company is very important. I will tell you exactly what I tell my clients when choosing a holster:
-Look at the quality
-How much do they train and how good are they
-Does it have 2 clipsCan you adjust the clips up and down
-Are they known for good backup service
Dual clips are a must in my book. I like the fact that the holster has zero movement; even if you run, your holster shouldn’t move in any direction. Make sure they use high-quality J-clips, C-clips, or Ulti-clips.