IDtheTarget
10-09-2006, 12:24 PM
Last month my wife and I went to our first USPSA competition at H&H Gun Range. We had so much fun that we both immediately joined USPSA. And we both learned a few things about our gun-handling skills.
We've both taken each of Will Andrew's classes three times or so, and our range time was showing decent groupings, so we were kinda complacent in our ability to defend ourselves. Then we went to the competition. :faint:
My big problem was accuracy. I don't think I made it through a single stage without hitting a no-shoot (a good guy/hostage). My wife's big problem was basic gun-handling in a reasonable time (she kept forgetting to take the safety off before attempting to take the first shot). These were issues we really hadn't seen before going to the competition, but were made pretty obvious to us during the course of the night.
I had more time to spend than she did, but we both visited the range during the month, each of us trying to improve. The major point here was that each of us chose a single thing to work on. I worked on my accuracy, Kim on her gun-handling and speed.
I went to the OKC Gun Club USPSA match on Saturday (which was a total BLAST! I was on the same squad as Jerry Miculek and his wife, and it was a serious treat to watch them shoot!). They've posted the scores (http://ipsc.okcgunclub.org/06scores/oct06/oct06_prod.htm), and it looks like my work has borne fruit. I had the most points (most accuracy) for one stage, tied for most points on another, and tied for second most points on three others. My times were abysmal, but I was one of the most accurate production shooters out there this weekend. Kim had to work Saturday, and couldn't go.
Kim and I went to the H&H competition last night, and again we both improved. Kim's been working on her time, and it came down quite a bit. I again tried to be accurate, and I think I was. We're both looking forward to seeing our scores when they get posted.
So, now we're going to work some more. I think I'll work on accuracy one more month before switching over to working on speed. I don't want to hit *any* 'C's, I want to hit all 'A's. Kim hasn't told me yet what she wants to work on, I think she's going to surprise me at the next match. :bigeye:
What have the two of us learned?
1) USPSA unabashedly claims to be a game. And it is, it is probably the most fun video game ever invented. But it also ponts out weak areas in a shooter's skills, if the shooter wants to use it in that way.
2) Focusing on one goal and working on it for a month can have a dramatic impact on your shooting. Ensuring that you're practicing on that one goal, and practicing correctly, can seriously improve that aspect of your shooting.
3) No matter what, have fun! I only ranked 19th overall for production at the OKC Gun Club match, but I had a lot of fun! It was awesome watching some of the shooters at both matches, you'd think that they had machine-guns, how quickly they can shoot and hit their targets! And I am very satisfied that I accomplished at the match what I wanted to accomplish: I hit what I was aiming at.
Is USPSA a game? Yep. Is it a training medium? Yep. Will it help you in your defensive shooting? Yep. Are Kim and I hooked? Yep! :thumb:
We'll see you out there again next month. Watch out, this couple is aiming for the top! :thumb:
We've both taken each of Will Andrew's classes three times or so, and our range time was showing decent groupings, so we were kinda complacent in our ability to defend ourselves. Then we went to the competition. :faint:
My big problem was accuracy. I don't think I made it through a single stage without hitting a no-shoot (a good guy/hostage). My wife's big problem was basic gun-handling in a reasonable time (she kept forgetting to take the safety off before attempting to take the first shot). These were issues we really hadn't seen before going to the competition, but were made pretty obvious to us during the course of the night.
I had more time to spend than she did, but we both visited the range during the month, each of us trying to improve. The major point here was that each of us chose a single thing to work on. I worked on my accuracy, Kim on her gun-handling and speed.
I went to the OKC Gun Club USPSA match on Saturday (which was a total BLAST! I was on the same squad as Jerry Miculek and his wife, and it was a serious treat to watch them shoot!). They've posted the scores (http://ipsc.okcgunclub.org/06scores/oct06/oct06_prod.htm), and it looks like my work has borne fruit. I had the most points (most accuracy) for one stage, tied for most points on another, and tied for second most points on three others. My times were abysmal, but I was one of the most accurate production shooters out there this weekend. Kim had to work Saturday, and couldn't go.
Kim and I went to the H&H competition last night, and again we both improved. Kim's been working on her time, and it came down quite a bit. I again tried to be accurate, and I think I was. We're both looking forward to seeing our scores when they get posted.
So, now we're going to work some more. I think I'll work on accuracy one more month before switching over to working on speed. I don't want to hit *any* 'C's, I want to hit all 'A's. Kim hasn't told me yet what she wants to work on, I think she's going to surprise me at the next match. :bigeye:
What have the two of us learned?
1) USPSA unabashedly claims to be a game. And it is, it is probably the most fun video game ever invented. But it also ponts out weak areas in a shooter's skills, if the shooter wants to use it in that way.
2) Focusing on one goal and working on it for a month can have a dramatic impact on your shooting. Ensuring that you're practicing on that one goal, and practicing correctly, can seriously improve that aspect of your shooting.
3) No matter what, have fun! I only ranked 19th overall for production at the OKC Gun Club match, but I had a lot of fun! It was awesome watching some of the shooters at both matches, you'd think that they had machine-guns, how quickly they can shoot and hit their targets! And I am very satisfied that I accomplished at the match what I wanted to accomplish: I hit what I was aiming at.
Is USPSA a game? Yep. Is it a training medium? Yep. Will it help you in your defensive shooting? Yep. Are Kim and I hooked? Yep! :thumb:
We'll see you out there again next month. Watch out, this couple is aiming for the top! :thumb:
