THIRD ever USPSA...

[krb]

Hi everyone.

First ever was two weeks ago (!) at Prado with Gopher Flats. Yesterday I was at Piru with Deadwood Boys. The match was fantastic. Thanks Jon! Everything felt much more comfortable. I'm still not going up in rankings ... I think I was 66/82. Maybe a tiny bit better. In terms of rankings not much (though it feels much, much better - more fluid, more comfortable - now compared to two weeks ago.)

I think I figured it out (and others made the same comments) - when looking at my points, I'm actually hitting more A's than C's (in large part) as compared to like the top guys - like number one and down (!). However my time is like double (!) compared to theirs. So I'm actually hitting more accurately than the better (higher ranked) guys but much, much slower. I think next time I just have to haul and - of course within the confines of safety - just shoot and run fast. Of course I'm also shooting single stack, with the gun the way it came out of the box, 10 rounds, in comparison to the top guys running with red dots and high capacity magazines so there will always be at least five seconds or more per stage for extra magazine changes I have they don't have.

Anyway it's been real fun so far. One more key I found is SHOW UP EARLY! It took FOREVER to get through the stages because we got there late and all the other groups were ahead of us on the stages!

On the one video man, I could not hit the plates. I always loved plates. They always seem to go down for me. For some reason I could NOT get them to go down!

[IVC]

One more key I found is SHOW UP EARLY! It took FOREVER to get through the stages because we got there late and all the other groups were ahead of us on the stages!

There are different types of squadding and most of the time it doesn't matter when you show up as long as you show up before the safety briefing. You'll run into issues only when there is "open squadding" - first come first serve.

[Mazdaspeed Jon]

There are different types of squadding and most of the time it doesn't matter when you show up as long as you show up before the safety briefing. You'll run into issues only when there is "open squadding" - first come first serve.

Yeah, this match is an "Open Squadding" event, so the earlier you show up, the quicker you get through. We let people start shooting as early as 7am, so if your group is there and ready to go, you can actually finish by about 930-10am depending on how many shooters there are.

Yesterday we had a huge turnout of 82 entries with 40 people checked-in by 8am.

[Mazdaspeed Jon]

Hi everyone.

First ever was two weeks ago (!) at Prado with Gopher Flats. Yesterday I was at Piru with Deadwood Boys. The match was fantastic. Thanks Jon! Everything felt much more comfortable. I'm still not going up in rankings ... I think I was 66/82. Maybe a tiny bit better. In terms of rankings not much (though it feels much, much better - more fluid, more comfortable - now compared to two weeks ago.)

I think I figured it out (and others made the same comments) - when looking at my points, I'm actually hitting more A's than C's (in large part) as compared to like the top guys - like number one and down (!). However my time is like double (!) compared to theirs. So I'm actually hitting more accurately than the better (higher ranked) guys but much, much slower. I think next time I just have to haul and - of course within the confines of safety - just shoot and run fast. Of course I'm also shooting single stack, with the gun the way it came out of the box, 10 rounds, in comparison to the top guys running with red dots and high capacity magazines so there will always be at least five seconds or more per stage for extra magazine changes I have they don't have.

Anyway it's been real fun so far. One more key I found is SHOW UP EARLY! It took FOREVER to get through the stages because we got there late and all the other groups were ahead of us on the stages!

On the one video man, I could not hit the plates. I always loved plates. They always seem to go down for me. For some reason I could NOT get them to go down!

Because you are shooting minor power factor (9mm) you actually want to make sure you keep your number of alphas as high as possible. While the major PF guys can drop a charlie here and there and not feel it too bad, every shot you drop outside of the alpha zone hurts twice as much. Speed will come as you get more comfortable with the sport as well. What's important is that you are moving through the CoF safely and have good muzzle control/awareness. That is something a lot of new shooters don't have.

When shooting a restricted division like Production or Single Stack, don't compare yourself against the guys in Open. Look at how you did vs. the other SS shooters as well as the Production and Limited 10 guys. This will give you an idea of really where you're at.

[krb]

Yeah, this match is an "Open Squadding" event, so the earlier you show up, the quicker you get through. We let people start shooting as early as 7am, so if your group is there and ready to go, you can actually finish by about 930-10am depending on how many shooters there are.

Yesterday we had a huge turnout of 82 entries with 40 people checked-in by 8am.

Hey Jon. The event was GREAT! It was just a long day. No complaining here. (And thanks for helping get me out and to the Hollywood Bowl! The Muppets were playing and it was spectacular! One of my favorite shows there!)

[krb]

[QUOTE=Mazdaspeed Jon;20632791]

Hi everyone.

First ever was two weeks ago (!) at Prado with Gopher Flats. Yesterday I was at Piru with Deadwood Boys. The match was fantastic. Thanks Jon! Everything felt much more comfortable. I'm still not going up in rankings ... I think I was 66/82. Maybe a tiny bit better. In terms of rankings not much (though it feels much, much better - more fluid, more comfortable - now compared to two weeks ago.)

I think I figured it out (and others made the same comments) - when looking at my points, I'm actually hitting more A's than C's (in large part) as compared to like the top guys - like number one and down (!). However my time is like double (!) compared to theirs. So I'm actually hitting more accurately than the better (higher ranked) guys but much, much slower. I think next time I just have to haul and - of course within the confines of safety - just shoot and run fast. Of course I'm also shooting single stack, with the gun the way it came out of the box, 10 rounds, in comparison to the top guys running with red dots and high capacity magazines so there will always be at least five seconds or more per stage for extra magazine changes I have they don't have.

Anyway it's been real fun so far. One more key I found is SHOW UP EARLY! It took FOREVER to get through the stages because we got there late and all the other groups were ahead of us on the stages!

On the one video man, I could not hit the plates. I always loved plates. They always seem to go down for me. For some reason I could NOT get them to go down!
/QUOTE]

Because you are shooting minor power factor (9mm) you actually want to make sure you keep your number of alphas as high as possible. While the major PF guys can drop a charlie here and there and not feel it too bad, every shot you drop outside of the alpha zone hurts twice as much. Speed will come as you get more comfortable with the sport as well. What's important is that you are moving through the CoF safely and have good muzzle control/awareness. That is something a lot of new shooters don't have.

When shooting a restricted division like Production or Single Stack, don't compare yourself against the guys in Open. Look at how you did vs. the other SS shooters as well as the Production and Limited 10 guys. This will give you an idea of really where you're at.

Thanks! You think I should switch up to .45? My magazines are only 8 so I'd need an extra two magazine changes probably. I'm not sure if my score would increase or not...

[Mazdaspeed Jon]

[QUOTE=krb;20632853]

Thanks! You think I should switch up to .45? My magazines are only 8 so I'd need an extra two magazine changes probably. I'm not sure if my score would increase or not...

There are benefits and drawbacks to both major and minor PF in Single Stack. Obviously with minor, you get 10-round magazines, which can definitely help with stage planning on target-heavy stages. With major PF's 8-round capacity, you are much more limited in your stage plan but can drop a charlie or two and not suffer too bad.

[cindynles]

[QUOTE=krb;20632853]

Thanks! You think I should switch up to .45? My magazines are only 8 so I'd need an extra two magazine changes probably. I'm not sure if my score would increase or not...

[QUOTE=Mazdaspeed Jon;20632939]

There are benefits and drawbacks to both major and minor PF in Single Stack. Obviously with minor, you get 10-round magazines, which can definitely help with stage planning on target-heavy stages. With major PF's 8-round capacity, you are much more limited in your stage plan but can drop a charlie or two and not suffer too bad.

Start with major (45) and then move to minor (9mm) once you become more proficient with how the game is played (mid-level "B" classification). Once you better understand how the game works you will be able to take advantage of the 10 round mags.

[trackcage]

Congrats on entering the sickness that is competition shooting! For only a couple matches in, you're doing just fine.

Biggest opportunity I see for you to lower your stage times RIGHT NOW and not suffer in the accuracy department, is your reloads. Watch these videos again and look at how many times you ran the gun dry and had to do a standing reload. In limited capacity divisions (I shoot production, so 10 rounds), it's important that you think about each shooting position you enter and know if you have enough rounds to complete the position without running the gun dry. In most cases, this means reloading on the move before you set your feet in the next position, even if there were rounds still in the magazine.

Shorter way to say the same thing: reload every time you're moving. This will cut down on your standing reloads, which will help lower your times and keep the stage running smooth.

I've been doing this a year and am knocking on the door of 'A' class in production. Not a GM or anything, but happy to share what I've learned on my own USPSA journey.

[krb]

Congrats on entering the sickness that is competition shooting! For only a couple matches in, you're doing just fine.

Biggest opportunity I see for you to lower your stage times RIGHT NOW and not suffer in the accuracy department, is your reloads. Watch these videos again and look at how many times you ran the gun dry and had to do a standing reload. In limited capacity divisions (I shoot production, so 10 rounds), it's important that you think about each shooting position you enter and know if you have enough rounds to complete the position without running the gun dry. In most cases, this means reloading on the move before you set your feet in the next position, even if there were rounds still in the magazine.

Shorter way to say the same thing: reload every time you're moving. This will cut down on your standing reloads, which will help lower your times and keep the stage running smooth.

I've been doing this a year and am knocking on the door of 'A' class in production. Not a GM or anything, but happy to share what I've learned on my own USPSA journey.

Hi. I agree 100%. The problem I find is my mind is largely blank when I'm shooting. I'm just putting the gun on target, pulling the trigger, and my brain is largely off. I know that's not good ... it's just that I JUST started and my brain turns off when the buzzer goes off. The good news is safety is kind of soldered on to my brain so that's automatic.

Any other tips on speed besides magazine change? I'm finally actually doing mag changes while I'm running which is better than before. Also, when I do my walk through I SEE where I'm supposed to do mag changes - the problem is my mind is a blank once the buzzer goes off and I forget everything!

[SG29736]

I shoot SS with a 45. Occasionally, I shoot 2 or 4 rounds and still reload on the way to the next shooting position. Usually it 6- 8 shots but but because of the options sometimes less.

[trackcage]

Any other tips on speed besides magazine change?

Sure. Understand that most of the stage time is actually non-shooting activities such as moving into and out of positions, reloads, getting the gun up, etc. You're splits between shots are actually pretty good for someone fresh into the sport.

Explosive movement. This is where you can make up some real time. Between shooting positions, you're a little slow in your movement and not moving full speed. Also getting the gun up quickly when you enter a new position. Work at home on pushing the gun out quickly in dry fire so that it becomes second nature for you to point the gun exactly where your eyes are looking (concept called indexing).

I fully acknowledge that this concept isn't something a brand new competition shooter should be thinking about (you're right that safety is always #1), but since you asked... here is a video from my match yesterday. I'm not trying to threadjack, so if you want me to pull down my video, just say the word. As I said before, there are guys much faster than me... I'm hoping it helps you see the difference in movement speed, which equates to shorter stage times. Much easier to save seconds (not tenths of seconds) in your movement than it is to just shoot faster and hope the hits are good.

BTW, it's not uncommon to forget everything when the buzzer goes off. Most people aren't used to the 'pressure of the clock' until they get some matches under their belt. This gets better with time.

[krb]

Sure. Understand that most of the stage time is actually non-shooting activities such as moving into and out of positions, reloads, getting the gun up, etc. You're splits between shots are actually pretty good for someone fresh into the sport.

Explosive movement. This is where you can make up some real time. Between shooting positions, you're a little slow in your movement and not moving full speed. Also getting the gun up quickly when you enter a new position. Work at home on pushing the gun out quickly in dry fire so that it becomes second nature for you to point the gun exactly where your eyes are looking (concept called indexing).

I fully acknowledge that this concept isn't something a brand new competition shooter should be thinking about (you're right that safety is always #1), but since you asked... here is a video from my match yesterday. I'm not trying to threadjack, so if you want me to pull down my video, just say the word. As I said before, there are guys much faster than me... I'm hoping it helps you see the difference in movement speed, which equates to shorter stage times. Much easier to save seconds (not tenths of seconds) in your movement than it is to just shoot faster and hope the hits are good.

BTW, it's not uncommon to forget everything when the buzzer goes off. Most people aren't used to the 'pressure of the clock' until they get some matches under their belt. This gets better with time.

JEEBUS you are fast! I appreciate your posting your video and don't think at all that's a "threadjack." I just now am appreciate how slow I really am! I can see though what I need to work on. If you can keep it up so I can study it some more I'd appreciate it!

Keith

[trackcage]

Keith, one other tidbit for now. Dry fire. When I first started, dry fire was boring to me and I didn't really see the point. But the fact of the matter is that most the top guys dry fire almost daily, and it really is the shortest path to success. Get a good dry fire book like the ones Ben Stoeger produces, and spend 15-30 min a few times a week on some drills. As I've progressed, I've found that there really is very little you need to practice in live fire. The bulk can be done at home in your garage with 1/3rd scale targets.

[rmatt]

Here is my video from Area 8 a little bit ago. You get to see the stages and then the second video of it I talk a little bit about what I did or didn't like in my shooting.

I don't shoot particularly fast but I'd like to say I don't waste any time either. So just another visual reference point for you of a regular person who just works at it. (versus the true stars who it really would be hard to ever do what they do)

https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=UzSvUqX1qnE