EAST Group

09/03/2026

We’ve been excited to see this video and others coming out ahead of Samantha’s Off Body Carry class at the AWA Shoot. She’s got more queued up and waiting in the wings to talk about, just wait for whats next from Ladies Packing Heat LPH

Sometimes the simple is overlooked and bypassed by a plethora of noise out there, the simple question of, “does this make sense”? In this case, with vehicles does it really make sense to put something between you and the wheel if you don’t have to? Does it make sense to draw against someone who already has their weapon drawn when you’re in a 3500-pound sedan that is a bullet magnet? We can show you who wins/loses and we can show you where your rounds go. Samantha talks about many of the other aspects to think about carrying in this method.

This feature is better, this strap is better, these locks, two features that must be defeated to gain access, the list goes on and on. Just read the descriptions and see what’s being pedaled out there. Overcomplication and a misunderstanding of “range/movies” versus “real world” dominate so much these days.

In a world of influencers out there, companies out there, the focus and drive is $$$ plain and simple. We get that, we’re a business too, but at the end of the day being able to sleep with the decisions made is important. For that reason, we differ and our core values differ from others. If the only place you can perform this tactic, technique, or procedure is the flat range safe world, then it does you no good and that is not what we represent.

If you want your eyes opened and you’re already carrying off body, or looking to make the change, take her class at the Ohio Armed Women of America state shoot. A wife, a mom, a daughter, highly skilled and instructed, and an innovator willing to make the waves for what makes sense.

09/03/2026

Want to get better with any platform, any method, you have to put in the work.

90 degrees out, put in the work. Rainy class day, put in the work. Can't live fire, put in the work and dry fire. Can't find time, its about making time to do what counts. With few exceptions the time can be found if you want to.

Good enough might be ok if you're just pinking or shoot for fun, but if you carry, the standard is higher.

09/02/2026

Ah, another great post about “Vehicle Gunfighting” that we’ve seen in the last week or so on our social media feeds.

Students creating a, “ballistic pathway” that helps prevent glass deflection. Seems like it makes sense on the surface and to the unknowing, untrained person who have watched enough movies and television it checks.

Enter the question fired back about how many rounds must be fired before creating this path. Their instructional answer was “3-5 rounds before most pass through without deflection.

Sooooo, where did those 3-5 rounds go before you made a hole significant enough to reduce deflection of other rounds? Left, right, up, because they didn’t go down, we have stacks of windshields that we’ve used over the course of time and plenty more for testing. We have the video and photos and just how askew those go.
No worries though, they talked about running temple index and sweeping the steering wheel so as not to muzzle themselves. So we’re worried about flagging ourselves, but we’re NOT worried about where the 3-5 rounds fired go before they can hit the threat?

Lets talk about the other elephant in the room that most students don’t know to ask and many don’t want to answer. Isn’t the threat going to move after the first shot fired? Yes, unless they are absolutely stupid they are not going to stand in the same spot. Which means that you’re just to keep firing 3-5 round bursts to hit the target?

As we say in classes as we show and break myths, “ask yourself, does this really make sense?”

09/01/2026

One of the things we regularly see that isn't used enough, used correctly, and maybe not even used at all.

A holster this past weekend, optics throughout the year, holsters throughout the year, and other accessories that need to stay put, but don't.

It's the little things like this that will cause problems for you. Whether its a $59 holster or a $5000 Staccato, don't miss or skip the little things that will cost you.

Threadlocker belongs in any fi****ms maintenance kit, but that doesn't mean we're using it right. Here's what you need to know.

09/01/2026

We're going to share this tidbit out this morning from Brookway Hearing in regards to audio stimuli vs visual.

Sounds familiar, right? What can we say other than we work with the experts in many fields to provide more detail to our training. It's more than just shooting and fighting, it's understanding many aspects behind it all.

Ladies, want to see and experience the difference? Get signed up for the Armed Women of America Armed Women of America - OHIO Ohio State Shoot coming up on October 2-3, 2026 at the Cardinal Shooting Center. EAST Group will be bringing, "It Happens in a Flash".

https://armedwomen.org/events/ #!event/2026/10/2/2026-ohio-state-shoot

Your ears process sound faster than your eyes process light. Sound reaches your brain in about 10 milliseconds, quick enough that your hearing is actually your fastest warning system, faster than sight, faster than touch.

It's a big part of why a sudden sound makes you react before you even know what happened.

Your hearing is doing more work than you realize, every day. If it's been a while since you've had it checked, now's a good time to see how well that system is running. Give us a call to schedule.

08/31/2026

Load of the week. The last couple weeks we've been talking shotgun and patterning to show some differences.

This week it is Rio Home Defense in 12GA, 1 buck, 1250fps, 9 pellet. Its a lower costing round that we've seen a lot more over the last year or so.

Three distances, 10, 15, and 20-yards with a Mossburg 940 Thunder Ranch edition.

What pattern? No, seriously there was not a tight pattern at all to this. At 15 yards they were starting to creep off the silhouette Each was spread at every distance. I guess it depends what your environment is and what you want to accomplish.

Can you just buy whatever on the shelf and go with that? Maybe, maybe not. Wouldn't you rather see for yourself and not trust a store salesperson who's never fired it before?

Want to see what your rounds and your gun will do? Check out our defensive shotgun class on September 26, 2026 here at EAST Group. Link below to learn more and sign up!

https://www.shootingclasses.com/eastgrouptraining/course/?courseId=6307

@topfans

08/31/2026

Ladies and gentlemen we can’t say this enough, if you are off body carrying (purse, sling, bag, waist pack) and haven’t trained with it, you aren’t as ready as you may believe.

We had the great opportunity for LPH Ladies Packing Heat and EAST Group to come together on Saturday to bring Off Body Carry to our facility. Samantha and Shane spent have spent a significant time in developing this course, bringing it to Armed Women of America events and Michigan over the last several years.

This class isn’t about shooting, its not about marksmanship, it is about a different way of carrying and working from a different system. If you can’t shoot with a certain amount of accuracy, you should get confident with that BEFORE carrying a firearm.

Rather than range only mentality, this entire class and hands on portions were based on real life 360-degree world. No timers, no gimmicks, no techniques that only work on the flat range with your RSO and instructor to validate your specific process. This is where LPH differentiates itself and stands out with the no nonsense approach and, “does this make sense in the real world.”

As Samantha referred, “it’s just a vessel that just holds your gun.” While you wouldn’t think that it would be much different it indeed changes your draw stroke and presentation, not to mention how you carry yourself. “There are guns out there that may fit in your bag, but they may not draw well from it,” added Shane.

While Samantha is the designer of her own concealed carry handbag, she and Shane took a different approach showing several bags, styles, and methods to show the pros and cons to many. The students themselves in this course have the opportunity not only to work from their bags but also see what else is out there and what other options might be like.

Looking back to a previous class, Samantha recalled a student that after the discussion and hands on review of the bags, “I didn’t even want to take it down, I don’t even feel comfortable putting my gun in this $300 bag anymore.” That student left the bag and chose another option to try from the large selection.
“The equipment she was carrying was probably going to be a liability in a situation versus an advantage,” added Shane.

Techniques were shown, scenarios given, and discussion about what to do with your family, children, and how carrying is a lifestyle that must be led. Several hours on the range spent in working with students and building more confidence. We can see a second level coming after this entailing more scenario-based threats!

Ladies, if you want to check it out, there are 1.5 hour experiences coming up in October at the Ohio state shoot at the Cardinal Shooting Center. Look for this also next year and in our private group classes

HERE IS THE LINK, LADIES!

https://armedwomen.org/events/ #!event/2026/10/2/2026-ohio-state-shoot

08/28/2026

⚠️ You’ll flag someone if you off-body carry ⚠️

One of the other big topics we hear out there is that off body should not even be considered because you will flag someone. Without a doubt the largest number of comments and articles seen on this tend to come from men. While yes off body does change things entirely, proper realistic instruction and training with your choice of bag is highly important and can reduce potential issues.

Instructing, attending classes, and watching others on a variety of ranges the question that needs brought up is are we truly not flagging anyone during an real incident? At the range everything is safe, ballistic material, thick walls, high safety berms, RSO present, ballistic dividers, nothing downrange, can’t break the 180 with your muzzle. Further yet, everyone is standing a certain way, everything is scripted, everything is perfect.

In real life is this entirely possible? When the situation happens, you are in the 360-degree world, things are moving, and if you’re in a fight, you’re already jacked up with your world spinning and heart pounding. When you get attacked Where is your 180, your backstop, and your instructor or RSO to be accountable? In the store, the church, the office, anywhere but the range, are you confident you saw everything?

Lets take this conversation a step further to cause more thinking. In appendix carry as a male aren’t you regularly pointing it right at the package? Ladies, you’re not exempt from this as it’s pointing in proximity to your femoral arteries.

The argument then comes up, “but it’s in a rigid holster so it’s not going to discharge.” So now we aren’t discussing orientation and flagging we are talking protection and control of the trigger on your firearm. So you’re ok with it pointing at your ge****ls or aimed right down your femoral artery flagging yourself on a constant basis because you have trigger control. This is where typically fudds stop, hesitate, and maybe even change topics.

❓❓ So what does it take ❓❓

Trigger finger discipline is key to avoid things from happening before we want them to. Where do we get this from? Training regularly, dry fire training, live fire work, realistic training on how to fight, and more training. In case you didn’t gather, training is a highly important part of this that can’t be skipped.

Want to learn more, come tomorrow to the Off Body Carry class with Ladies Packing Heat LPH

08/27/2026

Do you just buy whatever looks good on the shelf, or whats on sale, what goes into your purchase decision? Whats next, do you just load up and hope for the best?

Spent some time working with a few more loads and up this round is Hornady Critical Defense, 12gauge, 00 buck, 1600fps. Tests were ran with a Mossburg 940 Thunder Ranch Clint Smith model. Just a simple fiber optic front sight on the gun, nothing fancy. Not going to mix words here, this shotgun is amazing and a solid choice. It eats everything sent so far and asks for more.

Top group is 10-yards and roughly a fist size group. Middle group is from 20-yards which spread out a little more horizontally, but still an impeccable group that is all within the preferred area of the silhouette. The bottom group is from 15-yards, spreading vertically and almost identical in group size as the 20-yard.

Clearly looking at the images the damage and trauma from the round is going to yield significant damage.

Do you go off the forums, a Youtube video, or store rep recommendation on what to buy? Take the time to verify and see how its going to run for you. Hoping for the best is not planning.

Want to learn more on the shotgun platform, get signed up for our class on September 26, 2026 - Defensive Shotgun.

https://www.shootingclasses.com/eastgrouptraining/course/?courseId=6307

08/26/2026

Awareness and avoidance, is your college student ready?
As more colleges and universities are moving students in, thus begins one of the most dangerous times of the year, the Red Zone, as we discussed recently. It’s not saying that your college aged child needs to be a hermit and only come out in the daylight hours with a buddy. Its about learning about potential threats and how to better be aware.

1. Don’t walk distracted. This one is a hard concept to grasp as their phone, or device gets a lot of attention. Don’t walk head down looking at the pavement in front of you, be up scanning. If you’re using headphones trying a low volume or potentially only one headphone in. Bone conducting headphones are gear because you still can hear your surroundings.

2. Have plans before going out. Where am I going, is it safe in that area or what problems might arise. Who am I going with and how are we getting home. Where do I go if something goes bad, where are my exits.

3. Protect your drink, even the non-alcoholic ones. Leaving drinks unattended is still a threat no matter what the beverage is.

4. The buddy system from your younger age still is wise advice. Threats are less likely to approach or threaten groups of people that are aware.

5. Its ok to be impolite, if that first no thank you, glare, or attempt to leave a situation doesn’t work, there’s always the back the f*ck up and leave me alone! Be loud, be stern when you need to, and make your point.

As we continue the next few weeks of the college start, we’ll be talking more about this topic. The danger does exist, denying it does not make it go away.