Competitive Action Pistol Shooting

[SmittyFL]

I think this is my first rant; read it if you wish, I don't really care. Just some things I thought I would throw out there amidst all the other topics going on. I put it in the things I like forum because I love this sport.

There has been a lot of talk about how the marketing of USPSA "sucks" in other threads. Well, what are you doing about it? This is a volunteer sport, we don't have a marketing budget like Bud. If we could pony up 3 mill or whatever it is for a superbowl commerical this year I'd bet we'd get a ton of folks out to matches the following months. But we can't. This sport is grown from the grass roots level. At your local gun shop, gun show, gun range, gun anything.

What are YOU doing to grow the sport? How many new folks did you bring out to a match last year? How many do you plan on bringing this year? That is where new members come from. I seem to remember a poll a while back about how you heard about the sport. I don't remember the results but it might be interesting to do it again. When I started I didn't have a computer, I'd only vaguely heard of the internet (mainly because I heard you could see naked ladies on it for free, a fact I'm glad turned out to be true), and there were no "shooting" t.v. shows I was aware of.

I was at the local shooting range where I went from time to time to stand and shoot at a single target. Boring by my standards now, but fun at the time. I saw a flyer about a weekly man on man plate shoot at the indoor range. What the hell I thought, I'll check it out. So I showed up with my single stack kimber and got my ass kicked, went out with the "gang" afterwards for beers and had an overall blast. I started shooting it as often as I could, all the while getting my ass kicked when I heard of an outdoor monthly steel match. What the hell I thought, I'll check it out. I went out there it was steel challangeish, and I got my ass kicked. I went out afterwards with the "gang" for beers and had an overall blast. I went as often as I could all the while getting my ass kicked. Someone mentioned IPSC. I had NEVER heard of that, even hanging out with gun folks. What the hell I thought, I'll check it out. Well you know the story, I got my ass kicked. This was in the good 'ol days of open and limited only. I was shooting with my single stack and getting my ass kicked (not because of the single stack obviously). Well I eventually caught on and got better at everything steel and IPSC. Fast forward 5 or 6 years and I'm a GM throwing a rant up on the enos fourm. "Yea me..... whatever".

The point is I found out about the sport through normal shooters promoting it at the bottom level. I never heard the often mentioned quote "it takes a $3,000 gun to play that sport, don't waste your time." By the same token I'd never heard of Les Bear, Bill Wilson, Rob Leatham, Brian Enos, Jerry Barnhart, etc. Hell, I'd never heard of Kimber, I only bought it because the "gun guru" behind the counter said it was a good gun. I don't think your average person who might have an interest in guns or competition shooting knows anything about it. All you have to say is it is a lot of fun, and whatever gun you have will probably work. Don't have a holster? I've got one, or I have a buddy who has one that will work. In fact we should all have a cheapie nylon holster and mag pouch in our range bag for new folks that just show up. Along with extra eyes and ears for any spectators that stumble on to us. Do you have these things?

Make up some flyers and take them to all the local gun shops or ranges. Start a free website with info about the sport in plain english you can distribute to folks. Get a booth at the local gun show and show homemade videos and have info about the sport, have your gear there to show off. The place will probably give you the booth for free or very little if you're not selling anything. Point is do something. If we all brought 5 new shooters into the sport this year, maybe one of them will like it. We could double our membership in one year. Will that actually happen? No, but we could certainly grow our ranks.

As to keeping the new shooters.......

Now for the rant part. I'm not embarrassed about USPSA. If you want to compete with Robbie or Eric G., it's going to take, among other more important things, $3000 worth of equipment. So suck it up or take up needle point. This isn't the cheapest hobbie on the planet and I'm tired of apologizing for it. You can have just as much fun with a glock or 1911. As I said I started with a Kimber when there was no L-10 and had a blast. Though I quickly found out if I wanted to beat that dude that whipped me every match I was going to need some new equipment. I didn't have to do it, I was still having a good time. But I chose to.

Anybody here play golf? Price out a new set of clubs plus a round every sunday. It ain't any cheaper than our sport. Plus you can't tee up against Tiger when you want to. You can in our game. Yea, Robbie isn't as famous as Tiger but you can tee up against him whenever you want. If you want a chance you better have the best equipment and know how to use it. Regardless, you aint' gonna beat tiger no matter how expensive your clubs are and you ain't gonna beat robbie just because you've got the latest cardboard seeking bullet from Montanna and the front sight that "actually extends and touches the target".

Contrary to the movies, it's hard to hit a target with a pistol. I should have prefaced the above by saying when I started competition shooting I was in the military, in special operations. Short of professional sports and the WWF, you don't get any higher egos than the group I ran around with. I brought many of my co-workers out to matches and they, just like I did, got their asses kicked.....Bad. A few of them came back once or twice, but not one took up the sport. It could be because they just didn't like guns that much, or they had family issues, or whatever. But I suspect they didn't like getting their ass kicked by a bunch of old fat guys. Much the same I think is the problem with cops. I don't know about where you all shoot, but we have very few LE's shoot around here. I suspect it's because the big, bad, police man came out and got his ass kicked by a bunch of "civilians". Maybe not, just what I suspect.

Folks, including gun rag writers, gun store employees, and cops for that matter don't realize how tough it is to hit a target fast and accurately. I think when they see what can be done with a pistol, they are ashamed of their skills. If they can't come out and win the local match their first time out because they are "the gun guru, cop, solider, or whatever" it's much easier to sit back and bash the sport as being unrealistic. Their not going to waste their time competing in something that will get them "killed" in the "real world". Yeah, whatever. You just suck! Like we all did when we started.

I'm a competitive person. I don't care if we're at a IPSC match, playing checkers, or betting on a football game. I want to win. So I can understand when folks come out and suck, not coming back. It's humbling when you take a mag and a half to hit an 8 inch plate at 20yds even though you've been punching holes in a life size target at 7 yds at the local indoor range all day long. You're either going to be man enough to say "damn this is hard, I think I'm going to work at it and improve my skills, I'd like to be able to shoot like so and so did at the match today" or "this is b.s. they aren't using cover, real guns, real ammo, I can't afford a gun that wil allow me to hit a target that quick or whatever. It ain't real"

The great thing is, you don't have to be competitive to enjoy the sport. You can come out, as the majority of local shooters do, and just shoot. Have a good time, shoot some stuff up, maybe get a beer afterwards, and have fun. You know you're never going to win the Nationals, Area, State, or the local match. And you have a blast shooting the greatest game in the world. Because the people are good, they'd give you their gun to finish the match, or ammo to finish the match. Because you appreciate the level of committment it takes to win the match. Because you know your gun skills, while not on par with Robbie, are better than 99% of all the gun owners in the country. You either get the sport or you don't. It's an individual reason for why we play this game.

As to the tactical objection. I don't get it. Maybe it's because I spent time in the military and got my "fix". I don't know. I don't think Jerry would mind me telling this story. When I was in the military we hired Jerry Barnhart to spend a week with us. I hadn't shot any competition at that point. He's a pretty smart guy and I know he had dealt with military and/or LE's before. Of course we were all thinking what is this non special-ops guy going to teach US about shooting. In his opening statement he said basically, "I've never been in the military, never been a cop, know basically nothing about tactics and don't pretend to, etc. However what I do know is how to shoot a target extremely fast and extremely accurate, and I'm one of the best in the world at it. Do you think that would be of interest to you?" How can you argue with that?

Look, if someone is shooting at you, you're gonna F'in duck. If there is something to hide behind other than a plastic barrel, you're gonna do it. Now what are you gonna do? Either pee your pants or shoot back. We will never know until we're there. Hopefully never. To me tactics refers to team situations. How to work together, that's tactics. You don't need much training to duck when someone shoots at you. That's like offering training on how to bend over when someone kicks you in the nuts. You don't need training on that, it just happens. You could, however, use training on how to return fire or shoot fast and accurate. Hey, what better place than USPSA. If you need to have a reason to get the tactical types out to a match other than good competition or fun, then that should work.

I love this sport. I spend most of my free time and money on it. Not because I expect to get anything back, just because I love it. I love to compete. I want to see it grow and prosper. I long for the day when the Area 4 Championship is on ESPN. Might never happen but they've been having a lot of bowling on recently so you never know. I do what I can to grow it. I'm polite and inviting to new folks. I immediately go up and introduce myself when I see a new face at a match. I don't bash Polite Society, IDPA, IDSA, IPPonME, or whatever. We are all shooters, I like all shooting sports. I prefer USPSA because I think that is where the best shooters are and I want to compete against the best.

If any of you are still reading this now, this is the point.........

Promote the sport. Do what you can. All it takes is a little hospitality. Offer directions to the match, a ride to the match, your gear for the match. Invite them to lunch or beers after the match. Whatever you can to get them out. Once they are their, help them along, ensure they are safe, ensure they have a good time, tell them you sucked when you started also. That's all you can do. They will either get the bug or they won't. Don't talk bad about other shooting sports. The leader might know the problem but the new shooters won't. Just explain the differences honestly. Whatever you think the differences are. Let them decide. Don't apologize for our game. It is what it is. It's the best game in the world.

Whew, that feels better.

My name is Shannon, I'm an IPSC shooter, my shooting gear cost's more than $2,000 and I'm not apologizing for it. I'll do anything I can to help you get involved in this great game. But you better realize these folks can shoot a pistol. Swallow your ego and observe. You'll be able to also after some time and practice. You wanna compete against me? Bring it!!!

[chp5]

Here, here and wow!! What a great post!

Many, many excellent points!

I vote we pin this one.

Thanks Shannon.

Cy

[shred]

Rock On!

We've done gun show tables a time or two. It's surprising what some people will home in on-- some passers-by think Open is ultra-cool and the only place to be, some others are all about Production.. it's all good. Not all of them will come out, not all of them that do will stick around. Different strokes for different folks.

[kimel]

Awesome post Shannon!

[AikiDale]

Bravo! Well said Shannon!

[Kimberkid]

damn Smitty, tell us how ya really feel. I'm finding myself looking at the floor and saying "yes sir, sorry sir"

i think a lot of us felt the same way and have never been able to put it into words as well as you just did.

[DougBarnes101]

Shannon,

Great Post.

[Dead Buff]

This should become a "must read" for all before you can even join the forum.

Vote for best post to date!

[MikeyG23]

Well put, well put

[Flexmoney]

I added a poll!!!

Well done Smitty!

[rhino]

Hah! He's saying what I've said in the past!

So he must be right!

[BigDave]

OMFG!!!

[RKooi]

Awesome post Shannon. A must read. You deserve a beer (or 6) for that one!

[Jeeper]

Very well said!!!

[Nemo]

Jesus H! Smitty,

Did you type that as fast as you shoot??!!

YOU R' DA MAN!! I agree this post should be pinned and made mandatory reading for all new forum members. Actually, you should send it to the rags and TRY to have it published...

FWIW, every once in a while I call Sedro and request a promotional package (some Front Sights, what's ipsc, how to join and get started kind of info), to which I attach a sheet with info on the local matches. I then take this to the gunshows and leave it at a friend's table with a "Take One" sign. I don't know how many people have this strategy brought to the game but, hey, you never know.

Who's doing the best of the month? Here's my #1 pick for January 2k5.

[Nik Habicht]

Shannon,

Wow!! Thanks for reminding us that we can always do more to recruit and retain people in this sport.....

[markm]

My name is Shannon, I'm an IPSC shooter, my shooting gear cost's more than $2,000 and I'm not apologizing for it. I'll do anything I can to help you get involved in this great game. But you better realize these folks can shoot a pistol. Swallow your ego and observe. You'll be able to also after some time and practice. You wanna compete against me? Bring it!!!

It's amazing how you said what so many of us are thinking. I want to look you in the eye, say "thank you", shake your hand, and "Lets go Shoot!!!"

My name is Mark, I'm an IPSC shooter.

[Matthew_Mink]

As one of the ones that claimed in the other thread that USPSA's marketing sucks, and it does, I'll chime in here.

What have I done to promote the sport? The question is, what haven't I done? I've been match director, I've been USPSA director at the club I belong to, I've beat the bushes for shooters, I've loaned personal gear and ammo (lots) to shooters that didn't have any, I've built props to make the matches more attractive, I've been over to the 'other' games trying to sell our sport, etc... etc... ad nauseum.

Not much of it was worth much. I have noticed that the only people that I brought out to shoot and they stuck with it, were totally new shooters that maybe only saw some action shooting on ESPN or OLN. You have to remember that I live in Arkansas, the birthplace of IDPA. The same IDPA that slandered our sport in their rulebook for so long, the same IDPA that built up so much animosity and hostility towards USPSA shooters via the various gun rags that it has literally taken us 5 or 6 years to overcome.

In a nutshell, IDPA's marketing worked in this state, USPSA's didn't. If it hadn't been for me about 2 years ago, my club would have ceased shooting USPSA. It was headed that way and I turned it around, of course with some help, but it wasn't easy.

I'll reiterate, the normal shooter has no idea what USPSA is. They have heard of IPSC, cause IDPA told them what it was, a bunch of gamers using $5000 race guns that won't talk to you, and they don't utilize tactics. Just about every normal shooter knows what IDPA is.

This sport takes shooter participation to drive membership. It takes people beating the bushes. What else could USPSA do? I think they could do some things right. But I don't think its enough. We could easily have 30000+ members if we marketed ourselves better, but we don't.

And don't get me wrong, I don't have any answers on how USPSA could be better at marketing. I'm not even blaming anybody in USPSA, I am just merely stating this is how it is. Whatever we are doing has not been getting the job done.

[stingerjg]

This should become a "must read" for all before you can even join the forum.

Vote for best post to date!

im sending this to all of my shooting buddies to read.

Great post.

[sleipnir]

I spent part of last weekend promoting our club's monthly match at a local gun show. There was some interest, but most people seemed more interested in the SASS people promoting their match. Perhaps it was the pretty clothes and big hats. Or maybe the OLN show on the video.

We are out there promoting our sport. When a new shooter, or potential shooter, is distracted by big money open guns we just tell them to "bring what you've got" and don't worry about the space guns. That works for some of them. Others just figure that they cannot be "competitive" unless they spend too much money -- eye candy syndrome I guess. Go figure.

Anyway I think that it would be nice if the USPSA organization provided me, a match director, with a video that I could slip into the player when those galoots in the big hats aren't watching. Moving pictures speak much louder than words.

[BSeevers]

Ditto

[shred]

Anyway I think that it would be nice if the USPSA organization provided me, a match director, with a  video that I could slip into the player when those galoots in the big hats aren't watching. Moving pictures speak much louder than words.

At our last gun show table I had a couple laptops, one running non-stop shooting videos (just the shooting part... from 'beep' to 'if..', sound at max), and one doing a slideshow of shooting still pictures (mostly happy people fresh from shooting stages-- Juniors, Females, Old guys, Fast guys, slow guys, etc..). I haven't updated them in a while, but if somebody doing a show table wants a copy of the CDs, let me know. If USPSA wants to do a CD, I'll be happy to let them use my stuff.

[jessej]

I've only got one friend to seriously shoot matches so far. It's kinda funny, 'cause sometimes my other buddies tell me look out man I got a new recruit. What we all should do is throw down a challenge to see who can get the most new shooters to the local matches. Fo shizzle my nizzle this was a nice post. And no please don't call me jizzle

[redmist10]

Shannon, EXCELLENT POST!

I'll reiterate, the normal shooter has no idea what USPSA is.  They have heard of IPSC, cause IDPA told them what it was, a bunch of gamers using $5000 race guns that won't talk to you, and they don't utilize tactics.  Just about every normal shooter knows what IDPA is.

MM, you mirrored what I was being told by guys that shot USPSA many moons ago and bad-mouth it to this day. Eventually, I drifted to a match all by myself and found out a few things on my own.

- some of the guys from IDPA are secretly shooting USPSA (a secret only because I had never been to a USPSA match to see them there).

- some guys will actually talk to you, even GM's like Flex and SA (although they still look at revolver guys out of the corner of their eye but that is normal ) and these are the guys that are supposed to snub new shooters with "cheaper" equipment.

- USPSA is fun as hell . It isn't IDPA, it's different - BUT FUN>

- you better have your head screwed on straight or it will be a long day. Challenging sport!

- You CAN shoot both sports and your eyes won't seal shut, the moon won't crash into the earth, and Satan won't take control of your body...unless you're open to that in the first place

[EricW]

Thank you for your insight Matt.

Just because someone doesn't go trumpeting themselves to high heaven like some B-movie actor on the Jerry Lewis Telethon every time they do something on behalf of USPSA, doesn't mean they're some curmudgeonly hypocrite that doesn't support the sport.

We should be able to constructively criticize ourselves and our business practices without being made the objects of condemnation. It's how we grow as people and as an organization.

Just another perspective...