You wait quietly in the ambush, scanning your sector of fire for any targets the catch group missed. You try to remain still, lying on the damp ground in your wet gear while one of the many West Virginia rocks pokes you in the hip. The fog rolls in and you notice your breath has caused your Aimpoint to fog up. Normally you would never do this: maybe itâs the less than four hours of sleep, perhaps itâs your desire to not let your team down; either way, you reach up and wipe the glass with your filthy gloved hand. For the moment the red dot is projected onto a clear target picture of the trail below.
Deployed around you are seven others in your squad. There are two two-man âcatch teamsâ about 50 yards away on your left and your right. The two catch teams have the job of watching the flanks and catching any bad guys trying to run off the X once the shooting starts. You are in the four-man central kill group. Your job is to make sure none of the bad guys ever make it off the X.
Suddenly you feel the communication cord jerk, two tugs. Running under you from the catch team about 50 yards on your left to the squad leader on your right, the comm cord tugs tell him, and you, that there is someone coming. You tense and catch your breath, heart pounding. Donât screw this up, you tell yourself. The targets pop up and you wait for the squad leaderâs signal. In your mind the plain green electronic pop-up target becomes the sicko that you and Max talked about yesterday. You put the dot on the target and waitâ¦
Suddenly, the squad leaderâs rifle roars to life; thatâs your signal. Immediately you begin pouring rounds downrange into the target turned jihadist, your carbine firing even before your brain registers the sound of the squad leaderâs shot. After an eternity of rapid fire to kill the enemy, the targets go down. âScan and Shoot!â Max commands, and you wait in silence for any of the targets to come back up. This would simulate one of the bad guys who took cover on the âXâ deciding to make a run for it now the shooting has stopped. If he pops up, you shoot him. You hear the catch teams to your right and left open up on their ârunnersâ, and then silence.
âCatch team, MOVE!â Max shouts at the left group, and you get ready to ex-filtrate before a larger force of bad guys can come down on your squad. On the signal, you get up and haul it to the rally point. The squad leader counts the team and everyone is accounted for. The ambush was successful.
Welcome to the final day of Max Velocityâs combination Combat Rifle Contact Drills and Combat Patrolling class.
I recently took the Max Velocity combined Contact Rifle Combat Drills (CRCD) and Combat Patrolling class (August 2-6). My class was five days, but all new combined classes are six days. Max added a day of weapons manipulation training to the CRCD because so many of the students have problems in this area. In my opinion the extra day is probably needed in most cases. This makes the current CRCD class offering three days, and Combat Patrolling class three days. The combined class is now six days.
In short, this was excellent training. The first day youâll work on weapons manipulation on the âsquare rangeâ. Then youâll begin work on basic reaction to contact drills; return fire, take cover, return accurate fire. Then you start working on buddy team basics. Fighting forward or breaking contact in buddy teams, one team member suppressing the enemy while the other moves. This is later widened to include fire teams (2 buddy team pairs), and eventually the entire squad. Shoot, move, communicate is stressed.
The CRCD class culminates in a live fire assault on two fixed bunkers. The squad splits into fire support and assault groups upon contacting the bunker. The fire support team suppresses the bunker as the assault team moves into position for a grenade assault (smoke grenade only, unfortunately). After the first bunker is taken the roles are reversed; the first assault team becomes fire support as the original fire support team assaults the 2[SUP]nd[/SUP] bunker. It is loud, happens fast, and gets your heart rate going. As my battle buddy said of this exercise: âThat was worth the price of admission.â I totally agree.
There is theory, there is rehearsal, there is actual movement, and all exercises are live fire. The entire time Max and the other instructor (Chris, in this case) are right there with you, offering constructive criticism and motivating you to push yourself hard. Along the way they give little pointers that told me these guys arenât just in it for the money. They have a genuine passion for you to learn these tactics.
On the first day of the Combat Patrolling class you cover theory of movement, hand signals, and gear selection. You also do an assault on a fixed position just to get the blood pumping and to integrate the squad, in case someone shows up for just the Patrolling class. If you take the combined class this light day is a welcome break.
On the second day you have the âtactical yard saleâ. You spread out your gear and the instructors take a look to make sure you are carrying enough but arenât carrying too much. Beginning at noon on the 2[SUP]nd[/SUP] day the Patrol begins. From here on out there is little to no talking, just hand signals. You patrol to the patrol base carrying your ruck and gear. You set up a hasty ambush before setting up the base just in case youâre being tracked, send out patrols to recce the area of the base, set up your shelters (poncho rigged like a tarp), and put out and rotate sentries. Cook, eat, rest, administrate yourself.
After dark the team gets briefed on their nighttime recce missions. The teams patrol to their positions and have to gain intel on the âenemyâ positions. Ex-filtrate out and get back to the base, while the instructors look for you with night vision and thermal optics.
After the debrief itâs back to the patrol base, about midnight. In my case, I was then up for sentry duty at 0145 and back in my âhoochâ at 0300. Then everyone is awakened at 0500, all the gear is stowed, and you âstand toâ just in case you get âbumpedâ at dawn. Did I mention that it rained, and you have to sleep in your wet gear if you didnât bring dry clothes?
The day continues on with rehearsal for the aforementioned ambush, then the ambush itself. Then, to finish it off you plan and execute a raid on an enemy position. Again the team is split into fire support and assault, with the assault time âfighting throughâ the objective, moving in buddy team pairs. Afterward, since you did a âbad thingâ you have to get out of there quickly, just in case the enemy called in artillery or air support.
This class is good stuff and tests you and your gear. I went through 1100 rounds, broke both of the Butler Creek covers on my Aimpoint, and blew up a Phantom flash hider. It was great.
To my knowledge there is no one else doing training like this East of the Mississippi. Itâs not some new revelation, itâs just fundamental small unit infantry tactics done well. Max and his instructors have experience in this, having âbeen there and done thatâ. He also utilizes electronic pop up targets so you get some realism. When the target pops up, you need to respond quickly. The target will go down when you hit it, which will also tell you something about your shooting.
Do not expect the latest âsuper-secret squirrelâ techniques. Max and team will not tell you âyou have to run the latest XYZ gadget or youâll dieâ. We had guys with Vietnam era ALICE gear, and it worked just fine. Run what you brung, and learn to shoot, move, communicate. Donât be that guy: âAll the gear, and no idea.â
Suggestions:
PT, PT, and more PT. Iâm pretty fit, and trained on the North Georgia trails prior to the class by carrying my battle belt and ruck. I still needed to be more fit, as the hills in West Virginia are STEEP. Max will make allowances for you, and can still make it work even if you canât physically do all of the tasks. However, youâll get more out of it if youâre fit.
Leave the chest rig at home and use a battle belt. Donât believe me? Put on your chest rig and low crawl across your lawn. Try to pull mags out while prone. Chest rigs are for vehicle borne operations, or for guys who want to stand there and look cool while getting shot. For dismounted infantry, the battle belt rules.
Do not take this class if you canât tolerate swearing, or being sworn at. It isnât personal; Max uses it for âbattlefield inoculationâ. Itâs a great motivator while youâre on the battlefield, and sometimes you need it to get moving. He doesnât do it to demean you; he does it to move you, and it works.
Youâll need at least 1,000 rounds for the combined class, and probably 5-6 magazines, minimum. Knee pads are, in my mind, a requirement. I had brand new knee pads that look 10 years old now. Go to his blog and look at suggested gear list. www.maxvelocitytactical.com
Did I mention PT?
Deployed around you are seven others in your squad. There are two two-man âcatch teamsâ about 50 yards away on your left and your right. The two catch teams have the job of watching the flanks and catching any bad guys trying to run off the X once the shooting starts. You are in the four-man central kill group. Your job is to make sure none of the bad guys ever make it off the X.
Suddenly you feel the communication cord jerk, two tugs. Running under you from the catch team about 50 yards on your left to the squad leader on your right, the comm cord tugs tell him, and you, that there is someone coming. You tense and catch your breath, heart pounding. Donât screw this up, you tell yourself. The targets pop up and you wait for the squad leaderâs signal. In your mind the plain green electronic pop-up target becomes the sicko that you and Max talked about yesterday. You put the dot on the target and waitâ¦
Suddenly, the squad leaderâs rifle roars to life; thatâs your signal. Immediately you begin pouring rounds downrange into the target turned jihadist, your carbine firing even before your brain registers the sound of the squad leaderâs shot. After an eternity of rapid fire to kill the enemy, the targets go down. âScan and Shoot!â Max commands, and you wait in silence for any of the targets to come back up. This would simulate one of the bad guys who took cover on the âXâ deciding to make a run for it now the shooting has stopped. If he pops up, you shoot him. You hear the catch teams to your right and left open up on their ârunnersâ, and then silence.
âCatch team, MOVE!â Max shouts at the left group, and you get ready to ex-filtrate before a larger force of bad guys can come down on your squad. On the signal, you get up and haul it to the rally point. The squad leader counts the team and everyone is accounted for. The ambush was successful.
Welcome to the final day of Max Velocityâs combination Combat Rifle Contact Drills and Combat Patrolling class.
I recently took the Max Velocity combined Contact Rifle Combat Drills (CRCD) and Combat Patrolling class (August 2-6). My class was five days, but all new combined classes are six days. Max added a day of weapons manipulation training to the CRCD because so many of the students have problems in this area. In my opinion the extra day is probably needed in most cases. This makes the current CRCD class offering three days, and Combat Patrolling class three days. The combined class is now six days.
In short, this was excellent training. The first day youâll work on weapons manipulation on the âsquare rangeâ. Then youâll begin work on basic reaction to contact drills; return fire, take cover, return accurate fire. Then you start working on buddy team basics. Fighting forward or breaking contact in buddy teams, one team member suppressing the enemy while the other moves. This is later widened to include fire teams (2 buddy team pairs), and eventually the entire squad. Shoot, move, communicate is stressed.
The CRCD class culminates in a live fire assault on two fixed bunkers. The squad splits into fire support and assault groups upon contacting the bunker. The fire support team suppresses the bunker as the assault team moves into position for a grenade assault (smoke grenade only, unfortunately). After the first bunker is taken the roles are reversed; the first assault team becomes fire support as the original fire support team assaults the 2[SUP]nd[/SUP] bunker. It is loud, happens fast, and gets your heart rate going. As my battle buddy said of this exercise: âThat was worth the price of admission.â I totally agree.
There is theory, there is rehearsal, there is actual movement, and all exercises are live fire. The entire time Max and the other instructor (Chris, in this case) are right there with you, offering constructive criticism and motivating you to push yourself hard. Along the way they give little pointers that told me these guys arenât just in it for the money. They have a genuine passion for you to learn these tactics.
On the first day of the Combat Patrolling class you cover theory of movement, hand signals, and gear selection. You also do an assault on a fixed position just to get the blood pumping and to integrate the squad, in case someone shows up for just the Patrolling class. If you take the combined class this light day is a welcome break.
On the second day you have the âtactical yard saleâ. You spread out your gear and the instructors take a look to make sure you are carrying enough but arenât carrying too much. Beginning at noon on the 2[SUP]nd[/SUP] day the Patrol begins. From here on out there is little to no talking, just hand signals. You patrol to the patrol base carrying your ruck and gear. You set up a hasty ambush before setting up the base just in case youâre being tracked, send out patrols to recce the area of the base, set up your shelters (poncho rigged like a tarp), and put out and rotate sentries. Cook, eat, rest, administrate yourself.
After dark the team gets briefed on their nighttime recce missions. The teams patrol to their positions and have to gain intel on the âenemyâ positions. Ex-filtrate out and get back to the base, while the instructors look for you with night vision and thermal optics.
After the debrief itâs back to the patrol base, about midnight. In my case, I was then up for sentry duty at 0145 and back in my âhoochâ at 0300. Then everyone is awakened at 0500, all the gear is stowed, and you âstand toâ just in case you get âbumpedâ at dawn. Did I mention that it rained, and you have to sleep in your wet gear if you didnât bring dry clothes?
The day continues on with rehearsal for the aforementioned ambush, then the ambush itself. Then, to finish it off you plan and execute a raid on an enemy position. Again the team is split into fire support and assault, with the assault time âfighting throughâ the objective, moving in buddy team pairs. Afterward, since you did a âbad thingâ you have to get out of there quickly, just in case the enemy called in artillery or air support.
This class is good stuff and tests you and your gear. I went through 1100 rounds, broke both of the Butler Creek covers on my Aimpoint, and blew up a Phantom flash hider. It was great.
To my knowledge there is no one else doing training like this East of the Mississippi. Itâs not some new revelation, itâs just fundamental small unit infantry tactics done well. Max and his instructors have experience in this, having âbeen there and done thatâ. He also utilizes electronic pop up targets so you get some realism. When the target pops up, you need to respond quickly. The target will go down when you hit it, which will also tell you something about your shooting.
Do not expect the latest âsuper-secret squirrelâ techniques. Max and team will not tell you âyou have to run the latest XYZ gadget or youâll dieâ. We had guys with Vietnam era ALICE gear, and it worked just fine. Run what you brung, and learn to shoot, move, communicate. Donât be that guy: âAll the gear, and no idea.â
Suggestions:
PT, PT, and more PT. Iâm pretty fit, and trained on the North Georgia trails prior to the class by carrying my battle belt and ruck. I still needed to be more fit, as the hills in West Virginia are STEEP. Max will make allowances for you, and can still make it work even if you canât physically do all of the tasks. However, youâll get more out of it if youâre fit.
Leave the chest rig at home and use a battle belt. Donât believe me? Put on your chest rig and low crawl across your lawn. Try to pull mags out while prone. Chest rigs are for vehicle borne operations, or for guys who want to stand there and look cool while getting shot. For dismounted infantry, the battle belt rules.
Do not take this class if you canât tolerate swearing, or being sworn at. It isnât personal; Max uses it for âbattlefield inoculationâ. Itâs a great motivator while youâre on the battlefield, and sometimes you need it to get moving. He doesnât do it to demean you; he does it to move you, and it works.
Youâll need at least 1,000 rounds for the combined class, and probably 5-6 magazines, minimum. Knee pads are, in my mind, a requirement. I had brand new knee pads that look 10 years old now. Go to his blog and look at suggested gear list. www.maxvelocitytactical.com
Did I mention PT?
