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I would wholeheartedly recommend TFTT to anyone who wants to improve their tactical gun training. I took TFTT's Tac Pistol 1, 2, 3. Max Joseph is an excellent instructor, the best in my estimation from all the schools I've been to.
He has an unyielding emphasis on safety and pushing yourself to excel. His style clearly has a military bent to it, in all positive ways. The curriculum for the pistol courses is designed to maximize the amount of information you are exposed to in the precious hours you are in training. Every drill has an intent behind it, every bullet you fire is meant for you to learn something (I kid you not, he explains the reasons and intent for each drill at some point, and it's clear he is trying to maximize the lessons while being economical with your ammo -- unlike some of the yahoos around us who are having their students unload half their mags in a single drill repetition).
The most distinctive mark of his instruction for me is that his curriculum is incredibly packed with information and new techniques to learn while balancing it with very insightful explanations as to why we should do things a certain way from a mechanical or tactical perspective. Like drinking out of a firehose. While he doesn't toot his own horn, it's clear to me that he's been in gunfights and that what you're learning is borne out of real combat experience. And generally every drill we do is preceded by him demonstrating the technique (which also shows his proficiency with the task, which is nice to know).
I think the most telling detail about TFTT to me is that the class doesn't have an official lunch break. It's certainly not for his benefit... What instructor wouldn't want to kick it for an hour and just chill after hours of shouting out commands? His goal is to pack in as much as he can, to stretch every hour to it's limit, and to push you to learn and to get the most out of your training that you pay good money for. And that is really a testament to his personal character and the quality of the school.
Two caveats that are worth mentioning. One has to do with the requirement that body armor be worn in his class (it's rentable from him). Someone commented about TFTT that "any place that requires you wear a vest cannot be safe" -- absolutely the most ignorant, moronic comment I've read about a gun school. Don't get in a car with anyone that wears a seat belt, surely that person cannot be safe. Max requires body armor to insure your safety above and beyond what is normal, the instruction is safer than most of most of the schools I've been to, and I've been to name brand ones in and out of California... TFTT's rules are that you are automatically ejected for ND's, and any repeated infraction of the rule of movement without safety/decock results in dry fire for the rest of your time there. He has zero tolerance for unsafe handling. Zero. People got called out without any reservation or politeness for anything that even resembled dangerous handling. The body armor is effectively "overdoing it" in some peoples' eyes, but truth be told, I'm very happy that safety is that important in his eyes.
The second caveat has to do with being "squared away", everyone kept mentioning that you should be "squared away" before going to TFTT and I didn't know whether I was "squared away". Basically it comes down to this:
- If you're unable to hustle, go to kneeling, go prone because you're fat, don't come to his class. You will probably be treated with contempt for your lack of physical fitness, and he won't be sympathetic because of your limitations. You don't have to be an athlete (I certainly am not), but you probably will not be given quarter for being overweight to the degree that it impedes your ability to be physically effective.
- If you're new to your gun, I would recommend you go elsewhere for your first training class. It's just my take, but most people are fairly comfortable with basic manipulations of their guns (combat reloads, emergency reloads, press checking) as well as being mediocre shots or better. If you can't put your shots on paper consistently, you'll probably slow the class down and be "that guy who sucks up all the instructor's time". Again, that's just my own take, but I think it's professional courtesy not to be dragging the rest of the class down by training above your skill and comfort level.
- If you don't know how to be safe with your gun (muzzle control, trigger finger control, etc), he will probably yell at you. A lot. And then you will get booted from the class.
That being said, I don't want to skew this review to make TFTT out to be a harsh school. Max is not drill sergeant. But unlike other more come-one-come-all schools, he doesn't want slackers in his class, he wants you to have your mind and body sorted out. He's incredibly professional, very intelligent, and it was a safe and positive learning environment. The best money I've spent on gun instruction, hands down.
He has an unyielding emphasis on safety and pushing yourself to excel. His style clearly has a military bent to it, in all positive ways. The curriculum for the pistol courses is designed to maximize the amount of information you are exposed to in the precious hours you are in training. Every drill has an intent behind it, every bullet you fire is meant for you to learn something (I kid you not, he explains the reasons and intent for each drill at some point, and it's clear he is trying to maximize the lessons while being economical with your ammo -- unlike some of the yahoos around us who are having their students unload half their mags in a single drill repetition).
The most distinctive mark of his instruction for me is that his curriculum is incredibly packed with information and new techniques to learn while balancing it with very insightful explanations as to why we should do things a certain way from a mechanical or tactical perspective. Like drinking out of a firehose. While he doesn't toot his own horn, it's clear to me that he's been in gunfights and that what you're learning is borne out of real combat experience. And generally every drill we do is preceded by him demonstrating the technique (which also shows his proficiency with the task, which is nice to know).
I think the most telling detail about TFTT to me is that the class doesn't have an official lunch break. It's certainly not for his benefit... What instructor wouldn't want to kick it for an hour and just chill after hours of shouting out commands? His goal is to pack in as much as he can, to stretch every hour to it's limit, and to push you to learn and to get the most out of your training that you pay good money for. And that is really a testament to his personal character and the quality of the school.
Two caveats that are worth mentioning. One has to do with the requirement that body armor be worn in his class (it's rentable from him). Someone commented about TFTT that "any place that requires you wear a vest cannot be safe" -- absolutely the most ignorant, moronic comment I've read about a gun school. Don't get in a car with anyone that wears a seat belt, surely that person cannot be safe. Max requires body armor to insure your safety above and beyond what is normal, the instruction is safer than most of most of the schools I've been to, and I've been to name brand ones in and out of California... TFTT's rules are that you are automatically ejected for ND's, and any repeated infraction of the rule of movement without safety/decock results in dry fire for the rest of your time there. He has zero tolerance for unsafe handling. Zero. People got called out without any reservation or politeness for anything that even resembled dangerous handling. The body armor is effectively "overdoing it" in some peoples' eyes, but truth be told, I'm very happy that safety is that important in his eyes.
The second caveat has to do with being "squared away", everyone kept mentioning that you should be "squared away" before going to TFTT and I didn't know whether I was "squared away". Basically it comes down to this:
- If you're unable to hustle, go to kneeling, go prone because you're fat, don't come to his class. You will probably be treated with contempt for your lack of physical fitness, and he won't be sympathetic because of your limitations. You don't have to be an athlete (I certainly am not), but you probably will not be given quarter for being overweight to the degree that it impedes your ability to be physically effective.
- If you're new to your gun, I would recommend you go elsewhere for your first training class. It's just my take, but most people are fairly comfortable with basic manipulations of their guns (combat reloads, emergency reloads, press checking) as well as being mediocre shots or better. If you can't put your shots on paper consistently, you'll probably slow the class down and be "that guy who sucks up all the instructor's time". Again, that's just my own take, but I think it's professional courtesy not to be dragging the rest of the class down by training above your skill and comfort level.
- If you don't know how to be safe with your gun (muzzle control, trigger finger control, etc), he will probably yell at you. A lot. And then you will get booted from the class.
That being said, I don't want to skew this review to make TFTT out to be a harsh school. Max is not drill sergeant. But unlike other more come-one-come-all schools, he doesn't want slackers in his class, he wants you to have your mind and body sorted out. He's incredibly professional, very intelligent, and it was a safe and positive learning environment. The best money I've spent on gun instruction, hands down.
