Concealed Pistol Applications

Not only did he have some creative drills that force you to think will handling and shooting a gun, he really explains the mindset and how you need to train to a point where your 80% is faster than most people’s 100%. If you take the class you will know what that means but it was an amazing class and the instructor is super good and friendly. Highly recommend!

Matt's class is full of great exercises that make you think differently about your shooting! There is a lot of shooting with movement, and the way it presented teaches you and makes you think. The pace of the class is fast, and there is a lot to experience. I would gladly take another class from these folks, or even repeat this class. A+++++

I completed this course a week ago and now that I've had time to mull it over here are my thoughts (long review but hang in there I’ve taken a lot of training and might accidentally say something of value somewhere within this):

-This is a rare civilian course that deals with problem-solving over shooting fundamentals. This means you are expected to show up “unconsciously competent” when it comes to things like your draw, trigger press, grip/recoil control, sight alignment, etc. Because I'm not quite there yet that meant I had to use about 25% of my human equivalent of RAM to keep that all working and only about 75% of my processing power went toward solving the drills. Doable but if I didn't have as much previous high-quality instruction it would have been a tall order so be honest about your skill level before coming.

-Matt can relate his mountain of relevant experience in gunfighting at the highest-level military units as well as a very kinetic police career without beating you over the head with it like a trump card for any debate. He leaves the door open for other opinions and can explain his how and why very clearly. As an Afghan war veteran myself it's always refreshing to be able to compare notes and try to get better together rather than have it be a pissing contest over who had harder deployments and thereby knows more (I mean Matt would have won that but to neither of our benefit).

-I agreed with about 95%+ of what he put out including changing my mind on a few things based on his reasoning. Even for the few percentages where I wasn't sure I completely agreed with him I will admit nothing he said was fundamentally wrong, just a difference of opinion on the "best way". Because I leave the door open to learning new things and don’t cling to static dogma, I admit I may still be the one that's wrong on that other <5% (For those curious it was mainly around some things we do in competition that concern me in creating training scars but overall we're closer than we are apart on agreeing competition is still very valuable).

-I said he changed my mind on some things, mainly it was on how fast I should be shooting in training. I believed before that accuracy is everything, you shoot only as fast as you can nearly guarantee you won’t miss because “no one will need to tell you to shoot faster in a gunfight”. However, Matt pushed me to shoot much faster than I was comfortable with reasoning that you need to learn where your wheels come off. For example at what point you drop to 80% accuracy so you know what cadence you have to govern your pace to maintain 98% accuracy when needed. At the same time by shooting fast you will push that accuracy-speed threshold always upward. By the end of class, I was shooting accurately faster than I ever have and see it as a necessary part of my training going forward.

-Another huge takeaway was the two-fold element of accuracy likelihood and target risk (I don’t recall his exact terms). You may take a shot with an 80% chance of a good hit if there is an impenetrable brick wall behind them but would have to work the problem to get a 99% shooting solution if it were the proverbial schoolyard full of kids behind them. The ability to discern that in the moment is what sets this class apart in making people who can do more than just shoot well, they can gunfight.

-While all the cool kids have Staccato XC’s in appendix carry you can still run the class with a Glock 19-sized gun that the vast majority of us suburban dad types realistically actually carry every day. I would not go any smaller than that as this is a fairly high round count class and anything less than a 15-round magazine plus the amount of work you’d put into running 700 rounds through a pocket gun would be painful. I switched to my HK VP9 on day two which I still do often carry.

So final thoughts: This class was well worth the money, you get what you pay for these days in training. I drove 2.5 hours and stayed out of town for this class and would do it again. I only have time to go for a full weekend perhaps 4 times a year, so I need the best training I can get. I learned a ton of new things and Matt’s clear explanation of “why” he was teaching the way of doing something got me to rethink some old things and change them which is rare! I can recommend this class and will take another with him the next chance I get.

I took this class last weekend in Wichita Ks. Matt was fantastic. Over the last 20 years I have had many instructors but many of them have failed to push me in speed and accuracy like Matt did. He pushed me to the limit, exposing weakness in my abilities, showing exactly what I need to focus my training on. I walked away learning new drills and the logic behind them. I highly recommend taking this class! Thanks Matt!

I attended the concealed pistol applications course that Matt Little conducted at Clackamas County PSTC in March 2024, which was hosted by Gabe White. Matt brought insight from a tremendous amount of practical experience gained in military and law enforcement contexts, as well as competitive shooting. He demonstrated the case that training for and participation in competitive shooting is absolutely practical for application to firearms use in law enforcement, military or civilian defensive engagements. The folks in the class included retired military, current and retired LEOs, and several competitive shooters, including Gabe White, as well as individual civilian defensive shooters. The mix made it all the better.

The lesson plan and exercises focused on component skills as well as skill strings woven into more complex drills. How to train was as much the focus as what to train, and that’s probably the single most helpful aspect for my self development. This was woven into each of the exercises, which I found really useful. I had just read Matt’s book, The Way is in Training, and the themes from it ran through course. Effective training should be performed the way an athlete trains. Take this course if you have the chance, and read the book.

Highly recommend this class.

Just a few notes on last weekends class with Matt Little that I attended at the Public Safety Range in Clackamas County / Oregon.
What a pleasure it was to meet and train with Matt , Gabe the range host and a bunch of great guys.
Having attended quite a few classes with very well known instructors, I can attest to the high caliber of instruction by Matt.
Besides his impressive knowledge of the topics in question , Matt is also a geniune nice guy that it was a pleasure to be around. Very humble and I felt that he was honestly interested in the development of his students.
I have to admit that he also motivated me personnally to go back to participate in some USPSA machtes as I have done in younger years.
I will definetely check out Matts other classes and you should too. I know you will not regret it !

I have taken many classes from other very well respected instructors and have walked away with some new tools in my toolbox. In this class I feel I walked away with many upgraded tools as well as a shiny new tool box! It was such an amazing day hanging out with Matt and Angela. They are able to add new tools to everyone’s tool box.
HIGHLY RECOMMEND!!

If you choose to carry a firearm, you need to know how to correctly apply the skill you earned in practice. Matt has the background, knowledge, and skills to show you how to use your practice to defend your life or the lives of your loved ones. You should take this class if you carry or are considering carrying a firearm.

This was a great class where Matt showed his students how to apply the skill they earned in practice towards applications for concealed carriers. Shooting is shooting and fighting is fighting. You should train to have a high enough skill to be able to shoot comfortably if the need arises and you need to practice and understand how to apply the techniques of shooting to fighting. Throughout both days Matt combined lectures, demos, drills, and competition to show us exactly this.

For example, for one drill we shot two urgent shots into a larger acceptable zone and then two careful shots into a smaller optimal zone. This later compounded into an applied bill drill where we shot six shots, but two of them had to be in an optimal zone. For both drills Matt explained how we can use both types of drills for real world applications if the need arises.

The majority of the second day was simulating and learning how to deal with pressure by having one on one competitions (and for prizes!). The point of these competitions wasn't to win the prize, but to show students how it feels when you're shooting against someone and how to deal with that intense pressure. To win you had to rely on the skill you earned in practice. One of the most important lessons we learned was the necessity of being able to shoot calmly no matter what. These competitions helped reinforce this idea and showed some of the shooters what this pressure feels like.

Everyone left this class with a better understanding of how they can apply their skill to save their lives or the lives of their loved ones. I also personally appreciated Angela's ability to jump in and help students out as AI. One student was struggling on the line and Angela was able to work one-on-one with her to ensure that she was safe and learned effectively.