My friend and I took a private lesson with Don yesterday and being women we were a little apprehensive. However it was a wonderful, informative, comfortable, and above all safe and instructional experience. I absolutely recommend him for your educational and training needs. I was basically a novice at properly handling firearms, and his patience, calmness, and encouragement was definitely appreciated and made what could have been an anxiety provoking experience into a real exploration and genuine pleasure! Excellent lesson, excellent instructor, and excellent rating from a satisfied client. Jamie B.
After getting referred to Don I'm happy to have had such an awesome experience and learning opportunity. I wasn't sure what to expect when I first met Don but he didn't just meet me at a range and shoot pistols. Don actually took the time to interview me to make sure I was safe to take further steps and asked what my wants/needs were out owning a firearm. When we finally did get to the range and shooting part of the course I was comfortable with all material presented and was able to progress quickly with confidence in the areas I trained. I would recommend Don to anyone who has questions, doubts, fears, or just wants to get safer/better at handling weapons and protecting their families. Thanks for the knowledge and passion for what you do. As a fellow professional instructor in their respective field, Bravo!!! Ian D.
Excellent class today. Don has a wealth of knowledge and an unassuming way of giving it to his students. I'll be back for more. I highly recommend his classes. Love the shooting on the move. Thats the bomb! Robert M.
The training was fantastic. Don cares about sharing wisdom to help us all and is not focused on being the gatekeeper of knowledge but wants to empower the people he trains with real knowledge to help others. Highly recommended! Jared A.
My husband and I had the pleasure of meeting and working with Don to learn the fundamentals of basic gun usage and self protection tactics. I was so scared of our 9mm that we own ( by the way now I know WHY it's called a 9mm! ) and by the end of our informative class I was comfortable handling and shooting it. This is only the first of many classes we will be attending with Don, I can't wait to be become super advanced in all self protection tactics with his passionate guidance. He truly is here to help people and I feel blessed to have met him. God bless you Don!! Lisa C.
Don more than exceeded our expectations. Not only did we learn all that we were seeking to know, it was amazingly fun at the same time. My wife and I were looking for someone who could teach us how to handle, shoot, and become completely comfortable with our handgun. Don taught us all of this and then some. He truly is a master of his craft. We are both extremely thankful we found him. For anyone new to shooting or just looking to become comfortable with a gun, Don is the guy you want. We would give him 6 stars if we could. Thanks so much Don! Anthony & Christelle M.
Wow! As an Air Force Veteran and former federal agent, I have been through a lot of training. Initially, I went to Don to update my carry permit. We booked a private class for both my husband and I. From the outset, it was apparent that Don knew his stuff. I learned some new things from Don and when he wanted me to change something, he had a logical reason for the suggestion. Excellent instructor - clear in his concepts and highly skilled. Practical advice designed to keep you alive when confronted with an adversary. I will definitely be booking more time with Don in the future. Works well with both men and women. Very professional and safe training with an emphasis on practical skills. I highly recommend this business for anyone wanting to improve their knowledge on firearms, gun safety and tactics. Lisa B.
Incredible experience...The owner Don is an excellent instructor! Just took my first private handgun training course along with my best friend and his wife...and absolutely feel like it was worth every penny and then some. Don's demeanor and training style is very supportive and positive...I was very impressed with Don's ability to teach...and I look forward to him instructing my entire family including wife and kids...he is one of the rare people that actually have a personality that can reach all ages/skill sets. His private range is awesome and a huge benefit to the student...so crucial for personal protection training, is a huge reason why I will continue to use him in the future. Don trained us on real-world scenarios which is completely different from what I've been trained in the past. You will not be disappointed!!! Samuel B.
Don is tops in my book for this type of training! He is not a by the book guy., He believes in what he teaches and does an outstanding job. I can now get my CCW license thanks to Don. Darold C.
Prior to taking our class with Don, I was, at best, a novice at shooting, having been to a range perhaps once every five years. My wife was a rank beginner, never having touched a firearm once in her life. Accordingly, we decided that we'd better get some individual professional instruction before we purchased our first firearm. Based on his reviews on Yelp, we sought out Don Ratkowski for our first lesson and we are very glad that we did. He did an excellent job with teaching me about my two most pressing concerns - rules for handling the firearm safely/legally and how to respond to weapon malfunctions. His manner was calm, professional, and courteous. It's obvious that he loves his profession and is eager to introduce it to anyone who wishes to learn. My wife is keen to ensure that I write that she was very pleased with his instruction as well. She notes that when Don first pulled out a pair of unloaded pistols to demonstrate how they worked, she was so apprehensive that she couldn't take her eyes off of them for fear that they would suddenly misfire and kill someone! Don noticed this and was careful to patiently explain to her how firearms should be safely handled and made sure that she demonstrated these techniques when we went to the range. After four hours of patient and knowledgeable instruction, she's now confident that she can safely own and operate a semiautomatic pistol. For now, both of us will be spending some time on the range to consolidate what we've learned and when we've done that, we'll be back for more advanced classes! Kanawal G.
If your really want to learn from a highly trained instructor Don with Protection Plus Tactics is who you should choose. With not much experience in handling firearms I wanted to make sure that I had the knowledge and skill I needed to get my CCW. I definitely learned a lot in his one on one private class. Don will take you from learning about bullets, to providing a brief history lesson, to properly handling a firearm. I've been around people that have owned guns for years and I learned so much more from Don's training. I feel I now know more about handguns than most. I would encourage experienced or non experienced students to contact Don and schedule a class. I don't know what other training locations charge but what I can tell you is, what I learned was money well spent and I'm taking another private lesson before I move into advanced training. Also i wanted to mention I took his CCW class last weekend and his private lesson before helped me be more comfortable for the CCW class. Again please take his class it's very informative, he doesn't have an ego and you are not just another number. Courtney M.
Spent last Saturday with my son at Protection Plus Tactics going through the CCW training course. I have to admit I was blown away with Don Ratkowski and his professionalism. He is an amazing instructor and makes me want to go back for more advanced training. I felt nervous at first and with a quick comment and patience Don was able to calm my nerves and get me on track to relaxed and confidant shooting. Don takes control and allows the students to learn from their mistakes in an extremely safe environment. No boasting, no showcasing, no intimidation, just pure professional training. Dan S.
My husband and I did a private pistol class with Don and I've taken his CCW Permit class and plan to continue with advanced pistol and additional classes as needed. I really like that Don works with everyone on their level, making sure they truly understand from having the right mindset for handling a lethal weapon to safety measures, drills, real life situations, disarming techniques and more. I like the option for private lessons and small groups, and love the private range! Thanks to Don both my husband and I have a new awareness of the many responsibilities that go with gun ownership. Whether you are new to firearms or looking to improve your skills - call Don at Protection Plus Tactics. Trina L.
Don was awesome. Nice guy, easy going yet knowledgeable in what he was teaching. Really allowed me to develop from no previous knowledge of firearms to working my way around various handguns. Can't wait for my next session. If you're looking for someone who has been there (war) and knows absolutely everything there is to know about firearm and tactical training the Don is your guy. Anthony S.
I used Protection Plus Tactics for my CCW training and Don did an amazing job with teaching both in class training as well as the initial gun range qualification. I would highly recommend Protection Plus Tactics to anyone who is looking for hand gun training courses as well as the CCW training. Kristin S.
All I have to say is WOW!! Don is a true class act and a gift from god! Don took the time to get to know us first which I felt was extremely important. You can tell Don has a TRUE passion to educate and help people. This isn't one of those teachers just out for the dollar, frankly I think that is the farthest thing from his mind. The basic skills we learned were so in depth it blew my mind. I had no clue all the different things that could happen in any situation. Don made us feel completely comfortable and had extra care/patience with my wife who "was" (No longer) afraid of guns. We learned so much just in 1 class that I feel we are far more advanced than the average gun owner. Don made it clear that he truly cared about people and their ability to protect their families. I know we are just at the tip of the iceberg of what he's going to teach us! I can't wait for Don to take us to a new a level of skill and awareness when it comes to protection for myself and my family! We will be doing many more sessions with you Don. If you are looking for the best and a guy who TRULY cares for people, call Don ASAP! Niel C.
I've taken a couple training classes with Protection Plus in the last few months including his CCW and Alpha Pistol and feel I've leaned some important and eye opening things during the training and would recommend it to others. The classes are small and the instruction is personal and informative. A bonus is you can book a private training class that allows you to become familiar with handling firearms and gear in a safe and private environment as classes are at a private range. Cory M.
Had the pleasure of taking my very first firearms training class with Don the other day. Don was extremely knowledgable, professional and most importantly, a great teacher in every aspect. I sought out Don as I didn't want another certified instructor but an instructor with actual real world experience, in real world situations using proven and tailored tactics. Don delivered both in exceeding my expectations and in creating a working class environment that not only teaches the how, but the why. I look forward to many more classes with Don and highly recommend him and Protection Plus Tactics for your training needs. Anthony E.
Took my CCW class from Don. Excellent instructor. I learned a lot, it was a great experience. He's very patient! Leslie D.
Learning from Don is a great investment of my time / resources. Thanks, now, this yogi can slap, rack & tap! Deidre B.