Duane Thomas Posted May 5, 2001 Share Posted May 5, 2001 Well, if the good Lord's willing and the creek don't rise (as my dear, sainted Mother would say) in the next issue of Front Sight there'll be an article by me called "IPSC Classifiers: Sandbagging & Grandbagging" that gives my thoughts on this topic. Briefly put, I don't think there's anything wrong with grandbagging as long as you're using it as a method to motivate swift improvement. Think about it: When you get moved up to the next higher class, there's going to be a time period where you're at the bottom of that class, skill-wise, and can't win anything. Which means you need to get a lot better, real fast, so you can start winning things again. All grandbaggers are ensuring is that they're going to be going through that process, of being at the bottom of their class and unable to win anything, fairly regularly. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
38supPat Posted May 5, 2001 Share Posted May 5, 2001 Shoot a classifier enough and you may actually learn from it too. Pat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
38supPat Posted May 7, 2001 Share Posted May 7, 2001 Bad news dude,just got new Front Sight magazine...no article yet. Darn I was looking forward to it. Oh well hopefully next one. Pat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
38supPat Posted May 17, 2001 Share Posted May 17, 2001 Tanked a classifier real bad last night...though about reshooting it but thought 'what would Duane think of me?' so I didn't...lol Pat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duane Thomas Posted May 18, 2001 Author Share Posted May 18, 2001 Actually, the thrust of my article is that I think grandbagging is a GOOD thing. I'd shoot those puppies until I was knee deep in brass if they'd let me. So if you wanna shoot it again, go for it, dude! I would. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
38supPat Posted May 18, 2001 Share Posted May 18, 2001 Now you tell me! ...lol Pat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulW Posted May 18, 2001 Share Posted May 18, 2001 It was pretty funny at Area 6 match this year they had "the worst Grandmaster award"......too bad he had already left and was not there to recieve it. Titles really mean nothing, but we do seem to get wrapped up in them. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TravisT Posted May 18, 2001 Share Posted May 18, 2001 (Edited by TravisT at 7:18 pm on June 11, 2002) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
38supPat Posted May 18, 2001 Share Posted May 18, 2001 We gotta shoot together sometime dude! Pat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ron Ankeny Posted May 19, 2001 Share Posted May 19, 2001 I recently shot a classifier in which I loaded and made ready from a magazine that had just 4 or 5 rounds in it. Imagine the astonished look on my face when I ran dry. The RO refused to allow me to shoot the classifier over, stating that doing so is not ethical. So, what does a guy do in that case? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duane Thomas Posted May 19, 2001 Author Share Posted May 19, 2001 Travis, "Hey, if you ever want to re-shoot a classifier and I’m around, I got your back!" Thanks, dude. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Al Capizzo Posted May 20, 2001 Share Posted May 20, 2001 What a guy does is insist on shooting it again. As long as you don't plan on using your second run to count as your score for the match, you have the right to at least "shoot it to your ability" for your classification. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Al Capizzo Posted May 20, 2001 Share Posted May 20, 2001 Uh, oops. Little finger spasm I guess. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
38supPat Posted May 20, 2001 Share Posted May 20, 2001 Lol...practicing keyboard bill drills again? Pat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ron Ankeny Posted May 21, 2001 Share Posted May 21, 2001 Imagine what would happen if Al responds to my Trigger Freeze post. I did insist on the reshoot, but the RO always wins and I will always respect his/her decision. Of course, I might whine a little first... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duane Thomas Posted May 21, 2001 Author Share Posted May 21, 2001 I'm going to hazard a guess that all the truly great shooters grandbag. We know that's the case with Travis, and, from a previous post on the late but fondly remembered old message board, Brian. It's part and parcel of their desire to excel that MAKES them great shooters. I have to wonder if the disdain some people evince for the practice doesn't carry with it a certain element of jealousy. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nik Habicht Posted May 21, 2001 Share Posted May 21, 2001 Duane, It's the old mentality of "I want x, but I don't want to work to get x." I'm getting some flak from my fellow shooters for practicing on twice weekly basis. I set a goal in October 2000, after missing sharpshooter on an IDPA classifier by about 9 seconds, of reaching expert by this October. I've practiced hard and (thanks to this forum and its predecessor) smart and have just made sharpshooter with a time in the high 130s. So with five months to go I'm about halfway there. If I can sustain the effort, I might just make it. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulW Posted May 24, 2001 Share Posted May 24, 2001 I think it comes down not to the question of "How good of an IPSC shooter are you" but rather "How hard do you want to work to be a good IPSC shooter". There is no substitute for hard work and practice. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ron Ankeny Posted May 24, 2001 Share Posted May 24, 2001 It's also a question of how hard you want to continue to work to become really good. It is not the desire to win that wins, it is the desire to prepare to win that wins. In my own case getting into the C class in IPSC and Sharpshooter in IDPA was accomplished with good gear, drawing on well developed fundamentals from another shooting sport, and virtually no dry fire regime or practice. Getting into the next class up takes daily dry fire, weekly live fire, and some study. I have been doing dry fire evey morning, live fire four or more times per week, and at least 3 matches a month since March. All of that to get into A or B class (I am getting old and feeble). As you get better, it becomes more and more difficult to break through the barriers and get over the humps. I would imagine that some where around A class a guy is going to need to devote a lot of time to dry fire, live fire, and the mental game. I don't know enough about IPSC to comment on becoming a Master class shooter. I don't know what the physical and mental requirements are, but I am going to find out pretty soon. Our annual steel match (138 shots minimum if you don't miss) on reactive steel is on June the third. In preparation I am dry firing every morning, live fire every afternoon, and I spend most of my day visualizing instead of working. I might not win, but I will know I did my best and anyone who beats me will sure enough have paid their dues. That is enough to keep me going win, lose, or draw. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nik Habicht Posted May 24, 2001 Share Posted May 24, 2001 And knowing you did the work is its own reward, isn't it? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
PaulW Posted May 24, 2001 Share Posted May 24, 2001 I agree.....the higher you get the more important it is to pay attention to the finer details. No room for silly mistakes. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BrianH Posted August 16, 2001 Share Posted August 16, 2001 Duane- A good reason for.....what did you call it....grandbagging? That's a new expression for me.... Personal reasons have forced me into temporary retirement a couple of times....the first time my classification was dropped (back when they still did that). I was about 5% off of A class, and back then, the only way to prove your previous class was to get ahold of an old score book; those came out 4 times a year, and usually just to the RD. Now I got some crappy scores I want to get rid of, so I want to shoot classifiers; get my % back where I think it should be. I don't think that's a bad thing. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duane Thomas Posted August 16, 2001 Author Share Posted August 16, 2001 Neither do I. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
38supPat Posted August 16, 2001 Share Posted August 16, 2001 Any word on that article in 'Front Sight'? Pat Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Duane Thomas Posted August 17, 2001 Author Share Posted August 17, 2001 Well, according to Robin Taylor at Front Sight, if the good Lord's willin' and the creek don't rise, in the September issue we'll see my article on Sandbagging/Grandbagging and also my review of the Smith & Wesson 945. Unless that changes, of course.... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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