A GM goes to School

[Micah]

Back in 2004, I knew nothing about practical shooting. I started "competing" in an indoor league, and I was soundly beaten by literally everyone for the first several months. In an effort to shoot better, I would plink at the range twice per week. This was certainly not truly practice, and although I showed some gains, I was still getting pounded by 90% of the competition.

In 2005, a book that completely changed my shooting life was recommended to me: Refinement and Repetition by Steve Anderson.

This book taught me not just how to train, but what to work on. 90 minutes a day for the next year, I dry fired following the drills prescribed in Steve's training tome, and the results were significant. I shot straight from a bottom of the barrel D class shooter to A class in a matter of months.

Several years ago, I obtained my GM card in Production.

Dry fire training provided me with a method to practice without every being able to use any of the common excuses to skip the range: It's too cold, late, rainy, or too far away to go to the range today. After all, my new Dry Fire range was only a few feet away!

The only problem with making something a routine is that over time we tend to get into a lazy groove.

The trouble with lazy grooves is that it is difficult to know that you are in one on your own.

When you are your own trainer, you don't have someone to tell you what you are doing right, and what you are doing wrong.

So I decided to fix it. 8 years after I purchased Refinement and Repetition, I had the opportunity to train with that book's author.

Having gone through the drills tens of thousands of times, I was unsure of what I could do to make them faster, sharper, and more accurate. What Steve did was give me the feedback that only a GM can give, and the experience was invaluable. I literally shaved 30% off of my par times at the end of the training session. Steve pointed out the critical elements in each conceptual piece of what we do in practical shooting, and his outside analysis allowed me to take that same outside-in look at how I was training, and how I should be training.

Honestly, I never would have thought that the GM would benefit the most from a professional training class. Steve didn't either, and we were both pretty amazed by the results.

I also never thought that I could do a 0.6 second turn-and-draw. After spending an evening training with Mr. Anderson, I realized that I need to stop creating barriers to excellence, and start exploding to the next level.

I very strongly and highly recommend Steve to any anyone who's ready to stop struggling and start learning. It doesn't take burning 5000 rounds over five trips to the range a week to see significant improvement, just the desire to excel and the willingness to do the work.

[Chris iliff]

That's great!! Just proves we can all learn no matter what our class.

[RangerTrace]

That is an awesome story, thanks for sharing. I still remember meeting you in Dayton....the first USPSA MASTER I had ever met

Edited November 9, 2012 by SV-COP

[kita]

That's great! So you're winning matches now, huh?

[JakeMartens]

That's great! So you're winning matches now, huh?

[kita]

I read Steve Anderson's first book and I loved it. My husband lost the second book in a move and I never got to read it. If I don't find it during spring cleaning, I'm most definitely ordering another one! What an inspiring story.

[leas327]

The second book is worth the money just for the interview with Lanny. The 50 mistakes are pretty funny in sad but true kind of way.