CSAT Advanced Patrol Tactics class

[jwise]

This is an article I wrote, reviewing the class I attended last week. I thought I'd share it with the crowd here...

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Two years ago, in the summer of 2006, I attended my first training class taught by MSG Paul Howe, USA Retired. Howe taught proper rifle shooting positions, transition drills, and laid out a baseline of skillsets that every rifleman should be able to perform on demand. Howe expertly taught the fundamentals of basic rifle shooting in addition to briefing the class on weapon maintenance, gear placement and preparing for medical emergencies. I took so much away from the class, that I immediately started looking forward to my next training class with Howe.

In 2006, Paul Howe operated under Triple Canopy’s training division, but now he is on his own and works out of his CSAT (Combat Shooting and Tactics) facility in Nacogdoches, TX. The CSAT facility has on-site lodging for up to 24 students, a classroom, and an extensive range facility.



CSAT classroom.



Above is a picture taken through the open bay doors into the “Lodge.” It is something of a rec room and meeting place for the students and instructors.


In January of 2008, I decided I needed to get back out to one of Howe’s classes, and started looking at the training calendar on both CSAT’s website (www.combatshootingandtactics.com) and the Texas Tactical Peace Officer Association’s website (www.ttpoa.org.) I found the Advanced Patrol Tactics Instructor course scheduled for March 17-21, 2008, and immediately submitted a training request. The class was held at the CSAT facility, and I decided to stay on-site instead of finding a hotel room in town.

Paul Howe played an integral role as lead instructor, but was supplemented by Steve Claggett, and Matt McNamara. Danny Flannigan played a special role during the class, and is pictured below with the instructor staff.



(L-R) Howe, McNamara, Claggett and Flannigan.

As a patrol officer for a medium-sized suburb of Dallas, I was excited to get into a training class that teaches tactics for the patrol environment, instead of solely for SWAT. Howe was able to take SWAT tactics that are typically taught to teams of eight, and adapt them for use by patrol officers in teams of two, three, and four. The course included classroom sessions and range exercises covering four major skill areas. Additionally, since it was an instructor course, the staff showed how to setup, demonstrate and run students through each training module safely and efficiently. The students gained proficiency in downed-officer rescue drills, CQB for clearing buildings, fighting around vehicles, and high-risk vehicle take-downs. These four skill areas carry over perfectly into the patrol environment, equipping the street level officer with life-saving skills.



OFFICER DOWN RESCUE DRILLS

One of the four training modules was on conducting a downed officer rescue. The class used a patrol vehicle for moving the rescue team into position, then used it as cover while extracting the wounded officer. Several iterations of this drill were practiced, placing the wounded officer in different locations, sometimes in the middle of the "front yard", and other times closer to the "front door." The students were also introduced to using surgical rifle fire as a means of cover. Surgical fire, as opposed to covering fire, accounts for every round fired while still giving the same benefit of keeping the perp's head down.

Student delivering surgical rifle fire as his team approached the target.



“Tactical Trunk Monkeys”



The author exiting the vehicle to provide cover for the rescue team.



The author assists in clearing a corner while the wounded officer is extracted.



Claggett and McNamara demonstrating a “buddy carry” technique.

(cont'd)

[jwise]

CQB

CQB, or "Close Quarter Battle", simply means fighting within structures. Patrol officers find themselves checking residence and business alarms daily, and oftentimes find them open/unlocked or discover signs of forced entry. Walking through a residence assessing the loss after a burglary is one thing, making entry into a building while the burglar is still lurking about is quite another. CQB skills were expertly adapted to teams of two and three officers, and these teams were taught how to tactically make entry through various doors (breaching), move through hallways, and clear rooms.



Students practice three-man breaching techniques with handguns.



Students practice two-man breaching techniques with rifles.



Students making entry into a room.


The culmination of this training module had the teams making an approach to a breach-point, corner-clearing a hallway, and clearing multiple rooms, all under surgical rifle fire.



The three-man assault team prepares to hit the target.



A student provides surgical rifle fire while his element advances on the target location.



The first two elements of the three-man assault team pops a "corner clear" on the shoot-house.



FIGHTING AROUND VEHICLES

Most germane to the patrol officers situation, was the fighting around vehicles training module. This training sequence took students from the front seat of a patrol car (where they spend many hours a day), and put them outside and around different cars, shooting targets from the front, rear and sides. Students practiced moving safely with a handgun in the "Sul" position, where the muzzle is pointed straight to the ground. Howe demonstrated the effects of various projectiles on car hoods, windshields, and doors, showing how bullets will glance off sheet metal at acute angles necessitating officers to keep a few feet off their cover. Additionally, students practiced communicating with others during a gunfight, and ingrained the need to look around before moving from a place of cover.



Howe demonstrates where the officer should position himself to engage a target while using a vehicle as cover.



The author engages steel targets from behind a vehicle he is using as cover (not pictured.)



The author moves in the “Sul” position while another student provides cover.



A student scans for targets and waits for his partner to provide cover before he moves. Verbal and non-verbal cues were used to communicate when to move. “Silence is consent, gunfire is security” was one of the favorite sayings of the week.

[jwise]

HIGH RISK VEHICLE TAKE-DOWNS

At the end of vehicle pursuits, the perp has either willfully stopped his vehicle, or has wrecked out. Rushing blindly up to the vehicle and pulling the suspect(s) out through the vent window may work in the movies, but in the real world officers conduct high risk stops. However, what do you do if the perp refuses to cooperate, and stays seated instead of coming out? This new problem calls for the solution of the high risk vehicle take-down, or "vehicle assault." Students were trained in three and four person vehicle take-downs which enforced the need for officers to slow down at the end of pursuits, and not to rush into an ambush.


A three-man assault team consisting of two cover officers and a breacher engage the target vehicle.

This particular class was treated with a surprise benefit. Howe had asked "Wing Chun" Kung Fu instructor Danny Flannigan to come and be a part of this class as an observer, in order to see and experience the tactical environment of today's law enforcement officer. Instructor Matt McNamara, a student of Flannigan’s, taught a special one-hour block of instruction during the week on the combative mindset, which shifted the author’s entire frame of mind concerning open-handed combatives. Flannigan introduced the “soft palm” technique utilizing relaxed energy, and generally made himself available to the students "after hours" and one-on-one between training modules. The information and techniques presented by McNamara and ironed out by Flannigan added tremendously to the value of the class.


Danny Flannigan stops for a picture with the author.

Howe briefed the class on medical emergencies, and presented a cheap and easy wound kit that was simple enough that each student could put together his own to take into the field. After presenting and demonstrating how to use the wound kit, Howe took the class through a very realistic mock medical emergency, and showed how easy it was to administer life-saving treatment.


The aftermath of the training module shows the realism of the exercise.


REVIEWS


I do not recommend trying out new gear at a class like this, however there are few better opportunities to wring out that new “tactical whizzit” and see if it's going to work. With this in mind, I brought along a few new items to test out, and furthered my testing on the rest of my gear.

While I have always used soft ear protection, I wanted to pick up some electronic muffs for this class. I did not want to miss out on any training insight (or banter) on the range, so I decided to pick up a pair of Peltors. Unfortunately, I was rushed before leaving for the class, and only had time to stop by Academy Sports to look for the Peltors. Academy did not carry them, so I settled for Silencio Falcons instead. The Falcons had adjustable volume controls and were advertised to reduce loud sounds by 22 decibels, while amplifying soft sounds. After the first day on the range, I developed a splitting headache and decided to only turn on the speakers sporadically for the rest of the week. The Silencio Falcons (unlike the Peltors) do not have a wind sock over the microphones, and therefore produced quite a bit of wind noise. There were two very windy days, and I opted to just keep the microphones turned off. I am still in the market for a set of Peltors…

I was given the opportunity to try out a new line of undershirts that are made of spun nylon as opposed to polyester which is found in Underarmor and the rest. I received the samples (in white) from Execwear shirts (www.execwearonline.com), and absolutely loved them. They performed exactly as advertised, keeping me absolutely dry by wicking perspiration into the outer garment. While the weather was not as hot as Texas can get in the summer, I wore soft body armor all week which definitely can give a shirt like this a workout! At the end of the day, my shirt came off dry, which was enough to impress me. I will be looking to buy a set of these shirts in black for use on duty very soon.

I ran Magpul P-Mags exclusively in my rifle. This was not the first time I used these mags, but it was nice to see the previous testing confirmed by the 100% reliability. They worked flawlessly with my Lula magloader (which is possibly the best piece of gear I have ever purchased for $24.) The best feature of the magazine, is its ability to effortlessly lock into a rifle with a closed bolt, even when loaded to 30rds (no need in downloading to 28rds.) I carried the magazines in an Eagle chest rig, which puts the magazines between the shooter and the ground when shooting from the prone position. This can play havoc on lesser magazines, but I felt very confident each time I reached for a fresh mag, knowing the extreme durability of the P-Mag. Magpul P-Mags typically cost $14.95 locally, and are widely available on the internet. P-Mags come in black, Flat Dark Earth (tan), and Foliage (green.)

I have been very happy with the Eagle chest rig. This was the second class in which I wore this piece of gear, and I am completely satiisfied. It carries six 30rd mags, two pistol mags, a multi-tool, small LED light, and has two additional pouches on each side that can hold a number of mission related gear (radio, pistol, suppressor, etc...) The best feature of the chest rig is the internal, top-access, velcro closing pouch. I keep several items in the pouch, not the least of which is a med kit.

When it came time to pick a rifle to take, I chose my LWRC M6A1. I have the 10.5” barreled version, and ran it without a suppressor for the class. The rifle is a short-stroke gas piston operated carbine in 5.56NATO and is otherwise identical to an AR-15. I cleaned it after the first day of shooting, then left it alone for the remainder of the week. It functioned perfectly, never missing a beat. Another student brought his 10.5” LWRC rifle in M6A2 configuration. He did not experience any issues either with his rifle, and shot it both with and without the AAC Scar suppressor.


LWRC M6A2 and M6A1 being carried by students in the class.

Paul Howe is currently endorsing LWRC publicly, and has appeared in advertisements to this effect. Howe is working with LWRC to develop an official CSAT carbine, which will feature special engraving as well as accessories to Howe’s specs.


Instructor Paul Howe pictured with the author.



All in all, I am thoroughly pleased with the level of training I received at CSAT, and would recommend both Paul Howe and his facility to anyone looking for the next step in their training.

[JTShooter]

MSG Howe is an amazing person/intructor/shooter. I'm glad you got to take another class with the man. He is always the first person I name when asked about taking a shooting class.

Great pics and great write up. I too recommend MSG Howe's classes for anyone interested in learning the real stuff.

Are McNamara and Claggett full time instructors there? I've heard good things about McNamara.

Thanks again for the write up.

[jwise]

Claggett (of DPD SWAT on A&E) and McNamara are staff instructors, but they don't necessarily work AT the Nacogdoches facility. They travel all over, conducting training classes under the CSAT name. Neither live any where close to Nacogdoches.

Eric Corley is a new instructor for CSAT, but he was there as a student this week, and will be taking on the CHL classes and other tasks to "earn his stripes."

It was really an honor to train with not only the excellent staff, but the other students were also some of the best out there.

[GLOCKMASTER]

Looks like a great class and a great review. I wish PH was closer. I would love to take some of his classes.

[Buck Nasty]

Very good review and some sweet pics.

I read about Howe in "Blackhawk Down" and was very impressed. I've also read his articles on his website and wish I lived closer to Texas to get into the Advanced Patrol Tactics class.

Looks great.

[jwise]

Paul travels north in the summer months, as the Texas heat keeps most sane people indoors. Check out his training calendar to see if he might be coming to an area near you.

[Surf]

I met Clag quite a few years ago at an instructors course. Very good guy. You kept referring to Matt McNamarra. He has a bit of fuzz on his face but that really looks like Patt McNamarra one of them ex-Jedi-Knight guys that I had the pleasure to shoot with. I didn't know he was still doing stuff outside of his own deal with TAG and Wex (if thats him and I am pretty sure it is).

I have always heard good stuff about Howe but never met him. I know some guys who worked with him out of TC. Very very good group of guys, who definitely have their **** wired.

We also run the Peltors. They would be a better choice. We also get a deal on the UnderArmor stuff and I wear it most of the time. I too use the loose fit short sleeve stuff as I wouldn't be caught dead in any of the skin tight stuff.

I have also had no issues with the P-Mags as of yet but I still carry a slew of the good ole fashioned ones.

Thanks for the pics and the write up! Looks like fun super-ninja stuff for sure.

[jwise]

Rest assured, Matt and Pat are two distinct individuals. Matt saw your post and emailed me to clarify the issue.

While you can learn a lot from people who have studied tactics theoretically, it was really different learning from people who have "been there," like these guys. From what I've heard about Pat McNamara, he is another one of those guys who I'd like to train with.

[Surf]

Wow, he and Matt could be brothers, lol. Both short, slim fellas, same hair color, build, approx age, and look very much alike. Definitely if you get a chance to train with Pat he is a top notch guy. I wonder if Matt gets that a lot. Sorry about the confusion.

[zeplin]

Great writeup jwise! Do they have classes for non-LEOs?

[blakech47]

Outstanding review! Sounds like a great course. Hope to take some courses with Paul and/or his staff in the future.

[jwise]

Great writeup jwise! Do they have classes for non-LEOs?

Yes, Paul teaches Tactical Rifle and Tactical Pistol to everyone. I think he reserves his "high-speed" classes to .mil/.gov, but his pistol/rifle classes are well worth it.

[jwise]

Looks like fun super-ninja stuff for sure.

Yes indeed! At least super-Kung Fu stuff...

[JTShooter]

too bad you were taking all these pictures instead of actually learning something Jwise!!!!

[jwise]

While I have been in training classes where taking pictures was not possible, this class was different. There were plenty of people in the class to hand off the camera to, even after using some as safety officers, some to tape targets, some to watch corners/shooters and of course some to actually run through the drills!

The students were all very professional, and things ran smoothly.

Oh, and I had an itty-bitty camera that I could pull out and snap a shot so quickly it was hardly noticeable.

Besides, I'm a photographer at heart. If I don't take a picture of something, I'll forget it. I can now reconstruct entire drills with my photographic "evidence!"

"If it's worth doing, it's worth doing right...and photographing it!"

[Norman]

"If it's worth doing, it's worth doing right...and photographing it!"

I tell that to my lady friends all the time, but they don't listen.

In all honesty it does look like an awesome class with world class folks. I might have to make it down there eventually.

[JTShooter]

Again, I would highly recommend to ANYONE looking for a combat shooting class to attend Mr. Howe's course.

If you don't believe me. Just google "Paul Howe Army"

[jwise]

I'll admit that the medical emergency exercise was so engrossing, I completely forgot to take pictures. I was sitting there afterwards looking at all the "blood" on the ground, and realized my mistake. I quickly snapped a shot of the blood and had to be happy with that.

Paul had conspired with one of the students to put on a pair of his pants (so they could cut them up) and some fake trauma underneath (halloween costume stuff.) Paul then squirted fake blood all over his leg, and instructed him to just moan and scream.

The team came in, assessed the injured person and began treatment as it was just demonstrated to us. Paul couldn't resist squirting the fake blood from time to time all over the place, "just for effect."

Great learning experience!

[1tyme]

Sweet photos! Has anyone taken a class from both Howe and Scotty Reitz from ITTS? I'm curious to know how much they differ.

[tjcoker]

Sweet photos! Has anyone taken a class from both Howe and Scotty Reitz from ITTS? I'm curious to know how much they differ.

I've taken both Scotty and Paul's courses. I think it would be best said if I stated that I like them both for different reasons and that they compliment each other nicely. I would not ONLY take one or the other.

I was able to learn so much from both. Paul's system is so simple for learning a commanding way of using your weapon system. In fact, I would state that Paul's system is so simple that one might not understand how great it is unless they have trained with other's.

Uncle Scotty will continue to be a regular training venue for myself and my partner who I train with. He is able to impart a police mindset of gunfighting like no other that I have trained under. His way of teaching how to use your weapon system is great also.

They both contrast on certain nuances... but you'd be selling yourself short to choose one or the other. It's like choosing two amazing coaches over one another... you'd learn great things from both.

If you've got a week to spend training then by all means go see Paul. I had a great time getting to know both his teaching and the man himself. Stay at his lodge for the best training experience.

If your looking for a shorter class then both are an excellent source of knowledge.

Send me a PM for additional details if you like.

[Mstangfk]

ran into a guy in a bar last night wearing a CSAT shirt.


after i asked him if that was where he got it he kept his eye on me all night lol, pretty sure he was a local officer.

i know he wanted to ask me how i knew about it...lol

[dbphotos]

I'm off for 6 days of training at Paul's next month. Tactical Rifle Instructor's course. I can't wait!

[tjcoker]

I'm off for 6 days of training at Paul's next month. Tactical Rifle Instructor's course. I can't wait!

I can only wish that I was in your shoes. I hope to see an AAR. Take pictures too. It's like revisiting an old vacation spot. I am planning on his Basic SWAT school this November myself. Good luck and I hope you get your cap early so your done with the stress of the hat and move on to the stress of teaching in front of the students.