Hey, I’m Josh, one of the engineers here at Dara Holsters. Recently, we had one of our routine training days at the range, which we try to do a couple of times a month. It’s always a great opportunity to sharpen skills, test our gear, and have some friendly competition. I wanted to walk you through one of the stages we ran that day.

The Sled Drag and Barricade Engagement Stage

This stage started by running up to the water cans where we grabbed a rope attached to a sled. The goal was to drag the sled past a second set of water cans. Once you get the sled past that marker, the range officer (RO) gives you the go-ahead to drop the rope.

I could have sprinted to that first barricade a bit faster, but I took it at a light jog. Speed is key in these kinds of drills, but it's easy to forget when you're trying to balance your movements.

After dropping the sled, I approached the VTEC barricades, engaging steel targets. This section wasn’t too difficult, as the distance to the targets was about 30 yards. The objective was to put two rounds on each target. I was feeling good about my aim, but during the drill, I accidentally slammed my suppressor into the barricade. These are the moments where training like this matters – real-world scenarios where things don’t go perfectly.

The Importance of Live Fire Training

This type of training, shooting live fire on real targets, is crucial. There’s no substitute for getting those reps in, working with your gear in a dynamic environment, and ensuring your accuracy is on point at various distances. You don’t know how you’ll react under stress until you’re out there, putting yourself and your equipment to the test.

Moving to the Shoot House

Next, we ran into the shoot house where we hit knockdown steel targets and followed up with two rounds each on paper targets. At one point, I had to take a third shot on one paper target because I noticed a C-zone hit, and for this drill, we were only counting A-zone hits.

Once the shoot house section was complete, it was back to the sled. This time, the challenge was to drag it backward. Holding onto both ropes, you had to walk backward, dragging the sled across the finish line.

A Little Friendly Competition

Of course, every training session ends with some friendly competition. We always push each other to be the fastest and most accurate. The time stops when you pass the cones at the end, but if you have a malfunction or hiccup along the way, that’s on you to fix and recover as quickly as possible.

The Best Part of Training

For me, the best part about these training sessions isn’t just improving my skills or competing—it’s the community. We’ve built a strong group of like-minded individuals, all focused on bettering ourselves and helping each other succeed. Training with them is always a good time, and I look forward to every session.

In the end, whether it's on the range, at competitions, or just training with friends, it's about pushing limits, improving, and having fun while doing it.

If you're into shooting sports or tactical training, I highly recommend finding a community of people to train with regularly. It's one of the best ways to grow, learn, and enjoy the process.

Stay sharp, stay safe, and keep training!