Quick Progress

[JD45]

This is simply trivial, but I think interesting. What is the shortest period of time that you have seen a shooter go from duffer to Master? It would also be cool to know if it came easy to some and hard (like 75,000rds. per year hard) to others.

[TriggerT]

Matt Mink has to be one of the fastest. From C class production to GM in about a year. WTF. Makes the rest of us look like real mooks.

[Ron Ankeny]

I know a guy who went from B class to M class in about 6 months, but B class really isn't a "duffer". Ron Avery told me he has seen new shooters go from first time shooting a pistol to M class in less than a year, then just drop off the radar screen.

Even with our crappy weather and winter hibernation period, I would think anyone who dry fired daily, practiced once a week in the winter and 2-3 times a week in the summer, could make M class in a couple of years or less.

[lndshrk]

Matt - quite amazing!

Might he answer -

How much range time?

How much daily dry fire?

How much exercise?

How may weekly rounds?

How many club and regional matches?

Any time left in week for quality family time?

[shred]

Yeah, there's natural ability, and there's work. Some people get more of the first, but they've still gotta do the second part to make it. I bet most of the quick-time folks did lots of concentrated work. I'm taking the slow road..

There's also a big difference between 'getting a GM-card' and 'shooting like a GM'

[TriggerT]

Matt must have had at least a little free time, since he and his wife had a baby somewhere between his M and GM cards. Does the "snap" of dry firing help to put the baby to sleep? Rock the craddle, draw. Rock the cradle, draw.

Start possition, holding new born infant in weak arm, bottle in strong hand.

[Skywalker]

Even with our crappy weather and winter hibernation period, I would think anyone who dry fired daily, practiced once a week in the winter and 2-3 times a week in the summer, could make M class in a couple of years or less.

Now I'm really starting to figure it out...

... I'm stuck in low A class because I'm missing some ...

... let's do the math ...

(1 x 365) - (1 x 52) = 313 dry fire sessions

(1 x 4 x 4) + (2 x 4 x 3) + (3 x 4 x 5) - (3 x 12) = 64 live fire sessions

... 377 training sessions per year...

[AGlock36]

Matt must have had at least a little free time, since he and his wife had a baby somewhere between his M and GM cards. Does the "snap" of dry firing help to put the baby to sleep? Rock the craddle, draw. Rock the cradle, draw.

Start possition, holding new born infant in weak arm, bottle in strong hand.

Now that is just too funny of a mental picture.

Paul Franklin

[Loves2Shoot]

Travis Tomasie was a quick riser, not only is he a gifted athlete, but he worked 20 times as hard as the average Joe, and put in massive amount of dry fire practice in the short time it took him to get to GM.

[Shooter Grrl]

The most amazing progression I've ever seen is our very own STEVE ANDERSON! May not have been the fastest, but he is not now just "another" GM - I expect to see him in the Top 16 this year!

[Jon Merricks]

I wasn't around back then when they only had Master's but I was told Blake Gann went from U to M with his first card. I think this was in the late 80's early 90's maybe.

[Matthew_Mink]

Well, I don't know if I did it the fastest, but once I got my feet under me, it was a short trip from B to GM in Production. I think it was 6 months, after Factory Gun 2003. My initial classification was C Limited in late 2001. Then late 2002 I got my initial Production classification in B, but I didn't shoot much in that division until mid 2003. So I guess total time was a little over a year. Then I figured out I really liked Production, so I stuck with that, mostly.

lndshrk, back late last year when I was really gunning for my GM card, I didn't have much time for live fire. We had just had the baby in October, and we got really busy. I still had a little time for dry-fire, and I put that to good use. My exercise program suffered the most, it went nonexistant, until January of this year. It usually consists of running 3 times a week, weight training 3 times a week, and Shotokan Karate 2 times a week. It is really hard to get all that in now. I am lucky to get to practice one weekend a month. But my club matches and major matches never really slowed down. I told the wife, I gotta get out of the house for a little while, and she didn't mind. She knew I was after something, and I had my mind set on it. There was, and is, still plenty of time for the family. Sometimes she has to come get me out of the garage when I am working on something, or dryfiring, but I can make time. Also, see the thread where I hit a major slump in Nov-Dec last year.

And I have on more than a couple of occassions, been rocking the baby in my left arm, and taking sight pictures on mini-targets with my right. Good practice for IDPA at our club. We seem to have a lot of rescue the baby stages.

My little girl is fascinated when I dry fire. She won't make a peep or look away the entire time I am doing it. I think the buzzer, all the motion and the neat clicking noises just hold her attention.

[B.J. Norris]

From The SV website.

"Taran Butler attained Grand Master ranking within thirteen months of starting in the I.S.P.C.. He is the only person to accomplish this feat in so short a time with only a standard Glock 21/24 in limited class."

[lndshrk]

I too am grateful for a supportive spouse and two grown daughters who enjoy shooting with me. Because my local indoor club in CT does not allow a holster draw (all IDPA and IPSC shooting events are done from low ready) I spend a substantial amount of time practicing my draw, dryfiring, etc. at home in the evenings. Although I have had pistols for over ten years, only started shooting competatively about 6 months ago, and made IDPA Sharpshooter at first Qualifier attempt. Not in a race with myself, but clearly motivated by Matt's progress and am shooting my first official IPSC match this weekend. In IDPA I tend to shoot more for accuracy than speed. But, I am working on my fitness and getting quicker. Knowing others have made great progress in a year has really motivated me to get out and compete more. Thanks!

[TDean]

I'll second what shred said.

Until you're a legitimate threat to the top-dogs, it's just a cool card in your wallet.

[Ron Ankeny]

skywalker67:

My post was somewhat tongue and cheek for the benefit of guys who "can't make Master". I know there is a huge difference between guys who just happened to shoot enough 85% plus scores on classifiers to get and M card and those who shoot like M class shooters at major matches. But the fact remains that blasting a bunch of 85% scores from Box A in a low pressure situation just comes down to committing the required resources.

[Loves2Shoot]

skywalker67:

My post was somewhat tongue and cheek for the benefit of guys who "can't make Master". I know there is a huge difference between guys who just happened to shoot enough 85% plus scores on classifiers to get and M card and those who shoot like M class shooters at major matches. But the fact remains that blasting a bunch of 85% scores from Box A in a low pressure situation just comes down to committing the required resources.

The only people who shoot M class percentages at major matches are generally GM's or should be. No M even shot 85% at last years open nats and most of the few that did in limited are open GM's

[ErikW]

Yup, getting top 16 at a national should automatically make you a G-man.

[Ron Ankeny]

But the fact remains that blasting a bunch of 85% scores from Box A in a low pressure situation just comes down to committing the required resources.

To clarify this comment before I get flamed, I am talking about shooting an 85% or better on an occasional classifier in a little old club. My comment isn't intended to be demeaning or to sound arrogant. I just believe that an M card through the classification system is in reach of the vast majority of IPSC shooters if they are willing to pay the frieght.

[shred]

Agreed. Actually, given the current classifier database, I'd say that given the right conditions (pick your classifiers carefully, practice them completely, reshoot them as needed at matches), almost anybody could make M in a year... not that it would mean anything at that point.

[tightloop]

At the risk of drifting the thread a bit further, as a senior who is attempting to get back into USPSA shooting I will make this comment.

Most matches bear little resemblence to most of the classifier matches. I shot with Shred last weekend and they only had one stand and shoot stage, and it was at 25 yds. The rest of them were field courses, where good footspeed was the cry of the day.

As someone who has a big ego and doesn't handle humiliation well, I will say that I can shoot low M scores on most of the classifier matches. I have my own range and have shot a lot of them, I speak from experience. Short fast matches are what most of the classifiers are, but few real matches have 12 shot stages. Most are 20+. If I choose the classifiers I want to shoot I am 95% confident I can go from U to M in 4 months. Is that being a Classifier Master, certainly, it is. Can I shoot M class scores on long field courses, not unless I get the combination from Mr. Peabody for the Way Back Machine and loose 30 yrs just before I shoot that long field course.

My point being that just making the card means little. It is shooting M scores everywhere you go that makes you Master. If I shoot 4 classsifiers with 85%+ does that mean that I will tell Mike Voigt not to send me the M card? I don't think so, but it does mean that some thought needs to be given to the format of current classifiers to more realistically track with the format of both local and large matches across the country. Ron has it right... If you just want to hold the card, you should be able to pick and choose the classifers you want to shoot and get there in lots less than a yr. To be the real deal means to finish high everywhere you go, local or national regardless of location or stage type. My hat is off to the folks that can Talk the Talk and Walk the Walk, everywhere they go...

[shred]

TL, we're adding some stand-n-shoots this month.. Make us slow runners feel better

[tightloop]

Shred (who runs like Carl Lewis)

Thanks buddy, that means a lot coming from the guy who WON the last match. But while you are slowing down the match, you have picked two possible classifiers which have 18 round strings. No room for error there... Might have to wait till May, those look more like my kind of classifier stages. Got to pick your battles you know.