How British Veterans Train Abroad — Poland Edition
Force-on-force, holster work, CQB — what ex-Royal Marines and Army veterans come to Poland to practise.
Ask any ex-Royal Marine or former Para what they miss most after leaving service, and the answer is rarely the deployments. It is the trigger time — the dynamic, repetition-heavy, scenario-based training that the UK civilian sector simply cannot replicate. With pistols banned for civilian ownership since 1997 and most SGC/FAC ranges restricted to static lane shooting, the UK is a poor environment for keeping skills alive.
That is why a steady stream of British veterans now train in Poland.
What veterans actually train when they come here
- Pistol fundamentals on a [Glock 17](/shoot-glock-poland) or 19. Holster draw, presentation, transitions, reloads on the move. Things they handled daily in service and cannot legally rehearse at home.
- AR15 / carbine work at 100–300 m. Reactive steel, positional shooting (kneeling, prone, barricade), reloads under time pressure.
- CQB in our shoothouse. Room entries, corner fed and centre fed rooms, two-man stacks. Force-on-target with steel and paper, no role-players unless requested.
- Night-vision lanes. PVS-14 familiarisation, laser-aiming module work, low-light transitions.
None of this requires a Polish licence, paperwork from the UK, or a club membership. You book, you fly, you train.
Why Poland and not the US?
- Distance. 2-hour flight from London, not 9. A long weekend works.
- Cost. Half the price of comparable US courses, before flights.
- Calibre. Our instructors include former Polish special forces and serving operators. Coaching is honest, technical and quiet — no theatrics.
- Continuity. You can come back every few months without it becoming a holiday.
A typical veteran weekend
- Day 1: Pistol diagnostic + 250 rounds of Glock work, holster draws, transitions.
- Day 2: AR15 day. 100–300 m steel, positional, then CQB block in the shoothouse.
- Evening: Wrocław Old Town, debrief over dinner.
Most serving and ex-service shooters book privately or in small two- to four-person groups. Ammunition is included; you fly with the clothes on your back.
How to book
Message us with your service background, dates and what you want to work on. We match you with an instructor whose background fits — UKSF-aligned, infantry, or competition — and build the two days around it.