The Practical Handgun Defense Course is designed for the handgun shooter who wants to move beyond the basics. The participants should be familiar with loading and unloading their firearms, and the fundamentals of aiming and safely firing their handgun. This class will focus on the defensive use of handguns.
Topics will include a review of marksmanship fundamentals. High speed aiming. Efficient presentations from the holster, both tactical and emergency reloading, Movement during the presentation. Shooting on the move. Shooting around and over cover. Multiple target engagements. And precise targets such as headshots and partially covered targets. This course will also give students a solid roadmap of what to practice and how to improve and maintain proficiency.
The advanced handgun course is focused on the defensive use of handguns.
Topics we will discuss include:
• A review of marksmanship fundamentals
• High speed aiming
• Efficient presentations from the holster, both tactical and emergency reloading
• Movement during the presentation
• Shooting on the move
• Shooting around and over cover
• Multiple target engagements
• Precise targets such as head shots and partially covered targets
The advanced handgun course will also give students a solid road map of what to practice and how to improve and maintain proficiency.
Prerequisites
Understanding of gun safety and range rules and have basic knowledge of handgun use. You must supply your own handgun. Ammo requirements are approximately 450 rounds.
Bring The Following
- Handgun. Centerfire only, no rimfire handguns
- Three magazines or three-speed loaders if using a revolver
- 450 rounds minimum ammo
- Proper clothing for the weather
- Snacks. lunch and plenty of water
- Please clean your gun in advance of the course or bring your gun cleaning kit with you
- Notebook and pen
- Eye and ear protection
- Sunscreen, hats, long sleeves shirts, long pants, training shoes
- Belt, holster, magazine pouch or other means of carrying additional ammunition, weapon cleaning equipment
- Gloves and elbow pad- optional
Instructor Bio
Mike Lazarus holds 27 years of experience as a law enforcement officer, as well as 19 years SWAT including sniper, assaulter, team sergeant, FBI certified firearm instructor, MP5 and Sub Machine gun instructor, Defensive tactics instructor, Police Academy instructor, 13 years of experience in the US Army with multiple overseas deployments. Airborne, SOTIC, PSD, SRT, small arms armorer, various other military schools, Faculty member in California State University, Northridge and Ventura College. Hobbies include outdoor sports, hunting, competitive shooting.
Times: 8 AM Check In, 8:30 AM Start
Cancellation Policy:
In order to receive full refund we require a notice of at least 5 days before the course date.
Chad (verified owner) –
Mike was an excellent instructor for my first pistol course. I’ve shot rifles and pistols nearly my entire life but I’ve never had proper training when it comes to using a holster, drawing quickly, executing multiple shots, reloading and getting more shots on target accurately. The course covered many topics and I’m really glad it did because everything I learned was new for me in that regard.
We shot around 450 rounds and our class had 6 people in it. From what I can tell everyone got the attention they needed and if anyone was struggling with something they gave us extra time and help to push through it.
Tips if you decide to go: Bring 3 bottles of water or more in a cooler if you like cold water, tan or lighter colored pants (it’s hot), UV protective shirt, a hat, protective sunglasses, SPF 100 sunscreen, and a lunch appropriate snack. Don’t short yourself on bullets by bringing less than 450, a minimum of 3 mags but 5 if you’ve got em, and bring some kind of speed loader, because you’ll be reloading your mags a ton.
Thanks again for he great training day Mike and thank you to CTALA for hosting.
Derek Jones (verified owner) –
This class was great! I was in the same class as Chad (who also wrote a review). He touched on a lot of good points in his review so I don’t have to reiterate those… but just remember CTA is out in the mountains in a desert like environment. It gets super hot there in the summer and it can get pretty cold there in the winter. And there is usually very little shade or shelter from the elements at the ranges. So definitely dress appropriately and bring supplies. Also, one of the things I don’t think people realize when they first come to CTA for a class… you don’t leave your car in a parking lot and then walk to the range where your class is. CTA is spread out over something like 1600 acres… so you will literally drive to the specific range your class is at after you check in at the main office, and you will either park your car toward the back of the range your class is on, or in the range right next to the one you are on. so you can leave stuff in your car (like extra water, food, sweater, jacket, hats, etc) and run to your car to grab what you need as needed. There are tables and benches at the ranges so you can setup a range bag and ammo for reloading and stuff… but it’s nice to know you have your car/truck nearby that you can run to and grab stuff if/when needed.
I think one of the things I really like about CTA is not only that the instructors are phenomenal, but the culture of the students is also phenomenal, and I think that is a reflection of the culture the staff and instructors create at CTA. There is definitely a camaraderie amongst the students, even if we’ve never met before, and I really like that!
Now… what to say about the Instructor Mike Lazarus… Hmmm… I just can’t say enough good things about him! Very calm, even keeled, very methodical. He’s not one of these guys that yells and screams. He’s not one of these guys that is going to stress you out on the range while you are trying to learn. He is extremely helpful. He has this ability to watch you shoot and in an instant he can tell exactly what you are doing wrong even if you don’t notice it yourself and he can correct it. I remember about halfway through the day I just unknowingly started to loosen my grip on my handgun. Not a lot. Just a little. My hands were starting to get fatigued. I didn’t notice it. But what I did notice was my accuracy started getting worse and I couldn’t figure out why… During one training evolution Mike was watching me and my accuracy wasn’t great and he just said “hey, why aren’t you gripping the gun tight anymore? Do that again but grip the gun tighter like you were earlier this morning.” Sure enough… perfect shot placement on the second try!
About this class specifically… This class is really helpful for beginner or intermediate shooters. If you have some experience shooting handguns but not a lot, or if you have a decent amount of experience but feel you have holes in your abilities and training, or you just feel like you want a refresher, this is a great class for you! I really liked the class and I learned a lot from it, and this is coming from someone who has taken a fair amount of classes! For me, there was nothing in this class that I haven’t done before in other classes… but doing it under Mike’s guidance and watchful eye, and following Mike’s methodology, really helped me achieve a couple of “ah ha!” moments in regards to bad habits I had developed and didn’t notice.
This class starts off with the basics… grip, trigger pull, stance, etc. Then covers proper techniques for drawing from a holster and reloading. Then covers basic moving and shooting, first by stepping side to side… then walking forward and backward… then walking side to side… all while shooting at targets. We also covered how to shoot one handed with both your strong and weak hand (in case of injury), and we also covered how to draw and reload one handed with both strong AND WEAK HANDS!!! Those were pretty valuable skills I had never thought of, and it’s not something you can just do intuitively. There are some techniques that Mike shows you to make it much easier while still being extremely safe. Mike also covers how to clear various types of malfunctions in this class, including us staging our guns in a malfunctioned state and then us having to clear it and get two shots off at the target. I really liked that. It’s one thing for an instructor to just say “ok, if you get a malfunction these are the steps you do to fix it and now lets move on to shooting”. Which is what I’ve gotten from a lot of other classes I’ve taken. But to sit there and setup the gun for each type of malfunction that can occur, and then have to clear it and shoot… and do this multiple times… it really just helps instill a muscle memory and confidence with safe gun handling procedures and I really liked that.
Lastly, one of the things that I think sets Mike apart from other instructors is not only his experience as an Army combat vet and an experienced SWAT law enforcement officer (he has DECADES of experience), but he also has a law degree and teaches law at colleges in LA. He is also an LA court appointed expert witness on use of force. So he is literally considered an “expert” on use of force law. It just really adds an extra level of training when you can ask specific questions related to when you can and cannot use a firearm in self-defense and get answers from one of the people who the LA court system calls on as an expert witness to answer those very same questions in court! I remember I asked a question about defending a friend’s or neighbor’s business during a riot (this class happened shortly after the riots and looting in LA, Van Nuys and Santa Monica) and some different situations that could arise that might be controversial… Mike’s answers were pretty incredible and insightful and really opened my eyes to how defensive uses of force are looked at by the courts. If you want to know what he said, you’ll just have to take a class with him and ask some questions yourself! 😉
This class was incredible and Mike is a phenomenal teacher. I will absolutely be taking this class again in the future, I liked it that much! And that is another great thing about these types of classes… it doesn’t have to be “one and done”. You could take this same class a year later and still learn new things from it. I highly recommend this class!
Scott Mamolo (verified owner) –
What a great day! I just finished Mike’s Advanced Course and I learned a ton over the day. I even had, as Mike calls them, “light-bulb moments”, where everything clicked with my shooting. This class was terrific, Mike is a pros pro, but patient and really cares about each student and meeting their specific challenges. I’ll definitely look for other courses and work on specific drills. I can’t recommend more highly.