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AAR: Tactical Avenues - Low Light Course
-held April 21, 2012 @ Burro Canyon in Azusa
3:30pm-8:30pm
This was a 5 hour course that covered a number of important skills in addition to low light. Safety was taken seriously and there were no incidents or issues in regards to safety the entire day (to my knowledge).
We started off the day in an outdoor “classroom”, with the safety briefing, the legal aspects of the use of deadly force in the defense of life, the 7 fundamentals of marksmanship, 5 count draw, and an open question/answer session.
The instructors for the day were Daine, Will, & Nelson; all are current LAPD SWAT and all are excellent instructors with something different to offer each student. The owner of Tactical Avenues, Donny was present as well. He was clearly an active and involved owner and did not simply sit back an supervise. He was working hard alongside his instructors and also operated the moving target for one of the stations while co-instructing for that station.
There were 3 different range stations set up for the day. We started off with everyone on the line warming up with draws firing singles and controlled pairs. From there, we broke off into 2 groups which rotated through the 3 stations.
At the 1st station on the main line, we were taught shooting from different kneeling positions and prone. We practiced shooting on the move going forward as well.
At the 2nd station, there was a moving target and a full sized door, frame, and partial walls. We ran through a drill that required thinking and making a decision as to whether we should shoot or not shoot, WHEN we could shoot, and shooting at a moving target. As each person ran through the drill, the instructors discussed what we did well, what we could do differently, and the legal aspects of when to shoot and when it was not legally justified to do so. It was much better than hypothetical discussion, as we got to see each person go through the scenario and watch how each person reacted differently and how the decisions played out. At this station, we also practiced shooting on the move. Although we didn’t get to practice it, we also learned how to shoot moving laterally.
At the 3rd station, there were a number of steel targets positioned on the range. They had standard steel targets, pepper poppers, hostage targets (swinging target located next to the head of a standard IPSC style steel target), and a Christmas tree with about 6 flags. Here, we practiced shooting in low light (absolute darkness by the time my group got to this station). We discussed the different styles of how to hold a flashlight for low light shooting (away from body, next to neck, syringe style, behind the wrist). We primarily practiced the Harries method (behind the wrist). Everyone seemed to really enjoy the shoot-off using the pepper poppers. We were sad we couldn’t have run through that a few more times, but by then, it was already past the official end time and we’d all run through it.
The evening was BEAUTIFUL, with a clear and gorgeous view of the stars framed by a nice “V” formed by hills. When I wasn’t actively shooting, I was continually distracted by how beautiful the view was up in the mountains at night.
Wrapping up the evening, people were in agreement that the course was well worth the time and money and that we really appreciated working with these instructors. Many were already inquiring as to the next course available. The only thing I would have changed would have been to make it a 6 or 8 hour course. There was a lot of material covered and I would have enjoyed going through more runs per drill. This has less to do with their time management, and more to do with the sheer amount of knowledge they have to disseminate.
I don’t know how updated their calendar is, but this is a link from their website listing their upcoming courses. If you have any questions, do not hesitate to contact them as they are very good at responding to customer inquiries.
There was some discussion of a Women’s Only class, which would require 10 or more participants to set a date. I would not hesitate to send my loved ones to train with Tactical Avenues. I know they would receive top notch training in a safe environment. I enjoyed training with them, gained a great deal of knowledge, and plan to train with them again in the near future.
There were 2 women that attended the course. They were treated no differently from the male students. They shot safely and were very nice.
feel free to PM me if you have any questions regarding my experience with this course
any questions specific to Tac Aves, please contact them directly at
-held April 21, 2012 @ Burro Canyon in Azusa
3:30pm-8:30pm
This was a 5 hour course that covered a number of important skills in addition to low light. Safety was taken seriously and there were no incidents or issues in regards to safety the entire day (to my knowledge).
We started off the day in an outdoor “classroom”, with the safety briefing, the legal aspects of the use of deadly force in the defense of life, the 7 fundamentals of marksmanship, 5 count draw, and an open question/answer session.
The instructors for the day were Daine, Will, & Nelson; all are current LAPD SWAT and all are excellent instructors with something different to offer each student. The owner of Tactical Avenues, Donny was present as well. He was clearly an active and involved owner and did not simply sit back an supervise. He was working hard alongside his instructors and also operated the moving target for one of the stations while co-instructing for that station.
There were 3 different range stations set up for the day. We started off with everyone on the line warming up with draws firing singles and controlled pairs. From there, we broke off into 2 groups which rotated through the 3 stations.
At the 1st station on the main line, we were taught shooting from different kneeling positions and prone. We practiced shooting on the move going forward as well.
At the 2nd station, there was a moving target and a full sized door, frame, and partial walls. We ran through a drill that required thinking and making a decision as to whether we should shoot or not shoot, WHEN we could shoot, and shooting at a moving target. As each person ran through the drill, the instructors discussed what we did well, what we could do differently, and the legal aspects of when to shoot and when it was not legally justified to do so. It was much better than hypothetical discussion, as we got to see each person go through the scenario and watch how each person reacted differently and how the decisions played out. At this station, we also practiced shooting on the move. Although we didn’t get to practice it, we also learned how to shoot moving laterally.
At the 3rd station, there were a number of steel targets positioned on the range. They had standard steel targets, pepper poppers, hostage targets (swinging target located next to the head of a standard IPSC style steel target), and a Christmas tree with about 6 flags. Here, we practiced shooting in low light (absolute darkness by the time my group got to this station). We discussed the different styles of how to hold a flashlight for low light shooting (away from body, next to neck, syringe style, behind the wrist). We primarily practiced the Harries method (behind the wrist). Everyone seemed to really enjoy the shoot-off using the pepper poppers. We were sad we couldn’t have run through that a few more times, but by then, it was already past the official end time and we’d all run through it.
The evening was BEAUTIFUL, with a clear and gorgeous view of the stars framed by a nice “V” formed by hills. When I wasn’t actively shooting, I was continually distracted by how beautiful the view was up in the mountains at night.
Wrapping up the evening, people were in agreement that the course was well worth the time and money and that we really appreciated working with these instructors. Many were already inquiring as to the next course available. The only thing I would have changed would have been to make it a 6 or 8 hour course. There was a lot of material covered and I would have enjoyed going through more runs per drill. This has less to do with their time management, and more to do with the sheer amount of knowledge they have to disseminate.
I don’t know how updated their calendar is, but this is a link from their website listing their upcoming courses. If you have any questions, do not hesitate to contact them as they are very good at responding to customer inquiries.
There was some discussion of a Women’s Only class, which would require 10 or more participants to set a date. I would not hesitate to send my loved ones to train with Tactical Avenues. I know they would receive top notch training in a safe environment. I enjoyed training with them, gained a great deal of knowledge, and plan to train with them again in the near future.
There were 2 women that attended the course. They were treated no differently from the male students. They shot safely and were very nice.
feel free to PM me if you have any questions regarding my experience with this course
any questions specific to Tac Aves, please contact them directly at
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