Charlie Perez "Practical shooting Skills" class review

[obsessiveshooter]

I'm a middling A class shooter and I've been shooting for about 2.5 years.  Up until this weekend I've never taken a class, so getting to A was a long road.  I did a lot of dumb things, like having my mags and mag pouches backwards, etc, for a long time before I figured out the right way.  Recently I realized I have plateaued, and it was going to take more than just reading on Enos to figure what I need to work on.  Also, not knowing what to work on made it impossible to get excited about practicing, so I basically never practice.  All I know is, I haven't been closing that 20% gap on the winner and I look wonky shooting in my match vids.  Time to take a class!  In Eastern Colorado, Charlie Perez is the top GM Limited shooter, so when he offered a class, I took him up on it, and attended this past Saturday.

Going in to the class, I was thinking of something I read years ago...  In a scalding review of the sports memoir book "Beyond Center Court: My Story", David Foster Wallace wrote, "Great athletes usually turn out to be stunningly inarticulate about just those qualities and experiences that constitute their fascination."  Meaning, just because someone is really good at something doesn't mean they understand what they are doing or, more importantly, that they can convey the why and how of their techniques and strategies.  Being able to do something well doesn't mean you can teach it.  So, for example, if I had infinite funds to get training on improving my basketball game, chances are I would be much better served hiring a winning high school basketball coach to teach me, rather than hiring Lebron, Jordan or Shaq for private instruction.  

It was great to find that Charlie doesn't at all fit into the generalization that David Foster Wallace described.  Charlie developed his shooting skills from years of constant practice, on the clock, testing different approaches to see what yields the best results. Because of this data he knows what works, and can clearly explain why it works using articulate language.  I've seen videos of other champion shooters teaching classes, and many times I hear them talking using really imprecise language and they just sound kinda dumb, and while they can demonstrate a skill, their explanation shows that they don't really understand it themselves- they just know it works for them.    That wasn't the case in Charlie's class, at all.  He made it clear that there was a very logical reason one way of doing something is better than alternative ways, and he also conveyed clearly how the techniques change as your skill level progresses.  There was no 'one-size-fits-all' approach.     

One critical thing I was hoping for during the class was that my live fire would be critiqued thoroughly.  This part of the class really shined.  I was amazed at how much Charlie would pick up on when we were shooting. After a run he could make a long list of very specific things we did that needed correction, and could explain clearly how to work on it and what to do differently.    

I'm not going to get into his teaching content, except to say that I came away with 2 pages my own VERY helpful notes, and as an A class shooter I now know of at least 10 critical things I need to change in my shooting.   This is exactly what I was hoping for.  It's not a mystery to me anymore why I'm always 20%+ behind 1st place in Limited.

 

In short, I doubt you could take a better class than the one offered by Charlie Perez.  If he offers a class in your area, you will not be disappointed.    

[CHA-LEE]

Thanks for the honest review of my class. I am glad that you enjoyed the class and know that you will be able to take your skills to the next level by applying what you learned. Keep up the hard work and the sky is the limit.

[motosapiens]

cha-lee is a fine shooter and fine RO and good guy. What I've seen when he offers critiques of vids that people post here is pretty valuable stuff. My question for you cha-lee is what do you charge for these classes and do you ever offer them away from home (like when you travel to a big match, for example)?

[d_striker]

I've taken a few classes from some of the top people in the sport.  One of those classes I walked away with a couple of things to work on.  I didn't really get anything out of another class.

 

I have taken Charlie Perez's class twice.  Both times I walked away with a TON of stuff to think about and work on.  His instruction continues to bring my game to new levels.

 

Charlie is seriously one of the best, most profound instructors I've met.  If you live in CO and want to get serious about getting good at this game, it's stupid not to take a class when he's offering one.  The cost for the class at his home range is as cheap as it gets for this level of instruction.  

 

Moto-not sure about the cost of his class on the road as now you're talking about travel expenses.  

Edited April 10, 2017 by d_striker

[CHA-LEE]

11 minutes ago, motosapiens said:

cha-lee is a fine shooter and fine RO and good guy. What I've seen when he offers critiques of vids that people post here is pretty valuable stuff. My question for you cha-lee is what do you charge for these classes and do you ever offer them away from home (like when you travel to a big match, for example)?

 

I mostly do training classes here in Colorado but I do travel out of state for classes as well. The cost of out of state training classes varies based on the actual travel costs. But it usually averages around $350 per student for a 2 day class. If you are interested in me coming out to your area to present a class send me a PM and we can hammer out the details. I have actually been trying to wrangle up a class in Idaho but there didn't seem like there was enough interest.

 

Unfortunately people usually don't put much value in training when they can buy cool new guns or gear with the same $$$. I can't force people to take training, but I can tell you that when I go to any match, I am not too worried about a competitor that has a $5000 gun and $500 worth of training. I am worried about the competitor that has a $500 gun and $5000 worth of training because they actually know how to effectively whip some ass.  

[motosapiens]

1 hour ago, d_striker said:

Moto-not sure about the cost of his class on the road as now you're talking about travel expenses.  

 

Yeah, might be worthwhile to travel to CO sometime as part of a vacation. wife has family near longmont, and there is some beer tourism as well.

[SWprotected]

Moto, Oskar Blues in Longmont is worth a visit. Lots of beer and good food.

[Husker95]

I took Charlie's class with my son when we first started getting into the sport.  Was probably the best investment I've made in USPSA thus far.  Charlie really takes the time to give you the "Why" behind his teaching points.

 

If you guys come to the Springs to take a class - you owe it to yourselves to hit d_striker's brewery in Manitou.  I think they have one of the best IPAs in SoCo. 

[jwhittin]

I had the same experience as d_striker.  Didn't get much out of other instruction but when I took Charlie's class I had a notepad full of stuff to work on.  I found Charlie's style of teaching to be exceptional. He is very well organized and very thorough.  His class is very reasonably priced and the quality of the instruction is outstanding!