TFTT After Action Report for Two Man Team Tactics and CQB Instructor

[Honolulu Blue]

The following is the after action report I submitted to my department's training division after training with Max Joseph this summer. I had an awesome, informative time and would wholeheartedly recommend any of his classes to potential students.


SUBJECT: AFTER ACTION REPORT (AAR) FOR TACTICAL TRAINING

I recently had the privilege of attending courses presented by the Tactical Firearms Training Team (TFTT) in Los Angles County, California. Between August 31 and September 9, 2012 I attended three days of Two-Man Team Tactics, four days of Close Quarter Battle (CQB) Instructor training, and three days of TFTT’s annual Combat Arts Seminar.

The instruction presented in the Combat Arts Seminar consisted of condensed versions of TFTT’s Protective Security Detail Operations, Vehicle Engagement Tactics, Close Quarter Pistol, and CQB Defensive Tactics courses. The seminar is designed to provide students with valuable stand alone training while simultaneously exposing them to a variety of subjects they may wish to pursue in greater detail at a later date. The seminar additionally showcased the depth of knowledge and professionalism of TFTT’s instructor cadre, the organization and relevance of the course curriculum, and the refined method of delivery of TFTT’s style of instruction. I look forward to attending these classes in their entirety when the opportunity arises.

As enjoyable and informative as the Combat Arts Seminar was, it is my intent here to address the Two-Man Team Tactics and CQB Instructor courses taught by TFTT Chief Instructor Max Joseph in greater detail as I feel they have a profound and immediate relevance to officers’ current training and operational needs.

Current conditions both domestically and internationally have lead to modern and progressive law enforcement agencies placing a greater emphasis on active shooter and counterterrorism training for their officers. The Two-Man Team Tactics and CQB Instructor courses provide concepts and techniques that should be implemented into any such tactical and live-fire training.

Each day’s instruction at TFTT opened with a detailed safety and emergency incident briefing followed by a general briefing of the day’s plans and expectations. Classroom time was minimal and used efficiently to cover the relevant concepts, theories, and techniques that would be implemented into the day’s training. The course manuals were additionally informative, well organized, and allowed students to review and retain the day’s teachings at home or prepare for the next day in advance.

On Max Joseph’s range, safety is paramount but not unnecessarily redundant to the point of impeding the flow of the high intensity pace of instruction that has made Mr. Joseph one of the most highly sought and influential instructors in the tactical training community. The reasons for the safety-based techniques used are thoroughly explained, relevant real world incidents are cited to reinforce students’ respect and adherence to the techniques, and the consequences for violating the safety rules are made clear. The underlying principle is simple: you cannot progress to dynamic training if you don’t adhere to safety and if it’s not safe to do in training it shouldn’t be applied to real world operations. Ultimately, Mr. Joseph challenges students by breaking outside the barriers of traditional “square range training” but is able to do so safely and effectively by laying the proper groundwork via his uncompromising adherence to safety and a focus on mastery of the fundamentals.

Mr. Joseph uses a highly organized building block approach to his teaching in which each block of instruction flows into the next and lays the groundwork for the following blocks of instruction. Students rapidly and progressively flow from static techniques to dynamic drills and movements both as individual operators and as team members. Each block of instruction is immediately debriefed to ensure all students are without question and concern prior to moving on to the next evolution of training.

I found Mr. Joseph to be highly professional, motivating, knowledgeable, and adaptable to a wide variety of students and learning styles. He combines his vast amount of real world operational and teaching experience with a sense of humor and obvious passion for the material at hand. I highly recommend his courses be considered for any future training of department personnel and/or instructor cadres.

The following is a sample of the course curriculum for the aforementioned classes which I would strongly recommend taking consecutively:

Two-Man Team Tactics Course: advantages and combat theories for the two-man element, 360 degree turns, use of kneeling fire, standards of engagements, stages of escalation, communication, combat pistol/rifle skills, high/low drills, room combat, employment of the mechanical safety, and detailed instruction in the use of position sul

CQB Instructor Course: review of Two-Man Team Tactics with instructional points, syllabus construction, timeline management, presenting safety briefings, planning for medical emergencies, command presence and effective communication, CQB shooting with rifle and handgun, and student presentations with instructor critiques

Please refer to the TFTT website at www.tftt.com for further information and additional AARs from other law enforcement officers around the United States.

[Rincus]

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