PMCI - May 2021

TOTAL IMMERSIVE SITUATIONAL TRAINING
4
WOFT
For those who regularly train on and off the range, have you ever wondered what’s next? At some point, you’ve read
everything available about thought, theory and tactics of gunfighting from Col. Cooper and Massad Ayoob to Scott Reitz
and Clint Smith. You’ve taken courses offered through your department, organization or on your own with training from
traditional civilian resources. Maybe you’ve even traveled far and wide to meet and learn directly from some of these
cultural icons in person to further develop your knowledge and skills, but yet several burning questions STILL remain - TS
How can you test your instinctive reflexes,
judgement, and knowledge without a
deployment to an active war zone or dangerous
weekend in Chicago?
Where could you find this type of training?
Who are the reputable trainers offering it?
In this issue of PMCI Magazine, we explore the
answer!
Until recently, the one place that truly offers
the best in total immersive situational training
has been swirling around by way of word of mouth between
some of the nation’s top firearm trainers and small circles elite
students. Those “in the know” such as celebrities, top executives
for firearms manufacturers and even the head of a major
firearms training and carry insurance organization all trained
in the shadows off the beaten commercial path at this private
facility located in central Florida. Now, we break the first rule of
Fight Club by talking about what lies behind the doors of a Tier
1 training facility called West Orlando Firearms Training or better
known as WOFT.
Not long ago, fellow gun writer, Jim Wenzel and I decided to
reach out and find out more information on WOFT after hearing
rave reviews from close friends after their training experience.
Not only did we get a reply from the WOFT President and CEO,
Philip Toppino, Jim and I were personally invited down to tour
the facility. After clearing our schedule not to miss such a great
invitation, Jim and I hit the road amidst a pre-dawn
rainstorm. Within a couple of hours, the clouds had
lifted into a beautiful sunny Florida day as we entered the gated
facility known as WOFT. In the drive we were warmly greeted by
Mr. Toppino himself, who graciously became the day’s tour guide
and valued friend. What resulted was a great opportunity to sit
down and be able to share what we learned to our PMCI readers.
PMCI: Philip welcome to PMCI Magazine and thank you for taking
time out of your busy schedule to discuss what exactly it is that
WOFT offers that attracts such elite trainers and students. If you
don’t mind, could you share with our readers a little bit about
your background and how WOFT originated?
WOFT: I love meeting quality Americans and thank you for
investing the time to visit. I believe that Scenario Training is an
essential skill Americans should prioritize when it comes to their
safety. We offer Scenario Safety Training throttled to your skillset
and hard focused on showing civilians safety concepts to be a
hard target and allowing them the best possible family-friendly
experience. WOFT is currently working to develop some basic
online training information as a “what you need to know before
you visit to get the most of your experience at WOFT.”
That should be available on our website in the coming
months.
One of my many mentors, Dom Raso, speaks about being an
Asset for your Family / loved ones, and that’s what our Goal is at
WOFT, to learn collectively how to best detect and deescalate a
potentially violent situation and avoid conflict at all cost.
My background is not military or law enforcement but a
regular law-abiding, freedom-loving American who traveled the