What is Trigger Gerk and how am I different? 

In April of 2003, I joined the Navy. I learned a lot about firearms and tactics through various military schools and programs with the SEAL teams and other like-minded military friends. I was always one of the top performers when it came to shooting and instructing. What I failed to realize was that I was being held to the most minimum standards.

After 13 years and 3 months, I exited the military and about 2 years later I decided to take a performance shooting class with Matt Little, where I was first introduced to performance-based shooting. This was my first eye-opening experience of what was actually possible. It was then that I realized I was indoctrinated by the military and their ways.

In the military, I was always taught slow is smooth and smooth is fast. I truly believed that because it made sense. Start slow and carefully and slowly progress to becoming a higher performer. The problem is you come to a point where you start seeing very minimal, to no gains. Meaning you are stuck in your progression. The truth is, you actually need to go fast to be fast. OH, and just simply do things sooner.

How do you break past this point? You take classes from someone who has a very deep understanding of what needs to happen to be able to execute a trigger pull without disrupting the sight alignment. When I managed NorthShore Sports Club in Lake Forest, IL, I pulled aside 10 instructors (outside instructors teaching their students at NSSC) and had them participate in a 10-10-10 drill. The 10-10-10 drill is 10 rounds at an NRA B-8 target (about 8 inches) at 10 yards (30 feet) in 10 seconds or less from the holster. Not only did all ten fail, but only one instructor managed to land 1 round in a non-scorable part of the target. The truth, is most instructors shoot sub 300 rounds a year - while in 2023...I shot 19k rounds. My current time for this drill is under 5 seconds with a perfect score and the best part is that it's repeatable, which is what matters. Truthfully, the number of shooting instructors out there teaching subpar, irrelevant and dangerous material is astonishing. Teaching things like:

   -Instinctive shooting (very dangerous)

   -Rhythm shooting (Sights dictate when we pull the trigger, not rhythm) 

   -Pinning the trigger (there is zero reason to pin the trigger to the rear, doing so can cause several shooting related issues) 

   -Shooting with joints locked (very bad long term for the joints)

After seeing all of this, I decided that it would be in my best interest to branch off and start my own training business. The service I offer is backed by the classes I have taken from some of the best shooters and performers in the world. My growth in shooting has exploded since 2022 to a level I could never imagine! This is my journey and I invite everyone to take the journey with me. Many consider me an expert, but I practice continued education in the firearms community. From 2022 to 2024, I have attended 15 shooting schools which is around $15-20k (give or take) for classes and travel expenses. My goal for Trigger Gerk is to provide the highest quality of training and the ability to break down the curriculum to a level that a 10-year-old can comprehend, as well as not only demonstrating why I do something the way I do it but also giving you the reason behind it.

When you chose me as an instructor or coach, not only are you helping me pay the bills, but you are also allowing me to shoot more, take more classes, and bring that info back to you. You'll also find on my website, hyperlinks to what classes I'm taking for the year. This way you can attend these same classes and grow with me as well. You'll also see my strengths and weaknesses. Not many instructors will do this.