FAST academyFast Accurate Shooting Techniques

Well the transition has gone pretty well. I wanted to put a last post here to kind of wrap things up. I’m not even sure how to kill a website, but I’ll figure it out I suppose. Maybe I’ll turn it into a regular shooting blog or something. Not sure, too many internet things to update at the moment anyway.

You can keep tabs on me over at Universal Shooting Academy as well as facebook. The facility is amazing and I encourage you to continue your training with me over there. We have some great courses already and I plan to add some unique others. We have a ton of matches coming this year and in the coming years as well, it’s going to be the competition capital of the US.

Total revamp of the USA family of websites coming soon as well. Plus some USA gear, shirts, hats, etc.

Thanks for the amazing support of FAST academy over the years, it’s been a hell of a ride and taken me to my dream of shooting full time…..just gotta figure how to make money at it now.

I’m always available to help you Suck Less.

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.

FAST academy, the training company I started through the encouragement of friends 6 years ago is coming to an end!! Why so excited about it? Well I’ve been offered and accepted to join forces with Universal Shooting Academy. I super excited to start the next chapter in life. There is a ton of information I have to put out on all the exciting things that are going to be happening with me and USA. I am going to continue to teach on site in Frostproof as well as traveling to offsite locations as I have always done. I hope to be teaching even more than I have in the last year or so.

We are going to be starting many new opportunities with local matches, better internet information on major matches, interesting stuff with online video and social media. I have so many exciting thoughts the biggest challenge will be focusing on getting one at a time done.

I appreciate all the support I have had over the years from students and friends wanting and helping FAST academy to be successful. It has been great fun and rewarding to run this ship. I look forward to all my students continuing their education and practice with me and the crew at USA. As many of you know the facility is amazing and only getting better. Much more to follow.

I would also like to thank Derek for the opportunity at Palm Beach Shooting Center. I have made many friends in my year here and have learned a lot.

Exciting times to follow, stay tuned!!

Thanks.

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!

Hell Yeah Bitches!!!!!!!

That is what I wanted my acceptance speech to be but my friends talked me out of it. When I put my shooting resume together a number of years ago for training gigs and sponsorship requests I had a line under goals saying “to win the national championship within two years”. I’m not sure at the time I honestly considered it a possibility. Most of my competition shoots for a living, when you and I are going to work they are going to the range to shoot. Not complaining about it, just the way it is. It sometimes makes it tough to continue to go out and compete.  The tide may be changing however, the last three champions have been regular dudes.

I’d like to thank some folks that helped me out along the way. Derek with Millennium Custom has been building my guns for a number of years now, you can see the gun I used for the match in the post below. Mike at Schuemann Barrels, GT Targets, Red Dot Shooting. GS Custom, Universal Shooting Academy, Wyoming Antelope Club, Tampa Bay Pistol Club,  Paul Bunyan Rifle Club, where I shot my first IPSC match in 1998. I’d like to thank Rich Bitow and Alan Kies for introducing me to the sport.

I have to many friends to list around the state of Florida that have been a huge support along the way.          As many of you know you make life long friends in this sport and that certainly has been the case with me.

From students to shooting buddies I couldn’t begin to name all of them but I truly appreciate everything everyone has done to support me along the way.

Of course Mom, I couldn’t have made it this far without her many years of help. I’m glad she could be there in Vegas with me to enjoy it.

My amazing girlfriend Kristen…I have her to thank for the pictures and videos as well. I don’t know that my skill set has improved much in the last few years, it really comes down to competition, the ability to compete, and doing it on match day when you get to a certain level. Her support allowed me to just relax and shoot while having a good time in Vegas. She was a huge part in my success.

I’m not sure what happens from here, but looking forward to it.

Lots of folks have been asking about my gun so I thought I would do a post on it. I have two Limited guns both built by Derek at Millennium Custom. They are pretty much identical in feel and function. The specifics on the one pictured which is the one I used to win the USPSA Limited Nationals 2011. STI frame .40 caliber, Schuemann Barrel, Gorilla Grip from Derek, Flat long trigger set just under 2 pounds, 10lb recoil spring, Dawson .100 Fiber Front, and Bo-Mar style adjustable rear. This one has the Nickel Boron Fail Zero finish.

The absolute most important aspect to this or any practical competition or duty gun is 100% reliability. This gun performed literally flawlessly. In fact outside of ammunition problems I don’t think I’ve ever had a malfunction with this gun. Obviously the ammunition for a National Championship was perfect as well.

I don’t bench my guns for accuracy as that isn’t how I shoot them. With the Schuemann Barrel this gun will hold 8 inches off hand at 50 yards. I know there are many that claim better groups than that and maybe they can shoot them…..But I know what I can do and that is plenty accurate for my purposes.

I know he is currently swamped and not taking as many orders as he used to but if you can get Derek to build you a firearm I guarantee you’ll be happy. He has been doing my guns for 5 or 6 years now and they flat out just run.

Good enough for a National Championship anyway!!

Day Two – Stage 19 – Stage Win. 143 points in 13.18 seconds

Day Three – Stage 5

Next to last stage of the match, down by 5 points at this point.

Day Three – Stage 6 – Last stage of the match, first shooter

Day One – Stage 11 – Just a Swingin

Not really related to anything, just wanted to post it.

Haven’t posted in a while, have been working the new gig here in south Florida and trying to shoot a little. Haven’t gotten as much time on the range as I would like but that will change in the coming months I hope. Looking forward to the Pro-Am coming up this month and then probably on to the Nationals for the next match.

The Monster Match 2011 is ON if you haven’t heard. Keep an eye on that website for updates, registration will be opening soon.

I just finished the first FAST ONE series here at the indoor range, it went pretty well. Next series starts July 5. I also have traveled for a couple outdoor courses. If you are interested in training let me know and I’ll try to make it happen.

I’ve been working with a film crew shooting some videos for the store, here is a sample.

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.

Was just doing some updating and thought I would throw a post up although I don’t have much news at the moment. New gig is going well and I hope to have some scheduled classes in the near future. By the end of the month for sure. Format will be a little different than in the past as most classes will be held on site here in South Florida. Plus it’s an indoor range so that will take some adjusting as well. I hope to do some travel teaching in a few months..once I get more settled around here.

Hope everyone is doing well and shooting well this season. I updated the Competition Calendar with the next couple matches. Hope to see you there.

You can keep an eye on the website for updates. The new business is Palm Beach Shooting Center in Lake Worth, FL and you can like us on facebook too!!! I’d appreciate that.

See y’all on the range!

Fitting calendar quote and picture for this month. Exciting news for me and FAST academy, I’m moving to south Florida for a new job. I’m leaving tomorrow. I’m a bit behind on web postings, as many folks know moving is a pain in the butt and has taken all my time recently.

I will have many posts coming in the near future. I have video of the FL IDPA State match and photos from the US Steel Nationals as well as more info on my new adventures.

Stay tuned and check back often, I will keep my contact information current on the website so you’ll always be able to reach me from here.

Match info and class info coming soon!!

Just a couple days until the start of the 2011 IDPA Florida State Championship held at the Wyoming Antelope Club in Pinellas Park, Florida. It will be three days of tacticool awesomeness you don’t want to miss. I’ll be shooting on Friday to defend my title and working stage 4 Sat and Sun. Be sure and say hi.

New month, new calendar picture. I know you’ve been waiting on it. This particular month showcases our FL State IDPA Championship coming up in a couple weeks.

I have the T-shirts for 2011 on order and should have them by the end of the month. New motto for this year I think everyone will like.

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.

New month and all my lucky web viewers get to share in the awesomeness that is the FAST academy Calendar.

You can read more on it here in case you’re not “in the know”

Have a great month….the season is getting ready to kick off. Are you training? Your competition is!!

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.

I will be a featured trainer at the Central Florida Tactical Conference Feb 19 and 20 in Polk County Florida. Two days of tactical training from Massas Ayoob, Andy Stanford, Tony Torre, Don Redl, John Strayer and myself. There is still room available if you would like to attend. All proceeds benefit the Wounded Warrior Project. If you can’t attend the conference please consider a donation to the Wounded Warrior Project.

“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.

I hope the holidays were great for everyone. I thought I would share a pretty cool Christmas present I received with you. The first FAST academy calendar!!

My good friends Dan and Terrisa Bernard gave it to me. While I’m sure Dan offered some input I’m also sure Terrisa did most of the heavy lifting. Thanks a bunch guys!

So the first day or so of each month this year I’ll post a picture of the calendar so those of you not fortunate enough to have your very own can at least view it. Lucky you!!

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……

Merry Christmas to all and special thanks to our service men and women working year ’round keeping us safe.

This photo taken by Paul Erhardt of USPSA at the Nationals in 2010. Pretty cool timing, bullet is gone and gun is just beginning to cycle. (clicking on photo will enlarge it)

Determination or Constipation

 This photo taken by Glenn Miller at the 2010 Factory Gun Match, more of his photos can be found here. Agressive eh?

Just finished up the 2010 Factory Gun Classic at my home club the Wyoming Antelope Club in Pinellas Park, FL. I worked the match on Saturday and shot it on Sunday. Great times had by all and a good way to round off the season. Now we have a whole month off before it will be time to get ready for the FL Open in Feb.

I shot Production with the Gee Lock and shot well enough to pull out the win. I have to admit I was never a fan of Glocks but they are growing on me. If you’re ever in the area this time of year you should put this match on your list. Very well run, the staff and crew did an outstanding job as they always do there.  Below is a short video of me and some squadmates in action.

Had a good time shooting the South Florida Section Match in Punta Gorda this past weekend. I kind of consider the season over so I was shooting Open division. That’s what I shoot when I want to take a break from real shooting. I was fortunate to pull out the Open Division win, I haven’t seen them post the scores anywhere to link to so you’ll just have to trust me on that. Here is some video of me and the boys in action.

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.

Its amazing the difference between joe blow taking a picture and a professional. This image was captured by my friend Derrick Birdsall at the Pro Am this year. He is a competition shooter as well as a photographer, you can view more of Derrick’s work at his website HERE. He was nice enough to let me use his images on my website. I will be doing a few posts with them as well as putting a few in the gallery. In the above image you can see the brass in the air, thumb on the mag release, mag half way out, and I’m getting ready to ‘watch it in’. Pretty cool I thought!!

As most of you know I’m the Match Director for The Monster Match coming in less than two weeks. I have been spreading the word around as best I could but thought I should probably put a post here also just to cover all the bases. Soooo…..Come shoot the damn match!

TheMonsterMatch.net

Please, I meant to say.

Just back from the USPSA Limited 10 and Limited Nationals in Vegas baby. Had a good time and shot decent. I finished 10th in both matches. Obviously I would like to have performed better but I really don’t feel I shot too bad. As I’ve mentioned in recent posts I’ve been working on some new styles of shooting in efforts to increase my speed. As expected this results in more penalties than I would like but it’s still a work in progress. I feel I still have some to learn which keeps the game exciting.

Big thanks to USPSA, the RO’s and staff and Las Vegas for not taking all of my money.

Some video of the action.

Quick post: shot the IPSC Nationals last weekend in SC. Too many penalties cost me a good finish but I’m real excited about some new techniques I’m employing. Needs a little tweaking and hopefully I can figure out the remaining pieces by this coming week as the USPSA Nationals are in Vegas. I didn’t get any video, sorry. Quick turn around this week, I’m off Thursday for 10 days in Vegas.

Big thanks to Jack, Linda and all the international RO’s who made the trip to make the IPSC Nationals a successful match.

Had a great time as always with the boys in Dickson, TN this past weekend. As mentioned in the match calendar section this has been one of my favorite matches for many years, regardless of the level of match. They have great stages, a great range, great RO’s and staff and I think possibly for the first time we had great weather this year.

I had more penalties than I would have liked and one nasty jam from some magazine issues but shot good enough to take the win. Results are up on the USPSA site and below is some video of the action. Thanks to the crew from TN for all their hard work, the match was great. See ya’ll next year.

Had a great FAST ONE course early this month. All students are previous FAST academy attendees so it made for a good flow for the day. Got some good work in before the end of year match schedule ramps up. Below is some video, we spent a lot of time working on the stepping draw. It’s funny how just a small step will throw off your whole routine.

Florida State Championship

Gotta admit I’m proud of the accomplishment. 7 years straight as Limited Division FL State champion. I actually lost two of them over the years, one to Todd and one to Manny, but they are feriners so they don’t get the State Title.

This was a great match held at Central Florida Rifle and Pistol club in Orlando, FL. Rick Arnold did a great job in his match director debut. He has really turned that range around with many improvements in the berms, props, stages…everything. When it appeared there possibly wouldn’t be a State Match this year he stepped up and made it happen. I know he had help from Jen, Cliff, Tammie and I’m sure a bunch of others deserve credit also.

Good mix of stages, long and short, fast and accurate. Our local club WAC designed three stages and worked 4 or more. Big thanks to Charles, Dan, Jim, Joe, JJ and John for RO’ing plus Keith and Tom for helping with set up. Dave and Jay in the stats shack, even Janci running score sheets.

I RO’ed the weekend and we shot the whole match on Friday. It makes for a long day but that’s the way it’s gotta be done. I was changing my style a bit and trying to ramp up the speed. Well I accomplished that racking up 5 misses for the match. The odd thing was I haven’t had that many misses in a major match in I don’t know how long but I felt like I was shooting pretty well. Weird.

I’d like to thank Derek at Millennium Custom, Mike at Schuemann, and Karl at GT Targets for their support. My equipment ran perfectly as is required at this level.

 Anyway, all worked out and I took the title again. Below are a few stages I caught on video.

This weekend kicks off my ridiculous schedule for the coming weeks leading up to The Monster Match at the end of October. The FL State Match is this weekend in Orlando, Florida. I’ll be shooting on Friday to defend my title for the 6th straight year in Limited Division. I’ll be working as a Range Officer on Saturday and Sunday. If you’re in the area there is still time to sign up for the match and if you’re already signed up be sure and say hi when you pass through my stage.

I’ll have a match report up here next week. Have a great weekend!!

There are only two FAST ONE courses scheduled for the remainder of the year. One is next Friday and the other is December 3rd. Both of these classes have 3 slots remaining as I write this. I can  always schedule more if you have a full crew or want a private class. With the FL State Match around the corner now would be a good time to get one if you’ve been thinking about it.

Speaking of the State Match myself and a few others from our club are setting up and working a couple stages. Click the link below for a peak at one of them. Get signed up for FAST ONE and the FL State Match…both are going to be outstanding events.

Quick and Dead

By popular demand I’ve added a gallery page. I put up a bunch of photos from the last World Shoot that I’ve had just sitting around, so it’s good to get them up somewhere I suppose. Also put up some hunting and general photos, I’ll add more as I get time. I have a ton of video from the World Shoot also, the quality isn’t great but I’ll work on getting that up in the future.

The Florida State Match is fast approaching, we’re not getting quite as much support from the locals as I’d hoped. Remember if you want to better competitive shooter….you gotta get out and compete. It is going to be a good match and fun weekend, I encourage you to sign up.

The following picture really has nothing to do with today’s post but I always dig Chuck stuff… and you should too!!

Hopefully I don’t end up looking like this guy. Ok kids I’m not really shooting Mickey Mouse, don’t worry. I’m heading over to Orlando this weekend to shoot the Central Florida Rifle and Pistol USPSA match on Sunday. They are hosting the Florida State Match next month and besides the fact that they put on a good match it’s always good to get on the range that is hosting the match for a little warm up.

So if you’re in the neighborhood or planning on hitting the match, look me up and say hi.

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.

Shot the East Coast IDPA Championship match this weekend at the Caswell Ranch in Prospect Hill, NC. Haven’t shot many major IDPA matches so I don’t have a lot to compare it to but it was a good time. The facility is great, it’s nice to get out of Florida from time to time and see some natural terrain berms. If we want a berm down here we have to build it from scratch.

Match was 20 stages shot over two days. We shot Friday afternoon and Saturday morning rotation. It was pretty hot on Friday but nothing too crazy, I was shooting decent until a colossal meltdown on one stage. I don’t know what I was thinking but I totally missed a target in the walk-through. In my mind this particular target was a non-threat and I never even indexed on it. So down 10 plus an FTN pretty much tanked my match, I also had another miss on that stage which added to the problems. I was down a bunch of points for the match but was pretty fast I guess. Finished second SSP. We had a good weekend overall with some good food, good beer, and decent shooting. Not necessarily in that order. Here is some video of the Florida boys in action.

Good local match today at Ruskin with Tampa Bay Pistol Club. Hot as hell, but it’s Florida and that’s how we roll. I shot Production with the GeeLock today in preparation for next weeks East Coast IDPA Championship. Little video of the action.

Little late commenting on the ProAm but it was another awesome effort by Phil and his crew. This has quickly become one of my top 3 favorite matches of the year. It was a little warm this year with triple digit heat but no rain! I didn’t perform very well and was shut out for the first time at this match ….More practice I suppose. I didn’t catch much video but here are a couple stage from the Open match.

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.

The ladies over at Women Of USPSA recently decided to do an interview with the top 5 finishers from the 2010 Single Stack Nationals held this spring in Barry, IL. I had a report from that match on my old website, as I’ve started anew here I’m not going to reprint it…that and I don’t know where I saved it. Anyway, I shot pretty decent at the match amidst some strong competition….probably the toughest competition I remember in my years at SSN. I performed good enough to finish 5th and receive the first interview in their series.

You can view it HERE on their blog….scroll down to the July 15 posting.

Thanks girls for all you do for the sport!!

Had an awesome week with elements of the 101st Airborne this month. I was fortunate  to teach an M9 course with a select group of senior NCO’s and a couple officers. What an honor to work with our military. Hopefully I will have similar opportunities in the future. All feedback was positive and I think the boys got some great training.

This goes with anything I suppose but you just don’t know what you don’t know. I wish I had been smarter about training when I was in the military. There used to be a lot of talk in the ‘tactical’ world about competition shooting teaching bad or even dangerous habits that would ‘get you killed’ on the street.

I think most trainers have realized that is not the case any longer. Many elite military units as well as law enforcement departments have been hiring top competition shooters for some time now because frankly they are the best shooters on the planet.

Once you allow yourself to get away from the square range mindset and employ techniques that are second nature to competition shooters you realize what can be accomplished. Training becomes much more realistic, not to mention just plain fun also.

I was presented a coin from the Battalion Commander and a certificate of service and kick ass tee shirt from the Battalion Sergeant Major. As I stated, it was an honor working with these men and I wish them safe travels wherever they may go.

For more information on FAST academy’s work with military and government units, contact us here.

Had a great private FAST ONE class with Doug S. on July 9.  Grabbed a video of a basic movement drill, after some work Doug was executing with near perfection. Good work Doug!

Doug Video

Going to attend the local IDPA match at WAC this Sunday. Lou and company put on a pretty good match. Not sure what the following video has to do with IDPA but it’s always funny and I’m learning how to embed video.

Still building the site…it’s coming along pretty well. Much easier than previous software.

I figure on days where I don’t have match information to share or instructional quips of wisdom I’ll share some vital information or pictures like todays. Todays topic is Safety…except the topic is really Chuck Norris.

While still in progress as I learn new software I hope this new format will allow me to update the website much more frequently. I also plan to use this new format for more additions of pictures and videos. Wish me luck.