Post by Garth Barnard on Apr 1, 2008 14:09:38 GMT
Tactical Pistol Course - Slovakia
26th – 30th March
On Wednesday 26th March I travelled up to Manchester Airport to fly out to Bratislava where I was to attend a Tactical Pistol Course run by Martin D Cooper Consultants Ltd. I was contacted at the airport by one of their team, who was very welcoming and introduced me to my fellow course attendees.
After a short and comfortable flight with Sky Europe, lasting 2 hours 16 minutes, we landed at Bratislava Airport and were met by the managing director of the company, Martin Cooper and his extremely efficient team. Once we had picked up our luggage the party was split into two and immediately ushered into two waiting minivans and whisked out of the city precincts, into the mountainous region where the hotel was situated. The location is roughly 5-miles North West of Pezinok and takes approximately 25-minutes from Bratislava Airport.
My first impression of Motel Na Vrchu Baba was that it looked fairly new, in very good condition and well maintained. The rooms were spacious and fitted with the usual mod-cons, including a kitchen sink! The hotel is one of the best hotels I’ve ever stayed in and nothing like I expected. The view from my room was out from the rear of the hotel into a forest, which had a nice covering of snow. All-in-all the hotel felt quite homely and warm and the staff were very hospitable. We were just above the snow line on the mountains and the views were stunning.
After freshening up we all made our way to the conference room for a formal greeting, briefing and introduction to the weapons we would be using on the course. Though the formal introductions were made I promptly forgot everyone’s names, as only I could! Perhaps name badges might have helped, but then it only seemed to be me with the problem, so I just made more of an effort to remember.
During the course, the clients would be predominantly instructed by Martin, but his training team of instructors were skilled themselves. They were only known to us by their first names – Chris, Paul, and Vlado.
Once the introductions were out of the way we were briefed on the course content, time scale and the weapons we would be using, namely the Glock 17 and the Glock 19. It was at this point that the safety aspects of the course and use of weapons were drummed into us and for good reason too!
Our first task was to familiarise ourselves with the weapons, which included ‘Making Safe’, ‘Unloading’ and ‘Loading’ using ‘Snap Caps’ and also how the weapons cycled each time a round was fired. For those that don’t know, ‘Snap Caps’ are simulated plastic rounds that are inert, allowing us to ‘Dry Fire’ the weapons without damaging the firing pin, etc, and to get a feel for loading the magazines, etc. All this was done in the comfort of a conference room using the actual weapons we’d be using on the course. Our instructors, led by Martin himself, were looking over our shoulders the whole time and were there with answer before we could even ask the question.
We then went on to strip down the weapons and re-assemble them, over and over until we were happy and confident. Once we, and more importantly the instructors, were happy with our weapon safety and handling we retired to the hotel restaurant for a meal, which was fantastic!
The following morning we were up early for a cooked breakfast and then driven the couple of miles down the road to the firing range where we went through everything we had learnt the night before. Everything was done in a comfortable and relaxed manner with the importance of safety being paramount.
During the first morning we were issued with ear defenders, glasses and a holster (though I took my own) and then went through the theories of shooting and various drills, shooting targets at very close quarters and referred to as ‘Point Shooting’. Before each drill Martin, or one of his team, would explain what we were aiming to achieve, the reasons behind it and how we would achieve it. All the tuition we received up to this point was first class.
As the day progressed, so did the drills and our groupings were showing signs of a healthy progression. Later that afternoon Chris added his impetus into aimed shooting using the sights and referred to as ‘Sighted Fire’.
We had tea and coffee breaks periodically throughout the day and a lunch that was supplied by the hotel, which ‘hit-the-mark’ each day.
At the end of our first day we were told about the practical assessment that we would have the following day. I wasn’t unduly worried about a practical assessment, but I did begin to put myself under a little pressure as I wanted to do well.
We were driven back to the hotel and were given plenty of time to freshen up before being driven into the city of Bratislava for the evening meal. Once again the meal was outstanding and so was the company. Everyone attending the course, including our instructors, was relaxed and the atmosphere was that of a group of long term friends. The majority of us had an early night due to all the fresh air, the day’s drills and of course the small matter of a practical assessment the following day. Though an early night was definitely needed it would’ve been nice to have gone out a little earlier in the evening to eat and then have a guided tour of the city. I know I wasn’t there on a sight seeing holiday, but it would’ve been nice to see a bit of Bratislava.
The following morning, and after breakfast, we took the very short 5-minute journey to the range where we had a brief recap of the previous days drills before going onto weapon retention drills. This was a physical element where we worked in pairs and followed the very simple tuition given to us by Martin to prevent our weapon from being taken from our own holster.
After a cup of tea and a bun we then ran through the practical assessment, slowly and methodically as a ‘Dry Run’. It was at this point that Martin gave us a little surprise, which I won’t spoil for those wishing to attend the same course in the future. Before we knew it the test was upon us and from my perspective it was amazing to see the progression that everyone had made, including me, which was solely down to applying our new skills in the manner in which they were taught. This was a testament to the level of instruction we had had.
Once the test was over we had a coffee and tea break and then used the whole length of the range, running from point to point with ‘Double-Taps’ aimed at multiple targets. This was sooooo much fun! In fact, for me, I was struggling to contain my excitement, not that anyone noticed…….too much!
As we came to the end of our second day the Glocks were put away and we were able to have a look at some other pistols and an assault rifle, namely a CZ 58 Samopal. I asked for a picture of the weapon and I together and nearly wet myself when I was told I could fire 5 rounds through it!
We left the range for the last time and made our way back to the hotel to freshen up before going out for our evening meal at a local restaurant, which, yet again, was superb. On the last night we got to hear of a gun shop in the city of Bratislava, which had a vast array of weapons that were ‘Real Steel’ and also Airsoft. Though it would have been a real treat to have visited the shop I really don’t know when we would have actually got time to see it!
On the Saturday morning I packed and went down for breakfast. Straight after breakfast we all gathered in the conference room where the course came to a close after a short de-briefing and we were awarded our certificates for the practical assessment. Everyone seemed quiet as we looked towards the flight home and reflected on the last few days on the course. Shortly afterwards we were all transported to Bratislava Airport where we said our good-byes and boarded our plane back to Manchester.
The whole course, the people on it, the instructors, the hotel, the city and the country were all amazing and I was sad to leave what for me will be a very memorable time. I’ve written reviews in the past, but I’ve really struggled on this one to find fault in anything we did or didn’t do. The Tactical Pistol Course gave me confidence with a pistol and the practical assessment validated my new skills.
For those wishing to know more about the course, contact me or Martin Cooper at Martin D Cooper Consultants Ltd directly.
