Description Videos Reviews This two-day live-fire course covers the application of pistol skill from concealment in an armed confrontation. The focus will be on employing your concealed firearm and applying your shooting under stress and in conflict. Your skill at shooting drives your tactics, but there is more to fighting with a firearm than pure shooting skill. Our goal is for every student to leave this course with a deeper understanding of how to apply their hard earned shooting skill from concealment in a fighting context. Topics Covered: Application of skill vs development of skill Practical application of marksmanship Psychology of gunfighting Employing your firearm from concealment Use of movement Use of cover Consistent application of shooting skill under stress Live fire scenarios Course Prerequisites Good health and a fitness level sufficient for strenuous physical activity. All our classes incorporate vigorous athletic movement. All our classes require safe weapons handling at an unconsciously competent level of skill. This includes drawing from a holster, reholstering, reloads, and weapons safety during dynamic movement and under physical and mental stress. Flagrant or negligent unsafe actions will result in removal from a class without refund. This class, and all of our open enrollment tactics classes require at least one of the following prerequisites: Completion of our Pistol, Carbine, or Pistol/Carbine Skill Development courses, or an equivalent course from a reputable instructor. A minimum C classification in USPSA or Expert in IDPA Completion of a certified Law Enforcement training academy or military special operations pipeline Equipment Requirements Serviceable pistol of 9mm or larger caliber, minimum 3 magazines (6 for single stack guns), belt, holster and at a minimum two mag pouches capable of retaining weapon and magazines during strenuous movement. AIWB, IWB, and OWB holsters acceptable. We encourage students to use what they carry with. Minimum 750 rounds of ammunition, although more is recommended. Eye/ear protection for range. No Serpa holsters or soft nylon/leather holsters permitted in class. Student Information We send out two student emails for every class. You will receive one email approximately two weeks before the class date containing waivers, student information, range location, and amount of range fees where applicable. Please complete the waiver in a timely fashion, this helps us greatly for the class. You’ll receive a follow-up email the week of the class. If you don’t receive the first email, please check your spam folder. The emails will come from alittle@greybeardactual.com. Concealed Pistol Applications Our two-day Concealed Pistol Applications course covers the ap... 16 Reviews 5 CCW Class Posted by Cherlyn Haugh on 21st Nov 2023 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!! 5 Take this Class Posted by Matt Rakestraw on 17th Nov 2023 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. 5 Concealed Pistol Applications Posted by AR Salyer on 16th Nov 2023 I was in a class at Matt's home range in Temple, TX. As a result, a lot of the shooters in the class were people Matt already knew or had taught previously. The array of skillsets was impressive, a lot of upper end USPSA shooters, as well as EDC enthusiasts like myself. What I found interesting was that these upper end competitors all come to Matt to up their game in the realm of practical application for personal defense. And in that realm, Matt delivers. This is not a "developing skills" class. This class forces you to apply what you can do in scenarios that Matt has experienced first hand. This was a unique experience because it sought to apply pressure to the shooter that no timer can apply - and boy does it do that. There are some truly valuable lessons to be learned in this class that I don't think you'll find anywhere else. By the second day, everyone was faster, sharper, and more accurate. And not everyone that was in that upper end was winning all the challenges. A lot of life lessons that second day. This is not a class where you sit there for hours being regaled by war stories and spend 10 minutes shooting. You will shoot a lot. But it's not just about shooting, or being a bad ass operator. It's quite the opposite. This class centers around real world applications for EDC practitioners that might have to use their concealed carry. This class doesn't just test you as a shooter, but gives you some material to reflect upon after you leave. Highly recommend. 5 Highly recommend Posted by Sloan Churman on 14th Nov 2023 This was a fantastic class and experience, would urge anyone interested in training to take this class. 5 Concealed pistol applications Posted by Cliff Byerly on 13th Nov 2023 100% recommend Matt if you’re looking to improve your skills with a firearm. Operational experience as well as performance competition based experience. His diverse background will help you see results in your shooting journey faster. If you carry gun for protection or work get to a class and suck less. 5 Great time learning Posted by Sukleberry Hong-Noods on 13th Nov 2023 The class I attended comprised of skilled shooters of many different etiologies which birthed their genesis. Matt and Angela were attentive and accommodating equally to those needing more coaching versus those needing more pushing/pressing to examine limits under pressure. It was a fun learning experience and would recommend. 5 Pistol Skill Development Class Posted by John B. on 21st Dec 2021 The adage “A picture is worth a thousand words” is apropos for my second shot (pun intended) at the 3.45 Drill on Day 2 of the Greybeard Actual Pistol Skill Development class. Had I captured an image of my first attempt at the test on Day 1, the delta between the two end results could stand alone as a testament to how transformative this 2-day class was for my pistol manipulation skills. And while my par times were not even flirting with the 3.45 standard, my heightened sense of calm and awareness led to improved accuracy and increased confidence. NOTE: I cannot add images to this review, but suffice it to say, even Matt had a smile on his face after I completed the drill the second time around. Matt’s ability to hone in on his students’ learning style in such short order is what separates him from other firearm instructors who I have trained with. He delivered a specific set of coaching queues to me in various ways, which led to my aha moment of how tension is inhibiting my progression. I’m fortunate to shoot local matches with Matt and Angela, and look forward to continuing my journey in their powerful presence. Previous
5 CCW Class Posted by Cherlyn Haugh on 21st Nov 2023 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!!
5 Take this Class Posted by Matt Rakestraw on 17th Nov 2023 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.
5 Concealed Pistol Applications Posted by AR Salyer on 16th Nov 2023 I was in a class at Matt's home range in Temple, TX. As a result, a lot of the shooters in the class were people Matt already knew or had taught previously. The array of skillsets was impressive, a lot of upper end USPSA shooters, as well as EDC enthusiasts like myself. What I found interesting was that these upper end competitors all come to Matt to up their game in the realm of practical application for personal defense. And in that realm, Matt delivers. This is not a "developing skills" class. This class forces you to apply what you can do in scenarios that Matt has experienced first hand. This was a unique experience because it sought to apply pressure to the shooter that no timer can apply - and boy does it do that. There are some truly valuable lessons to be learned in this class that I don't think you'll find anywhere else. By the second day, everyone was faster, sharper, and more accurate. And not everyone that was in that upper end was winning all the challenges. A lot of life lessons that second day. This is not a class where you sit there for hours being regaled by war stories and spend 10 minutes shooting. You will shoot a lot. But it's not just about shooting, or being a bad ass operator. It's quite the opposite. This class centers around real world applications for EDC practitioners that might have to use their concealed carry. This class doesn't just test you as a shooter, but gives you some material to reflect upon after you leave. Highly recommend.
5 Highly recommend Posted by Sloan Churman on 14th Nov 2023 This was a fantastic class and experience, would urge anyone interested in training to take this class.
5 Concealed pistol applications Posted by Cliff Byerly on 13th Nov 2023 100% recommend Matt if you’re looking to improve your skills with a firearm. Operational experience as well as performance competition based experience. His diverse background will help you see results in your shooting journey faster. If you carry gun for protection or work get to a class and suck less.
5 Great time learning Posted by Sukleberry Hong-Noods on 13th Nov 2023 The class I attended comprised of skilled shooters of many different etiologies which birthed their genesis. Matt and Angela were attentive and accommodating equally to those needing more coaching versus those needing more pushing/pressing to examine limits under pressure. It was a fun learning experience and would recommend.
5 Pistol Skill Development Class Posted by John B. on 21st Dec 2021 The adage “A picture is worth a thousand words” is apropos for my second shot (pun intended) at the 3.45 Drill on Day 2 of the Greybeard Actual Pistol Skill Development class. Had I captured an image of my first attempt at the test on Day 1, the delta between the two end results could stand alone as a testament to how transformative this 2-day class was for my pistol manipulation skills. And while my par times were not even flirting with the 3.45 standard, my heightened sense of calm and awareness led to improved accuracy and increased confidence. NOTE: I cannot add images to this review, but suffice it to say, even Matt had a smile on his face after I completed the drill the second time around. Matt’s ability to hone in on his students’ learning style in such short order is what separates him from other firearm instructors who I have trained with. He delivered a specific set of coaching queues to me in various ways, which led to my aha moment of how tension is inhibiting my progression. I’m fortunate to shoot local matches with Matt and Angela, and look forward to continuing my journey in their powerful presence.