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Training with Kris Paronto and Battleline Tactical has become a yearly event for myself and my fellow firearms instructors since 2023. This year our group took part in a two-day training course focused on advanced skills, movement, working in pairs, problem solving, assaulting targets, and moving through urban environments. Our training party included my wife, my son (currently on active duty with the 101st Army Airborne), two fellow instructors (and Marines) and another dedicated training junkie from our facility.
You may have heard Kris Paronto’s before. He was involved in the high-profile incidents that took place on September 11, 2012 in Benghazi, Libya. Kris is also the lead trainer at Battleline Tactical. His background also includes serving in the U.S. Army Rangers as well as various stints in private international security.
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More recently, Paronto has taken on the role of an instructor of tactics and skills. He’s also an advocate for fellow veterans and offers his services as a public speaker. Part of Paronto’s instruction includes training civilians, law enforcement and security forces under Battleline Tactical since 2015. Paronto and other Battleline instructors have been teaching classes out of the Fort Scott, KS outdoor range since 2020.
Paronto has been officially instructing tactical skills since 2004, and it continues to be his personal passion. He has worked with military contractors and national defense organizations. before transitioning to more open training with Battleline Tactical.
In addition to current offerings Battleline Tactical hopes to continue expanding including night vision courses, land navigation and more leadership training.
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Training As A Group
This was our third time training with Battleline Tactical. It was also our second time reserving a class as a private course. Obviously, given our own training group’s history and background, our experiences are more tailored to us as a group. We know and trust each other, and Paronto has worked with us before.
Because of that, Paronto was able to tweak his instruction to better cater to our training group. We specifically requested to work in pairs. During the course, we worked with rifles (and handguns as needed). But the main objective was to focus more keenly on challenging problem-solving drills.
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Our training sessions tend to blur the lines between civilian self-defense training and tactical/military scenarios. That is not to say Kris cannot address more general civilian self-defense courses. He absolutely can. In fact, our group’s first course was an open-enrollment introductory rifle class back in 2022.
No matter which class we took, all of Paronto’s courses were extremely positive for us. It’s customary for our group to debrief after each training class (we tend to take 2-4 different classes each year). Every Battleline debriefing ends up with us asking ourselves not “if”, but “when” we’ll train again.
Bounding Overwatch Two Man Teams
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Our third class was a two-day course held on a weekend at Battleline Tactical’s primary Fort Scott location. For all intents and purposes, our course was titled Bounding Overwatch Two Man Teams.
Training Day 1 focused on confirming safety, movement, working in teams, engaging targets from 10-100 yards with rifles. We also spent a good amount of time rehearsing mechanical manipulations–reloading, malfunction clearances, etc. As the course’s main focus was on bounding with two-person teams, some of the drills were more complex than what you’d see at a typical carbine class.
We worked in teams of two on safety, team communication, problem solving and having one person always placing rounds on targets (suppressive fire) throughout each drill.
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After we were working together well in teams, we moved on to working on longer drills such as bounding towards and away from a target objective from 100 yards through multiple potential cover points to around 10 yards from the targets and back. Again, the drills were focused on communication and working together as two-person teams.
Day 1 concluded with working in the “Conex Village” simulating indoor/urban environments. We discussed using corners, using terrain to our advantage, movement, cover and angles of attack. Most of our time was spent working in two-person teams.
Training Day 2 emphasized more dynamic movement, vehicle assaults and tactical scenarios incorporating urban and open-field environments. With each drill, we discussed safety for the exercise, what our objective was and planning as two-person teams. Our group concluded the two-day training by moving and engaging targets in a wooded area as a larger group. During this exercise, we had to communicate and track our team members as well as potential targets.
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Battline Tactical’s Training Facilities
Battleline Tactical primarily trains at the Fort Scott Munitions outdoor range in Fort Scott, KS. This private ammunition testing facility includes multiple outdoor ranges. Its most recent addition is the Conex Village, a MOUT style set-up. The Conex Village has ramps and stairs allowing instructors to watch and coach the action from above.
Fort Scott Munitions conveniently makes training ammunition available for such classes at a reasonable price and takes care of cleaning up of the spent casings.
The town of Fort Scott in Kansas is best known for housing the historic Fort Scott (1842-1873). Part of the advantage of scheduling private training is the availability of two guest houses. Though normally reserved for visiting instructors, both houses are well maintained and are provided as a package deal with private training. Overall, the facilities, housing and ammunition offerings are all part of a package deal. To us, it makes private training with Battleline Tactical and Kris Paronto a “no brainer!”
Instructors’ & Battleline’s Training Philosophy
Kris Paronto is the lead instructor at Battleline Tactical. But Jeremy Mitchell is his right hand. Mitchell is also the secondary instructor and Battleline’s main point of contact. Additionally, these gentlemen are good about bringing out extra assistant instructors as needed. Keeping a good instructor-to-student ratio is one of their priorities.
Kris makes sure all his instructors share his own passion for instruction and philosophy of training. Paronto’s focus has been to switch from the conventional static standing and shooting style of training into something more dynamic while remaining safe.
This includes incorporating drills into the curriculum that make you think and solve problems. However, Paronto is good at modulating and keeping training tasks within each student’s current level of skill.
Since its inception in 2015 Battleline Tactical has trained just under 3000 students in standard and private classes. Kris wants to make sure each person feels they are valued and bases his training on matching standards of competence over meeting a specific time or round count.
With regards to Battleline Tactical’s philosophy of training, Paronto wanted to stress “I just want people to enjoy their training.” To Paronto, gunfighting is a “thinking man’s game” and his training reflects his keenness on problem solving.
Battleline Tactical continues to grow, not only with its student attendance but also with additional resources. There’s the new Conex village at the range, and additional coursework being offered in person and online.
As Paronto told me, “each course should be the best you have ever taken if we are truly growing with each course.” This focus on constant improvement and matching the training to the students is not unique to Battleline Tactical, but it is hard to find a better example of making sure it is part of each course.
Our Group’s Consensus
My training group and I have trained at various academies across the United States. By this point, we’ve taken classes offered by most of the top names in the self-defense training industry.
Our group holds the consensus that Kris Paronto is one of the finest trainers we’ve received instruction from. When you factor in the quality of the range and facilities, Battleline Tactical should be at the top of everyone’s list of training destinations.
To wrap up the two days of training, we took our leftover ammunition and opened up on the “range vehicle” we purchased as a training prop. Even the instructors had their fun with it. Though the Kansas weather was not cooperative and we dealt with highly humid 90 degree + temperatures, we made sure to stay hydrated. All of us had a great time working in pairs.
I highly recommend taking a standard class from Battleline. If you have a small group like we do, don’t hesitate to reach out to schedule a private group training session. Paronto has a genuine love for training others and a natural sense of the potential to learn of each person taking one of his classes. Students frequently remark how his training style is incredibly knowledgeable and rooted in deep expertise but grounded in realism and authenticity. He meets each student where they are at. He also encourages their learning in a fun, positive and supportive way.
The post Training With Kris Paronto At Battleline Tactical appeared first on Athlon Outdoors Exclusive Firearm Updates, Reviews & News.
