One class I took at this year’s RangeMaster Tactical Conference was Phill Groff’s, focusing on qualifications. The qualification shoot in one form or another is required for virtually all armed American law enforcement, and some states require qualifications for concealed carry permits for private citizens as well. Phill, a Marine no longer in service and an active part-time sworn police officer for a quarter century, is a very experienced instructor with spot-on insights on the matter of qualifications.
Some high points from Phill’s excellent presentation, which included live-fire shooting of various quals in addition to lecture:
“Quals should be relatively easy to give more time for relevant, mandated training!”
Amen, brother. A qualification is a skill test, and while skill testing is a component of training it is not necessarily training in and of itself.
Groff said, “The goal of qualification should be finding points of failure and pushing them farther out.”
The qualification – much like shooting competition – allows the shooter to identify weak points, which the instructor can then help the shooter to rectify.
Phill presented the radical concept of a 21-round course of fire conducted at five yards with five strings of fire. A single shot that misses the entire target disqualifies the shooter, as does a single failure to get all shots off within the designated time. If that sounds unforgiving, you understand why he calls it the “Five At Five Challenge.” Phill teaches through Vigr Training LLC.