• A Serious Gunfighter's School

Written by Darryl Bolke , law enforcement instructor and police officer for SWAT magzine in April of 2003 and reprinted by permission of SWAT magazine.

International Tactical Training Seminars has been called the "best kept secret in tactical firearms training that is available today." The above quote came from a well known executive protection specialist who has attended courses from most of the big name schools in the United States. ITTS is a multifaceted organization that offers everything from entry level firearms instruction, to law enforcement/military restricted courses on high risk tactical shooting. They also do expert witness work, executive protection and other specialized security operations, and firearms related consultation to the entertainment and media industry.

So what makes ITTS so unique among a growing industry of professional training schools and organizations? One phrase sums it up,been there, done that. The instructor cadre of ITTS has some of the most experienced operators on the planet teaching for them.

The primary instructor is Scott Reitz. Most people outside the tactical community have never heard of Scott. He is not a famous gun writer, IPSC champion, or ever had his name attached to a technique. Instead, Scott Reitz has been at the tip of the spear at LAPD for more than twenty years,most of it assigned to the legendary "D" platoon (SWAT),and as a firearms and tactics instructor. He is currently assigned to train Metro Division, and handles the firearms training for LAPD's specialized units. He has trained members of the most elite military and law enforcement units. He is very well respected as a Deadly Force Expert within the court system. Scott has personally been in five shootings, all of which were successful and within policy. He trains about seven thousand officers a year.

Many people discount actually being in real shootings as unnecessary to teach about gun fighting. I disagree. While many instructors are perfectly qualified to teach about firearms and self-defense without ever being involved in a lethal force confrontation, I find that to truly be an expert at something you should have actually done it before. In Scott Reitz's own words, "Look at a surgeon. Would you have a guy teaching surgery who had never really done it before, but had only studied it? How comfortable would you feel with this guy's students operating on you?" This is how serious Reitz takes teaching how to deal with lethal force confrontations.

ITTS is averaging more than twenty students a year being involved in shootings-all with successful outcomes. Experience also comes into play with what is being taught. Many highly skilled shooters who have little or no experience in Executive Protection are now teaching courses in tactics. Personally, I'd rather have an instructor who has done VIP and Dignitary Protection work with three different Presidential details and hundreds of other dignitaries, than an instructor who can only show you his latest shooting match trophy.

The same holds true with Precision Rifle or High Risk Warrant service. Scott Reitz and the other instructor cadre at ITTS have had hundreds of real world deployments in these scenarios, and have arrested thousands of violent felons in a major metropolitan city. These are not hobby cops,they are the real deal. More important, they know how to teach as well as they operate and shoot.

I first met Scott in early 1990. I had taken over training my agency's SWAT team, and I went out to LAPD to spend three days with their SWAT firearms instructor cadre. Those three days stand out as the most enlightening days of my career as a police officer and a firearms instructor. Scott was one of the instructors who really taught me about what being a professional law enforcement officer was all about. The ancient Spartans had their own version of what was needed to be a professional warrior,skill at arms and experience,and Scott and his instructor cadre at ITTS are the epitome of this. The entire instructor cadre is also at this level, and includes such LAPD legends as Larry Mudgett and John Helms.

Many schools live on the legend of their primary instructors, but they frequently disappear right after their lecture. At ITTS, when you pay for a course with a specific instructor, he is with you for the entire class. ITTS is incredibly consistent in teaching what flat works, and is definitely not the gimmick of the week school. They pride themselves on the able quality of their instructors and their experience. In short, ITTS is not a program for hobbyists or posers,it is a true Mecca for teaching the good guys how to gunfight and survive in the real world.

ITTS target systems reflect the great operational experience of the ITTS staff. These are fabricated in-house and are designed to simulate dynamic, high- speed gunfights. In my own experiences in taking advanced classes at ITTS, the targets are moving, you are moving, or both are moving. The bigger mover at ITTS is very challenging. It will move more than a hundred pounds of targets over sixteen miles per hour, the speed of a sprinting human. Believe me, when several of the big 3D clay targets in various configurations come screaming out from behind a wall and you have to make a shoot/don't shoot decision on an unpredictably moving monster, it will test your abilities.

Often, qualification courses are shot with moving targets. Hostage situations are also presented in some unique and challenging ways. Simunitons can also be incorporated in replicating actual situations from the field. Other unique challenges include communication while shooting and teamwork.

For those looking for a good basic foundation in firearms handling and shooting skill, ITTS can deliver here as well. Brett McQueen is usually the first person of contact at the ITTS offices. She is also an exceptional instructor in her own right. Brett is an FBI certified law enforcement instructor, and has trained at Gunsite, Thunder Ranch and with Yavapai Firearms Academy. She has trained thousands of civilians, police officers and federal agents over the last ten years. Brett teaches most of the basic and novice classes. She is also very well regarded by many female students who have been uncomfortable in male-dominated classes. Additionally, she has made numerous TV and radio appearances on firearms related subjects.

So what can be expected at an ITTS class? You will be challenged. I don't care how good a shooter you think you are, your fighting skills will be challenged. You will not be pampered or babied. You will be taught by experts on how to deal with the realities of combat with a firearm. This goes for total novices as well as experienced SWAT and elite military operators. Breaks are short, and you can expect to work hard. The classes are generally kept small to allow for good instructor attention and interaction. This also allows for a very high level of safety. Safety, without exception, is the utmost priority in all classes. This is how their unblemished safety record is maintained. The classes are very inexpensive for the level of training. A typical one-day class is only $150. I had four active duty Navy SEALS in a restricted class with me who were laughing about the amount of money that has been spent on sending them all over the country to train, and the best school they had ever attended was only a couple of hours drive from Coronado, and only cost a hundred and fifty bucks. Most courses are held at Eagles Nest at the Angeles Range in Los Angeles.

I consider myself a pretty competent operator, with a good balance of a large number of training classes, instructional experience and real world shootings and operations. ITTS classes are one of the few that I feel like a novice in, and generally sit with my mouth closed and my ears open. The instructional cadre is a pure encyclopedia of not only the gunfights that they have been involved in, but are also true historians of firearms combat. It is very encouraging to hear the ITTS instructors quoting Bil Jordan, Ed McGivern, Elmer Keith and, of course, ]eff Cooper.

In this day and age it has become very in vogue for the latest champion of some sport shooting or "tactical" competition to be the new guru's of teaching gunfighting. It does not work for me. Scott Reitz is not a world champion speed shooter, however, I would bet that there are very few people who can beat him when you throw in factors like target identification, threat assessment and constantly moving targets. The most important aspect is that Scott loves to share his knowledge with his students. He teaches with a well balanced level of knowledge, professionalism, enthusiasm and humor. He does not mind debate on subjects, but be forewarned, if you are discussing "theories," you will get hit back with a whole bunch of fact.

ITTS offers many types of classes. From Basic Pistol to Advanced Precision Rifle. Some of the classes are "all movement," and some are very specialized law enforcement/ military restricted like Nighttime Vehicle Assaults. They also offer Instructor Development Courses. ITTS is expanding its offerings every year. The future includes interactive video on their website, a series of books, and videos. They will also be offering a limited edition knife made by Emerson Knives Inc., and will be offering some edged weapons classes.

I truly believe that ITTS is an incredible value for the knowledge that is available. It is not a cut-rate shooting school,it is a top-of-the-line school. I am glad to see that they are beginning to expand their operations and grow. In the past ITTS has not advertised in the main stream shooting circles, they were strictly, word of mouth. Now the secret's out. If you. want to really learn about gunfighting, and be challenged. International Tactical Training Seminars is a great place to start.

Reprinted article from SWAT magazine April 2003 special issue by permission of the publisher Swat Magazine.