Meeting for learning with TCA - Pistol 1 near Bratislava

Anyone can shoot quickly. That's what you call shooting... But hitting exactly where you want to, and then operating everything correctly and safely, is something else entirely. You can learn exactly that at the Tactical Comabt Academy (TCA) in Slovakia - their training ground is located near Bratislava, just a friendly 50 kilometers away from Vienna.

We participated in the Pistol 1 course and will share our experiences with you. The main goal of the Pistol 1 course is to learn the safe handling of the weapon and to achieve a good shooting pattern. In this course, no reloading or movement techniques are taught, but the real foundations are laid. The journey is easy and from Vienna, you can reach the shooting range in just over an hour. You are welcomed friendly upon arrival and the registration process is quickly completed. Then, the course begins.

First of all, as it should be, about an hour of pure theory is started. The Headcoach Gabriel Trojcak discusses the different types of holsters on the market and why they are useful or not. Unfortunately, Gabriel does not speak German, but the entire course is very well interpreted. The lesson continues with the proper way to carry the holster. Afterwards, each participant is provided with a holster that is then professionally fastened with the knowledge learned. Then, anyone who does not have their own weapon will be handed a Glock 17 Gen IV and the theory continues. The main focus is always on the safe handling of the weapon at all times. After a 20-minute drill in the "Safety Drill," which will accompany you throughout all subsequent TCA courses, it's time to start shooting. All exercises are first explained by Headcoach Gabriel, then demonstrated dryly, and practiced by the participants under supervision. Only when Gabriel believes that everyone has understood everything, he continues with demonstrating the shooting exercise himself in live fire, and then the participants take their turn. After the first 10 shots (first exercise) and ensuring safety, the results of the shots are discussed anonymously, and the various trigger and aiming errors in the group are examined in detail. You learn from mistakes!

The course continues in this manner. Participants learn the correct loading and holstering of the weapon, safe drawing, proper grip, and aiming at TCA Pistol 1. There are always at least three instructors present, who work with each individual to improve their skills.

At the end of the first course - after about 100 shots - a noticeable improvement in shooting pattern was observed in each participant. Even in us. We admit, at the beginning we were quite far from the center and also had a wide spread, but in the end we were very satisfied, although we still have a small grip error to correct.

The courses at TCA build on each other and none can be skipped. So everyone has to start with Pistol 1 and work their way up! But we really recommend this to everyone, as Gabriel teaches a few things differently than you are used to. But there is a reason for all of this, which he always explains to his visitors. If you are unsure why something is done a certain way, you can ask him at any time - and we recommend that as well - and Gabriel will give you a well-founded, expert answer, where everyone immediately realizes, "This man knows what he's talking about!" No wonder, with a solid training in the special forces arena.

The course is very good in terms of expertise and also attractive in terms of price. The location of the venue right on the Slovakian border is ideal for Austrian participants.

We also visited the Pistol 2 course and will soon present our impressions in another article.

HERE you can learn more about TCA and book dates.

Tactical Combat Academy on the Internet: www.tcacademy.at