About us

The Tactical Performance Center, founded by the esteemed Ron Avery, a legendary figure in the firearms training industry, and Ken Nelson, the innovative mind behind the PractiScore project (a widely used tablet-based scoring system in practical shooting) has always stood at the forefront of advanced firearms training. Ron Avery, with his rich background as a police officer and martial artist, infused a depth of knowledge and experience into the training programs. Internationally acclaimed as a pioneering researcher, world-class firearms instructor, and shooter, Ron’s methodologies have been embraced by U.S. Special Forces, countless agencies, and thousands of individuals both in the U.S. and abroad.

On February 23, 2019, the world lost Ron Avery, but his enduring legacy continues to shape military, police firearms, and defensive tactical training. In each class we conduct and with every student we mentor, we endeavor to uphold and honor his legacy, perpetuating his groundbreaking doctrine of ‘Reactive Shooting Science,’ a testament to his profound impact on shooting and instructional techniques.

Focusing on one thing at a time means you’ll get more done. A conscious mind can control one process at a time. Developing skills in the right way is of great importance for efficiency and effectiveness in the future. Achieving a degree of subconscious competence takes time and mindful repetitions. We do that in a progressive manner, building the skill layer by layer. We call that PROGRESSIVE TRAINING.

Shooting is both an art and a science. It uses the laws of physics, motor learning and behavior, and human psychology. Defensive shooting, in addition to the above, utilizes the laws of armed conflicts learned over many years.

We must all follow the same laws of nature and the principles our discipline is based on. We simply interpret them as best we can and try to improve our skills. As you gain knowledge and understanding of these principles, you learn to adapt them in a new way and gain a higher level of skill and mastery.

TPC uses a scientific shooting system that is organized and based on principles instead of techniques. The totality of the reactive shooting training system demonstrates that all the pieces, both mental and physical, fit in to create a complete synergy.

Our Teaching Philosophy

 Hard Rules  

  • We measure our success thru your success.
  • We speak appropriately for the sex and age of those around us.
  • SAFETY FIRST! We counsel, correct, but we will separate unsafe students if needed.
  • We treat each other and students with dignity and personalized attention – NO STUDENTS LEFT BEHIND!
  • We use adult learning techniques focusing on principles, purposes, and techniques.
  • We build personalized systems for each student.
  • We objectively measure performance to track student progress.
  • We test student systems using competitive stress which is also quite fun and always positive.
  • Offer positive instruction guiding on what to do. We rarely say “don’t”.

After training with eighty-eight recognized firearms instructors within two years, Myles the Founder of Tactical Hyve, shares what he believes is the best overall pistol marksmanship class. To get instant access to the video series discussed in the video, visit: https://tacticalhyve.com/tpc-video-series

How Classes Are Structured

We strive to make a group class seem very customized and personal. We operate in small groups led by Performance Coaches (PC). They are charged with guiding you through the goals of the class, in an as personalized and custom way as possible.

Depending on the level of class/students a PC may be charged with the care and training of 4 to 8 students. There may be 50 people in a class, but other than large lectures (typically one a day) you will be working with 4 to 7 other people and usually in a location dedicated to just your group. We may have candidate PCs in attendance for mentoring. You will typically stay with your PC through the entire class, although they may not provide all your training if the class includes module training (for instance rotating through stations where you learn different skills/techniques). We do move people around based on skill, style of learning, or to just give you a chance to hear things presented differently.

We constantly hear how our group classes seem more personal than any other training the student has taken. That’s on purpose – because we can do it and because it leads to better student outcomes.

Before Class

Each class will typically have study/practice we hope you can do before attending. This will be at a minimum reading + watching videos + dry fire. In some cases, we recommend live fire practices to hone some things we’d like you to come to class with already so we can maximize the value to you of our time together.

During Class

  • Focus on DOING THINGS RIGHT rather than doing things fast. This is the #1 thing you will need to do to get the most from the training.
  • Take notes – handwritten, please!
  • Write AARs each evening. We are happy to review them with you the next morning.
  • No video or audio, please. We may authorize it in some cases but generally, ask before recording.
  • Hydrate!
  • Let us know if you have new aches or pains, especially blisters or other things that might affect your safety or training status.

After Class

  • Write an AAR!
  • Design a Live Fire Practice to burn in new things you learned.
  • Design a Dry Fire practice to hone new things you learned.
  • Stay in touch in our Facebook Shoot Better group.
  • Come back and train with us! You are part of the family now.