Fun Training

Firearms training doesn’t have to be painful, expensive or difficult, but it often us.  Many programs are situated in remote locations with limited lodging, food and non-shooting support.  Instructors brought to your range make it convenient but they cannot bring the resources of their home range with them.

E-media carries thousands, perhaps millions, of training videos, not counting blogs, like this one, printed material and CDs.  What does the shooter in today’s ammunition limited environment do?

Many shooters are reluctant to go for training.  “That’s for you hotshots,” they say.  “I’m not ever going to need it.”  Perhaps they are right, until they are dead wrong.  So how do you sneak in a little training for them and practice for yourself.

Here’s my first assumption:  It benefits each of us, the shooting community and our society when armed men and women have better developed skills.  If you don’t agree with that, you're wrong.  It's that simple.

One option is to shoot fun mini-matches at your local range and club.  Many clubs and organizations have provisions to let a small group shoot at targets at different distances from the ready line.

Six shirted targets in a line

Here’s a simple CoF with several training ideas built into it. Set up six IDPA-style carboard targets in a slanted row.  Cover each with a T-shirt slit so it can be placed like a poncho over each target.  Set the distance to the back target to at least 12 yards.  Spacing between targets isn’t critical.

The shooter needs two loads of six rounds.  Start with six in the weapon and on the signal draw and engage each target center of mass with one round, traversing front to rear.  Reload on the clock and repeat rear to front.  Score the targets in the normal IDPA manner.

Shooter engages targets.  So runs the timer and watches the shooter.

First thing.  It’s fun.  Everyone can shoot it.  It’s a low round count, three runs are 36 rounds and its revolver friendly.  Since it’s a fun match, shooters don’t need a holster and can shoot any of their ‘safe queens’ and forgotten handguns from the low ready.

The nearer targets encourage the less proficient shooters while the distant targets challenge the more proficient.  It forces shooters to utilize tactical order (front to rear) and what I call boarding house rules: everyone gets one before seconds are served.  Shooters are forced into the most likely gun battle reload: the empty gun slide lock reload.

Flip the shirts up, score and paste.   

Second thing.  Scoring is a must.  Improvement can only be found by looking at the numbers.  I’ve shot many CoFs that I felt were smooth and good only to determine from the scores they weren’t.  Knowing the issues is the first step in resolving them.

The shooters quickly discovered that the shirts prevent seeing the scoring rings requiring them to quickly draw imaginary lines to find the center of mass.   They realized the near targets can be engaged quicker, but the distant targets required a half second more.  The timer show how they altered their rhythm to accommodate the distances.  Reload times gave shooters a more realistic view of reloading under stress.

Shooting a T-shirt clad target also moves them a half step closer to the sensations of an actual self-defense shooting.  My experience forces me to say this a huge hurdle for the unprepared.

Bottom line, the skill set you learned at a training course forms the basis of your fun event.  You can affect training with a simple CoF by incorporating specific tactical training concepts.  These can be moving, reloading, tactical engagement, using cover and many others.  As less experienced shooters see how a technique improves performance, they become open to the idea.  You benefit by working on your skills.

It’s long been a joke that if you ask any NYC cab driver how you get to Carnegie Hall, the response will be: Practice.

These fun matches provide the opportunity to improve techniques both for yourself and the shooting community at your club or range.