Personally, when I think of conferences, I think of boring meetings in boring hotel conference rooms, with occasionally interesting, but mostly boring, speakers and topics. But then I discovered what is arguably the greatest conference ever created. A conference where the sound of gunfire is constant, stabbing someone with a training knife is common, and discussions about use-of-force concepts are a dime a dozen. I’m speaking, of course, about Rangemaster’s Tactical Conference.
So, What Exactly Is TacCon?
I’ll let the Rangemaster folks answer that:
TacCon is the premier training event for everyone interested in personal defense. Founded by Tom Givens over two decades ago, TacCon brings renowned trainers from across the country together in one place for one weekend. TacCon is perfect for anyone who is interested in personal safety, concealed carry, or self-defense. All skill levels are welcome, from beginner to expert. As long as you are interested in personal defense, TacCon has great programming just for for you.
When they say they have great programming for anyone interested in personal defense, they’re not blowing smoke. Here’s the list of training blocks that I’m already signed up for:
- Recoil Control class with Ashton Ray and Tim Chandler
- Recoil Control class with Tim Kelly
- Undertrained Concealed Carry Tactics with Gabe White
- Contact Distance Shooting with Cecil Burch
- Defensive Knife class with Greg Ellifritz
- Close Quarters Skills with Chuck Haggard
- Managing Unknown Contacts with Craig Douglas
And these are the blocks of which I’ll be taking 5 of the 7. I just have to figure out which five.
- Defending the Self-Defense Shooting with Massad Ayoob
- Situational Awareness class with Tom Givens
- Church Security Team Development with Steve Moses
- Essential Pistol Skills for Church Security Teams with Steve Moses
- Tactical Medical class with Caleb Causey
- Cold Performance with Simon Golob
- Rule 4 Defensive Pistol with Wayne Dobbs
The crazy thing is, though, while that is a list of 14 fantastic training opportunities, if you go to the TacCon schedule, you’ll find dozens upon dozens upon dozens more blocks to choose from. I have at least a passing interest in almost all of them, and a strong interest in over half of them. Life truly is full of hard choices…. I’ll be leaving for this year’s TacCon in one week, and I’ll do at least a couple (probably more) write-ups about my experiences and what I learned after I get back, so if you’re interested, keep an eye out here.
Wrap Up
I can’t recommend TacCon enough to anyone interested in personal defense. It is three days of literal world-class instruction, with blocks of live fire and classroom training on a ridiculously wide range of topics. If you’ve got questions about TacCon or training in general, get in touch, and I’ll be happy to discuss it with you.
Train safely.
