Competitive Performance - Phase 1 Class Review

Status
Not open for further replies.

Chuck R.

Member
Joined
Jan 23, 2005
Messages
5,141
Location
Leavenworth, KS
In the course of my lifetime I've taken roughly 14 or so defensive oriented shooting classes (shotgun, carbine, handgun, low-light, & injured Shooter) in addition to the 23 years of Army training and a LE academy. Past few years I've averaged a class or 2 a year, mostly because I enjoy taking classes and it lets me keep up with the new stuff. I also compete in IDPA and 3Gun.

Last year after finishing another couple classes I slowly came to the realization that the odds of me ever making use of this training was slim, and due to age, lifestyle etc. getting slimmer. Odds of being engaged in an active gun fight, about 0%, odds of shooting a match next month (actually tomorrow night) 100%. So I decided to re-orient my time/disposable income to something I would make use of.

This past SAT I took Merle Edington's Competitive Performance - Phase 1 Class at Mill Creek Rifle Club in Desoto, KS. His Bio's on the site, BLUF: Special Ops background, founding member of AMU competition team, Grand Master in a couple disciplines, won a bunch of chit. He's also a nice guy and pretty funny, instructs very well (which is really the important stuff).

https://shootingsolutionsllc.com/


his is a group pistol instruction class of 8-12 students and approximately 8 hours in length.
The class is focused on practical shooting fundamentals that will help improve competitive performance. We will work through the primary aspects of Fundamentals and their application in the competitive shooting world. Along with the work on each of the topics below, we will spend time discussing the evolution of the fundamental, and why the correct application is so important to the competitive shooter.

Topics covered in this class were: freestyle shooting platform, definition of sight picture/alignment and it practical use (or not!), ergonomics of gun fit, placement of equipment, ammunition choice, steel target engagement, and the need for speed vs accuracy. Class was primarily geared towards USPSA shooting, so some of the equipment, engagements, reloads etc. are not aligned with IDPA rules, but the meat of the class was practical for IDPA or any other handgun action shooting dicipline.

Class lasted about 8hrs till the rain came in, I went through just over 600 rds.

Equipment used: CZ75 SA Accu-Shadow Lite from the custom shop, my standard IDPA holster and mag carries, my normal match reloads of 147grn at power factor.

This was different than defensive shooting, but really when you piece it together not that dramatically different. Similar concepts of "seeing what you need to see, to make the shot you need to make" (quote I've stolen from a previous instructor (Jabo Long) was apparent throughout the class. Stressing efficiency of movements (reloads, draw, footwork) was even more evident than in most of the tactical/defensive classes I've taken.

Very, very, good instruction on recoil management and the 'extra' sight picture to reduce splits while maintaining accuracy. Some fantastic instruction on target transitions, especially wide transitions found in matches utilizing your knees to drive the upper torso.

Stuff I had issues with:

Reloads, I'm "OK" at reloads, but one issue this class identified (and we did a lot of reloads) was that I'm not re-establishing my grip very well after the reload. This results in some C & D hits (1s & 3s in IDPA speak) after reloading is complete. I got caught multiple times with an air-gap between my firing and support hand.

Table pick-ups/starts, learned a new technique to do this, and I'm just not getting it. It's something I'm going to have to spend some time on.

I shoot too fast, relying on a cadence or rythm rather than watching the sights. It's like I'm doing "hammers", but extending the distance past being acceptable for what should be 3 sight pictures. This causes me to drop points going from zero's to 1s on IDPA TGT, rather than staying on the sights. I shave a couple .01s or .001's time on some tgts and on other's it's costing me 1.0s in points down, or worse 5.0 for popping a no shoot.

So, overall a very worthwhile class for competition, and if you just want to shoot well and fast. One note about the students in this particular class that's different from other classes I've taken. Without an exception, these guys (12 total with one woman and 4 junior shooters) could shoot...there were no basic marksmanship issues. A couple of the juniors, were flat out awesome.

So now like after every class I've taken I've got some stuff to work on.......
 
Sure, he spent quite a bit of time going over a combination of:

Grip: strength, thumbs FWD, etc.
Stance: not locking elbows, forward lean, bring gun up to sight, not head down to gun
Arms; allowing gun to recoil, but working on a repeatable recoil impulse, vs. trying to prevent or minimize
Sight picture: always the extra sight picture, one per round, than one more after the shot. Rather than relying on a cadence or feel. Also went into calling your shots as it will save time consciously or subconsciously checking targets.

Made a good point about taking the extra time to ensure your sight picture (in .01s) rather than the cost of a C or D hit.
 
I'm unclear on how "extra sight picture" means fewer sight pictures and more efficient shooting. Maybe it's a semantic issue.
 
Okay thanks. If I'm understanding it correctly, it means taking that extra hundredth of a second or how long it takes to get a confirmed good sight picture, calling the shot and moving on rather than wait for the "second sight" or whatever? Sorry if I'm being obtuse.
 
Honestly it's semantics to some extent.

I've been taught the same in various defensive shooting classes...

Are you describing a sight picture that occurs after the last shot on a target? In other words, if you're putting 2 each on 2 targets, are you describing looking for the sights on target #1 after you've shot it twice already?
 
I'm unclear on how "extra sight picture" means fewer sight pictures and more efficient shooting. Maybe it's a semantic issue.

Are you describing a sight picture that occurs after the last shot on a target? In other words, if you're putting 2 each on 2 targets, are you describing looking for the sights on target #1 after you've shot it twice already?

Yup...

I think it was his way of doing a combination of managing the recoil and calling the shot to some extent. I've had other instructors teach the 'extra' sight picture also.
 
Sounds like some strong medicine for a strongly ingrained too-fast second shot. Was this offered as an individualized prescription?
 
sounds like a way to guarantee the follow-through on the second shot rather than "swiping" the gun across the target headed to the next target.

I watched a video of a world-class biathlete pulling the rifle back while pulling the trigger (on the last shot of the 5 shot string). i'm guessing the guy was anticipating getting back to skiing since he was in the lead. he missed the target, by the way.

murf
 
Last edited:
The key thing is to see the sights at the moment the shot fires. But the decision to fire and the moment of ignition are not, and cannot possibly be, simultaneous. There's always a lag.

Many people, including myself, have a tendency to see the sights right up to the point that they decide to fire, and then lose visual (or mental) focus and move on to some other task. I can see the potential pedagogical benefit of getting those folks to look for the sight's return to ensure that attention is there all the way through the shot breaking. I think eventually you want to get to the point where you begin visually and physically transitioning during recoil, but if you're going too early, trying to go too late may be good medicine.
 
training the mind to "go" at just the right time will be quicker than this trick. but realigning the sights after every shot, in lieu of mental follow-through, is better than moving before the bullet gets out of the barrel. the mind is much quicker than the body (even quicker than the bullet).

murf
 
sounds like a way to guarantee the follow-through on the second shot rather than "swiping" the gun across the target headed to the next target.
That is what it sounds like to me also.

I remember some instructors teaching students to "pin the trigger" as part of follow through...so, resetting the trigger in series rather than in parallel. I've seen in more from defensive trainers, just figured it was a byproduct from rifle training
 
Sounds like some strong medicine for a strongly ingrained too-fast second shot. Was this offered as an individualized prescription?

Class as a whole and also individuals during shooting.

He made it a point to watch each shooter through the various exercises, and diagnose issues. The majority of the targets were at the 7+ yard line, so hits could be seen as shots were made. He was quick to point out issues/causes with subsequent shots.

Okay thanks. If I'm understanding it correctly, it means taking that extra hundredth of a second or how long it takes to get a confirmed good sight picture, calling the shot and moving on rather than wait for the "second sight" or whatever? Sorry if I'm being obtuse.

This was exactly one of he points the stressed, the extra hundredth of a second, VS a C or D hit.
 
Status
Not open for further replies.
Back
Top