Anyone have a membership at PSTG?

[BillGarlandJr]

On ‎12‎/‎25‎/‎2018 at 8:11 AM, Balakay said:

I see statements like this a lot on the forum and I could not disagree more. I am not a PSTG member at this time but I am considering it.

The concept of "I am going to buy a big  bucket o' ammo and that is all I need to get my GM card" is flawed.

If money is seriously tight, professional coaching and dry fire, IMO, is superior to buying a case of Whitebox and blasting away for an afternoon.

I would sacrifice some live fire if I had to make a choice

 

I agree. It all really comes down to time. Yes, by buying a ton of ammo and hitting the range a lot a guy can certainly figure it out and maybe eventually get his GM card, but that is going to take a ton of time, some of it going in the wrong direction in some cases. For me, getting some direction from the pros on occasion has been invaluable over the course of my shooting career, and I believe its saved me a ton of time and money in the long run because I haven't had to waste a bunch of time "figuring things out". Where I've seen the biggest difference is in the little efficiencies the pro shooters incorporate into their games that save many seconds over the course of a match, and they're the kinds of things I've needed someone to watch me and look for because without that I never would have realized I was doing things that were costing me time.

 

With PSTG I think the potential for a guy wanting to go somewhere with his shooting to save time and money is huge. Access to tons of info.....personalized coaching.....and you don't have to travel anywhere for a class if you don't want to. Seems it might be worth a try.

[Jollymon32]

11 hours ago, obsessiveshooter said:

Well, The "pot, meet kettle" comment actually does bring up an issue with some bearing.  People are deciding where and to whom to give their money.  

This!

 

 

[SweetToof]

Bronze member, big fan.

 

It's a great atmosphere. Since it's paid, everyone has a singular goal, which is to be a better shooter. No one is paying to BS or just banter, it's like graduate school. It's a group of people that share a common goal, and are driven enough to work towards it. Personalities don't really even come out, so if you're not into it because you thinks Ben's a meany or whatever, it's exclusively constructive criticism. Max Michel, JJ, and most national and world champion shooters have obligations that wouldn't allow them to offer such a service on top of teaching classes, so I say it's the best bang for your buck out there in regards to training. 

[shakin_bakin]

Follow up. I started as a Silver Member and transitioned to a Gold member. I am a new shooter, I've only shot about 5 matches (3 USPSA/2 Outlaw). For a new shooter, if your looking to learn the basics correctly from the start, I think its phenomenal. But your going to pay a price for it.

What I mean by this is, I shoot 300-500 rounds of ammo a weekend (1500-2K a month) to get adequate live fire training in to get the full benefit of my Gold membership. If I had a Silver membership, I'd probably be able to shoot once every two weeks to get the video review benefit needed to get my moneys worth. I also wake up at 4AM to dry fire in the mornings for about 15-30 minutes before work.

However, that price gives great 1 on 1 fast feed back for a beginner.  I now understand the concepts of how to hold the gun properly, they knit pick the small things I do with the gun while shooting, it has allowed me to fine tune my shooting. Now, application of those concepts I have not yet mastered and that's why they review the footage. Also, just cause I have gotten better at those concepts does not mean my actual ability to shoot 3 inches at 20 yards at speed has come around either. Some things just take a grind (or practice/experience).

 

If you are an experienced shooter, the gold may be a little over the top unless you want them reviewing your match footage every weekend or something. There are pro's and cons to the service they provide. If you aren't trying to make M or GM... or maybe even A... Then more ammo and a basic dry firing book will probably get you there.

 

I like to learn proper mechanics early on... so for example, when I first started golfing before I even took a swing, I went and bought golf lessons and gave the guy a clean slate to work with. So for me, I wanted to get the mechanics correct from the start.

[Tracer83]

I’m a bronze member, and it’s worth it ,considering you’ll pay that for some magazines or memberships to other non-shooting related services. As long as you use it, watch all of the content, and ask specific, directed questions, it’s a good resource. Bronze members still get written feedback from the coaches, so imagine submitting a question to Stoeger’s podcast and getting a response from him and/ or Hwansik every time. I’m a master going for GM, and the only reason I’m not a gold member is because I’ll be very busy with work (Army) of the next two months. Especially if I move back to Arizona and start shooting in Tucson regularly, I’ll be upgrading to gold. 

Edited January 18, 2019 by Tracer83

[StandardError]

Have those who used this found it helpful primarily for production shooters? Or would open shooters also benefit?

[sweatpants]

49 minutes ago, StandardError said:

Have those who used this found it helpful primarily for production shooters? Or would open shooters also benefit?

 

The content isn't tailored to any specific division.  There's a lot in there it's worth at least subbing a month to see if you think it's useful.  I'm not a fan of the forum style but that may just be me.

[Matt1]

This!
 
 

Whether you like them or not is hardly relevant to the groups purpose (to help people get better at shooting) [emoji848]


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[Judo]

On 12/24/2018 at 8:04 PM, APL-G35 said:

That just seems like a ton of money for me to get that info. I think I would be better off putting that into practice ammo.

A ton of money?  You probably spend more than that per month at McDonalds.  

[tacomandood]

On 1/19/2019 at 4:20 AM, Judo said:

A ton of money?  You probably spend more than that per month at McDonalds.  

Aaaaaand out come the personal attacks.. [emoji849]

Still though, a fair point. Even $25/month is not a lot when you think about it like that. Hell, I spend easily over $150/month eating out when the wife and I don’t feel like making dinner lol. If I made dinner even one night more often a month it’s paid for. Easy.

Edited January 21, 2019 by tacomandood

[Jollymon32]

On 1/18/2019 at 10:11 PM, Matt1 said:

Whether you like them or not is hardly relevant to the groups purpose (to help people get better at shooting)


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It’s not about liking anyone or not.  It’s about the irony of “not wanting f*#kheads on their forums and participants being a nuisance”. 

 

It is literally, the  pot calling the kettle black.  

[Matt1]

 
It’s not about liking anyone or not.  It’s about the irony of “not wanting f*#kheads on their forums and participants being a nuisance”. 
 
It is literally, the  pot calling the kettle black.  

Only if you have a particularly opinion of people in the first place. Not everyone does


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[Jollymon32]

1 hour ago, Matt1 said:

 

Only if you have a particularly opinion of people in the first place. Not everyone does


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Not “opinion” but rather “perception”.  I am certain many would use those adjectives on one of the principals.  

[Matt1]

Not “opinion” but rather “perception”.  I am certain many would use those adjectives on one of the principals.  

Po-ta-to / pot-a-to


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[DocMoore]

Production B shooter here, and I'm a Gold member. Worth every penny. There is zero BS on the sight, when you're paying for a service the last thing you want is people wasting your time. Ben and Kim keep it very professional, as do the forum moderators. I've had both Kim and Ben review match and dry-fire videos and have gotten some very specific and valuable feedback.

I've taken 2 classes from Ben in the past, found them both to be very informative and they definitely improved my shooting - but a few months after each class I felt like I could use a tune-up or some follow up. Being able to post my videos and get direct feedback, personalized to ME and my shooting from a world champ? How do you pass that up? 

 

The site is a huge wealth of information, sometimes too much info! I can spend 2 hours just looking through the forums at videos and posts and never see the same thing twice. What I find the most valuable is talk throughs Ben and Kim do regarding their training - whether live or dry fire. Knowing what they are thinking and what they are looking for and what they are looking to get out of a specific drill is extremely helpful. Knowing what to focus on during a drill (there is WAY more to it than just looking at the hits) helps me to think more broadly about everything I am doing during my training time. Now when I practice, I know what I am looking to accomplish, and have a fuller understanding of what I need to be paying attention to. 

TL:DR - do it. You won't regret it.
 

[Sarge]

On 12/26/2018 at 10:52 PM, Jollymon32 said:

“Pot, meet Kettle”

Yeah, no kidding! 

[candiru]

...
TL:DR - do it. You won't regret it.

Well said.

As many have noted on the site, the talk throughs of their own training sessions have been surprisingly helpful (in addition to all of the obvious other things they provide).

I’ll add that the fact that Ben and Hwansik are so different in so many ways is a great benefit in their teaming up on this.

Frankly, they are both serious students of the game and in teaching & helping people get better. The pace of evolution on both fronts is very impressive.