I recently took Randy's 2 day Pistol/Defensive tactics for Frontline Officers course.
Day 1 on the range, Randy ran us through warmup, immediate action, and weapon transition Drills, as well as combat courses of fire. As a leader in his field, Randy was well equipped to introduce several shooting principals that translated into immediate improvements in each participant. His method of instruction was structured in a way that technical skills could be easily transferred to the group. Randy is accessible and approachable, building an environment where trust is built quickly.
Day 2 introduced Randy's cutting edge defensive tactics program. Randy’s curriculum is specifically tailored to the Law Enforcement community, consisting of proven tested mixed martial arts techniques with integrated weapons retention and weapon defense, reinforcing the importance of these practices for both Officer and public safety.
This course is beneficial for a wide range of individuals, including varying levels of experience from Frontline officers to Tactical Officers. I would highly recommend Randy’s 2 day course as a resource to all law enforcement agencies, as I am confident this would support ongoing personal and team development within Police Services.
— London Police Service - ERU
I am delighted to write this testimonial for Randy Turner and his training company, Direct Action. I was lucky enough to train with Randy during a two-day training package involving live fire vehicle tactics and CQB. Throughout the training, Randy and his instructor cadre shared their wealth of experience, and injected realism into every drill and scenario.
The live fire component involved shooting out of, through, and around vehicles while working with your team. The addition of Marathon targets made the training far more dynamic, and provided us with complex problems to work through. Randy was there at every step, maintaining safety and sharing knowledge.
During the CQB, Randy was very observant of every run, and provided meaningful and relevant feedback tailored to each officer. He maintained an easy going and professional attitude, and constantly checked in with the training audience to make sure the pace and content were appropriate.
From the hard skills to his teaching approach, Randy is a world class instructor and a consummate professional. Having trained with several companies in and out of the country, I have to say Direct Action is one of the best. No matter your agency, organization, or experience, Randy will elevate you to the next level.
June 2023.
— Peel Regional Police Officer & Canadian Armed Forces Reserve Member
I worked with Randy to establish a starting point, set a finish line and let him assist me on the path to get there. He helped me step away from barbells and fixed plane motion, and try something new to explore new territory; helping me develop new limits for work capacity and fighting through "the suck".
— Member of the Canadian Armed Forces.
I have been working with Direct Action for the past 18 months. To say that I'm pleased with the service is an understatement. I have never seen such high-level training except when I was playing for team Canada as a professional tennis player. Randy has provided online lessons involving mental strengthening strategies, mentorship and guidance. The continuous level of professionalism is unmatched with any of my past experiences. I would recommend Direct Action to everybody from a kid to an adult. Training under Direct Action builds character, resilience, understanding the true meaning of hard work and above all how to defend yourself. Randy has a true passion for what he teaches and has a vast knowledge in the field of self-defence and firearms training. My past has given me access to receive instruction from coaches in martial arts, track n field, and strength n conditioning. These coaches all offered something meaningful, but Randy is the full package he has so much knowledge in different fields like nutrition, physical training, MMA, self-defense, gun handling, psychology and so much more. Randy has an abundance of patience. For example; he spent over an hour with me to make sure I got one very specific technique down to the ‘T’. He allowed me to drill the technique over and over until I got it and fully understood.
My intent is to continue to train with Direct Action for many years down the road. I think anyone serious about their training, health and overall personal development would gain a lot of experience from training with Randy at Direct Action Combat Performance.
— Member of the Canadian Armed Forces.
On behalf of the Emergency Task Force, we would like to thank you for your outstanding training, guidance and friendship.
On December 7-9, 2020, you (Randy Turner of Direct Action) delivered a custom defensive tactics and covert firearms training training course to our unit. Your training has provided us with invaluable tactics and experience for all members of ETF and has aided in the evolution of our member's skillsets by revolutionizing the way our operators deal with unarmed assailants when weapons retention and defensive tactics are of paramount importance.
Since the inception of the ETF in 1965, our unit has advanced in many ways due to the experience gained with the sheer volume of critical incidents. However, one missing link has always been intricate training for dealing with aggressive unarmed suspects during entries, which constitute the majority of the ETF's encounters, especially in close quarters incidents.
Your training has not only remedied this issue, but with your ongoing training our members will be better prepared, safer with less chances of accidental discharges from physical confrontations in high risk incidents.
Thank you.
Respectfully,
Colin Greenway.
#391
Superintendent
Specialized Emergency Response
— Superintendent, Toronto Police Service - ETF.
I have had the absolute honour and privilege to know Mr. Randy Turner both personally and professionally over the past 10 years and truly believe that he offers a program like no other in the industry. Randy has a unique insight into operational tactics and considerations that is unparalleled and his dedication to ensuring the safety of those who serve has been well demonstrated over the years. As a Police Officer for 20 years, a member of a tactical unit for 15 and a long time martial artist, I fully endorse Randy and the Direct Action methodology.
Randy has provided me and my team tactical combative training on a number of occasions and we continually return to him for our profile development. He provided us with easy to learn techniques that did not require previous martial arts training or experience and then was able to translate that into live scenarios. His in-depth knowledge of tactics and his ability to predict outcomes was something we had never experienced before and something we have yet to see in any other program. To be able to replicate the techniques under stress was impressive to see and proof positive that his system works, the value of this kind of training can not be understated. This is the only combatives platform that the team has unanimously voted to return to time and time again and is the pillar for our program within the team.
Randy is a gifted instructor and extremely personable, he is well suited for this role. His professionalism, concern for safety and overall commitment to the development of others is what sets him apart from the rest. It has been an honour to work and train with him over the years.
— RCMP - ERT police officer
It gives me great pleasure to write this letter of reference for Sergeant Randy Turner. I have known Sergeant Turner for over 10 years and am very comfortable stating that he is a person of immense skill and integrity. Please allow me to explain how I came to know SergeantTurner and the impression he has left upon me.
I will start by briefly providing some information about my own background and qualifications to better situate this letter of reference. I have been member of the academic staff at the University of Alberta since 1998 where I now hold the rank of Full Professor in the Faculty of Kinesiology, Sport, and Recreation. My area of specialization is sport psychology; I teach in the area of sport psychology, I conduct research in the area of sport psychology, and I have been involved in the applied side of sport psychology having provided mental training services to high performance athletes in collegiate-, professional-, and Olympic-level sport for almost 25 years. My expertise in the applied aspects of sport psychology has also taken me into various other high-performance environments, including the armed forces and emergency response teams of law enforcement agencies. With respect to meeting Sergeant Turner, I spent 8 years providing services to his unit within the Special Operations Forces (SOF) of the Canadian Armed Forces.
I met Sergeant Turner many times during the 8 years I worked with his unit. Two “critical incidents” stand out for me that provide the best insight into his character. When I first arrived at his unit to teach (and eventually integrate) psychological skills training into the preparation of soon-to-be-badged assaulters, there was a healthy degree of skepticism towards the things I was teaching by a number of the more experienced members of his unit. In fact, I still remember some of the training cadre (from Training Squadron) standing at my initial briefings with their backs against the wall, arms folded, and a look of general disinterest in their eyes. However, Sergeant Turner (who I did not know at the time and who was not actually a member of the training cadre) came to my session because he was simply interested in the overall aspect of performance psychology that I was teaching. Despite the level of skepticism among some of the senior staff in the room, Sergeant Turner immediately engaged me in a positive and supportive manner, and gave his full endorsement to the principles I was teaching. He was not afraid to speak up in front of his peers (many of whom were his seniors) and support “the unit outsider” who was in the room! This takes immense courage, but also shows his conviction and belief in the importance of psychological training to enhance performance. It was shortly thereafter that I learned Sergeant Turner was also an elite mixed martial arts (MMA) fighter who had been very successful in the sport. We have had a professional relationship ever since, and it does not surprise me that he is now the “combative” subject matter expert (SME) in the unit’s Training Squadron. I have seen him fight and I have seen him teach: he is outstanding at both and I hope that I would never have to confront him in a combative situation—he is truly expert with firearms and unarmed combat.
Sergeant Randy Turner is an ethical warrior. He is tough physically and even tougher mentally. I suspect that being part of an elite military unit as well as his many years of being immersed in mixed marital arts has developed his “warrior ethos”. He bestows all of the virtues that the combat community respects: he has courage, he has humility, he has honour, he has integrity, he is loyal, and he is selfless. Given that I admire these qualities, and given his unique personal experiences, I asked Sergeant Turner to come speak with my team (Team Koe) prior to the start of the Canadian Olympic Curling Trials competition in Ottawa in December, 2017. Sergeant Turner spent 2 hours with my team and asked for no financial compensation: he said it was his way of thanking me and of giving back. He held the attention of my team for the entire visit; I was amazed at how comfortable he was in a room full of strangers (but all of whom were highly recognizable and highly successful “household sporting personalities” in Canada). Every day during the Trials we spoke of the lessons Sergeant Turner had shared with us, and I can honestly say that our victory at the Trials (which meant we went to represent Canada at the 2018 Olympics in Pyeongchang, Korea) was in part due to Sergeant Turner’s contribution.
I give my unreserved support and would be happy to answer any further questions you might have regarding my impressions of Sergeant Turner. He is a person that I would literally and figuratively trust with my life!
— John G.H. Dunn - PhD; Professor of Psychology at the University of Alberta
I am drafting this letter to provide reference for Mr. Randy Turner whom I have known for over 10 years, professionally and personally. By way of background, I have been a Police Officer for 23 years and a member of The Canadian Armed Forces for 28 years (full and part time). It is
through these professions that I have come to know and respect Randy.
In my opinion, Randy exemplifies the word discipline. This carries through in all aspects of his life, both professionally and personally. He demonstrates this through is physical and sporting accomplishments and his maintenanee of operational excellence. Randy has demonstrated,
through significant military operational experience, a level of maturity and responsibility that places him squarely in the top percentile. Not only does Randy possess tactical and operational excellence, he also has a unique ability to connect with the individuals he trains. Randy manages to effectively balance meaningful training with a safe and structured
environment. His discipline affords his high level of firearms and student safety all while
maintaining operational and training excellence.
I cannot recommend Randy Turner high enough for any training or operational role that he
pursues. His exceptionally high level of discipline, safety, tactical and firearms knowledge all balanced with humility make him well suited for endeavours within his chosen arena.
— Ontario Provincial Police Officer
I am pleased to provide a testimonial for the consultation and training program Randy provided us in 2020. From the onset of our first video conference, Randy was professional, understanding, collaborative and invested in the vision of where I wanted to develop training within my organization. Randy was relentless in his pursuit of exceptional customer service and ensured throughout planning and execution that he held nothing back. In his words “I will empty my bucket to help you!” That statement, along with his reputation, cemented my trust in him and exceeded our expectations. During our in-person consultation, Randy was patient and took time to deep dive analyze our training policies so that he could apply the correct methodologies he believed would effectively enhance our employees’ abilities. When we implemented some changes based on his recommendations, employee feedback was very positive. When we had questions or needed advice after the fact, Randy was quick to respond and always ready to help. Further on in 2020, the organization put on a train the trainer course to which Randy was very much involved. We created a 5-day program and offered Randy (Direct Action) - 2 days to once again “empty the bucket”. The only direction I provided Randy was to take these new trainers and give them practical and demanding training that would increase their knowledge and confidence in hopes it would trickle down to our employees. Randy once again went above and beyond; This was more than just a basic training package. Randy made those of us who participated in his course more situationally aware, more accurate with firearms, better prepared to defend ourselves and increase our survivability. Randy’s spirit and attitude were refreshing. Even though he was the instructor, he made us feel like part of his team and never asked us to do something he wasn’t willing to do himself. On behalf of my team and organization, I cannot thank Randy enough. He has become somewhat of a legend within our ranks and we look forward to continued collaboration.
David Calconi
Regional Training Manager
Firearms & Use of Force
GardaWorld Security Services
Mississauga, ON
— Regional Training Manager Firearms & Use of Force GardaWorld Security Services Mississauga, ON
“Having led, trained and worked with counter-terror, tactical and covert programs over the past 26 years, I have had the opportunity to see and train with the world’s best soldiers. I have also have the pleasure of calling Randy Turner "My Brother". I've had the distinct honour working side by side with Randy in the “fight room”, which is where every Assaulter goes to and learns our tactical empty hands combative program. Randy is a fascinating, engaging, animated instructor who draws on his extensive and unique combat experiences gained while on active duty in various theatres of war. Randy has an innovative approach when instructing combative techniques. His work ethic radiates a consummate professional who carries the talent and the credentials of a craft known only to the few and fierce Warriors. Direct Action Combat Performance; is a complete, pragmatic, awesome approach to combat, a no fluff skill set to what all modern warriors should know.”
— Retired Military member.
Randy is probably one of the most down to earth, dedicated person I know. His coaching abilities are second to none and with no doubt you will improve your game by taking one of his courses. Professional by nature and extremely experienced, Randy will take you to the next level with ease. If you are looking for a passionate person with great knowledge to share, Randy is it.
— Professional IPSC Competition shooter.
I had the great pleasure of experiencing 2-days of training with Randy. He trained me, and my 3 teenage boys on self-defence and firearms.
First of all, Randy is one of the most qualified people in the world to provide this type of training. That doesn't make him a great teacher, that makes him extremely qualified. What makes him a great teach is that he is very passionate about helping others. His approach is thoughtful, comprehensive and he is very patient.
The end result is that you absorb the material while gaining confidence. This might just save a life one day.
Randy is a unicorn in his field, and I cannot overstate how passionate and proficient he is as a trainer.
Highly recommended!