I woke early on Sunday morning to find a thoroughly silent
bunkroom. As I made coffee for Eli and me, sleeping bags
started to move and one by one the guys came awake and
began to prepare for the last day. By the time other users of
the site arrived “Alpha” and “Bravo” had already been at work
for two hours, and the other visitors must have wondered who
these silent individuals were that moved about the site with
such assurance and purpose!
GE
THE FINAL PUSH
Drill followed drill and the pace continued unabated. By the
time the course concluded with a “force on force” scenario (hence
the use of airsoft replicas) the teams were working efficiently
and cohesively, the skills and practices they had learnt flowing
smoothly and naturally. Everyone had worked their backside off,
they’d had highs, lows, and yet more exultant highs individually
and together. They’d felt pain and sheer tired numbness and
overcome these to achieve the fundamental basics that with
time and diligence might become CQB excellence.
And all of this was down to a superb training facility in the
shape of the Skills Room at Tac House Spartan, and ultimately to
one man.
Eli pushed them to their limits; as a gifted instructor he
broke them down, made them question techniques they had
previously thought gospel, showed them new ways to work a
scenario, gave them the skills to do so, and finally rebuilt them
into a functional and efficient unit, building confidence with
each and every “pie cut”. This is a man who has always had
my respect, but seeing my friend in action has increased this
exponentially, and I hope that he will return to the UK soon to
run more courses.
I’ll conclude this report with a blunt statement; if you are a
physically fit individual, with a true desire to learn and a passion
for enhancing your personal skillset, then you REALLY need to
get yourself on a Project GECKO Level 1 CQB Course. You WILL be
pushed to your limits, but the physical skills and the mind-set
you learn will make you welcome in any group of like-minded
individuals!
I asked some of the guys after the course what they felt they
had gained and Anthony pretty much nailed it:
Anthony: I always look to improve and had been following
Project GECKO for a while so when the opportunity came to train
with Eli in the UK there was no hesitation. The 2.5 day course was jam
packed with ways of understanding and processing the overload
of information that is CQB into manageable chunks.
That’s not to say it wasn’t physically and mentally
challenging, and that’s how I like it. I slept well last night! I
particularly enjoyed the “phys”, and overall it’s definitely made
me realise some of the basics I’ve been getting wrong!
For details of the CQB courses and other trainings
available from Eli and Project GECKO you need to check out
www.projectgecko.info
“Combat Stance” and on muzzle awareness, having the guys
advance on one another from different angles; in the pictures it
may look confusing, but it was a very effective method.
After this it was back to the Skills Room for more individual skills
development and practice; this moved swiftly onto working as
a two man team, then four. Eventually during the course of the
day, eight individuals began to meld into teams “Alpha” and “Bravo”.
As the day wore on though the sheer overload of information
combined with the sheer physicality of the course saw attention
beginning to wander as the “black dogs” of fatigue and stress
kicked in. Things started going south, techniques got sloppy,
mistakes were made, and frustration came to the fore. This was
the low point for all, but Eli just pushed them harder telling
them “to see the valley you must first climb the mountain!”, and
the guys just dug in and got the job done.
After a thirty minute break where everyone was told to
eat and hydrate, the guys that I saw re-enter the Skills Room
had changed. With just a short time to contemplate what they
had learnt, there was a new drive and urgency about them. Eli
took things back out into the sunshine for another short “phys”
session and spirits seem to visibly lift as everyone begun to
realise what they had gained from the course so far, tough, hard
work now seeming straightforward. Back in the room scenario
flowed to scenario and the guys rocked. As a “hostage” to rescue
I screamed and hollered and they found me every time, leading
me to safety outside. Assailed by “snipers” on the exfil, carrying
a stretcher, and dragging me, the “hostage” they had rescued,
pressure was piled upon pressure and they excelled each and
every time with Elis’ critical yet supportive eyes upon them.
After an hour stop for dinner where I introduced Eli to the
delights of “fish n’ chips” (“a heart attack wrapped in paper” as
he described it!) the guys were full of drive, and having sorted
their personal admin, back out they went, and still they trained.
Eli continued to push them, but they now seemed to relish the
incessant tempo! Another midnight finish…
pmcimagazine.com