Over the past few months, Walt White over at Walt in PA has been blogging extensively about his USPSA shooting experience. In fact, he and I have corresponded a lot recently, via email and Twitter, so I thought, if my readers like my stuff, they should go check out his.
He's gone from an unclassified shooter last year to becoming a C Class Production shooter. I'm D Class, in Production.
He shoots a Glock 17. I shoot a Glock 17.
He makes video of his matches. I make video of my matches. (His are a lot better. I covet his head-cam.)
He's a architectural designer-drafter by trade. I'm a recovering engineer turned headhunter.
We have a lot in common.
Even our approach to shooting is similar. Take a recent post he had about his goals for shooting USPSA. Good stuff.
Go check him out, and while you're at it, subscribe to his podcast on iTunes* and follow him on Twitter.
* Sorry, I don't have the doohickey that does that. But go to iTunes and search for "Walt in PA." You're a grown-up.
On Saturday June 9, 2012, I shot in the USPSA match at the CherokeeGun Club in Gainesville, Georgia. The day was sunny and warm, never about the mid-80’s. There were 81 shooters total, and 7 stages.
I shot in Squad 7, so I shot the last stage of the day first. However, I’ll describe the match in order.
I also will track some lessons learned with numbers in parentheses (thus) and talk about them in the Debriefing.
STAGE 1
Stage 1 was Georgia State Standards, and, as the name implies, was borrowed from the Georgia State USPSA match. It consisted of twelve USPSA targets arranged in an inverted V shape, with distances ranging from 7 yards out to 40 yards. There was a box opposite each base. The course of fine was, from either box, one shot on the targets on that side of the center line, then moving to the other box and one shot on each target there. For a second string, you started in the second box, shot one per target, then moved to the other box. At this point you shot one per target with the strong hand only.
I started on the right, so I ended up on the right side shooting strong hand only. This was telling, since all three misses I had on this stage were on the farther targets on the right hand side, meaning I likely missed shooting strong hand only. (1)
The RO came to me after the stage and mentioned that I almost broke the 180 degree rule when I was moving from right to left while changing magazines. There’s not a really good way to do that for a right hander, except pay attention and do it right. (2)
STAGE 2
The next stage was called Sliding Away. We shot the two poppers from inside the box, then we could engage the 10 paper targets in any order. This was my best stage of the day. I ran it fairly quickly, and had all A’s and C’s, with no misses. In fact, I finished ninth of 29 in Production on this stage.
My key was making sure I had a good sight picture on the poppers, as well as moving while I shot. It seemed to be a theme of the day that so many shooters stood still while shooting, then ran like hell to the next shooting position. Since I’m not very fast* I can’t rely on running, and learned to shoot while moving.
We also started facing uprange with the gun unloaded and holstered (3), and had to turn, load the gun, and fire. If I had to guess, this stage was designed by someone who open carried in California.
STAGE 3
The next stage had a left side and a right side shooting box. From the left you could shoot 5 poppers, one of which engaged a clamshell target.
A clamshell target is a target that pops up, and then a second later gets covered by a No-Shoot target. This means you normally have to shoot the clamshell as soon as it’s activated, and that’s how the first person through the stage shot it. Soon, though, someone noticed there was a lot of target showing above the No-Shoot, so they decided to leave it till later, and take a head shot on the portion that was exposed.
This worked just fine, and the rest of the squad shot it that way. I actually tried to shoot the clamshell in the center, but I didn’t double tap it (4), and had to end up settling for A/C, with the A in the middle under the No-Shoot.
I finished 41 out of 81 total on this stage, my best of the day.
Here's video of Stage 3.
Here's Dave Sevigny running Stage 3. Dave was in the group behind us.
You would think Dave would win the whole match. Sorry, KC Eusebio beat him.
STAGE 4
Stage 4 was called Dance Down The Middle, and it was made up of single shot paper targets around the perimeter, with a center fault line. All the targets on the left had to be shot from right of the fault line, and vice-versa.
Most people shot it thus: at the sound of the buzzer, they stepped over the line and started shooting at targets, standing still, until they had shot the number they had in mind. Then, they hopped over the line, some changing magazines as needed, and shot the other side.
Then, they ran like hell to the next shooting position, and did the same thing.
The whole time, I’m thinking “Sorry, isn’t this sport called ACTION shooting?”
Here’s how I shot it: At the sound of the buzzer, I moved over the line and shot the first five targets, moving up to where I was opposite the first target. Then, I moved over the line and shot the first five of the other side, while moving down range, keeping myself just behind a 180-degree line to the target. I then continued on thus till I was done.
Shooting on the move is a technique more shooters need to learn, or use. (5)
My Embarrassing Moment of the day came after my first string. As I was moving and changing magazines, the magazine fell out of my hand. Fortunately, this isn't a penalty, and I kept the presence of mind to keep my muzzle down range and retrieve the magazine (on the run, no less) and get it in the gun.
(This is where I'm glad I don't have a Hat Cam like Walt.
STAGE 5
Sorry, there wasn't a diagram of Stage 5.
Stage 5 was called Urine in Your Face, and I have no idea why.
It started with a lone steel target from the starting box, then a series of paper targets and No-Shoots shot from a lane moving down range. Again, most people moved, stopped, and shot several targets, while I kept moving and shot on the move.
But, again the dreaded Mike reared its head, as I tried to double tap the two paper targets close up and to the right, and instead shot Alpha / Mike on each. (4)
Here's another shooter on Stage 5:
STAGE 6
Stage 6 was a Classifier called Front Sight 2. It was almost like an El Presidente drill, except we ran it in two strings, and we started one run facing uprange with hands raised, and one string facing downrange with hands at our side. Draw and put two on each target.
When I finished shooting, someone behind me called out “sandbagger!” That's because I had shot 12 alphas with a time of about 8 and a half seconds. But I practice El Presidente, and this was easier, since there was no magazine change.
STAGE 7
Stage 7 was Humdinger, which was undoubtedly named for the noise it makes. Eleven steel targets, all shot from a shooting box and around some barrels.
This was my first stage of the day, and I hadn't shot at all before, so I probably shot 25 rounds to take out the 11 targets. My time was over 22 seconds. Instead of spraying and praying, I could have taken a one handed dueling stance and done better. (6)
DEBRIEFING
In retrospect, I didn't do the worst I could have done, nor did I do the best. In general, the Mikes meant I was shooting too fast. A little slower will means better hits. It's a tough realization for someone who is competitive and thinks they should be shooting fast. But if I am to get to that point, it will mean – shocker! - PRACTICE!
Here's what I need to practice:
I need to shoot one handed a lot more. This was evidenced on Stage 1, as well as on the “reverse handed” stage at the Memorial Day shoot at Creekside Firing Range.
I need to practice moving right to left while changing magazines
I need to practice drawing an unloaded gun, loading it, and firing. In case I open carry in California. Or I’m ambushed coming out of a gun show.
I need to work on double taps.
I need to practice shooting on the move. This may require a lot of dry firing or Airsoft work, since there are a limited number of places I can practice this.
Slow down and make hits. My score will go up. I can't miss fast enough to win.
* I'm told that somewhere there is a baseball scouting report on me that says "he's short, but he's slow to make up for it."
In the course of seeing how bad the video quality was from the Memorial Day Steel Match, compared to the HD video I shot earlier, I edited my Match Checklist this morning to add my HD camera. I use this checklist to remind me of what I need to do, and I typically start it a few days before the match.
I thought I would share it with you. Here’s the checklist. Feel free to copy it for your own use.
Competition is good. It helps you practice your gun handling skills, and it exposes you to a stressful environment which at least simulates a real world encounter. In the world of pistol competition, there always seems to be a lot of discussion about which pistol sport is more "defensive based" and more "real world" - USPSA or IDPA.
IDPA is the International Defensive Pistol Association, and it was founded in 1996, as a response by some who felt that IPSC competitions were getting too far from the intended purpose. Namely, the founders didn't like the IPSC trend toward "race guns," or guns purpose built for competition, and felt that there should be a sport that required the use of normal carry guns, with stages based on more real world scenarios.
The object of practical pistol skill is not to win trophies, but rather to stop fights. Muzzle brakes and reduced loads are backward steps and not to be regarded as progress. When we see the terms "race gun" and "carry gun" as representing two different instruments, we learn that some people at least have lost sight of the object of the exercise.
This comes from none other than the founder of IPSC and its first president, Jeff Cooper.
Interestingly, he goes on.
It is important not to become dogmatic about this.
Whoa. Dogmatic doesn't even touch some of the "discussion" I hear.
He concludes:
If there is a better way or a better weapon, let's have it. But I have not seen this developing in pistolcraft, at least not recently. Those of us who have studied the matter deeply understood this a good many years ago. We will change when we are shown why we should, but not until then.
In this light, the recent trend in USPSA toward the Production division is certainly welcome.
So, if you're serious about shooting, you should be competing, both to build defensive skills, and to do so in a stressful environment. It seems clear that it doesn't matter which sport you choose, as long as you keep your goals in mind. The rules may be different, but the goal should be the same.
If we get away from the original intent, however, we risk making it into something it isn't suited to be, and something it wasn't meant to be.
Walt White at Walt in PA has posted another match report from his recent USPSA match. Check it out.
As I read Walt's description of his first stage, Stage 4, I began to see a neat demonstration of a curious phenomenon: how time slows down when we're "in the zone."
To see what I mean, read Walt's description of this malfunction he ran into:
It was at this point that I ran into trouble. My slide was locked back but my magazine wouldn’t drop free after pressing the magazine release button. I gave the gun a little shake to try and free the magazine but was unsuccessful. Being the first time I had ever encountered this problem, I acted on instinct. I mashed down on the slide release lever and the slide snapped forward. A press on the magazine release lever sent the empty magazine falling to the ground. I re-inserted a new magazine and racked the slide.
With a round in the chamber and the slide in battery, the gun appeared ready to rock. I raised the gun and fired two last shots on the one remaining target.
As I read this, and imagined it in my mind, I thought it might take him 5 or 6 seconds to clear the problem.
Watch the video though:
You can see that it takes Walt 3 seconds, from 0:29 to 0:32, to clear and bring the gun back up. I think the fact that he was able to describe dropping the slide and trying to drop the magazine shows that he could and think about and clearly see all the details of what was happening.
All this happens because, when we are "in the zone," or under stress, the body is filled with the "fight or flight" response, and flooded with adrenaline. Our brains speed up, and perception of time is altered. Lots of people have reported this, and I once experienced it during an auto crash.
I'm a little behind in my blog reading and podcast listening, but with the warm weather this weekend, I got to do a lot of yard work, and, thanks to noise-cancelling ear buds, catch up some on the podcasts.
In his most recent podcast, Walt White at Walt in PA talked about his first USPSA match of the year, and that led me to the collection of videos and stage debriefings on his blog.
I am a fiend for good descriptions of stages and how they are shot - visualization, planning, and the actual "Red Haze" shooting of the stage, and Walt really delivered. Check out the hat-cam video Walt provides. Coupled with his insightful and no-holds-barred self examination, I found it a really great read.
I am almost convinced that Walt and I are separated at birth. He doesn't cut himself much slack in reviewing his performance, and neither do I.
On a related note, one of the other podcasts I listened to was Episode 254 of Down Range Radio with Michael Bane. Michael has been competing as long as there have been competitions, and this episode he talked about Winter Range, the big Cowboy Action Shooting match. He didn't do as well as he thought he should have, or could have, either.
But he talked a lot about how the top shooters are able to shake off a bad stage, and go on to the next stage. Without that ability, they could easily let a poor performance take down their whole match.
I've been looking into this concept some, and I plan to write about it some more in the near future. In the meantime, I will take away the good and try to learn from the not-so-good.
About a week ago, I was asked by Walt in PA about the magazine holders I use for USPSA competition. I told him that I have been using the standard Glock Magazine Holder ever since I got into competition, for a number of reasons.
First, it's what I use for every day carry, if I use a mag holder. Second, it's lightweight and cheap. So cheap, I've never found anything else that meets my needs, for the price.
While my choice of mag holder hasn't changed, I can't say the same about my holsters.
The picture above shows my competitive holster collection, as it has evolved from 1993 to today.
When I bought my first Glock 17 in 1992, I went that same weekend and bought a very inexpensive nylon, one-size-fits-all holster, and I used that holster for club competition for about 3 or 4 years. It's made by Gould & Goodrich, and I don't know the model number because that part of the tag is missing now. The inside is a nice suede.
When I took up IDPA in 1995, I bought an Uncle Mike's Kydex paddle holster. Because I carried my gun at about 4 o'clock at that time, I adjusted it to the maximum forward cant that I could. I still use it for IDPA.
At that time, I used a stiff leather belt, laced through my belt loops, as a gun belt.
Then, in 2002, when I took up USPSA, I changed from a 4 o'clock position to a 3 o'clock position, right on my hip, and I bought an Uncle Mike's belt slide holster. About that time, I found a Bianchi competition belt on sale, and I started using that. I like the competition belt because it's a little more rigid than the leather belt, and I can take the belt off and on a lot easier.
In 2005 or so, I started experimenting some with my draw stroke, and I changed my technique a little. Before, I moved my hand below the gun and swept it clear with the fingers, then grabbed the grip as I brought the gun to bear.
However, I found that this technique didn't yield a consistent grip, so I changed, so that my first movement was to grip the gun with my strong hand, high, with a good shooting grip. Then I would draw the gun, while bringing my support hand in.
I found that the belt holster made the gun ride just a little too high, and someone suggested I try an offset holster, that mounted the gun lower.
Uncle Mike's belt slide holster, left, versus BladeTech DOH holster, on the right. Note that both belts are at the same level. The gun rides almost 3 inches higher with the belt slide holster.
I ended up buying a BladeTech "DOH" double offset belt holster, that's adjustable for cant at two points. After some experimenting, I have it set at a neutral position, not canted in any direction. I wear it right behind by the point of my hip bone, per the Production Division rules.
I find that the 3 inch difference between the belt slide holster and the DOH is enough to make my grip a lot more consistent.
Yes, I still have all these holsters, and many more. But that collection is for another day.
This past Saturday I shot the regular monthly USPSA match at the Cherokee Gun Club in Gainesville, Georgia.
The weather was perfect for a pistol match, starting in the low 50's F and ending around 60, with a slight breeze. There were 67 competitors and all classes and divisions were represented except revolvers. And, Dave Sevigny was there, and I got to chat with him for a few minutes.
There was an excellent mix of stages as well, including a couple of simple stages and one of the most complex field courses I have ever had the pleasure of running. More on that later.
I started on Stage 4, but I'll go through the stages from the beginning. Stage 1 was called Do Your Dance, and it consisted of multiple targets along the edge of the stage, with barrels and a dividing line up the middle of the stage. The Dance came from the requirement that targets on the left side be shot from the right side of the divider, and vice versa, so that the shooter was essentially dancing back and forth down the field. Very interesting. I shot it clean (which for me means no misses, I"ll worry about all Alphas later) but my time was slow. No surprise.
Stage 2 was the Classifier stage Cash 'n' Carry, with three targets from engaged from a box, one popper engaged while moving to a second box, and three targets engaged from the second box, only from under a horizontal bar that forced us to kneel or squat. (Given the choice I usually kneel.) I missed two shots on this stage and shot a no-shoot. Not good.
Stage 3 was called Doomed, and now I know why. It's the one shown in the picture above. There were two swinging targets and a guillotine target. The Guillotine target is covered by a no-shoot at the beginning of the stage, and shooting a popper drops the no-shoot. About 2 seconds later another no-shoot rotates into position blocking this target, so you have a short time to shoot it.
I shot Alpha / Charlie on the guillotine, not bad. But I missed one shot on a 25 yard target, and one shot on one of the swingers.
The best way to shoot swinging targets is to shoot when the target is all the way down on the left or right, as it's changing directions. In retrospect I should have shot more shots at the swingers.
Here is Dave Sevigny shooting stage 3:
Stage 4, where I started, was called Gotcha, and it was basically targets up the middle of the stage, with lanes on the outside of the stage where the shooter had to be. We shot our way down to the end and then shot three targets over a barrier. For me this was my best stage of the day. No misses, mostly Alphas.
Stage 5 was called Zombiemart. This one started with the gun in a cash register (really a briefcase) and then we engaged three targets straight away, with targets to the left and right.
I'll come back to Stage 6. . . .
Stage 7 was the Classifier Table for 1, and was a welcome change. Starting with an unloaded gun sitting at a table, we shot three targets, then reloaded and shot them again. Since I finished 6th in Production on this stage, this tells me my shooting was good but I need to work on my movement.
On Stage 6 this was painfully obvious. Here I am shooting Stage 6, Barrel Issues.
Here is Dave Sevigny shooting the same stage.
That was the fastest time of the day. As you can see, there were steel plates, poppers, and a gallows. All the fun a shooter can stand.
In the end, I finished 50th of 67 shooters, and was the highest in the D class. I take what victories I can!
I also took away a lot of things today:
> I need to (obviously) lose some weight, so I can get around quicker.
> I need to work on my double taps on close targets. On Stage 6 I shot a measured pair when a double tap would have done better. (Of course, I could also argue that if I shoot worse with double taps, say, Alpha / Charlie versus 2 Alphas, does that get eat up the faster time?)
> My magazine changes were decent.
> My sight pictures were decent, and I was calling my shots most of the day, even on the stages with lots of movement.
All in all it was the best match I've shot in a long time, and the most fun I've had in USPSA. Kudos to Peter Oliver, the match director at Cherokee. Peter came in second overall, by the way, which was probably the best he could expect.
Video from the USPSA Match that I shot on Saturday, July 23, at River Bend Gun Club, is now available on my Youtube channel.
Many thanks to Bruce Boudreau for shooting the video, and to his wife Staci for uploading it for me.
Bruce got video of me shooting 4 stages, stages 4, 5, 6 and 7. Here I am shooting stage 7.
I'm glad Bruce shot this, because I learned some watching the video. First, I am still shooting too upright - I'm not leaning into the shot, driving the gun. This means I'm a little off balance, at least less stable than I would be if I drive the gun better.
This past weekend I returned to River Bend Gun Club in Dawsonville, Georgia, and shot in their monthly USPSA match. I had shot there before, and once again the match was well run and very enjoyable.
The match consisted of 7 stages, with 3 field courses and 4 more stationary stages. As usual, the shorter stages gave me some fits, since they usually involve things like off hand shooting.
I've also had some time to think about the match, and here are my take-aways.
Note: I'm going to use a lot of USPSA terminology, some of which I am not going to take the time to explain. Feel free to do an interwebz search for what you don't understand, and if you still don't have an answer, leave me a comment or send me an email and I will try my best to explain.
How Division affects my stage strategy
I normally shoot in the Production Division. All Production shooters are scored as minor, and must limit magazine capacity to ten rounds. You are also allowed to start with one round in the chamber.
This means that a lot of what I worry about when I devise my strategy of how I am going to shoot a stage revolves around magazine changes. Rather than waste time on a mag change in the middle of a string of fire, I would much rather change mags when I'm on the move from one string to another.
As an example, one stage ran like this: in the first door, there was a IPSC target and a popper. The popper fell and activated a swinging target, that was accessible from both the first door and through a window where the second string of fire was. If I shot like a lot of people, I would have shot the IPSC target, shot the popper, then moved to the second window for a shot at the swinger, along with the whole second string.
If I were shooting Limited or Open, where I could have more shots available, then this made sense. But for me, it made more sense to shoot the popper first, then the IPSC target. By that time, the swinger was going, and I could lean left and shoot the swinger from the first door. This gave me 8 shots if I needed them, then change mags and move to the second window.
On this stage, there was a second swinger, that was engaged by a popper from the second window. This swinger was different, as I couldn't shoot it from the second window, only from the third.
What I need to work on
I need to work on one-handed shooting, and transition from my right hand to my left hand for one hand shooting. The problem is, practicing one-handed shooting is boring to me. I would much rather practice double taps, or transitions. I am just going to have to suck it up and do it, if I'm going to get better.
I also need to work on shooting small targets at 25 yards.
Both of these are going to take some individual time at an outdoor range, where I'm not entertaining teenagers, or paying for range time by the hour.
I have a match to shoot this weekend, and it got me to thinking about my preparations. Since my goal in 2011 is to improve as many aspects of my competition as I can, I thought I would begin at the beginning.
Assuming I have done the work in practice, there is still a lot of things I do to get ready. Before now, I just did them, but now I have my checklist.
Since it's already starting to get warm, I have been drinking water all day today, to get my body ready.
Here's what I will do tonight:
> Detail strip my Glock 17 (Bruce) and inspect all parts
> Change the factory connector for the (-) connector. (Bruce does double duty as a home defense gun and my competition gun. I keep the factory trigger connector in for home defense, so the trigger pull matches my other Glocks. Changing the connector to a (-) connector lowers the trigger pull about a pound.)
> Brush out but don’t clean unless it is very dirty
> Clean the fiber optic front sight with water only
> Lubricate the gun, using grease on the rails and connector
> Re-assemble the gun and dry fire it and practice drawing. Fix any problems
> Check mags – for damage, springs, followers
> Check holster and mag pouches - make sure that everything is adjusted correctly
> Load all my magazines to 10 rounds
> Make up some sports drink in plastic bottles, and put one bottle in the freezer
> Check my hearing protection and eye protection
> Make sure I have a clean towel in my shooting bag
> Make sure my knee pads, hat, and spent shell bag are in my shooting bag
Finally, make sure I have directions to the range, since there are about half a dozen ranges in the Atlanta area with USPSA or GSSF matches.
Tomorrow is a Steel Challenge match at Creekside Firing Range. I will try to live tweet it at @FillYerHands, so "stay tuned."
There are some differences between GSSF and USPSA that add to what we need to practice. However, everything we did to get ready for GSSF will apply to USPSA. Here are the extra things we need to practice, in what I see as the order of their importance to our success in the sport:
* In USPSA the shooter reloads when the ammo runs out, or as the course of fire dictates. In GSSF there are no reloads.
* In USPSA the shooter moves between targets. In GSSF the shooter is stationary.
* In USPSA the shooter starts each stage from a draw, or with the gun on a table or other surface. GSSF starts from low ready
* In USPSA each stage is different. GSSF uses the same three stages for just about all matches.
RELOADS
To me, one of the biggest things I can do for USPSA matches is practice reloads until they are smooth and almost reflexive. The difference between a good reload and a bad reload can be a few seconds. A terrible reload – dropping the magazine, for instance – can add not just time, but can also be a big demoralizer.
So, with an unloaded gun and unloaded magazines, put one magazine in your gun, and the rest in the mag pouches on your gun belt. Then, practice reloads. From a shooting position, first bring the gun up to eye level, and in a little. Drop the mag from the gun, and at the same time, grab a mag from your belt and bring it up to the gun, and insert it smoothly.
Repeat these as many times as you need until you are comfortable. I find that 10 or 15 minutes is about right for me.
Variation: start with the slide locked back to simulate an empty gun reload, and at the end of the reload, drop the slide. For me, the best way I have found is to start the gun back to the shooting position, grab the top of the slide with my off hand, and push with the gun hand while pushing the slide back with the off hand. Yes, there are other ways, and I leave it to the reader to find the way that works best for you. I admit, I’ve changed the way I release a locked slide several times in my life, so I can’t tell you any one way is best.
One piece of advice - make sure your gun is in great working order before you go to a match. In one USPSA match I watched a Master class shooter spend several stages watching the magazine drop out of his 1911 every time he fired a shot. It turns out he had changed the magazine catch spring in his gun the night before, trying to fine tune his gun. He had even practiced reloads, and was confident it would work. But, he didn't factor in the shock of recoil. He finally had to curl his off hand under the grip just to complete the match.
MOVING BETWEEN TARGETS
Sorry, but the best way to practice this by doing wind sprints, almost like in football practice. Good general physical condition is the best way to be prepared for moving, and I don’t pretend to be any expert here. I generally limber up (remember Rule 3 from Zombieland) and then spend ten or fifteen minutes dashing around the back yard. I usually do this without my gun, but I think the neighbors wouldn’t mind either way.
Be sure to practice starts and stops, and work on controlling your breathing during the stops so you don’t upset your target picture.
DRAWING
Don’t over-do the drawing practice. After all, we only draw once in each stage. It’s like golfers I know who spend their whole practice session hitting drivers, when they are only going to use the driver 14 times in a round of golf, versus maybe 40 or 50 putts. So, still put your time in practice starting from low ready, as we did practicing for GSSF. That’s because every time you move from one target to another with your gun lowered, your next shot is from low ready. This is going to happen a lot more in every stage.
To practice drawing, start with an unloaded gun, and start slow and smooth. Bring the gun up into your sight, then push toward the target,as we did when starting from low ready, so you avoid the oscillation when the sights are on target. Work up to full speed over 2 or 3 minutes, then draw for 3 to 5 minutes more.
PUT IT TOGETHER
Now, use your imagination. This can be done inside or outside. First, use some painters tape to tape some of the 1/3 size USPSA targets from GlockFAQ to walls or trees. (Or, since it works for Navy SEALs, use 3x5 index cards.) Then, start with the gun in your holster with an empty magazine, and run a stage. Go from target to target, counting shots, and changing magazines as you go. Be sure to keep your muzzle down range and your finger off the trigger as you move. When your stage is through, unload and show clear, reholster, then pick up your mags, and do it again.
Number One Son and I spent the late afternoon Sunday in the back yard playing a few plinking games. First we ran a little run and gun using his Airsoft pistols against the garden flags. They give definite feedback when hit.
Then we played Horse (actually, we called it Daisy) with the BB gun on various targets, always mindful of Rule 4, of course. I noticed he was already shooting the BB gun left handed to match his eye dominance, and I asked him how it felt. He answered with a hit on the pie plate at 40 yards, and said, "Pretty good. Your turn." I missed left handed. "D." He then switched and shot right handed, and hit the plate. This one I matched.
Ahh, to be young.
While we were running and gunning I asked him to come with me to the next USPSA match that I shoot, probably in May. I think he'll at least come watch.
He also agreed to come with me to the GSSF match in Dawsonville in July. My guess is that by then he will be a member and will compete. And by 2012 he will probably beat me.
