AWIB & Red dot Pistol- The Path To Performance

Modern Samurai Project- Scott Jedlinski

November 22nd, 23rd, 24th 2019

Written by Erik Tweedt- Owner, Archetype of the Gun

Equipment Details:

Handgun- Sig Sauer P365XL, Trijicon RMR06 type 2

CZ P07 with Cajun Gun Works internals, Trijicon RMR06 Type 1, DA/SA

My goal was to take the class entirely with the Sig p365. Though halfway through day 1, Scott asked me to switch to my larger gun so I could get more from the course. I was having difficulty developing a consistent presentation with the small gun and it was holding me back. The gun is very accurate and easy to shoot. The RMR just makes it even better. I need more dryfire to shore up the presentation, mainly holster work.

Weapon light- Surefire x300A

Handheld light- Surefire Tactician

Holster- Bawidamann Gotham w/ Dark Star gear wedge and RCS claw( CZ P07)- Phlster flex with 3 Discreet Carry Concept mod 2.1 clips holding the gun, spare mag and flashlight

Dark Star Gear Hitchhiker, DSG wedge and Dark wing(Sig P365)

Mag carrier- Dark Star Gear Koala, neo mag holder left front pocket

Belt- Graith Specialist (no longer in production)

Magazines- 6 mags for each gun, standard and factory extended.

Med Gear- Soft-T wide, Dark Angel Pocket kit, Mini- Trauma shears, Hyfin entry/exit chest seals, 2 pairs nitrile gloves, carried in Ryker Ankle rig, Dark Angel- Dark kit carried SOB.

Ammo- Federal American Eagle 147gr FP, 1200rds (ish)- POA/POI is almost identical my carry ammo, Federal HST 147gr

The entire course was shot from concealment.

Prior Experience: 38yo, medically retired Chicago Fire Dept, Paramedic (19yrs), and owner of Archetype of the Gun. I have had 3 rotator cuff tears, 2 Labrum tears and bicep tendon relocated to my humerus from my shoulder. This leaves me with stability issues in my left shoulder, significant weight restrictions, nerve damage, severe muscle contraction and I lose sensation in my left hand. I take around 200hrs of classes annually; not including teaching and practice. I shoot 10k rounds each year minimum. I teach TEMS, TECC, Critical Care Paramedics, UTM Instructor, NRA Instructor, Rangemaster Instructor, Handgun Combative LLC Instructor. Full Bio available on my website, www.archetypeofthegun.com My normal carry is a CZ P07(not a hipster), 9mm with the holster as above,1 spare mag and flashlight on a Phslter Flex. Ryker med kit rides on my right ankle. I do not compete because I don’t have the time, balancing family, training and the business. I know I should, it’s just not a high priority for me now.

This was my second attempt at taking this course. I had to leave after the first day, last year, due to family emergency. All my training to date and been strictly self- defense oriented. I have never considered myself an amazing shooter, though if I am to be honest; I outshoot 90% of gun owners with ease. The remaining 10% I consider my peers and mentors (mostly instructors and competitive shooters) that challenge me to become better.

This is the first class I have taken that truly pushes the speed aspect to the raged edge. This is also the first class I have taken where I have failed to meet the class standards. I have always surpassed or met the goals of the class, but they have focused more heavily on reliably completing the task with an emphasis on accuracy. I have always been consistent in my performance and tend to keep my cool during testing, even if I’m not the fastest.

For those that don’t want to read the next couple pages, take this class…full stop! You will get more than your moneys worth. Scott successfully translates competition skills to practical, defensive skills. He will make you faster and more efficient, all while learning your limits. In the end I have more confidence in my skills, from learning to trust the technique and dot. I never thought I would be performing a 1.7 A-zone hit, from concealment at 20yds, 1.11 A-zone from 7yd, or a Bill drill in 2.20

Each day the course topics were covered in depth as expected. Daily description was taken directly from the Modern Samurai Project course description.

“DAY 1: Although it has been around for a long time, Appendix Carry has seen a resurgence in popularity in the last 5 or so years. While many people realize that it is an ergonomically more efficient form of concealed carry, many misconceptions still exist limiting its true potential.

After years of study with many great teachers culminating in the #15 FAST coin, I believe I have developed a system to accelerate the performance of nearly anyone who has chosen this method of carry.

Topics covered:

Why AIWB is more efficient than other forms of carry

Holster Concerns

Holster customization

Clothing considerations

Learning the draw from beginning to end (garment clear, firing grip, marrying the hands, presentation)

Drills designed to increase performance or understanding for self-diagnosis.”

This section focused heavily on body mechanics and I felt well versed already. Since I knew my technique worked well for me with my issues, I took this time to play with other suggestions, trying to eek out some more performance. Something that Scott, Donovan, and I picked up was the stability issue in my shoulder and how is affected my recoil management; particularly when I attempted to increase my speed. While some of Scotts techniques provided instant improvement for others, some of them slowed me down and decreased my recoil control. Not to say they wont eventually work for me, I just need more time to give them a fair shake and incorporate them.

Time was well managed and divided between grip, stance, presentation, bind and stationary foot work. Scott used his background in martial arts to demonstrate proper body mechanics and balance. All of it tied in to being efficient and the economy of motion. Not fighting your body and understanding how it works will make a huge improvement in your abilities. The least amount of energy, effort and time expended is your goal and Scott really hammered this home. I am glad to see other teachers presenting this material.

“Day 2: Red Dots on pistols are becoming more popular as options for carry weapons. Part of mastery is training – here it is!

Topics Covered
• Zeroing your red dot. 10 yard zero. 25 yard confirmation. Ammo selection.
• Draw and how to stop fishing for the dot. Why back up irons are necessary?
• Only use the necessary amount of information required to make an acceptably accurate shot at the speed and distance required.
• Red dots up close. 5 yards and in.
• Red dots at distance
• Speed: Efficiency of draw and presentation. Concealed and Open setups. Speed is the economy of motion. The Langdon presentation method. Speed is not useless frenetic movement. Micro Drill training method.
• Dot tracking: Grip, stance, dot movement, predictability. Stop over confirming the dot!
• Modes of Practice: Speed mode. Accuracy Mode. Match/For Realz Mode.
• How to get better on your own. Dry fire for skill building. Live fire for confirmation.
• Why you should compete.
• Mini match to test skills. “

Here we focused on the dot. Topics previously listed we covered in depth, and plenty of time was given for Q and A, working with individuals gear. We spent a good amount of time shooting to ensure that everyone had a solid grasp of the material before we moved on. Some key take-aways from day 2 where trusting the technique, follow the bouncing ball and don’t work against the gun. Knowing how to use your dot, in any given circumstance and what it will do goes beyond just knowing how to hit what you’re aiming at.

If you can use that info, you can run your gun faster and predict when to break a shot and where your shots will land. Don’t misunderstand me, my view is purely from a defensive stand point and I fully mean that I am placing accurate aimed fire… but just like knowing that I need to hold 3 inches high at 40yds, I know where my bullet will land based off of the guns movement and my input on the firearm.
“Day 3: The final day will focus on learning how to practice/train for and possibly reaching my Black Belt Patch standards:

3 x 2 drill: 2 seconds

7 yards 1 shot: 1 second

Bill Drill: 2 seconds

25 yard 1 shot: 1.5 seconds

A detailed explanation of the standards is here:
www.modernsamuraiproject.com/black-belt-patch-standards.html”

Today we really pushed ourselves further. Picking our favorite methods from the past 2 days and working the myelination process. Picking up even more speed and practicing the course standards. Prior to the final shooting of the standards we got to take a couple runs through a single stage of a mock competition. Long story short…do what Scott tells you to do if you want to go fast and be A- zone accurate.

Throttling is important to maintaining accuracy given your circumstances and distance. If you didn’t get that by this point in the class, you weren’t paying attention. I use the same technique regularly, 80/20, 90/10 etc. If you don’t know what that means…. well take the class.

Conclusion: While I am more than satisfied with the experience I had and the improvements I made. I don’t want people to be obsessed with the speed and lighting fast splits… neither does Scott. Remember, don’t shoot faster than you can process the info that is coming in. A big take away is freeing up band width, or processing power. This is something that I have always preached but now I see another aspect to it. It can make me significantly faster by anchoring the skills, trusting the technique, and knowing the dot will be there because I have done my part right. The less we focus on the skills, the more we can focus on the event and take in more information; processing it fast allows us to use our skills more effectively.

Test your gear, my front sight fell off on day 2, a Glock front sight came loose. 2 dots went down, a Leupold DPP had electronic issues and a RMR with 40k rounds on it had the display window fall out.

Scott eliminated a bad habit I had of using my front sight as a rudder…following it during my presentation to find my dot, slowed me down. Once again, I was consistent, I was accurate to a fault….but I was not fast. Trusting the method and finding the dot without my front sight was a huge improvement. I new it would be, based on recommendations from people like Scott. I just never tried hard enough and pushed my limits with that method. Now I know better.