Things I've Learned Shooting IDPA Competitions
By
Gary W. Burris

1. Tap & Rack does not mean tap beer and rack of lamb.
2. A perfect double is worth five points down.
3. Safety Officers can give you the finger with impunity.
4. Non-threat targets do not move out of the way when the shooting starts.
5. Mozambique is not a country in Africa between South Africa and Tanzania.
6. You can make a good bulletproof vest out of black paint.
7. Failure to do right costs more than 20 seconds if given by a traffic cop.
8. It's not a good thing to draw your gun every time your pager beeps.
9. The difference between Master and Marksman is stage 3 of the classifier.
10. The size of a muzzle depends on your point of view.
11. Don't expect to see the latest concept automobile at the car stage.
12. Reactive targets don't react if you don't shoot them.
13. A sight picture is not a snow-capped mountain reflected in a mountain lake.
14. There is nothing "Standard" about standard scenarios.
15. Shooting Par Time has nothing to do with golf.
16. It's a good thing that threat targets don't shoot back.
17. There are some really sick people who design courses of fire.
18. High capacity magazines are not available for revolvers.
19. Many shoot, few paste.
20. If you screw up a scenario, someone is sure to remind you about it.
21. It is impossible to miss fast enough.
22. Who would have thought you could slice the pie with a gun?
23. You don't have to ask for advice; it will be given to you.
24. You don't have to kneel to spray and pray.
25. ESP does not mean Extra Sensory Perception.
26. A lot of people lie when asked if they understand the course of fire.
27. "We may not shoot very fast, but were inaccurate as heck" a quote from Billy

1. Bring a gun. Preferably, bring at least two.
2. Anything worth shooting is worth shooting twice
3. Only hits count.
4. If your shooting stance is good you're probably not moving fast enough or using cover correctly.
5. Keep shooting until the threat no longer exists; then stay sharp until somebody with a badge tells you to freeze.
6. If you can choose what to bring to a gun fight, bring a long gun and a friend.
7. In ten years nobody will remember the details of caliber, stance, or tactics. They will only remember who lived.
8. If you are not shooting you should be reloading or running.
9. Accuracy is relative: most combat shooting standards will be more dependent on "pucker factor" than the inherent accuracy of the gun.
10. Someday someone may kill you with your own gun, but they should have to beat you to death with it because it is empty.

Tactical Trainers Hold Competitive Pistol I Class
by
Gary W. Burris

The Tactical Trainers gathered at Thunder Range for their first training class on Sunday the 14th of July. Students arrived and made preparations for the day. The weather was doubtful and by class time at 10am the clouds looked threatening.

Three shooting bays were set up. One was used for drills, one was the test bay and another had "El Presidente" set up. We started in the test bay where our skill level was assessed. And we returned several times during the day where our improvement was measured.

The instructor to student ratio was no more than 1 to 3. Most of the time is was three instructors watching 1 or 2 students. Students that needed to correct some technical problem like grip or trigger control were taken aside and given a little one-on-one instruction.

Concealment was NOT optional and I don't ever want to hear anyone complain about it being too hot to wear concealment. While it didn't rain, it was hot and muggy with only a slight breeze from time to time. The fact of the matter is that I was too busy to notice the heat except when I stopped to reload some moon clips. I went through about 475 rounds of 45 ACP.

I consider myself a fairly experienced competitive shooter having competed in twenty-seven state & national level IDPA competitions and innumerable local club matches. This class covered the basics of competitive shooting. And is exactly what I needed to get me focused on the basics again. Sign me up for Competitive Pistol II.

Go to the Tactical Trainers web site at http://www.tacticaltrainers.com for information about classes, dates and course fees.

Tactical Trainers Hold Competitive Pistol II Class
by
Gary W. Burris

A month ago I took the Competitive Pistol I Class and I wasn't sure what to expect when I arrived to take this class. I figured it would build on what we did at the Competitive Pistol I Class and I was right. We worked on shooting on the move, barricade shooting and target acquisition in addition to a lot of techniques that will shave seconds off a shooter's raw time.

Today's class was a bit more mental than physical. What I mean by that is the shooter had to think about what he was going to do and then do it. We would practice doing things the right way until we proved to ourselves that there really was a better way.

One of the most valuable things for me was being able to ask advice about a particular problem and then working out a solution with the advice and guidance of knowledgeable instructors. I should be able to shave at least a second off my time between the start signal to the first shot. That could mean a minimum 10 second better score in a major match.

The instructors noticed a technical problem with my draw that I didn't know was happening. I'll work on that at home during dry fire practice and perhaps shave another 1/10 of a second off my raw time every time I draw. It is something that I don't normally do and I blame it on moving from one weapon system to another and allowing old bad habits to creep back in. Thanks for pointing this out guys.

One of the best kept secrets in Houston is the excellent instruction provided by the Tactical Trainers. Take note Houston area shooters, if you want to crank your shooting game up another notch, then this is where your need to be! I'll be back for Competitve Pistol III.