DRM

We now have an on line match application form for for the "Street Gun Nationals" to be held Oct. 18-21, 2007 at the Tactical Shooting Academy Home Range in Surry, VA. Here's a link to more information about the match: http://www.tacticalshooting.com/forums/sho...age=1&pp=10 Here's a link for directions and lodging: http://www.tacticalshooting.com/info_logistics.html Here's a link for the match rules: http://www.tacticalshooting.com/tsa/rulebook.html Cheers, D.R. Middlebrooks

Actually, when using 100% target focus I can see the hit on the steel and/or see the plate move. On paper, I simply look for the hits. Basically, if I can see the bullet holes in the paper, I find that I don't really need the sights with my system of shooting. As I said in the Fist-Fire book, the rule of thumb for using the Fist-Fire method is 7 yds. and in we point shoot. From 7-10 yds we transition to sights and beyond 10 yards we really should be using the sights (if you can still see them. I'm 54, so the sights are blurry). So, I have been experimenting for five years now Point Shooting without any sights. I've pushed the envelope well beyond anything I ever thought possible. This is due to the bio-mechanical method I use for grip and index. Cheers, D.R.

Not really sure I agree, not in regards to my method of Point Shooting anyway. As for me and my house, we look at where we want the shot to go, and stay there until we connect, which requires 100% target focus. FWIW: If you want to talk about "speed" this is where I found it. That said, in regards to the Fist-Fire techniques, I find "VISION" is vital and directly related to feed back from the target (especially from reactionary targets) as opposed to the feed back we get from the iron sights. So, I'm not talking about "reading your sights" as much as I am talking about "reading your hits" and "confirming the hit" BEFORE pulling off and away. I know this goes against the grain of tradition, but it works for us. Cheers, D.R. Middlebrooks

Great! We'd love to have H&K on board as a sponsor, thanks... Take care, D.R. Middlebrooks

TSA is short for the Tactical Shooting Association. The Rule Book is available on line as are directions and lodging info. We're finalizing the CoF right now and we will be posting ALL the other information when I get back from a road trip in mid-August. In the mean time, here's a link to a video download giving a quick overview of TSA: http://www.tacticalshooting.com/videos/dvd/350k.wmv Cheers, D.R. Middlebrooks

We're gearing up for the TSA "Street Gun Nationals" to be held on the Tactical Shooting Academy range Oct. 19-21. I'll be shooting without sights for research in the Point Shooting division. I want to see how far we can push the envelope on this issue. We shall see! Cheers, D.R. Middlebrooks

The Tactical Shooting Association (TSA) will be holding the "Street Gun Nationals" at the Tactical Shooting Academy home range in Surry, Virginia Oct 19-21, 2007. Albeit short notice, we already have GLOCK, BLACKHAWK, COR-BON, STARLINE and many others on board as sponsors. We have some VERY NICE Trophies which will be awarded for each Pistol Division: Full Size Pistol (FP) Mid Size Pistol (MP) Compact Pistol (CP) Point Shooting (PS) Factory Experimental (FX) We will also have awards for Top Military, Top Cop, Top Lady, Tops Senior, etc., etc. All other prizes (guns and gear) will be awarded by the "Luck of the Draw". So, even if you finish last you may win a Glock pistol! Top Shooter Dave Sevigny, Daniel Horner, Rick Simes and Scott Warren all say they are coming to shoot the match. Standby for more information... Cheers, D.R. Middlebrooks

Thanks Guys, I appreciate all the kinds words... I just finished a two day F-F class and the students here were talking about how the IPSC guys usually seem to the better "all around" shooters. I agree, and I think I know why (at least in part, anyway). I honestly believe that the C-More sight (which, by the way, I have no financial ties to) is a tool that has contributed greatly to the development of the proper index. In my experience, learning to shoot a red dot optic (and a C-More in particular) is what REALLY helped me develop my index to begin with. Mainly because there is no frame of reference to sight with, other than your strong hand grip. Now also consider that as pistolsmith, I was building Red Dot sighted Race Guns. Before I would ever put a scope mount on, I would first function fire the gun for reliability. Once I was sure the gun would run, I would then put the scope & mount on it and THEN tune the ejection so the brass would clear the mount. Well, to make a long story short, I have a test range right out side my shop door where I can test fire and sight in pistols. And I also have a plate rack. One day was function testing a sightless race gun and decided to see if I could hit the 8" plates (as opposed to just dumping rounds into the berm). Man, I was amazed that I could hit the plates. That got me re-thinking the concepts about "Point Shooting". Take care, D.R. Middlebrooks

Is that you? Patty O'Kelly? Good to hear from you! Yeah, I think that was back in '96 or '97 B.F. (Before Fist-Fire ). Just to bring you up to speed: I was having a lot of trouble seeing my sights back then (my precious iron sights ) and I was in total panic mode!! So, I came up with that Circle Dot Pro-Sight and everyone (including some GM's) said it wouldn't shoot. Then Chad Dietrich used it at the NRA Bianchi Cup shot the highest score ever fired with a stock gun (1905 out of 1920). And of course, they outlawed the sight right after that... So, I kept searching for a better way to see my sights with my aging eyes. The V-Dot worked pretty well. But after watching Jim Wall shoot without sights it REALLY got me thinking. And with all my wrist and joint problems I just had to come up with some better ways to shoot a handgun or just quit shooting. Thus began my quest. FIST-FIRE is the end result of over 30 years of Research & Development the art of combat pistolcraft. We have proven that the shooting techniques work "as good or better" than anything the top shooters are using, yet it blends seamlessly with modern Mixed Martial Arts techniques (that's why it's being used and endorsed by some of the leading trainers in the UFC & PRIDE.) Anyway, please email me at info@TacticalShooting.com. We got some more catching up to do! What's Jim Wall up to these days?? Take care, D.R.

Your exactly right. Without the proper grip, the proper index, proper presentation and trigger press you CANNOT hit without sights, especially if the targets are small and far away. Back in the day (when the red dot sights came into play) we got a lot of complaints about the electronic sights going out. Many times the sight was just fine, but the shooter's grip and index were all wrong. The dot was on, but it was just outside the ring, and they couldn't see it. D.R. Middlebrooks

Grip & Index... I remember back when I was working on the C-More (Red Dot optic) prototype in my shop. Ira Kay had asked me to "make a tube" for it (back then, most people used the tube to point/index the gun). But I told him it didn't need a tube, just a 1" ring. Further, it would allow the shooter to "See More" with less obstructions, hence came the name "C-More". He said, "Well how will they index it?" to which I said, "If they have the proper grip, it will be indexed." He then said, "What about the sun?" to which I said, "It sunny outside right now, let's shoot." Well, after a few mags, Ira exclaimed, "WE DON'T NEED A TUBE!!" We then took it to the FIPT Match in Florida and set up a booth. I immediately got heckled and ridiculed by some Grand Masters but I got the last laugh. The sight won the match, then went on to win the Nationals & the World including the Shoot Off finals. There's a moral here somewhere... Cheers, D.R. Middlebrooks

I agree with Flex. Perhaps if we keep the focus of the discussion on "TECHNIQUE" we may ALL learn something... I've watched shooting techniques evolve since I began shooting National level matches in the 1970's. I'm always looking for the mechanical advantage as well as any technique advantage that I can get. So for me, no matter how goofy something sounds, I'll study it out and test it thoroughly before I pass judgment. I find there's always something that can be gleaned from the experience (Good or Bad). [link edited] Cheers, D.R. Middlebrooks

I couldn't get the link to work... All I know is that Daniel Horner (FIST-FIRE? ) won Stock Gun at the Winchester World Challenge and the American Handgunner World Shoot Off's... Jerry Miculek won the OVERALL at the Handgunner AGAIN!! I don't know who won Open Gun or Cowboy or what else though. Cheers, D.R. Middlebrooks

Basically, yes... Here's a link to the TSA Forums for more information: http://www.tacticalshooting.com/forums/index.php? Shoot safe, D.R. Midllebrooks – President Tactical Shooting Association (TSA) http://www.TacticalShootingAssociation.com

TSA is not non-profit. The membership has a say in the polls we take and are free to speak out on the TSA forums. But the final decisions rest with the BOA (Board of Advisors) and myself. Shoot safe, D.R. Midllebrooks – President Tactical Shooting Association (TSA) http://www.TacticalShootingAssociation.com

Hi Guys, TSA is only about 10 months old, and we got off to a slow start. But we are finally starting to move it forward. A lot of the rules you guys quoted were from the “Proposed” rule book, which were put forth to get membership input. We had a lot of hashing out to do. I think the rules are in pretty good shape right now, although not perfect. Here they are: http://www.tacticalshooting.com/tsa/rulebook.html We update the rules each month after receiving member input, and input from match officials. The rulesbook is posted on the TSA webiste for PDF download. The forums are intended for TSA members. If you want to contribute or complain, you have to be a member or pay a nominal one time fee for the privilege of cussing me out (not like here, where you can do it for free ). Yes, we do have a “Sub-Gun” division, as we are a “Tactical” (am I allowed to say that here?) venue for playing with Defensive (Brian will probably hate me for this) weapons (sorry, Dude! )... Yes, TSA is a game (practice if you will) for the tactical type shooters. I hope you will come and play. I promise a fair shake for all. Respectfully,

[insert sarcastic FistFire reference here] Guilty as charged... The reason I did it was we were running standard excercises and most of the shooters at the National Level (we ran 2 Nat's and a World IPSC Match in Virginia) could not make the FAST Par Time limits. So, to keep the excercise exciting and challenging enough for the Top Guys, I thought a drill with a limited number of rounds would be better than having some guys shoot the standards and not get off all their shots. It [Virginia Count] has been misused and abused though, as it was never intended for scenario stages. D.R. Middlebrooks www.TacticalShooting.com

There is something called a "fist-reflex" that should be of concern... What that means is that when the hand makes a "fist", the natural tendency is to squeeze with the fingers. When the thumb presses down the fingers tighten up. We find if the thumb is "UP" and trigger finger "straight" it is safer, especially for new shooters who are trying to race the clock. "I've seen three world champion shooters have AD's in matches. I have since concluded that there are two types of shooters in the world: Those who have had an accidental discharge and candidates." - D.R. Middlebrooks http://www.TacticalShooting.com (Edited by DRM at 11:49 am on Feb. 9, 2003)

I'll bet if the "Truth be known", most people probably take the safety off as soon as they grab the gun I’ve seen numerous AD’s (a couple by GM’s) as a result of this VERY BAD, EVIL HABIT!! In FIST-FIRE we teach you to keep your thumb UP on the draw to avoid disengaging the thumb safety prematurely. You can still C-Clamp the gun on the front and back strap with the fingers in front and the lower portion of the thumb (where it connects to the hand) in the back. When both hands come together around the gun, THEN the safety comes off and the trigger finger goes in. While this is way too slow for most people, it is safer, in my opinion... Stay safe, D.R. Middlebrooks – Director Tactical Shooting Academy (TSA) http://www.TacticalShooting.com

And all God's tactical people said, "AMEN!!" Stay safe, D.R. Middlebrooks - Director Tactical Shooting Academy (TSA) http://www.TacticalShooting.com (Edited by DRM at 3:25 pm on Jan. 18, 2003)

Ah, the name calling thing again… To be quite honest, if this is all you guys have to offer, then go ahead and lock up the thread. I'll still be waiting for you to prove me and my FIST-FIRE System wrong. Shouldn't be that hard, now should it? Later, D.R. Middlebrooks - Director Tactical Shooting Academy (TSA) http://www.TacticalShooting.com

As I said in the original post, I was refferring to 100% target focus. No looking at the gun or any sighted fire of any type. The older I get, the easier it is to see less of the gun and more of what's down range... Stay safe, D.R. Middlebrooks - Director Tactical Shooting Academy (TSA) http://www.TacticalShooting.com

You mean Passively or Aggressively shoot? (I'm leaning more towards passive aggressive lately! )... D.R. http://www.TacticalShooting.com

Brian, I believe I have been more honest with you than you have been with me. I first appeared here when someone (namely you) was calling me an "arrogant a_-hole"... The second time I came by was when someone was asking questions about FIST-FIRE... I tried to keep the focus on technqiue. I tried not to bash or trash anyone. I thought you guys were opened minded here, being IPSC shooters and all, and thought you would be interested in some new idea's and maybe even in pushing the "Point Shooting" envelope as far as it would go. Guess I was wrong... Cheers!

Quote: from DogmaDog on 10:58 am on Dec. 5, 2002 DRM, I think what makes people mad is what you DON'T teach. You've made claims about the effectiveness of your methods, and about their distinctness from other, conventional methods, but you haven't really described any of your techniques. Guilty, as charged... Yes, I have been overly protective of it over the last (4) years. Maybe now that the book is coming out, I will be willing to share more information (at least that way, I’ll get some of the credit for it! ). BE, I have tried to play nice. Been accused of a lot of things I did not even do (by you and others, both on and off list). Seems to me you are upset that I'm here. What's the deal? Stay safe, D.R. http://ww.TacticalShooting.com (Edited by DRM at 12:21 pm on Dec. 5, 2002)