FAST academyFast Accurate Shooting Techniques

I am fortunate enough to have been invited back to be a presenter at the Central Florida Tactical Conference this spring. I will be presenting on Saturday along with some awesome instructors. I am looking forward to the weekend and all the information that will be shared. If you haven’t been it is well worth the reasonable fee for the conference. You can go one, either, or both days as your schedule allows.

I am able to offer a unique training opportunity as well. I will be holding a FAST ONE course at the same range the Monday following the conference. If you interested in taking your shooting to the next level this course is for you. If you interested contact me directly.

500-700 rounds / $250 / $100 non-refundable deposit / 9am-4:30pm

CONTACT ME!

Thanks.

I am holding a class the Monday after the FL State IDPA match in Clearwater Florida. This class will be a max of 4 people and one slot is donated to the match as a prize. It will be a FAST ONE course with focus on IDPA techniques.

500-700 rounds / $250 / 9am-4:30pm

$100 non-refundable deposit required. Contact me directly to sign up.

Thanks for your interest.

This is for those of you interested in shooting and competition and also for me to just to get down the series of events of the match. So I’ll go through a quick recap of “how it went down”.

DAY ONE – Nationals started as they always do, usual suspects in attendance. I didn’t feel prepared this year with a move and new job so I planned to just shoot solid and enjoy a vacation in Vegas. We had stages 7-11, relatively small stages to start off which is common. 7 and 8 were little stand and shoots with some steel. I started off pretty tight which is also common for me. No penalties but a few extra shots due to target focus and general freak out. But I was happy to get through the day penalty free. When results posted I was a few points behind Ted. No biggie….plenty of shooting to go.

DAY TWO – We had 9 stages and a bunch of points today. I led off on the first stage of the day and was pretty solid all day. I felt I shot well and was really seeing my sights good. No real explanation, but once the day got started it just felt like I was shooting a match with the boys. I figured I was sitting pretty close to the lead after we got done shooting. Once the results posted that evening the nerves really started to kick in. It’s amazing how just reading some numbers on a computer screen can physically change your heart rate. Luckily I had Garth Brooks tickets that night to take my mind off of it for a couple hours.

DAY THREE – Holy shit, I’m actually leading the Nationals going in to the last day. I was physically sick most of the morning just trying to be cool. Not sure I was successful. The way the rotation worked out I was 4th or 5th on the first stage and was going to be first on the last stage which was fine with me. Better to get it over with than allow the anticipation to build.

Manny was 3 points back which is nothing, then Travis was about 20 back along with Ted, Nils and BJ pretty close to them. Manny came out of the gates with an amazing run on stage 1, it was clearly evident that he did not want to finish second. He was going for the title. Travis came out equally aggressive. The world champ didn’t want to be second either. So I figured that was how it was going to be, they were going  to be gunning for me all day. I thought there wasn’t a whole lot I could do about it so I was just going to shoot smooth, not take myself out of it, and let the chips fall where they may. No shame in getting beat by any of these guys but I wanted to shoot solid and let them chase.

I won the first stage we shot on the final day, that certainly built some confidence. I think Manny won the next one and we split the next two. Going into the next to last stage we figured it was very close, he actually was 5 points up but we didn’t know that at the time. I was up first, it was stage 5 which was a pretty crazy stage with some difficult shots. I definitely felt the pressure and tightened up quite a bit. I got through clean but a second or two off the pace. Manny had two misses on that stage really pushing the speed, he was a second and a half over the field and almost four seconds on me. I sort of figured the misses took him out but with that time gain we certainly weren’t sure. Travis had a couple misses on the day so I figured he was out but you still never know with that guy.

I figured why change anything at this point. I was first up on the final stage with a tricky set of movers. I decided not to try anything crazy, just shoot it straight up and aggressive. I planned an extra shot on the swinger needed or not. I shot the stage just as I planned save for one extra shot on a steel and my match was done……let the waiting begin. I really thought I had it and lots of folks were congratulating me but you never know until the scores post…..it was a long hour to wait. I hung out at the range and finally got the word from the stats shack. Let the party begin. I think I got back to the hotel room around 4:30 the next morning. Good times!

The Pro-Am Championship is coming to our backyard this summer and hopefully we can get a bunch of folks out to support it. Phil Strader and crew are moving it here (Frostproof) from Tulsa this year and I’d love to see it stay! We need to get the numbers up so Phil can relax a little bit. If you haven’t shot or heard of this match you can do a little research but trust me, it will be one of the most fun matches you have ever shot. I know I’ll be there!!

I didn’t catch much video last year but here is a clip from the Open match.

This is a video from stage two of the FL Open this past weekend. Hopefully you can see it well enough. You may have to watch it directly from YouTube in full screen mode. Uploading it distorts the quality a bit but I think the point will still get across.

Those of you who have been through FAST ONE or TWO will recognize the use of both trigger techniques in the film. (film…does that make me sound old?) The point of view worked out perfect especially when I come to the near side. The first couple targets on the near side is pretty much a hammer to a mid range open target, one of which required a make up shot. Then you can clearly see the ‘prep’ technique. As you can see you can prep pretty fast…but there is still a noticeable pause as I hit the wall before easing through the break.

Hard to believe the FL Open 2011 is already come and gone. Always a fun match to start off the year. Always a challenge and this year was no exception. Weather was just about perfect for the almost 400 shooters in town for the season’s kick off. Lots of changes at Universal Shooting Academy and the range was looking good. I’m excited for Frank and Manny and Florida shooters in general for everything that is going on there and all the expected matches. It’s going to be great to have one of the premier ranges in the country even better….and right in our back yard.

Competition was especially tough at the the match this year…especially in Limited Division. I feel I shot pretty solid and was seeing my sights well however I was a bit off the pace. Maybe the first match of the year had something to do with it….maybe it was just a good old fashioned ass kicking. I’m pleased with my performance but not necessarily with a 6th place finish…. thems the breaks at the top. Dave and the rest of the Top 5 put up some good times.

Some video of the action below.

Squad mates

Yours truly solo

I was fortunate enough to be invited to participate as a trainer at the Central Florida Tactical Conference this past weekend in Ft. Meade Florida. After some last week changes we ended up with 6 excellent trainers

for the approximately 60 attendees. Andy Stanford from OPS gave a presentation on Tactical Dynamics along with some bitchin accordion work…..yes I said accordion. Phil Peplinski taught some real world hand to hand techniques. Barry Garcia gave a great block of instruction on updated emergency medical techniques, I learned quite a bit with Barry.

I did my presentation on Fast Accurate Shooting Techniques on Sunday so I missed the other two trainers. Massad Ayoob gave a presentation on Physio-Psychological Aspects of Violent Encounters that was by all accounts awesome, wish I could have made that one. Also John Strayer taught techniques for the defensive revolver that all enjoyed.

A huge thank you to Jim Clark and his staff for organizing the event. I really enjoyed it as a student and also as a teacher. I hope I was able to bring some value to the event. Keep an eye on the Central Florida Tactical Conference for next years info. You definitely want to check it out. It sold out this year and I’m sure it will sell out next year as well. I hope to be invited back.

Here we go. The first match of the year, the FL Open is one week away. Some of the best shooters from around the country and world will be in Florida to kick off the season. I’ve been training…..have you? I’ll be shooting on Friday, look me up and say hi if you’re on the range that day.

We had the first test installment of Concealed Carry For The Real World this past weekend and it went off about exactly as I had hoped. It was a great learning experience for all…including myself.

The course consisted of a couple hour classroom, power point, and class discussion about situational awareness, physical and mental preparedness, firearm choices, pros/cons of each. Ammo types, choices, pros/cons.

We covered some basic hand to hand techniques led by my co-instructor Charles Kibert.

We then moved to the range to assess and discover the capabilities of our chosen carry guns. The student choices ranged from .32 caliber Kel-Tec’s to full size 1911′s in .40 or .45 and everything in between. We worked on general accuracy capabilities of the firearm and operator combination, live fire drawing from deep concealment including fanny packs, pockets, day planners and getting accurate times for each.

We then moved to using the gun from cover positions behind barricades and around vehicles. We worked on some strong hand / weak hand useage and finished up with some eye opening penetration tests on drywall, car doors, and milk jugs full of water. We brought along some shotguns and rifles to just demonstrate the power and energy difference of each.

So here’s the deal..I am not an expert on pocket guns or ballistics. I don’t have any degrees in physics. I don’t fully understand kinetic energy and I haven’t been in 100 shootouts. I do however know how to shoot a firearm…. any firearm… Fast and Accurately and can teach folks how to do the same. You can read and research all you want about the subjects but getting on the range and shooting YOUR gun with YOUR ammo for function and accuracy and performance will tell you way more. Can you hit a target at 25 yards? Will your combination go through a car door? Interior wall? How does it expand in a given medium? I’ll tell you one thing, I’m not sure how water jugs correlate to ballistics gelatin if at all..but you can DAMN sure tell the difference in energy delivery when you do it yourself. Sure we know there is a difference between an .32 acp and .30 caliber rifle but it’s pretty dramatic when you see it for real.

The first course open to the public will be this month February 26th. 1pm to 7pm at the Wyoming Antelope Club. Fee will be $175 and normal discounts apply as listed on the Fee Info page.

If you carry a pocket firearm for self defense you should think about checking this course out!! A small video of some of the action below.

Thanks to Steve, Chris, and Ted for their great efforts in a recent FAST ONE course at WAC. Lots of focus on the fundamentals….Fast, Accurate shooting. Here is a short video of some of the action.

“You should not carry any gun whose caliber does not start with a 4″

“Real men carry a full size 1911″

Yeah, yeah, yeah…whatever! I know a few people who actually carry a gun on a regular basis and none of them carry a full size gun. It just isn’t very practical in a real world scenario for the average dude. Much of it depends on your job, your build, and your climate. If you live in Seattle, weigh 350 pounds and work from home then it’s not a big deal to carry a G17 in a strong side blade-tech outside the waistband holster. If you live in Florida, weigh 175 and are a roofer that is a little more difficult.

It is my opinion that most average people who choose to carry on a regular basis normally carry some type of BUG or ‘pocket’ gun. J frames, Kel Tec’s, etc. in a pocket, purse, fanny pack, etc. This is why I developed the Concealed Carry For The Real World course offered next month in Florida. If you do choose to carry one of these types of guns then you probably haven’t had many opportunities to live fire draw from  your pocket, rapid fire, transitions, reloads….do you even know how reliable it is for 100 or 200 or 500 rounds?

If you’re interested you should check out CCFTRW from FAST academy. On a similar note I heard of a match being held New Years Day at the Hansen range in Punta Gorda that was centered around small or Back Up Guns. I thought I would check it out and run the Kel Tec out of the pocket. We had a great time goofing off and shooting in near perfect Florida January weather. You can see some highlights below.

Happy New Year from FAST academy. I hope everyone has a good time and a safe night.

What are your goals for the new year? Have you thought about it? Get in better shape, take some shooting courses, practice more….practice some? How about bring someone new out to the range or to a match?

I have posted class dates for the first part of the year on the course schedule page. Each year has been getting better and better for FAST academy and I plan this year to be the same. If you don’t see a date or class that fits your schedule you know you can always contact me for private classes at my range or yours.  Be sure to get a class in this year whether its from me or someone else and put some time in on the range.

Whatever your goals are for the year……

Once again thanks to Derrick Birdsall for the awesome photos. I saw his website and these photos from this particular stage is what drove me to get the pictures from him used in the last few posts. He was nice enough to allow me to use his images.

Because of his photographic ability and ‘freeze framing’ this sequence of movement I thought it was interesting to see how hard I’m leaning forward in moving toward the position and how far I’m leaning back to slow down coming into position.

Those of you who have been through FAST TWO and probably a few who have been through FAST ONE will remember the concept but this really shows it in action. Time is money in our game and I can’t stress enough the importance of being aggressive. Controlled aggression I often call it. You have to go at the position 100% while at the same time slow down early enough to be able to shoot at the earliest possible moment. You can see the gun already being presented to target as I’m clearly leaning back off balance in efforts to slow myself coming into position….watching my sights settle on target as I stabilize in position. Again just thought it was a cool series of photos.

Those of you who have been through FAST academy will recognize the reload technique pictured above. These photos were taken in competition, I didn’t know they were being taken and they are 4 years apart. So it’s not like I was setting it up for the camera. The photo on the left is from the ProAm in the summer of 2010, the photo on the right is from Area 3 in I think the spring of 2006. The first photo was captured during the ‘flip’ with thumb on the mag release and support hand in route to grab the next mag. In the second photo although it looks like the gun is flying out of my hand it is actually during the re-grip portion. You’ll see the thumb is holding the gun while I adjust the fingers for the high performance strong hand grip. The support hand is a bit further along in retrieving the mag.

Just thought it was cool, so far apart but the technique stayed the same. Thanks to Derrick Birdsall for the ProAm image. More to come from him and that match.

Ok more like a PSA star……ok so I’m not the star, but I’m totally in it for like 2 seconds at the end. Below is a video of a Public Service Announcement for my local range the Wyoming Antelope Club which is located in Pinellas County Florida. Yeah, I know, kind of confusing. It is a pretty good range especially considering it is located in the middle of a city and is only 15 minutes from my house. They offer every discipline you could imagine from archery and black powder to action pistol and two gun competitions. This is also the range I contract for my local classes. Perhaps most importantly they have a full bar in the clubhouse open to members! If you’re local, come by and check us out.

Outstanding FAST TWO class recently at WAC. Some rain on day one but the overhead cover at the range allowed us to continue training while staying somewhat dry. Below is a small highlight reel.