Team Leader Class AAR and Future Plans

Two weeks ago I had the great pleasure of running another successful Team Leader Class.  I was honored to have Timbersour in attendance, and he wrote a great course review that I posted yesterday.  I am constantly modifying and adding to the course to improve the quality of the training.  At the end of every class, I run through a series of after-action points with the students to get input on what to sustain, what to improve upon, and what to get rid of.  Here are some of the bullet points from the July 10th TL class.

• I added a night vision familiarization portion to the Friday night prior to the rest of the class.  Students brought their own night vision devices or borrowed mine for this.  We practiced walking around under NVGs, both on a flat road and through the woods, and for some of the students this was akin to getting their “sea legs” so to speak.  We also demonstrated use and utility of IR lasers, how they look from downrange, and how to use them against a night vision-equipped adversary.  Finally, we took our camouflage clothing and tactical equipment and discovered how it looked through night vision (i.e., how effectively we could hide from night vision).  This portion of the course was an overwhelming “sustain” and I intend to make it a permanent part of the course going forward.
• During the course, I briefly touched on defensive principles and defensive positions.  Some of the students said the class could be improved by devoting more time to this topic because of how useful it would be for defending a neighborhood or rural retreat.  This being the second time I received such input, I have decided to listen and will cover defensive principles in depth in future classes, including an interactive defense exercise.
• The drills we practice during the class are done with the students’ personal rifles, unloaded for safety.  One student suggested using airsoft guns for cheap force-on-force practice, and to avoid certain legal ramifications of training/travelling with firearms.  I’m still working out how to fit this into the scope of the Team Leader Class.  I may eventually run a multi-day force-on-force training event in the future if I get sufficient interest and a suitable location.

In order to accommodate these and other changes, I am extending the class to a 2-day course, beginning Saturday morning and ending around noon on Sunday.  The Night Vision familiarization portion will be optional for students who choose to arrive Friday evening.  Going forward, the Team Leader Class will be structured as follows:
Friday (optional):

• Early students arrive in the afternoon/evening
• Night Vision familiarization

Saturday:

• Remainder of students arrive, class starts at 0900
• Part 1: Know your team
• Part 2: Train your team
• Fire Team level fire and movement drills (day and night)
• Defensive Fundamentals
• Patrolling basics (day and night)

Sunday:

• Lesson: “The Godly Warrior” (optional)
• Part 3: Lead your team
• TDG exercise
• Squad level Fire and Maneuver
• AAR

The next Team Leader Class is scheduled for October 30-31.  I will post future classes on my training schedule.  The cost is $200 per student.  For more information or to register, email me at [email protected]
Schweiß spart blut.
-Mike