Rob D

[Rob D]

I shot a USPSA match and a steel match this past weekend. I shot 6 solid stages at the USPSA match then had two mikes on the last stage which cost me quite a bit. Looking back a the stage, I'm not sure exactly what I did wrong. Obviously I pulled the sights off the target, but I'm not sure exactly what changed in my shooting that caused the inconsistency. I was happy with a great deal of my performance though.

I was lucky enough to get to squad with Phil Strader, The Mackey's, and Eric Fuson. Can't beat having a couple of GM's and a couple of M class shooters on the squad. Phil gave me some pointers after watching me run one of the stages. He said I should try to use my reloads to move as much as possible, and then shoot from stable positions instead of trying to move and shoot so much. That makes sense. I've been focusing on trying to flow and constantly shoot as much as possible, but if I'm going to have to stop to reload, I might as well use that 1.3ish seconds to move a few steps quickly then shoot from a stable platform. Jay Mackey Sr also helped me with the stage breakdown on several stages. It was awesome to get to watch and listen to guys that good plan out stages then run them. I'm going to start trying to squad with the best shooters I can find at any match. I think it makes a huge difference in terms of how much I learn.

I shot the steel match pretty well. I got second in Iron sighted centerfire to Eric Fuson, so I was more than happy with second. I think shooting steel challenge is really helping my transitions in USPSA. It's making me really drive the gun with good technique-meaning I'm stepping on the gas leaving the previous target, and a easing into the breaks as my sights move on to the next one. I think it's a great exercise for learning to call shots too. I can tell I'm getting better at seeing my hits before I hear them. I'm really enjoying the change of pace from USPSA matches too. I'm going to start asking off every month for two USPSA matches and one steel match.

I'm pumped for Area 4. I've got a full month to train, and I'm going to see how much ground I can gain in that time. I'm going to really push my dry fire for the next few weeks, then really put in the live fire time toward the end of the month so my finger wont forget how to work the trigger before the match. One thing that sucks is I have to go out of town for a week from starting 9/28. I'll be in Duncan, OK for work and I have no idea if there is a good range or matches around there. My boss is letting me stay in southern oklahoma right up to A4 though, so I wont have to get a hotel for an extra night before the match. I'm going to try to get some video of that match, and definitely some pictures. Hopefully, it will be my first match wearing my new Jersey thanks to J&K Bullet Casters.

I'm going to drill the shit out of ports for the next few weeks. I think they're one of the areas where I have a lot of time to make up. Aside from that, I'm REALLY going to push my trigger control and accuracy. I feel like I've let that slip quite a bit from where it was when I took the TDSA class in april. I just need to load up a ton of rounds, then spend some quality time shooting groups on the range. I'm hoping these two areas of focus will really bring me up to speed for Area 4. I can't wait to shoot another major!

In other news, I'm saving up for a 2011. Been drooling long enough. One more season with the ol' G34 and I'll be moving up to play with the big kids.

[Rob D]

I'm pumped for area 4! I have OKC gun club this saturday, then USSA Steel challenge sunday. After that, i come back to work for 2 days then head to Wichita Falls, TX for Area 4!!!

I got my first sponsorship from J&K Bullet Casters of Oklahoma City, OK, and my local Oakley rep also hooked me up with a deal on a set of glasses in exchange for putting the Oakley logo on my jersey. I'm a little intimidated by the notion of sponsorship, but getting the support should really help me improve. I should get my jersey from Teachwear USA next tuesday.

I've been working on ports and tight shots in dry fire. I'm going to try to burn 500-1000 rounds in practice between now and area 4 just to get my trigger finger in shape. I feel like I'm getting better at positioning my body for tight shots, but I still have a long way to go on balance. My mom is a personal trainer and recommended that I start doing some exercises on a rubber hemisphere called a basu(no idea how to spell that). I still feel top heavy and it's really hard for me to lean agressively to my left side. I'm going to really push my physical training in the off-season. I want to build up my legs and come back stronger, faster, and more agile next season.

I spent about an hour dry firing last night. For the last few minutes, I decided to try to push myself out of my comfort zone and I set the timer on a .6 part time and started doing draws. At first I was noticeably behind the timer, but after a few draws I got my rhythm and my front sigt would magically be on target right after the buzzer went off. I think I'm going to adopt this strategy more often and really push to see just how fast I can go.

[Rob D]

I shot about 300 rounds in practice on saturday, and then shot a steel challenge match on sunday to really dial in my trigger control. I spent a lot of time on saturday shooting 5 shot groups from various distances. Here's the best group I shot from 10 yards.

I'm going to start keeping pictures of my best groups and updating them when I beat them.

I put a new trugrip on my gun, and cleaned it up last night. I also got my Jersey in from techwearUSA just in time for the match. Thanks to Sue for being so quick and organized about it! I just need to finish packing, load some ammo, and head down to wichita falls.

AREA 4!!

I'm psyched.

[Rob D]

It's been way too long since my last entry. I actually typed a big long entry out a few days after A4 and then got tied up with a customer and couldn't post it.

Anyway, for several reasons I had a less than pleasant experience at Area 4. I learned some valuable lessons, and had a lot of fun ROing with some new friends. Most importantly, I learned that you should never RO a match that you really want to shoot for score. I thought ROing would be a great way to save money on a match entry fee, but when it comes down to it, you're an RO first and a competitior second. I shot 12 stages back to back with no break and had to shoot several of them with no walkthrough at all. I shot 65% and even had a zero'd stage thanks to some targets I didn't see while not doing a walkthrough. Like I said, lessons learned, but I had a lot of fun as an RO.

I spent a few weeks relaxing after A4, but I've been in gear for about a month. I've been re-working the basics a great deal in dry fire. I noticed an inconsistency in my grip that was occuring after reloads so I've been spending a lot of time making sure my grip and stance are totally consistent. I've also been working on my reloads, just trying to shave any extra movement off of them to make them as quick and smooth as possible. They're down to the point where I can do 1.3 seconds shot to shot consistently. I'd like to get that down to <1 second.

Aside from draws and reloads I've been spending a lot of time behind the barricade and practicing getting into ports and awkward shooting positions. My plan is to dryfire like a madman all winter and try to blow B class away next season. I've also switched some of my phsyical training away from heavy upper-body lifting to more lower body and balance/speed work. I'm hoping this will pay off in the way I'm able to move through stages.

2009 was a great shooting year for me. I went from a shaky C class shooter to a solid B class shooter pushing towards A. I think 2010 will be even better. I still have plenty of time to shave off of my basic skills(transitions, draws, reloads, movements, etc), but my biggest goal this year is to bring my level of consistency up. I've had a lot of "hero or zero" matches where I either burn a stage down or completely bomb it. I think one of the keys to having better major match performances is going to be becoming much more consistent.

Here's a couple of videos of me shooting steel challenge at USSA earlier this month.

Edited to add: I also just got Lenny Bashams book, "With Winning in Mind." I haven't gotten far into it yet, but I'm looking forward to reading about the mental side of competition.

Edited November 19, 2009 by Rob D

[Rob D]

I just passed the one year mark for my range diary, and to be honest I'm a little dissapointed at what I got done this year. I learned some valuable lessons and I gained some ground in terms of basic skills, but I think I could have learned a lot more if I would have been more focused and used more specific training goals. I just started With Winning In Mind and I am starting to understand the mental side of major match preparation. I think I'll approach the majors I shoot next year with a much more prepared and aware mind. The funny thing is that I felt like I was prepared for Area 4 when I went. I packed a whole back of extra cold gear and then it was a hot day with downpours. WHat I also didn't plan for was the mental stress of shooting a match that was really important to me. I tend to be a choke artist when it comes to performance under pressure and after reading the first half of Lenny's book I'm starting to realize why. I'm going to push to be much more organized mentally for the next season.

I'm going to start a mental program for stage prep today. In fact, I'm going to do that right after I finish this post.

Other than the mental side of the game, I've been working on learning to comfortably cant my gun to either side to get a better angle. I feel like this is an important skill that I completely forgot to learn. For some reason I always thought it messed up your POA vs POI, but I learned last month that that relationship only really matters at great distance or when there is significant distance between sight and barrel alignment. Now to get comfortable shooting sideways...

[Rob D]

New Years Resolution: Dryfire practice 5 days a week. Live-fire two days a week.

Goal: Master Class in 2010

I've got plenty to learn. Better get to work.

[Rob D]

I shot OKCGC last weekend. I shot a pretty incosistent match, but it was 30 degrees outside too. The one positive thing that I am taking way from the match is that I shot an 82% classifier on "Fluffy's Revenge 2." I've been struggling to break out of the 60's with my classifier scores and this is the first one above 68%. So far, I've kept up my new years resolution. I've done dry fire every day this week, and I plan on a long practice session on thursday. I'm going to shoot my first match in Limited on 1/23 at USSA. I'm psyched about hat. I should get my initial classification in limited and be able to shoot DTC in limited.

I think I started to re-learn a flinch over the last couple of months simply because I haven't been doing enough live-fire. I'm really going to drill in the range sessions over the next few months. Other than learning to watch the sights again, I've been doing a lot of bariccade work to practice canting my gun. I think this is skill I am really lacking on.

I'm also going to send in my registration for DTC, Area 4, and the USSA Pro-am ASAP. Other than that I know I'll be shooting the US production challenge in october and would like to go to nationals if I can earn a spot.

[Rob D]

Things have been crazy for the last month. I'm getting ready for the move to Wisconsin, and trying to get ready for the Double Tap Championship too. I shot my first limited classifier in almost two years. If it weren't for one mike, it would have been around 75%, but it came out to 55% and I got classified as C class in limited. I hate the idea of sandbagging, and I wish I could just get bumped to B, but it probably wont happen until after DTC.

In my shooting, I've been drilling in accuracy. My new G35 has a superb trigger and a KKM Match barrel that was fitted by John Nagel. However, It's shooting about 4" to the left at 10 yards consistently. I can shoot groups all day with it, but they're all slightly to the left so I'm going to adjust the sights next time I'm at the range.

I'm trying to get as much time as I can behind the gun, but it's been difficult with this weather. I'm looking forward to finding a place to practice in Wisconsin to I can get regular life-fire sessions in.

I feel like I'm coming to the end of a plateau period and I'm about to make a big jump in skill level. I hope I'm right. I'm doing lots of dryfire work with my barricade to try to build my core muscles and make myself better and faster in awkward shooting positions. I'm hoping all this pays off when it comes to majors. I expect to finish well at Double tap and can't wait to shoot it.

[Rob D]

Lots has happened since I last posted. I got carried away preparing and training for DTC, and forgot to update my range diary.

I Won high C Class in limited at the doubletap championship, and I managed to beat all the B class shooters too.

This was by far my best major match performance yet. Before I go into what I'm working on and preparing for right now, I want to take the time to note a few of the things I noticed about this match that I want to continue and build upon.

First - I didn't hurry. I shot clean shots, and I saw the sights every time. I usually have at least a small inclination to push myself for speed. At DTC, I just told myself, "Shoot as fast as you can see the sights," and the match went really well. I had excellent points for almost every stage. Most stages I only dropped a few charlie's, and only had a handful of deltas for the entire match. No Mikes, and no no-shoots. I'm going to remember this for all majors in the future

Second - I had a much greater level of confidence about my stage plans because we came out and doped teh stages the day before the match. This made me MUCH more relaxed while shooting, and made my walkthroughs much less stressful. In the past, especially at big matches, it has been difficult for me to completely formulate a good stage plan on complicated stages with only the 5 minute walkthrough. The night before the match, I sat in the hotel bar drinking a beer and mentally rehearsing each stage over and over as I checked my notes in the match booklet. This is the way I want to spend the evening prior to every major match I shoot from now on.

Third - I was familiar with the range, the weather, and knew what to expect. I came very prepared for this match. I can't think of anything that could have happened that would have thrown me off(but I'm sure there are plenty of possibilities).

[Rob D]

So now looking forward!

I've shot two club matches in Wisconsin since I got here. The first was at Ripon gun club last weekend, and the second was at Schultz yesterday. I'm shooting my production gun again for the first time since january. It's nice to be back to what I know, although shooting limited made me envious of the simplified stage plans that come with 20rd mags. Shooting limited also made me aware of just how soft 9mm minor loads feel! When I went from .40 to 9mm it felt like I was shooting a pellet gun.

I have Area 5 coming up June 10th-13th(Only two months to prepare). I'm going to shoot Production, and I'd really like to get a High B class trophy to go with my High C class from doubletap.

Here's the training plan for the next two months:

Dryfire Practice:

1: Moving Reloads: My reloads need some brushing up after having a magwell for 3 months.

2: Port Work: I need to practice setting up on arrays through ports instead of running to the port and setting up on the first target.

3: Movement: A5 will be all field courses, so I want to practice staying low, and moving smoothly from position to position

4: Awkward shooting positions: Time to get out my barricade. I need practice leaning left, right, and shooting under things. This all goes hand in hand with staying low

Live Fire and Match Practice:

1: Accuracy: I need to put about 1000 rounds of practice ammo through my G34 to really dial in my accuracy. The trigger is different on my G35, and I need to get back to being used to the production gun. Group shooting is called for, and I really like the drill where you start at 10 yards and use a 4 second par time to draw and land 5 shots. If you get 5 alphas, back up 5 yards and try it again. This seems to really make me watch my sights when I get out past about 20 yards.

2: Stage Analysis: I may not have time to get to the range the day before A5(I hope I do), so I want to work on my stage analysis in practice. My airsoft gun would really help for this. I wish I had somebody that could set stages for me. I'll research techniques for practicing this too.

So that's the plan! 6 focus areas in order of importance. I need to join a gunclub ASAP so I can start putting in practice sessions. Wish me luck, and if you have any helpful advice, please share.

Thanks!

Edited April 12, 2010 by Rob D

[Rob D]

Area 5 was embarrassing and one of the most frustrating experiences I've gone through in shooting. I shot 3 stages, and then came out to 122.5 pf at the chrono. I'm not sure if my chrono was off or the powder was reverse temp-sensitive as some have told me, but I'm doing everything I need to do to put the experience behind me, and I think I'm where I need to be mentally to take a big step forward with my game. I've had two very solid club match performances with my new load(3.6 gr of solo instead of 3.4), and I've really starting to get comfortable with my production gun again after practicing so much for limited earlier in the year.

The Pro-Am is my next major match. My focuses right now and are on fast reloads, setting up well on every position, and calling shots. Unfortunately, the range I'm training at has absolutely no steel targets. I'll be able to get in a good practice session back home the day before the match, but there wont be much steel until then. I generally shoot steel very well, so I'm not worried, but I'd also like to be as prepared as possible for the match. I think I'm going to shoot the Illinois sectional in august too.

Training focuses for the next two weeks:

Setting up on arrays, especially in ports

Reloads, reloads, reloads

Shot Calling

[Rob D]

I shot my first 100% classifier last month at Ripon! I'm PUUUUUMPED!!!!! It moved me to 73%.

A Class here I come!

The illinois sectional match is August 21st. I'm getting ready for it right now. My main focuses for training prior to this match are reloads, and entering/exiting positions. I'm trusting that those Illinois gentlement are going to set up some good field courses that will allow someone who has smooth movement to burn through them. This should be my last match as B class. Here's to taking home a trophy.

[Rob D]

I finished 3rd overall in production at the Illinois sectional and won a trophy for High B class. That's all well and good, but I'm ready to start competing for some A class trophies now. Unfortunately, I shot the exact same classifier at the club match this month that I shot last month. I shot it clean, but about a quarter second slower than last time. I think it will still be a 100% score.

Michigan Sectional is this Sunday, then I'm shooting a GSSF match the sunday afterward. I have high hopes for both matches, and my accuracy is dialed in nice and tight.

After looking over my game and watching videos of Max Michel and Dave Sevigny for hours last night, I've decided that thisis what I'm going to spend my winter months working on.

Edited September 22, 2010 by Rob D

[foilhat]

Hi Rob,

Good luck at the MI match. Your stages looked great at IL. I'm going to MI also, but shooting on Saturday. Maybe I'll see you checking out the stages. I haven't got to shoot a match since the IL sectional, with family obligations and vehicle problems. My fuel pump just went out today, so it looks like dry fire only before this weekend. I was going to take my pistol to a smith today and practice on Thursday, but that's out now.

I'm sure you will have that A card soon.

Patrick

[Rob D]

Thanks Patrick. I'm hoping to get there early enough to check out the stages on saturday, so I may see you around. If not, good luck

[Rob D]

The Michigan sectional was a blast. I got off to a slow start, then had a little trouble with stages 3 & 4, but finished strong and pulled out a mediocre finish. On stage 3, I hit my first no-shoot of the season. Really. I've had I mike here or there, but I'm usually very aware that anything with a no-shoot covering it means I need to aim hard and put the bullet right where it needs to go. I guess I got into too much of a speed focus. On stage 4, I missed a shot on a 15ish yard target that was wide open. I don't have any idea where the shot went, which means I'm not watching my sights the way I should. I didn't get to do as much live-fire as I usually do getting ready for this match simply because I didn't have the time off work to get out to the range during daylight hours last week. I'm starting to notice a trend in that I shoot my best matches when I settle down and make good hits at the speed where I feel comfortable. I guess practice sessions and club matches are for pushing the envelope. At major matches I need to settle down and shoot for points.

An aspect of the game that hit me for the very first time in this match was whether or not to leave disappearing targets behind in certain circumstances. There was a stage that had two drop turners that were only visible from the center of the shooting area, but had to be activated from each end. I put shots on every target, but the time it took ended up hurting me in the long run. I need to really master the mental skill of figuring out how many seconds a target is worth on a given stage. Of course, this is something that only comes into play every now and then so it's not a huge priority in my game, but since it's just a matter of figuring out basic math and knowing how to apply it on the fly, it seems like something I should be able to learn without any trouble. I guess the hard part is estimating the amount of time you're going to spend on a stage so you can get close to your expected hit factor, then you can work backwards to calculate seconds per point.

So now on to what I did right at this match. Except for one stage, I did a very good job of making a stage plan, programming it, and executing it. A year ago, this many long courses would have given me a headache just from figuring out my stage plans and planning my reloads. The experience of shooting lots of matches over the last year has brought that aspect of my game up a level from where I was. Next, I shot on the move effectively, and really gained some confidence around that aspect of my game. Stage 5 was a 32 round course that consisted of several six shot arrays. I walked the stage, came up with a plan, and then realized I was planning on using 5 magazines for a 32 round stage. My instinct was to go back and try to figure out ways to take extra targets from certain positions to cut down on the time I spent reloading. After arguing with myself for a while, I decided to use my initial plan and perform 4 reloads. I shot the stage in 18 something, which was a full 4 seconds faster than the other two B class shooters on my squad(who were keeping up with me for most of the day). I realized that reloads don't take extra time if you can do them quickly while moving between positions. I shouldn't worry about that going forward. It's not worth making an easy shot difficult just to save yourself a reload and burn 8 or 10 rounds out of a magazine. The time you waste on the hard shot could have been spent shooting or moving. I'm also going to take more shots on the move going forward. I practice it, and I can do it. I need to utilize it whenever I can instead of always trying to set up, shoot an array, reload on the move, set up, then shoot the next array. If I can flow through a stage and take full arrays on the move, I'll end up saving a lot of time since it takes a while to set up and to get yourself moving once you're stopped.

My next match is a GSSF match in Milwaukee. My girlfriend was nice enough to loan me her G17 to shoot in stock division. GSSF uses an IDPA style scoring system so there is NO excuse for squeezing the trigger while the sights aren't on the A zone. I'm going to go out to the range thursday and set up some makeshift GSSF courses. I wish I had access to a plate rack, but I'll have to make due with some paper plates stapled to target sticks. I would really like to win my first gun at this match.

[alpha-charlie]

Hey Robbie,

Was that you on Shooting USA the other night? Pretty cool

[Rob D]

Yeah it was! Thanks. They said they wanted to inverview somebody for a father-son angle on the show. A friend of mine recorded the interview for me, but I still haven't been able to see the whole episode.

[Rob D]

So the GSSF match was a disaster. Here's something I learned: When you put new sights on a gun, ALWAYS sight it in at 25 yards or beyond. I didn't notice until about halfway through my first run on Glock'M that I was hitting about 6" high on the long targets. I compensated and aimed low on my next runs, but the damage was done. After shooting that match, I've decided that GSSF isn't for me. I like the versatility of USPSA, and it grinds me to think that some chump who can't get his gun out of his holster in under 3 seconds or should while walking could beat me at a match. It was a learning experience, but I think I'll stick to USPSA and Steel Challenge.

I just got bumped to A class after shooting a 73% classifier at OKC last week. I'm now taking a little bit of a break since I'm out of bullets and they wont come in the mail until next week. After that, I plan to put my nose to the grindstone and really dry-fire hard all winter. There is only 1 match a month in Wisconsin from November-February, so I wont get the opportunity to shoot many matches this winter. That bums me out, but I'm planning on moving back to good ol' Oklahoma in January or February so I'll get to continue my normal regiment of matches.

Here are my training focuses right now:

1: Smooth entries and exits - I've gotten better at this, but I need to get perfect. I need to be able to break the shot as soon as the target is visible.

2: Transitions - Again, I've improved, but I need to go way beyond where I am right now.

3: Shooting while backing up - this is something I can do, but I'm not nearly as proficient with it as I am while shooting forward. This cost me a few points last month at OKC, and I don't like that.

[Rob D]

After a long break, and another move across the country, I'm back and ready to shoot. I got my reloading press set up in the new house last weekend, and I am starting to make good use of my new dry-fire area. I'm going to start live-fire practice again tomorrow. I'm a little worried about the fact that I haven't fired a shot since November, but I think the fundamentals will be intact. I'm going to burn 2-300 rounds tomorrow shooting only groups. I need to get my accuracy and my trigger control back to the level I was at last season. After that, I'm going to go back to my normal practice regiment and start getting ready for Double Tap.

Man am I glad to be back in Oklahoma. I got to meet and shoot with some great people up in Wisconsin, but you can't beat being able to shoot 365 days a year. That snow and sub zero weather was killing me.

See you guys at that matches! I'm psyched to be back.

[Rob D]

I'm back! Details to follow.