|
Welcome to The Target Zone
The Monthly Newsletter of Center Target Sports, Inc.
Can you believe it is June already? I hope you all survived last month's high water issues. It is nice to sit down and begin this newsletter in my office rather than in some airport. It is good to be home for a few weeks. Last month's IALEFI conference and training went very well. While there I was able to take some classes and picked up the Springfield XD and Sig 250 Armorer certifications. Remember I never charge labor for any armorer services I perform. You only pay for parts if needed.
We are excited about the events we have planned for you this summer. First on the list is the arrival of John Farnam here at CTS. I know, I know, he is not teaching here until mid August. Friends, don't let the August date put you off from registering in this class today. In my opinion, John Farnam is the number one Defensive Handgun Instructor in the country if not the World. We have a lot of interest in this class and enrollment is strictly limited.
CTS does not get a percentage of John's course fees. My motivation in bringing John to our area is first for my students to experience an instructor of John's experience and quality, second to offer the shooting enthusiast of our region the opportunity to take a John Farnam class without the expense of travel, hotels and restaurants. John's class is designed for shooters of every level. Don't be intimidated to register for this class. Already enrolled in this class are beginner shooters, intermediate shooters and even some firearms instructors. Beginning students, don't miss this class. You are not only welcome but encouraged to take this class. One gentleman has paid full price for the course just to hear the lecture on day 1. Make time in your schedule, register while there is still room and let's make a good showing for John.
Last month we asked about the interest in a reloading class. Thanks for all the emails and calls. Look for the class announcement soon. We will offer a reloading class taught by an NRA Certified Reloading instructor in the very near future.
Do you walk with a cane? Whether you need a cane to assist you with your daily mobility or choose to have one along for protection, we have the class for you. Using a Walking cane as a defensive weapon is an awesome tool for the young and elderly alike. Some of you have asked and I think it is a great idea. We will be bringing a Grand Master cane fighting instructor in to teach this program this summer. He is anxious to teach both the elderly and young. We are in the process of matching the schedule of this instructor from Nevada with the availability of our facility. The cane is an awesome defensive weapon that can be carried with you everywhere. jWhen you travel you can carry it on the plane and have it available where ever your travels take you. More info to follow very soon.
We are starting another GSSF series in July. Don't forget the IDPA and Bullseye groups that continue to grow their programs as well. You may have noticed military vehicles parked outside and some fatigue wearing young men and woman in on the range. We are proud to support these service members from Fairchild Air Force base. They will be shooting on Thursday mornings for the next few months in order to keep up on the weapons qualification requirements. If you see them here please take the time to thank them for their service.
It is that time of year again. It is time to mine our bullet trap system so we ask for your understanding and patience towards the end of July as we complete this operation. The work will be performed by a company from Minnesota that travels the country mining ranges. They should be in and out of our facility in 3 days. They will start in the Tactical bay on a Sunday and have it ready for your use by Tues am. On Tues they will start and complete the fixed bay.
Peggy and I again want to thank you for your continued support. We hope you have a great summer season.
Enjoy and Be Safe.....
Your CTS Family.
P.S. from Peggy...Ed's having knee surgery on the 5th...good thoughts for him please.
P.P.S. If your friends aren't receiving this newsletter and you think they'd be interested, let us know at www.centertargetsports.com . Just click on "Contact Us". |
|
Class Registration & Cancellations Thank you all for the tremendous growth in your course enrollments and support for our training classes. It is so humbling for me to experience the result of your word of mouth advertising for our training programs and teaching philosophy. We used to experience a slow down in class enrollment during the better weather months. As you may have recognized, that is no longer the case. Our classes are continuing to fill days if not weeks prior to their scheduled date.
This is a good thing and we hope it continues. Unfortunately, lately we have had a number of no-shows on class day or students asking to be rescheduled the day prior to the class. We make reminder calls the day prior to class since so many of you register weeks prior to the scheduled date. That reminder call usually occurs within 24 hours of the class start time. We have a no-refund cancellation policy within 48 hrs of the class date. This policy is explained to everyone at time of registration. It is also printed on the enrollment form which requires the registrant's signature as well as posted on our website.
These classes are typically full and we normally have to turn away students or register them in later classes because you are holding a slot based on your enrollment and commitment to attend. When you do not show up or request rescheduling the day before the class we are unable to fill your vacated slot. This ultimately costs us and inhibits our ability to efficiently accommodate our ever growing number of students.
Beyond the money, it puts us in a customer service dilemma. On one hand we want to be accommodating and assist you as much as possible. Given a legitimate emergency cancellation, we will continue to bend over backwards for you. However, canceling because the weather report is bright and sunny on class day is a disservice to us and your fellow students. On the other hand we are trying to build a strong training program and provide class slots to you in a timely manner. These last minute cancellations or reschedules make it impossible for us to truly accommodate our potential students.
Please try to assist us in maximizing the number of students in all our classes by honoring your commitment to attend unless you encounter extraordinary circumstances. I would greatly appreciate your efforts, my staff and your fellow students will all benefit as well.
|
 Meet Rick Misener
Many of you know Rick Misener as the guy who seems to always be behind the counter. I wanted to take this opportunity to fill you in on a little of his history. Rick spent over 30 years in the printing industry. He worked in every aspect of commercial printing from running bindery equipment and printing presses to eventually owning his own print shop.
Rick has been shooting for over 45 years. He especially enjoys handguns and black powder firearms. I can understand his excitement over black powder as that was pretty much all they had when Rick was a kid. :) Rick loves to share his passion with others and he enjoys the special times he has shooting with his grandson Tristan.
June 1st is the 2 year anniversary for Rick as part of the CTS family. We are glad he is here and encourage you to take the time to meet him next time you are in. |
A Hodgepodge of Updates
I'll use this section to update you on a number of issues. Nothing major just a few odds and ends in response to many of the questions that our staff has been fielding over the last few weeks.
First, on many of your minds is the Next Generation Arms AR's. You may have noticed that we have backed off over the last month on promoting this awesome line of AR's. If you took the opportunity to come in and try out our demo, I know you're sold. So far we have fired over 3000 rds with no malfunctions, no cleaning, and no oil.
The delay in inventory is due to the manufacturer's primary CNC machine going down. They have generated so much interest in their product that they decided to capitalize on the unplanned breakdown and build a new facility with two new totally automated CNC machines. This new facility and equipment will allow them to produce 500 lowers per month. We will be receiving the first 10 guns on backorder any day now. They did deliver the first of the tactical guns the last week of May. Our advertising was generating so much interest in the guns we felt guilty fielding your questions and not having the guns on hand for you to purchase. As they come in, look for our advertising to increase as well.
We are anticipating the arrival of our AR Accessories & Furniture any day. In fact, by the time you read this we should have a substantial portion of our initial inventory in stock. Look for us to carry a wide variety of furniture, tools and common accessories to meet all your AR needs. In the future, when you think AR accessories, think CTS.
New styles of iShot bags are expected the first week of June. These bags are top quality and offer features that are especially appreciated by the competitive shooters. The new EVO bag has a fold out panel for accessories that will prove to be very useful. If you are a competitive shooter or a gear head, take a look at this bag.
The company making our Robotic Target System is having difficulty meeting our requirements. What they thought was going to be a piece of cake has turned out to be a nightmare for them. All I can say is we will not accept a system that will not perform to our specs. So short answer here is more info to follow.
|
Monthly Training Tip
IT Takes More Than Equipment and Techniques to Make You a Low-Light Winner
Recently there seems to be more and more written, discussed, and even advertised about working under low-light conditions. Maybe I am just more sensitive to these issues as this is a subject that I am passionate about and compelled to learn more. Through research, experimentation, and clinical study I am constantly looking for answers.
My purpose in this article pertains to how I believe you can immediately impact your low-light survivability. Sadly, many firearms instructors spend most of their time teaching the popular flashlight techniques that have been around forever. That's OK to a point. Flashlight techniques are important and they need to be understood. However, there is more to operating in the night than knowing how to hold a flashlight.
Develop an Understanding
I believe you need to develop greater understanding of the physiological and psychological aspects you will encounter while under stress in the dark. A comprehensive understanding of these factors will allow you to select and train in the techniques that work for your particular environment and personal limitations or capabilities. You need to understand that these are factors that affect everyone who operates in a low-light environment good guys and bad guys alike. Developing the knowledge, tools, tactics, and techniques to "Rule the Night" and not merely exist in it could save your life.
A great place to start to improve your low-light survivability is by studying the Human Eye Physiology, Affects of Body Alarm Response (BAR) in the dark, and the low-light skills of Visual Patience, and don't overlook the importance of using your Light Source as a Control Device.
Physiology
At a minimum, learn the function of the Rods and Cones. Understand how the Cones during day time, provide us with color and detail. In the dark the Rods take over and allow us to see movement rather than fine detail. Knowing where the Rods and Cones are located will reinforce why off-center viewing is so critical at night. Did you know that the amount of light we need to see at night doubles every 13 years?
Psychological
We need to understand that in reduced light, our mind will try to fill in what our eyes can't see. This becomes even more difficult to manage under stressful conditions. We have all heard instructors talk about Fight or Flight Response. Lately we are hearing the term Body Alarm Response (BAR) in the place of Flight or Flight. The BAR is the body's response to the high stress of a life threatening attack situation. Add the psychological & physiological changes that are magnified by the lack of light and the Low-Light BAR can be the most severe you will ever experience.
"Tunnel Vision" or "Perceptual Narrowing" can be explained by the physiological and psychological changes that accompany the BAR. As humans we have an innate tendency to narrow attention upon a threat during extreme stress.
Visual Patience
Visual patience is a term I use to describe the act of leaving your light on long enough to identify what you are looking at. Emotions of the fight and visual patience are often mixed or confused when we attempt to analyze the high stress environment of a gun fight.
Control With Light
I believe here is where you can tremendously improve your ability to win at night. You should learn to use light to control the bad guy. How do you use light as a force option? I bet I've got you wondering now. Place the hot spot of your light in your oponents eyes, you reduce his ability to see you clearly and mount any type of attack as you approach. He is unable to assess your physical conditioning, your size, determine if you are alone, look for an escape route, or look for cover, just to mention a few advantages.
If you have a quality light source, and you know how to use it, you can gain the advantages as stated above every time you confront a suspect in a diminished light environment.
I believe the single most important thing you can do to improve your survivability is to improve your understanding operating in the low-light environment. Never before, have we had the tools, access to the knowledge and clinical research available to us to truly "Rule the Night". | |
|
Wilderness / Hunting First Aid
With hunting season approaching and more of you recreating in wilderness areas I felt that July would be a good time to offer a Wilderness First Aid course. This is a course that will teach you the skills necessary to help someone experiencing a medical emergency prior to the arrival of the first responders. The course will cover basic first aid, gunshot trauma, life saving skills, and many tips that will help you in the wilderness.
You will learn about the Fundamental criteria of Wilderness first aid along with the Basic Life Saving Measures. We will demonstrate the treatment of Special Wounds and Fractures. Climatic injuries & the treatment of Bites & Stings will also be covered.
Many people take this class for the section on Gunshot Trauma alone. Here we discuss the elements of a gunshot wound and the steps required to treat a gunshot victim.
A portion of this course that always gets a lot of positive feedback is our presentation of First Aid Kits, Dressings, Bandages, Environmental Problems and Conditions. We will show you how to save money by putting together your own first aid kit tailored to your wilderness activities and lifestyle.
Register for this class early and get the entire family to participate as you never know who the next victim will be.
July 31st
5:30-9:30PM
For a complete list
Farnam is Coming!
CTS The Only Place To Try Before You Buy...
Friday Night Date Night
Unlimited shooting for both you and your date only $20 and 10% off Ammo and Targets
Give The Ultimate
Father's DAY Gift
Bring Dad to CCW class.
Refuse to be a Victim Class July 29th 5:30-9:30PM All proceeds go to the Post Falls Woman's Shelter
Farnam is Coming!
Gift Certificates Available
Don't forget Father's Day is coming!
Kubaton Class June 12th
5:30-9:30PM
FREE 1 Hour Class and Range Day with every firearm purchase. A $55.00 Value
New GSSF Match Series Starts July 19th 9am - 2pm
(There will be no match in June)
Farnam is Coming!
Repeat any class completed, forever for FREE!
CTS, The Only Place To Try Before You Buy...
Friday Night Date Night Unlimited shooting for both you and your date only $20 and 10% off Ammo and Targets
Gift Certificates Available Don't forget Father's Day
is coming!
FREE 1 Hour Class and Range Day with every firearm purchase. A $55.00 Value
Remember Bullseye Every Thursday Night at 6pm |
|
