I teach three different open-enrollment one-day classes, Core Skills, Skill Development, and Match Skills, along with offering private instruction.
This one-day class is for people who understand basic gun safety rules and want to learn how to shoot faster and more accurately regardless of where you plan to apply these skills (competitions, LEO quals, self-defense, etc.). The class will teach you:
This class emphasizes speed and learning by shooting beyond your current abilities. You won't hear "Slow down and get your hits"—this is a "Speed up and get your hits" class.
I've designed the class so that students at different skills levels can train together and built it around drills that you can easily set up in your own practice. I'm running it as a six-person class to give everyone plenty of trigger time and individual coaching tailored toward their present abilities and shooting goals. I meet each student where they are and give them the tools to progress.
The format involves line drills (everyone stands on a line and shoots their targets simultaneously) in the morning that focus on vision, grip, trigger control, and short transitions/moves, then pairs drills (two shooters alternate runs while the rest of the students observe, load magazines, eat, etc.) in the afternoon for shooting your way into and out of positions, throttle control, wide transitions, and shooting on the move. The class mixes dry-fire, partial-fire (only shoot some targets in a drill and dry-fire the others), and live-fire repetitions of drills to maximimize training efficiency, build honesty in dry fire, and improve understanding of the feedback loop between dry- and live-fire.
The class starts and ends with a 10-round skill assessment that captures the core concepts. The morning run lets me see how you shoot cold and introduces the concepts you will be learning throughout the day. The afternoon run lets you see how your skills have improved.
Equipment: You'll want a pistol on which you can get a full firing grip (Glock 19 or larger), three or more magazines, a sturdy holster that allows for one-handed reholstering, at least one magazine pouch, and the usual accessories like eye and ear protection, hat, water, lunch, snacks, etc. Duty rigs, USPSA belt systems, or IWB/OWB holsters are all fine. Expect to shoot about 400 rounds. There will be opportunities to shoot more if you like. You'll appreciate having an UpLULA for filling magazines. Bring any additional backstraps or grip inserts that come with your pistol.
Prerequisites: You should have an understanding of basic gun safety (muzzle awareness, trigger discipline), loading/unloading your pistol, and basic marksmanship (hit an 8.5" x 11" paper at 7 yards).
This one-day class is for people with a grasp of practical-shooting fundamentals who want to learn how to train effectively. We'll work on throttle control, visual patience, shooting into and out of positions, moving to precise spots, and more, all with an emphasis on efficiency. Little time will be spent on fundamentals in isolation. Where Core Skills teaches you how to read a target to identify fundamentals issues, Skill Development adds using split and overall times from drills to identify weak points and target your training. The class also introduces techniques for reducing dead time, such as blending targets/positions and bump transitions. Expect to shoot 500+ rounds.
Equipment: Same as Core Skills, but I recommend wearing performance-oriented belt rig.
Prerequisites: This class is oriented toward shooters with a good understanding of practical-shooting fundamentals who are already training with a timer and shooting USPSA matches.
This one-day class is for those who have some experience shooting USPSA stages or are LE/MIL shooters and want to learn how to execute core practical shooting skills in a match environment. Stage planning concepts and visualization will be covered in detail, and minimizing time spent not shooting (not scoring points) will be stressed. It will also cover shooting around vision barriers, from awkward positions, and while moving along with transitioning between targets that demand varying degrees of speed and precision.
The class begins with everyone shooting a cold run on a 20-round field course to establish a performance baseline. In the morning, you'll learn to build, mentally rehearse, and execute a stage plan in three progressive levels of detail. The afternoon will cover efficieincy and risk management through shooting a stage several different ways.
Equipment: Same as Core Skills, but I recommend wearing performance-oriented belt rig.
Prerequisites: This class assumes a higher base level of skill than Core Skills—students should be familiar with shooting USPSA stages or experienced LE/MIL shooters. Class size is also six people to maintain the same high level of individual coaching.
I offer both half- and full-day private instruction tailored to individual skill levels and needs. A half day, meeting at SRGC on a weekday afternoon, works out well in many cases. Pricing is the same for one or multiple students other than range fees. Contact me for details.
USPSA competitor:
"I've paid a lot more to learn less from worse instructors."
Message from a competitor shooting USPSA Nationals:
"Bro I CRUSHED it today. Target focus WINS! You rock!"
LEO student:
"298/300 and 300/300 on my qual.
Thanks to you.
…
I was able to shoot fast as hell, but it was good to see I can use irons now. I had to tone it back on the 25 [yard line].
…
I was the first done on each stage."
Student who took a class on Friday and shot a match on Saturday:
"The day after taking a pistol class from Andreas Yankopolus, I pulled off a high “Master” classifier at Cherokee USPSA. Before this, I had only ever shot above “M” once before by 0.01%. But this classifier was closer to a “Grandmaster” run than the minimum bar for “M” class. And I can honestly say it was because of the basics that Andreas drilled me in the day before.If you get a chance to take a class from Andreas, don’t hesitate. Can’t wait to take the next class with him. (After my blisters heal.)"
- Trigger prep.
- Eyes looking at a precise spot in the A zone.
- Look where you want to run.
- Move and shoot, don’t post up.
- Feet wide and pointing to either side of where you’re transitioning to.
Comment on a class announcement from a previous attendee:
"Get to this! The class is phenomenal for anyone looking to get some coaching to improve their skillset."
New shooter:
"I really liked the small class size. For a student to get a solid 5 minutes of individual critique after a drill was awesome. I also liked the pace of the class - all direct instruction and drills, with minimal downtime. Excellent flexibility in accommodating and adjusting for my skill level."
Class registration is through PractiScore—clicking on the class name opens the registration page—and are at South River Gun Club in Covington, GA unless otherwise noted.
| Aug 18, 2024: | Practical Pistol Skill Development |
| Aug+: | TBA |
I've been hosting Ben Stoeger at SRGC yearly since 2014. Skills & Drills is run with eight students and Fundamentals with twelve. Both classes use two bays, one for a stage and another for drills. You'll be switching between the two bays repeatedly during the class. More on the classes here. Round count is about 1,500 for the two days.
| Oct 17/18, 2024: | Skills & Drills |
| Oct 19/20, 2024: | Fundamentals |
| Oct 21/22, 2024: | Skills & Drills |
Last edit: 28 June 2024