One of my last Tactics and Training pieces discussed “doing more with less.” In other words, how to get more out of your force training without going broke. A short time ago I came across a great training item designed by a great trainer. Developed by noted force trainer Dave Young and produced by Uncle Mike’s, the Holster Resource Kit is an excellent piece of equipment every firearms trainer needs to have in his tool box of training tricks.
First, a little about Dave Young. I’ll admit some bias here, because Dave and I go back almost three decades. Young was still a Marine stationed in Virginia when we first met; but in a past life he was deputy for the Lee County (FL) Sheriff’s Office. Upon his discharge from the Corps, Calibre Press, Inc. latched onto Dave and hired him to present their one-and-only hands-on program, Subject Control and Arrest Tactics (SCAT). The SCAT program was actually an optional Day four to the original three-day Street Survival Seminar I taught for a dozen years. Not only have I taught with Dave, I’ve trained with him, too. Since that time, both Dave and I have moved on, but we’re both still active trainers, albeit on our own now.
Young, formerly Director of Specialized Training for the RedMan Training Division, is the Director and Founder of ARMA Training and while his forte is less-lethal force, he’s involved in all force disciplines; and Dave has all the necessary force creds to back his programs up. His Holster Resource Kit is marketed by Uncle Mike’s, one of the foremost manufactures of police duty gear. This collaboration of Young and Uncle Mike’s has permitted both agencies and trainers to instill and teach the needed psychomotor skills (hand-eye coordination) required to not only promote smoother and faster draws, but to break officers from the highly dangerous practice of looking down when they holster. The HRK does all that for under $10.00.
The HRK is comprised of a 2-3/4” soft rubber training ball and a professionally produced DVD lesson plan featuring Young. Most people when they think of a soft rubber training ball think of hand strength drills. But this ball isn’t for squeezing; it’s for bouncing. Some closed-minded street cops will probably complain that the HRK is nothing more than a promotional tool for Uncle Mike’s Pro-3 duty holster. But, after viewing the program with a “trainer’s eye” most will have to admit that the concepts and skills demonstrated and taught work for any duty rig; and Dave admits just that. In reality, Uncle Mike’s Pro-3 holster is only mentioned once and then just in passing. I know Dave Young and Dave Young sells “training” not “products.”
Divided into two parts, the first 10 minutes or so are devoted to hand-eye coordination drills any street cop can master alone, or with the aid of a partner, but always with a safe training gun. Over a dozen dominant and non-dominant hand drills with the soft rubber “Act & React” ball are shown live, there’s no “cut-aways” or “camera breaks” here so the instructor looks good on film. What you see Dave doing, he’s doing live.
The tactics presented in the training can be included in either basic or in-service firearms training programs. But having taught in both settings, I would opt for in-service. Most basic academies allow for just enough time to turn raw civilians (who, except for the rare military veteran, have never handled a firearm let alone shoot when accurately) into minimally competent rookies. Most of our budgetary problems occur with scheduling time and finding funds for quarterly in-service. As a lead-in or prelude to draw-and-challenge drills, the HRK will fit in perfectly. Part two of the DVD contains some excellent footage to instill and reinforce those emergency action skills so often neglected during the normal in-service firearms programs; one-hand and off-hand draw and fire, from the standing, kneeling, sitting and prone positions. Any trainer worth is salt can easily construct an entire lesson plan on emergency action drills just by using the last 7-8 minutes of the DVD.
The HRK is individually cop-priced at $9.99 with 10 percent going to the National Law Enforcement Officers Memorial Fund (NLEOMF). Contact them for quantity pricing. For my money, the DVD alone is worth the price, but for those of you who’ve never had the pleasure of seeing and/or training with Dave Young in person, the 20 minutes of watching and listening to him is the next best thing.
For more info on the Holster Resource Kit contact www.unclemikesle.com. Dave Young can be reached by email at www.armatraining.com or by calling (772) 913-1615.
