Great to hear these responses and much appreciated We take great pride in on our diagnostics abilities and we are often sourced by outside entities to specifically address hard target audiences or to work with select shooters/units to take their shooting to the next level of performance. With very limited availability, our advanced level diagnostics courses are our pride and premier events, hope to get to those one day.
Only within the last year, we have looked outside of strictly LE/Mil/Gov clients and have included private sector events. Having been involved operationally and in the training world most of my adult life, this has been a great experience, with awesome people and a huge plus in our lives. Being able to look outside of the "bubble" that we have been in career-wise and making new friends is life changing. Also, having seen the entire training circus on the mainland develope over the last 15 years or so and having traveled the map doing it, I am glad to have had other opportunities to break from that full time. Just to stay involved we are thrilled to be able to bring world-class experiences from time to time, to the private sector in our backyard because we truly love what we do and want to share this with others and promote what we all enjoy. Hawaii deserves it, but Hawaii being Hawaii, discretion is important to us and our clients.
As far as testing out new gear and set-ups, we are gear people also. We have helped to T&E or R&D several top items on the market currently in several areas, so our exposure is pretty good, and we have also BTDT out of pocket, so we welcome those to tap our experience or to shake out your configurations during training.
I think there are a few key things that stop people from getting involved or seeking professional training.
1) Costs. If you have not done any professional training, it may sound like an expensive undertaking, and it is. I am asked all the time how much does it cost to travel to the mainland for a training class? Airfare, extra baggage fees, hotel, rental car, meals, ammunition, course tuition, range fees, misc expenses, can easily hit $5K and up. If you can get that same training in Hawaii from a vetted and high caliber training group, jump on the opportunity. The savings are huge. Top quality training in Hawaii is not easy to come by, so anyone who has the chance and desire should not pass the opportunity should it present itself. Most never even hear about how to get involved.
2) Lack of knowledge/Dunning Kruger. Many people don't know, what they don't know, or they think they know more than they do. There are people new to this sport/hobby, and they are feeling their way around. This is great. Try to find good people and learn but keep a very open mind. Avoid those who wish to be your guru and don't encourage you to seek out others. Unfortunately, there are far more fakes out there who you want to avoid, so getting the best information can be confusing.
The other type is a typical male response. It goes like this, "I have grown up hunting and been shooting all my life," or "I was in the military." This is the Dunning-Kruger type who immediately overestimates their skills and male bravado often stops them from seeking actual professional instruction. Do not confuse a professional with a recreational shooting group of friends. While there can be professionals in a shooting group, a group of individuals out shooting does not automatically equal professional. Having trained hundreds of Mil/LE/Gov types, they often overestimate their skills. Usually, the upper percentile shooters get it. They seek out training and always strive to better themselves. The lesser educated/skilled, or less confident individual makes excuses to avoid personal development. Just human nature. Don't be afraid to understand your current level of knowledge and skill. Any deficit is not a negative reflection of you as a person. It merely means that you have not dedicated the time or put in the work to master the skills, but with time and some effort, you will get there. This is why females often make better students when it comes to firearms. They have no male ego associated with firearms.
3) Procrastinators. "I'll get to it one of these days." I have no issues there, people are busy, and we must prioritize our lives and our time. But if you are genuinely interested, just get out there and do it. Join some friends that shoot. Join a club. Work towards professional instruction. I will say again, if an opportunity for high caliber training presents itself, jump on it. The opening may not always be there.
With all sincerity, thanks, guys. Like minded people will come together and I look forward to seeing you in the future! Keep up the hard work, as it is evident that you guys take pride in your shooting skills.