Course Testimonials

An excellent day of instruction on the Glock 17, covering aspects from safe handling through to the shoot itself. Nobby was a fantastic instructor who improved my shooting tremendously.

If you are reading this testimonial, I have two words: book it. This was, by far, the finest training course I have attended. Mark (Nobby) was in touch with me throughout booking and tailored my course to my exact requirements, clearly doing the prep on his side to provide a bespoke course for my genuine safety and survival in the environment I would encounter. On the day, Nobby knew exactly how to ease me in to the process, clearly as a result of his many years of experience at the very highest levels of military service in the world. He trained me with precision and careful guidance, and knew where to assist if required, all without comprimising that I had understood the safety requirements I needed to leave with to be safe in the field. The theory and practical elements were both perfect and I cannot recommend STS enough. I feel I have gained a genuine skillset from my day with Nobby and I would love to go back to learn more.

Thank you for a great day, loved the insight into your career and sharing story's with us. The experience on the shooting range was fantastic , this down to you teaching us in a calm, & patience way , and still injecting humour into the experience. Thank you again

We had a great time with Nobby on this course. Hearing about his career and achievements is gripping, a tiny insight into the secretive world of Special Forces operations. We were all beginners shooting, so learning the basic principles for gun handling and marksmanship was a great experience. Would highly recommend and hopefully we will be back for further courses.

The course was a great day for our small group. We learned loads on the safe handling and operation of rifles which went far beyond a typical shooting experience, whilst still being in a fun and relaxed environment. I would highly recommend. We all finished the day smiling.

Thanks Nobby for a great day, myself and Max throughly enjoyed ourselves, it was very interesting to hear the experience you have had. It was also informative to learn the dismantling and reassembling of the guns too. Great competition at the end, I was relieved it was a draw otherwise I would never of heard the end of it!

Our day with Mark aka "Nobby" could not have been better and is something that we will remember for years to come. To be able to get a true first hand insight into the world of the Special Forces and what is unquestionably a truly inspiring and fascinating career was amazing. The time then spent with the array of firearms and getting to shoot them was a absolutely amazing. Nobby took the time to show us all the functions of the weapons, explain where and why they are used and also the full safety precautions too. The shooting competitions at the end was a great way to end the day. If you are looking for the ultimate experience you will not be disappointed

great fun and instructive as well. I would like to join the SBS but i’m too old! competitive element to shooting was an added bonus. I would recommend the course and Nobby who gave it.

Thanks so much for a really fun day!

Thank you to Mark Nobby Knowles for a unique experience. Felt very privileged and humbled by the day. Very professional setup and I felt totally safe in the environment. If you get chance to do one of Marks courses please do not hesitate. Simon Parkinson

This event was in support of one of Marks charities. An excellent day from start to finish. Having only had limited exposure to firearms it was very informative with lots of hands on experience and tailored to our needs. Mark was thoroughly professional and made the experience a pleasure. I would not hesitate in recommending Mark and his services. The classroom’s & firing range are great facilities. Thank you Mark Nobby Knowles for a top day Graham Moffitt

Mark (KNobby) brings a wealth of personal experience and expertise to his training courses providing a bespoke days input for our small group. He was engaging and keen to understand our levels of firearm experience, plus what we wanted to get from the day. His methods of teaching cater for all sorts and he was able to improve everyone's technique with one to one coaching. On top of all that, Mark provided an insight into his personal background and the role of the UK Special Forces. Overall, a great day, both enjoyable and insightful.

What a great course and instructor. I had not handled any weapons for many years but under Mark's instruction I soon became at ease. The safety side of thing's could not be done any better as every tiny detail has been taken into consideration. Mark's amazing career and knowledge are truly breath taking. Purely talking from a corporate background I found the whole day really motivating and aim to take some of Mark's enthusiasm and professionalism back into the business world with me. I would recommend this course to anyone who has a interest in firearms or the military plus team building in the business world.

This was a difficult course for me as it takes me a long time to process information however once something is in my head it stays there. Nobby was a very engaging man whose life almost existed in a parallel world. His wealth of experience and knowledge is probably unsurpassed and I only scraped the surface. He's a good instructor and a man you'd want on your side when the going gets tough.

I thought I was attending a simple point and shoot social event, how wrong I was. Nobby has stories to tell that defy belief, a captivating narrative of decades in the service: Funny, sobering and absolutely extraordinary! After blowing my mind with his experiences he then gave a comprehensive day shooting training. I feel like I learnt a huge amount in a relatively short space of time, experienced a wide variety of rifles and improved my technique and weapons handling no end. Thanks Nobby and STS. Can't wait to come back.

A truly memorable day. This course gave a wonderful insight into special forces. There was incredible instruction into weapons safety and weapons handling and marksmanship to such a high standard. Anyone who undertakes this course will carry lifelong memories of how incredible our Special forces are. A brilliant day.

I came into this course as a complete novice with firearms and thoroughly enjoyed it. Nobby was very patient and informative and was always willing to answer any of my questions. I felt very safe throughout the course and certainly came away with some extremely valuable lessons and insight. I would highly recommend Shooting Training Solutions to anybody who is unsure how to take their first steps into firearms training. Excellent quality of instruction!

As a complete novice, I recently took 2 days bespoke shooting course with Mark and I absolutely loved every second of it! Mark is very experienced and passionate about his work, yet he is very humble and does not need the spotlights. His knowledge, work ethos and patience are outstanding. I felt very safe and well looked after and will recommend him and his business to everyone,who's looking to give it a go!

Very good, informative and enjoyable day. The course delivered everything expected taking a relatively inexperienced gun user through all safety exercises required followed by live firing with a range of weapons. I left the course feeling comfortable that I am able to operate the weapons safely with a degree of competence and comfort Nobby delivered the course really well emphasising the safety elements throughout- and made it fun to boot. Cheers Nobby!!

I thought that after a brief introduction to the weapons we would go and shoot, but that wasn't the case. we learned every part of the weapon, every function and how important safety was. and only after the teacher understood that we knew the basic rules did he feel confident in sending us to shoot. The teacher is extremely competent, I was constantly asking questions and he always answered very thoroughly and with clear examples and scenarios. he never had any problems explaining things multiple times and demonstrating multiple times. I was happy with the experiences and I'm sure I will take other courses to deepen what I learned.

The course was excellent. The instructor was very professional, friendly and welcoming. The course was delivered in a way that prioritised safety, understanding of the weapons and procedures, while also being interesting and enjoyable. I would highly recommend it. Thank you.

Nobby was very professional and kept us very engaged with his life story. Would definitely recommend especially if you have no firearms experience at all like I was prior to the course.

I cannot recommend Shooting Training Solutions enough. I had a fantastic day learning about Nobby's experience in the Royal Marines and what it takes to do such a difficult and demanding job. Nobby is a highly skilled instructor and made me feel safe the entirety of the day, he was very straight forward and to the point, which is just what you need when handling firearms, helping me to understand the mechanisms of the weapons and how best to operate them safely. As someone who had zero firearms handling experience beforehand I can say I learnt a lot and I am very grateful for such an enriching day and hope to come back some day in the future to gain more experience.

The course was great, it gave me an insight into weapon handling and safety that was definitely helpful. I know I’ll go away with being comfortable holding and dealing with weapons in a safe manner which is crucial. Mark was incredibly kind and made me welcome, his backstory is incredible and was extremely interesting to hear. He is probably the most knowledgeable you can be in this field so you know everything he’s telling you to do he would’ve done himself. If or when I want or need more training I’d definitely come back here.

What an amazing day. I have lived near Sherborne most of my adult life and never realised this was in our doorstep. Today I attended the course with my 14 year old son. The day was very well structured learning gun safety and basics of shooting firearms before going onto the firing range. Nobby was professional, very friendly and made us feel welcome. The insight into his career was very Inteteresting. We are both really looking forward to the second day of training. The only frustrating part is having to wait untill March for our next day. However we fully appreciate why the course is so busy after attending. Thankyou for a great day. Jayden & James