Enter the Dagobah System with Next Level Training

Mike Hughes shows us his “Progressor” Drill. It was actually quite a bit drier this time than last…

Those of you who have followed our articles know we are big fans of the SIRT Training Pistol developed by our friend Mike Hughes at Next Level Training. While we are always excited to check out that new piece of gear to improve our performance and maximize training potential, one of the lessons I have learned from Mike is that you don’t need fancy equipment to train effectively.

Many of you know Mike Hughes as the runner-up from the History Channel’s Top Shot – Season Three. What you may not know is he is a highly accomplished pistol competitor, with a Grand Master Rating in USPSA. This is no small feat. The most impressive part about it is that he doesn’t use super fancy training setups, or ultra expensive, custom pistols to win matches. In fact, he prides himself in shooting box-stock, Glock 19 pistols with those horrendous plastic sights.

Many of Mike’s friends affectionately refer to his range as Dagobah, thanks to its sparse and swamp like appearance. And despite cold, wet weather and the soggy ground beneath him, Mike and his good friend Britt, never fail to get regular training sessions in early in the morning before a long day in the office.

It is this attitude that creates winners. Using what you have available to you eliminates those self imposed barriers to training. These barriers usually take the form of thoughts such as, “If I only had *this* or *that* piece of equipment, I would really start training.”

We are big believers in integrating the SIRT pistol into our training regimen. But if you can’t afford one, be creative.

If all you have is an empty pistol and some light switches, make sure you are safe and use that to train. Tape a $5 laser pointer from the grocery store to your empty pistol or carbine to work on your target transitions or shooting on the move. Use your imagination to create your own training methods and the benefits will come.