That old slide projector you have been kicking around the garage/basement for many years can be a valuable training tool. It can be used to train team members in distinguishing between a threat and a non threat. This type of training can prove to be valuable during a tactical situation.

What You Need

1. Slide projector
2. Large piece of paper or poster board for using as a screen
3. Roll of masking tape
4. Camera
5. One or two rolls of slide film (this is a special film used for creating slides and produces a better image available at most camera stores)
6. Target stands can be strung between two indoor target holders using clothespins or if outdoors can be held between two 1"x2" pieces of lumber.
7. Paper
8. Pen

Suggestions for Photos

The type of photographs that you use for this type of training is only limited by your imagination. Some suggestions may be an armed attacker in the open, an unarmed woman with a hairbrush in her hand, armed attacker mostly hidden by hard cover, a cop with drawn weapon (this is a do not shoot target for us) a person in a window. These are just a few of the ones that I have come up with and the collection will continue to grow to keep from being able to identify by sight armed versus unarmed. You may also want to have pictures of the same person in about the same position one with a weapon and one without.

How it works

Have the non-shooter load the slide projector with the slides in an order not known to the shooter. Load a picture every other slot to allow for the timing of the shooters decision. Then have the shooter take position. In the beginning it is easier to start with the weapon at the ready and after the skill level increases to use the holster. The person controlling the slide projector starts from a blank slide. When he clicks the button to bring up the new picture we allow two to three seconds for the shooter to decide weather to fire or not to fire. After the time the projector operator clicks to the next blank slide. Then we back track to determine if it was a correct decision on whether to shoot or not shoot. If it is a shooting situation we award one point for making the decision, and another two points for a kill shot (to the head or center mass) and one point for any other hit. If it is a non fire situation and the user does not fire we award two points if he/she fires we subtract five points.

This is a fun way to compete against friends and team members and hone those all important shooting skills.

Brian

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