Blueridge

You could change the LEO category to First Responders. That would encapsulate law enforcement, firefighters, emergency medical technicians, and the like. This would actually make a bigger more competitive category. This is just a thought based off of the comments that have been made.

Ah-Ha! I found the broadsword version of the nerf swords, and I have it in my closet ready to go to the match. Just waiting for the applications to open up. As I remember the slots filled up quite fast last year, and I would hate to miss it.

Soooo many cool matches....Sooooo far away......

I am right-handed and left eye dominant. I naturally prefer completing stages right-to left, which perplexes people. I am with you on the stage designs tending toward being shot left to right. I can shoot rifles equally well right or left, I shoot a bow left and right handed equally well, but I naturally shoot handguns right handed. I found out in the middle of a match that I can shoot with my right eye if I have to. My left contact lens started giving me trouble, and I switched (without thinking about it) to my right eye. My grandfather on my dad's side was ambidextrous, and my dad has ambidextrous tendencies (there are a number of things he can do well either hand).

How about Blues City Cafe? I have been looking online for some places to try and this came up.

Since the thread was about Football Cleats vs. Soccer Cleats (and other cleats thrown in), I did not post about any other shoes that I wear while participating in shooting sports. If the conditions are not bad enough for me to need cleats, I wear my normal footwear, which are Ariat Terrain Boots. They are basically casual hiking shoes that are also for horseback riding. I wore them when I first started into shooting sports, and they worked fine. I did not run into wet muddy conditions in my early matches, so I did not bother to get cleats. I saw photos of some matches that were muddy, and picked some Adidas cleats that I have now. They came in handy shortly after I got them. I prefer to wear the Ariat boots because that is what I wear normally day to day, but I have the cleats for inclimate weather that shows a need for the cleats.

You could remove the decapping pin and run them through the die.

From reading the post here again, I get the feeling that we might be saying the same thing in different terms. People of course think in different ways, and therefore come to an understanding of things by different paths. Just to give a better understanding of where I am coming from I am primarily an olympic style fencer, who also competes in shooting sports (IDPA, USPSA, & CAS). I fenced varsity in college, and was pretty good. I came back to fencing in Dec. 1999, after 9 years away. From 2000 - 2009 I have qualified to (and competed in) the US Fencing Summer Nationals nine out of the ten years (missing only 2008). That is in multiple weapons and divisions (Foil and Epee, Div III and Div. II), and facing some of the best fencers the US has to offer. It demands all of the skills I have seen in the shooting sports, and then some. I can pretty much say that you are a better shooter than I am Duane, and that is due to more experience and training. In total I have fenced approximately 13 years (3 in college and 10 after), and have only been in shooting sports approximately 5. My view on athletic competition has a different history than yours. In fencing the mechanics are the same for everyone, but it is how you use them. I see shooting sports in a similar fashion. The difference being that in fencing you are using those mechanics in a head-to-head fashion, while in shooting sports it is against inanimate targets. In shooting you can lay out your plan on how to complete a stage and then go for it. In fencing you lay out your plan for the opponent you face and adjust it on the fly. I may not have covered all the points that I meant to, but this is what came to me up to now. Back to your above question.... My approach is working pretty well for me also, but my goals may be quite different than yours. My goal is to be the best competition revolver shooter that I can be with what I use, as far as shooting sports go. My goal is to also be the best Foil and Epee fencer than I can be. I practice fencing on average 2-3 times a week, workout 2-4 times a week in the gym, and get in live fire shooting practice once a week. The fencing season just started and I plan on 2 fencing tournaments a month, along with 1-2 shooting events. I don't look at fast vs. accurate, but rather using the fundamentals at the best speed possible. You have to know the fundamentals, and then apply them as fast as you can. If you are constantly thinking about the application of the fundamentals, then you still have work to do. The application of the fundamentals should be subconscious, and with that alacrity is free to roam.

Shooting accurately fast is the same as shooting accurately slowly. It is simply a different pace. You can squeeze a trigger fast or you can squeeze a trigger slowly, either way you are squeezing the trigger. Shooting accurately fast or slow is simply a change of pace. It is the idea of walking before you run, as both require the same mechanics and are separated by how quickly you do it basically. I am simply trying to say that the mechanics need to become "automatic" at any speed. All shooters change speeds during a stage, with some more obvious than others. Just watch any of the videos of shooters going through stages. You will notice a difference between when near and far targets are being engaged. What is generally the same are the mechanics being used.

The way that I see it you must build the muscle memory of shooting accurately, then trust the muscle memory when shooting faster. If when you shoot faster you lose the muscle control, then you are doing it wrong. No matter how fast you go, you must maintain the muscle control. People talk about being fast and accurate, but really the goal is neither. The goal is being UNDER CONTROL at ANY speed.

Penciling it in on my calendar. This is something that I don't plan to miss!

I second this sentiment. I would love to attend both events next year, so I would hope for the schedules not to clash.

After reviewing the Adidas Turf Hog I am soooo tempted to get a pair. I have not had any problems with the pair of Adidas Triple Star 5 Mid that I have, but all of the positive reviews that I have read make me curious. Adidas is the primary brand of athletic shoes that I wear for the sports that I participate in (fencing, basketball, & shooting sports), and they have such a variety to choose from that I can always find something that works for me. I don't need a new pair of athletic shoes currently, but these will be on my list for the future.

I am up for shooting ICORE, and I shoot at Ant Hill Range quite often. Any chance that I could catch up with other revolver shooters that have experience with ICORE, so that I could be brought up to speed with the sport?

Hmmm.....I think that I might have to look into ICORE for 2010. With there being no local ranges affiliated (or holding similar matches) I had shelved the idea of looking into it.

I wear Adidas Triple Star 5 Mid baseball shoes. They worked well for me in mud, gravel, sand, grass, along with smooth surfaces. They provide good ankle support, and mud does not "stick" into the tread like some other shoes that I have tried. If a shoe retains mud, then it loses some ability to provide traction. I have some Adidas soccer shoes (Bracara IV TRXFG) also, but I have not put them to use yet. They don't have as "agressive" of a tread compared to the baseball shoes, so they will likely be relegated to less demanding conditions.

Maybe they still have Nerf Fencing gear......That would be a cool toy to bring. ( figured that I would give the thread a bump.)

Watching all these videos is nice, but I have yet to see any revolver shooter videos. It would be nice to see how some of them break down the stages. What I basically see are shooters with 3x or more ammo capacity going through the stages. I look over the written stages and imagine how I would plan to shoot them, but without being able to see even one revolver shooter go through the stage I have no idea if the reality of the stage is anywhere near what I expect from the match stage writeup.

I just want to congratulate Devon Penrod for the 6th plate finish. Way to go!!! (Gotta support NC shooters, especially revolver)

Techwear shirts are nice. I can respect that they support the sport, and thus deserve support themselves. That said I wear Under Armour or Adidas shirts that wick away sweat very nicely. The Adidas shirt is the type that the Newcastle United Football (Soccer) Club wears, and has a collar. The Under Armour shirt I wear under a referee shirt (the black and white stripe type). You can find shirts of either type at sporting goods stores, but I would suggest Techwear if you are simply looking for a great looking shooting shirt. I personally like wearing shirts that represent other sports than the one that I am participating in. I wear shirts with shooting sports images to fencing competitions, and other sports related shirts at shooting events. Were I to choose to wear a shooting sport related shirt to a shooting match, a Techwear shirt would be at the top of my list. It's too funny to see people try to figure out the Newcastle United shirt when I am at shooting matches. They seem to figure that it must be a shooting related shirt, and are perplexed when it is nothing like they expect.

Interesting as it is, how much time does it save? What is the difference between how fast and efficiently he could load traditionally and this way?

I'll have to see if I can make it out to Charlotte for a match. It's always nice to compete against new people. Maybe I'll even finish ahead of some of them.

Gun play is more fun..... In this case I have to agree....... Being one of the "Big Dogs" (their words, not mine) at the fencing club, they like to have as many of us there as possible. It is just so heartwarming to see a plethora of revolver shooters at a match, and get to shoot with almost an entire squad of them. Up until today I was considering missing the T4T match, but after reading this thread I changed my mind. I'll have more fun shooting the match than fencing at the tournament. There are fencing tournaments every month, but the T4T only happens once a year.

I just found out that my local fencing club has a tournament on the same weekend. I am torn as to which to go to, the T4T or the (Gold, Frankensense, and Myrrder) fencing tournament. Last year was so fun that I might have to forego the fencing tournament. The club will be unhappy if I am not there, but sometimes tough decisions have to be made. Now to find that "perfect" toy to be my entry fee. I'll be keeping my eye out for the opening of registration. As I recall it fills up fast, and I would hate for it to fill up before I get an entry in.

Another vote here for the S&W 625. I have one and it is a solid performer, and I think that you would be pleased with it. That being said, I actually compete (well I call it competing , but mainly have fun ) with a Ruger Alaskan. That is because I also shoot Cowboy Action competitions, and I can load .45 Colt to use with CAS, IDPA, & USPSA.