JeffWard Posted June 23, 2009 Share Posted June 23, 2009 Just wondering how long it typically takes a shooter shooting 3-6 matches per month, to reach different levels? I assume there are some "naturals" who shot up quickly, and so who've never passed B or C. What's typical? When did you take instruction? How much did it help? Thanks! JeffWard Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CAB33 Posted June 23, 2009 Share Posted June 23, 2009 (edited) Started shooting USPSA 3 months after picking up a gun for the time so I started from zero. 1 year in C 2 years in B Just got to A I took a class at the end of 1 year and at the end of the 2nd year. I think a class from a top person is a must if you want to build on a solid foundation. Videoing yourself also helps you notice things that you are doing and not doing. Edit to add: I practice/live fire once a week(300 rounds - average). Dryfire once a week on average. Shoot 4 to 5 matches a month. Edited June 23, 2009 by CAB33 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarge Posted June 23, 2009 Share Posted June 23, 2009 Hi Jeff I went to C the first match after joining USPSA. That was an all classifier match earlier this year. It was the third match I ever shot. I would not say I am a natural but I have shot a lot in my life with a lot of it being in the Army so I feel pretty damn comfortable with a pistol. I think speed will be what holds me back for a little bit. As of yet I don't dry fire. I practice only occasionally. I have worked my way up to two matches a month with a couple of club steel matches thrown in each month as well. Overall I am very happy right where I am at in regards to progression. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lugnut Posted June 23, 2009 Share Posted June 23, 2009 (edited) IMO this depends entirely on your comittment to a solid plan. Without good training and practice sessions you could be stuck at C or B forever. If you don't practice and only attend matches you won't make it far I can tell you that. What is your level of committment? Edited June 23, 2009 by lugnut Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Alwaystryin Posted June 23, 2009 Share Posted June 23, 2009 First USPSA match I shot was a classifier. I classified as a high C 5% from B. I'm just a monthly match shooter so I let my membership lapse. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EatMeerkats Posted June 23, 2009 Share Posted June 23, 2009 I started in March of '07, tanked several classifiers so hard they didn't count, got my initial classification in C that October?, and made B last month. I shot about 2-3 matches a month and did quite a bit of practice/dry fire last summer and fall. I hope it doesn't take me another year and a half to make A. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Dan Burwell Posted June 23, 2009 Share Posted June 23, 2009 Some thing you can relate to Jeff, you know there is a difference between going to the gym and working out with a specific goal in mind. Shooting is the exact same, if you want to go and have fun do it, but if you want to get better set a goal and then set a plan on how to achive that goal. My initial classifier match landed me in C now 1yr 3 mos later I will likely make M with the next update. Now, I have to admit I had been shooting IDPA for several years made master there about two years ago after being in expert for 2-3yrs. the difference in those first several years shooting IDPA and this last year of shooting is the practice. I used to just shoot club matches now I actually practice, I have a written plan and I usually stick to it. I am taking a Manny Bragg class this weekend so I am looking forward to actually competing with the Ms when I get there next month. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Shawn Knight Posted June 23, 2009 Share Posted June 23, 2009 I started in 06 and posted mostly 55+% classifiers. It was a little difficult to keep the cash flow needed to maintain the sport so I didn't practice much other than dry-fire. I moved up when I started shooting matches and learning more technique from other shooters. I was able to post a high 70's and some 60's classifiers in the next 6 months from just match based practice alone. 2 matches a month 1 IDPA and 1 USPSA. About 4 months later I moves from Alaska to Nebraska and hooked up with bigger match structure and more variety. I was also able to shoot up to 3-4 matches a month and the cash flow wasn't as big an issue. Shot my first Area match(Area 5) 4 months later and was by then a high B-class. That match opened my eyes to how in depth these matches can be. I was able to shoot some good classifiers in the 70's and then it just went up from there. I got a great finish at DTC09 and posted a 91% classifier and was bumped into A-class. Now if only I could just get my ass to the range and start shooting like an A-class shooter!!! All totaled from C-class to A-class in about 18 months. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
little_kahuna Posted June 23, 2009 Share Posted June 23, 2009 (edited) Started shooting handguns (limited) in November of 2006 at the age of 14. Immediately after joining USPSA, i made D in Limited. May 2007 (6 months) i made B (skipped C). March 2009 I made A. April 2009 I made Master. So about 2.5 years from U to Master (in Limited) I'm now 17, Limited Master, Open A, L10 A, and everything else U. I haven't shot much of anything else competitively. Until the end of the 2008 season, i dryfired for +1 hour per day, 6 days a week, mostly drills out of SA's drill book. I shot at least once every two weeks, up to 500 rounds per session (so averaging betweek 1k and 1.5k rounds fired per month), along with at least one local match per month (usually two), and one big (level II or higher) every three months. In the time I've been competing, I've attended two USPSA training classes, and one non-USPSA training course. I went to the Miculek Jr. camp in June 2007, and the USAMU/MGMTargets Junior Clinic in October of 2008. I've shot 1 Nationals, and two Pro-Ams, and two Area 2 High Desert Championships (level III-IV match). The most significant thing i've learned throughout this whole experience (as far as technique and improvement go) is to see how other people do it, and learn from it. I'm not saying that anyone should blatantly contradict what is working for someone else, but realize that just because it works for them, doesnt mean it works for you. Try it their way, then mold it to fit your style/body. That is probably the main value of a training course for me. The instructors can show me how they do it, then if it helps, i can modify my current technique based on how they do it. After being exclusively faithful to Limited thus far, I plan on switching to open as soon as possible, in an effort to ready myself for the World Shoot qualifier matches, and for WS itself. Edited June 23, 2009 by little_kahuna Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
steel1212 Posted June 23, 2009 Share Posted June 23, 2009 Started in the fall of 06 and my first classifier was D. In 07 was C most of the year until the fall and made B. Summer of 08 I made A and now I'm a couple percent away from M in limited. If you really want to make Master or see drastic improvement, pic a division and one gun and shoot just that gun for at least a year. You will see your percents go up fast by doing that. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
badassmcgraff Posted June 23, 2009 Share Posted June 23, 2009 I started shooting a year and three months ago, I made B in seven months and then I made M in a year and two months. I shoot as many local matches as I can and I practice everyday 1,500 .22 rounds and 1000 .40 rounds a week. I've trained with Matt Burketts for a week and I train with BJ weekly, if it wasn't for them two I wouldn't have made M. But I know GMs that made it to U to GM in under a year so I'm way behind the curve. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
little_kahuna Posted June 23, 2009 Share Posted June 23, 2009 I started shooting a year and three months ago, I made B in seven months and then I made M in a year and two months. I shoot as many local matches as I can and I practice everyday 1,500 .22 rounds and 1000 .40 rounds a week. I've trained with Matt Burketts for a week and I train with BJ weekly, if it wasn't for them two I wouldn't have made M. But I know GMs that made it to U to GM in under a year so I'm way behind the curve. I'd say you're doing pretty well as far as timing goes lol. It'd only be easy to go from U to GM in -1 year if you had the kind of resources to buy like... +60k rounds in the first year, and you had no obligations. if you could practice all day long every day, and still didn't make gm, then maybe.. just maybe, you'd be behind the curve lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Supermoto Posted June 24, 2009 Share Posted June 24, 2009 I started in L-10 (06) as a D, moved up to B in a year, Then dropped L-10 for Open Started 07 as a D and went to M in 09 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
sargenv Posted June 24, 2009 Share Posted June 24, 2009 I started out in the lower range of C in Limited. I worked my way up to B in limited, and then started shooting other divisions. I dabbled in Open, revolver, and production and am now a B class shooter in all of them based on classifier scores. I am currently on the cusp of A in Revolver (74.91?) and just need that one good classifier.. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lugnut Posted June 24, 2009 Share Posted June 24, 2009 I'd be curious more on the efforts and practice routines than how quickly people got bumped... prior experience certainly skews things as well. I shot IDPA for a couple years (currently 3 gun Expert with Master in SSP within reach) and started USPSA the last year. I practice at least once a week live fire, try to make 2 live fire practices a week when I can. Usually one IDPA/USPSA match a week. I need to dry fire more but try doing at least 15 minutes a day a couple times a week. I've recently decided that my live fire practices need to change. When it's with a large group- sometimes the social aspect becomes a bigger part of the practice and it's not as effective. I've recently tried to focus on specific drills/skills with myself or with one or two other people. What and how you practice is huge IMO. This last year my practice focus has changed and will change more... it has to to achieve my goals. Anyway- last year (summer) my first USPSA classifier was a B in Production, my first classifier in Limited two months ago was C but that got changed just this month to B. My goal this year is to get to A- although I try not to get TOO caught up in this... I'm more concerned with beating everyone in Production at the local matches.... which seems to be a big, exciting challenge for me. NOTE: One of the most important things is to find great shooters and try to latch on to them. I've been very fortunate that I have a handful of friends that are Master level shooters that have gone out of their way to help me. I plan on returning the favor to other new shooters as well... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CHA-LEE Posted June 24, 2009 Share Posted June 24, 2009 I bought my first hand gun and started shooting in July of 08. I practiced at the local public range for about a month and then attended my first match, which was an IDPA match. Then I attended my first USPSA match right after the IDPA match and shot Production for about three months and ended up with a “C” classification. In October of 08 I got a Limited gun and have been shooting it exclusively ever since. I just got an A classification in Limited this month. I don’t dry fire much at all, maybe once every couple of weeks. But I do attend at least 6 – 8 local matches a month and try to get in at least 2 live fire practice sessions a month. My live fire practice mainly consists of the latest and greatest list of things that I feel that I really suck at for the given moment. I don’t have a standard set of drills I shoot, I just try to work on “The Suck List” in my shooting skills. I am not sure how many rounds I shoot every month but it has to be at least 2000 – 2500 as my primer/bullet stash seems to always get diminished sooner than I expect it to. I have taken several informal training classes from local Master and Grand Master shooters. This helped, but I think for me the best feedback resource is filming my stage runs and reviewing them after shooting. That and being totally honest with myself on what I know I suck at and focusing on getting better at those things when I do shoot live fire practice. You can also learn a HUGE amount of stuff by simply watching the good shooters do their thing during a stage run. I guess I am a “Monkey See, Monkey Do” kind of learner. I consider all of the local club matches as “Practice” and will try to incorporate the things I suck at into my stage runs so I can burn in the best way of doing it. The way I see it, all of the local club matches are practice and the major matches are where I need to be hitting on all cylinders. I tend to step back a little on the speed/risk factor when shooting major matches. Kind of like a self imposed 80% – 90% limitation. I think that my overall goal is to be as good as I can be. Where that will land me in the classification chart, I have no idea. But I do know that I still have a long ways to go before I can honestly say that I am as good as I can be at practical shooting. I try to focus on keeping it fun and entertaining as that is the paramount reason why I participate in this sport. If you can’t have fun, then why do it right? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JeffWard Posted June 24, 2009 Author Share Posted June 24, 2009 Thanks for all the fantastic advice! I'm trying to shoot 2 local matches per week, and due to work schedules, can only make 1 classifier per month usually. In a 5-stage match, I tend to do well (for me) in 4 stages, and then kill myself on the 5th! Doing well, I mean top 25% in the field in Production, and top 50% overall. Considering I've only been shooting seriously since April... (I've owned and shot guns all my life.) I currently usually finish near the top of the C shooters in Production, and occasionally beat B-shooters. But I rarely beat the B's in the over-all, due to consistency! When I finally hit 4 classifiers (next month), I'm hoping to come in as a B after 4 months "serious". Looks like I'm on track. Dan's advice is the one I need to follow. Dedicate myself to it as much as my gym time, or the time I use to dedicate when I was trying to make it in the LDA (Long Drivers of America). I'd hit a double bucket of balls, all drivers, 3 days per week. I could hit my competition driver around 365-385, and my standard driver 310-320. Never made it anywhere in LDA... LOL. Sounds like I need 2-3 nights of dry-fire, along with 2 local matches. Live fire practice is hard, since I cannot use our USPSA/IDPA bays without a RO present. I want to take my RO classes this year, likely by Christmas, which will allow me to practice live-fire more. I shoot pretty regularly with Shannon Smith (GM), and I watch him like a hawk. I'm looking forward to maybe renting a few hours of his time this summer! Thanks for the feedback. A by March 2010??? I'm there. Jeff Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Spray_N_Prey Posted June 24, 2009 Share Posted June 24, 2009 I shot production for about 1 1/2 years off and on and only at a couple of local clubs (4 stage matches) for the first year. I moved up to B class in about 1 1/2 years. I started shooting limited in Nov 2008 and made A class 6 months later. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CocoBolo Posted June 24, 2009 Share Posted June 24, 2009 Three of us started shooting together about 1 1/2 years ago. 2 of us are still shooting a C class Open, and me I just made C in Open and C in limited, and have not shot production or single stack except one classifier and almost made C at you know 39% in both. Like most novice shooter we acquired one new gun a month just to get better. That does not work, its not the gun its the shooter anything that runs and can hit fairly well is a great gun for everything below A class. When we started we thought we shot well if it only took 4 times as long for us to shoot a stage as a fast guy. Now we think we are shooting well when it takes us less than 2 times as long. I dry fire a little every week, more when shooting open because of the cursed dot, less when shooting limited. I do 6-8 local matches a month. Do a live fire practice about once every other month. I have come to the point where I can shoot a classifer very well, its about learning your limitations, keeping in mind that no amount of blazing speed will make up for a mike, you have to make your points in a classifier. I shot a 60% last Sunday and beat a GM that was 3 seconds faster but had a mike. Being a computer scientist I uderstand the math and it takes just a few consecutive good scores to move up, a poor one just holds you back, thats how an average works. My target is to make B in limited by the end of the year or by the time I have been shooting 2 years. At 60 that seems to be a fairly reasonable goal. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JThompson Posted June 24, 2009 Share Posted June 24, 2009 If I'm not mistaken Matt Cheely picked up a gun practiced a bit and got classed M from the jump. Doesn't that make you want to spew??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kevin c Posted June 25, 2009 Share Posted June 25, 2009 If I'm not mistaken Matt Cheely picked up a gun practiced a bit and got classed M from the jump. Doesn't that make you want to spew??? And then you have me on the other extreme. My membership info page at USPSA shows I joined up almost 16 years ago. I shot Limited exclusively after the first few months, took courses from the big boys (at least three of them), but it still took me almost exactly 14 years to get my A card. Switched to Production 2 1/2 years ago, just made A at the beginning of the year, and am now (mostly by fluke runs, certainly not by major match finishes) close to M. During all that time, I'd shoot 25 or so matches a year, including a couple regional venues. Practice was kept religiously, but only once a week, and without real goals or focus, and dry fire was sporadic. Gotta really work at it, not just dabble at it. You get out what you put in. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lugnut Posted June 25, 2009 Share Posted June 25, 2009 Live fire practice is hard, since I cannot use our USPSA/IDPA bays without a RO present. I want to take my RO classes this year, likely by Christmas, which will allow me to practice live-fire more. Don't underestimate the value of practicing slow fire/accuracy drills. One of my clubs only lets you shot from a since port and no draws from holsters. I do one-hole drills and rapid fire drills. I can practice stong hand and weak hand shooting. I can "work" on transitions by bringing gun from table to target. Bill drills, etc. Don't let that slow you down! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
lugnut Posted June 25, 2009 Share Posted June 25, 2009 Live fire practice is hard, since I cannot use our USPSA/IDPA bays without a RO present. I want to take my RO classes this year, likely by Christmas, which will allow me to practice live-fire more. Don't underestimate the value of practicing slow fire/accuracy drills. One of my clubs only lets you shot from a since port and no draws from holsters. I do one-hole drills and rapid fire drills. I can practice stong hand and weak hand shooting. I can "work" on transitions by bringing gun from table to target. Bill drills, etc. Don't let that slow you down! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
shred Posted June 25, 2009 Share Posted June 25, 2009 Sometimes if you're stalled or just getting tired the best thing you can do is take a break every once in a while.* I got my A-card at the first match after taking almost a year off. I got my GM a few months after taking a 3-months not-even-touching-the-guns break. It can get you back to the fun and clear away a lot of the head-noise and get back to what matters. *YMMV, results may not be typical Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
HuskySig Posted June 25, 2009 Share Posted June 25, 2009 (edited) I spent one year as a B and one month as an A. Too much to work on before even thinking about pushing for the G. Edited June 25, 2009 by HuskySig Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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