I have just read Quick Cal's explanation of the change of target size and distance and believe that he has made a turn in the wrong direction. I write this post not to criticize or to be an obstructionist. I will support Cal's decision, it is his business and he has done great things for the sport in the past.
I love cowboy fast draw because it is one of the few pure sports remaining in our society. In an early era we had many sports, i.e. character building activities. Most of these have been highjacked for their entertainment value. I am sensitive to this because I was a youth coach for over 15 years. If you take 10 kids and give them a ball they will play a game, sort out the rules, and learn some life skills. If you add in 20 parents trying to get their entertainment fix, you no longer have a learning environment of good character traits, but a environment where poor sportsmanship, bad manners, poor life skills are learned.
Yes, Cowboy Fast Draw teaches good character traits, even to old guys like me. It is a sport. It is not an entertainment venue. Nor should it be. Do we really want our sport to become like all the rest of the entertainment industry where you find so many miscreants.
Our sport grows, not because it entertains, but because one can participate and be successful in a relative short time. Where else can a brand new competitor go up against a World Champion and have not only a change to win but a good likelihood of winning.
IT IS THE SAME, MAYBE YES, MAYBE NO:
Cal says he will make the change for showmanship. He says that since the proportions are the same the balance between speed and accuracy will remain the same. I can buy that but it will not be the same for accuracy unless you shoot from 39.5 inches muzzle height. For a muzzle height of 39.5 inches a target height should be 47 inches at 17 3/16 target at 15 feet. But for a muzzle height of 44 inches target height should be about 46 inches. An inch may not seem like much but how many thumb nail wins have you had. Generally, higher muzzle height shooters will shoot low, lower muzzle height shooters will shoot high. Guess we could all change to 39.5 inches, to keep the same accuracy between 15 feet and the championship distance of 21 feet.
As for showmanship missing at 15 feet seems to be more devastating.
UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCES:
While we transition I would expect accuracy to get a little worst for the reason set forth above, but not significantly. However, going to the balloon targets will probably result in significantly worst accuracy for two reasons.
Cal says he is not going to grease the balloon targets. For me, being able to see my hits is critical. I walk my hits to the light. I think most top shooters use the location of their hits to stay on target whether they are aware of it or not. If we can no longer see the exact location of the hit, our accuracy will decrease. That is the reason we hate shooting without a backstop or in poor light conditions. To illustrate, just how important this is to me, at Texas, to start I could not see my misses and missed 27 of my first 30 shots. I finally found the target and hit better than 80% for the next four days.
If you are going to get a top shooter, you have to get him or her, early in the event or early in the match. Ever notice how many times the first round or two nobody seems to be able to hit. That is because shooters have not yet found the target and they have not gotten into their shooting rhythm.
All shooters get into a certain rhythm on the line. I like to have the same announcer and like to learn his cadence. I have a certain pre-shot routine, physically and mentally. Anything that disrupts that rhythm is harmful to quickness and accuracy. Now we are going to change that all up for the World Magnificent Seven. The cadence and the rhythm will be different from what you have shot all event. Because of the target tendering for balloons each shot it will be like the first round of the day or for first shot of a match.
If you are serious about shooting in a Mag Seven at World in 2017, you probably should add a delay in your routine for the time it will take the target tenders to re-balloon. I am thinking about stepping off the line for 45-60 second after each and every shot, during each and every match, during each and every event. Who knows, I might get there and if I do, I want to have shot my Mag 7 routine all year long.
My guess is accuracy will get worst with the balloon targets. If Cal is going do this he should set up a practice range at 2016 World with 2 lanes at Championship distance, 2 lanes at 15 feet with 17 3/16 targets and 2 lanes at balloon targets. Then he ought to hire a high school or college interns to run and score each shot and tabulate the accuracy rate on the targets. Any one who wants to try these new targets should shoot down the line on all three target setups against an opponent from 21 to 15 to Balloon. That would simulate what is going to happen at World 2017. Let us see what is likely.
TRIPPING ON MY SPURS:
Alleluia has taken a year off, but he will be back in 2017, a little quicker, a little more accurate, and with a new pre-shot routine because he is a competitor and an athlete not an entertainer who deals in illusions.
Showing posts with label new rules. Show all posts
Showing posts with label new rules. Show all posts
Thursday, July 21, 2016
Tuesday, December 15, 2015
Did he really mean to say that? Rule#17
As the Counselor astutely points out, "It must be clearly obvious to the Line Judge that the front end of the barrel is in front of the outside of the front holster pouch cut." It is a guilty until proven otherwise standard. Applying that standard a fair and reasonable Line Judge would have to conclude that the draws of the following gunslingers violate rule #17: Oregon Ranger, Master Gunfighter, The Draw, Old West, Marshall Cooper, Caleb, Beaver Creek Kid, Boulder Vaquero, and a host of other quick shooters.
Did he really mean to say that?
I have good video from the Great Plains Territorial of Beaver Creek Kid. Watching at slow motion 1/8 speed it would be "clearly obvious" to a fair and reasonable line judge that he is shooting in front of the outside of the pouch. However, to the naked eye at real time speed, it is also a reasonable conclusion that it is not clearly obvious that the barrel is in front of the outside of the pouch. Buzzard Cooper is interesting because he was shooting between .385 and .430 depending on the competition. To the naked eye at .430 it is "clearly obvious" that he is in front of the outside of the holster pouch. He shoots a very pronounced level and follow through draw. However, at .385, it may not be "clearly obvious" that he is in front the outside of the pouch, but most would give him the benefit of watching his slower draws. Old West is also a proponent of the level and follow through draw. You would think he would not have a problem with this rule, but as Old West has gotten faster he to has a draw that may not be "clearly obvious" to a line judge. Boulder Vaquero has a draw that is not "clearly obvious" in front of the pouch by the naked eye, but at 1/8 slow motion speed you can see he pokes the gun forward just beyond the lip. The correct call with Boulder would be a technical violation, even though factually he is out front.
Some shooters have such a quick draw, in the 90-110 millisecond range, such as Parttime, Thirsty, and Master Gunfighter, that it is impossible to see where the gun is fired. This rule says if you can't see it, "must be clearly obvious", then it is behind the pouch and a technical violation.
Some have commented that the photo on the cover of the Gazette shows Master Gunfighter and Oregon Ranger clearly in front of the holster. That is not what is depicted, what is depicted is the flail after the shot. By the story and the times posted, it is obvious to me that a fair and reasonable line judge would have had to conclude that it was not "clearly obvious" that the gun was fired in front of the pouch for both shooters. Having hand judged Master Gunfighter at World, I personally know nothing is "clearly obvious" concerning where he fires from. Oregon Ranger uses a hip thrust which projects the holster forward. I have also watch him closely at World and it is not "clearly obvious" that he is firing in front of the outside of the holster pouch.
Powder Keg on facebook has been accepting of this rule saying he can make an adjustment in his draw, which he can. I have a lot of video on Powder Keg and he has a very consistent compact draw. He fires between 1/2 inch behind to 1/2 inch in front of the lip of the pouch. He is between .35 to .39 in times with the faster being behind the lip and the slower in front of the lip. He can make the adjustment to the rule. Unfortunately, that will not solve the problem. Even if he is well in front of the lip of the pouch, it will not be "clearly obvious" to a line judge and therefore the correct ruling would be a technical violation.
Did he really mean to say that?
Some of us wear stain protectors, mostly because the little woman objects to the "ruined shirts." Most do not because the "gunslinger badge" is a sign that you have arrived and finally entered the realm of the quick. I am going discard the protector at least in titled events because it probably tags me as one to be watched and secondly because the "gunslinger badge" may be useful to prove I do not shoot behind the holster. If a line judge is ever appointed for me, I will whip out my 4 inch ruler and show the line judge that my "gunslinger badge" is exactly four inches behind the front of my holster pouch cut. For New Vaqueros, it is 4 1/2 inches from headspace to tip of the barrel.
I don't think anyone would have any objection to Rule #17, "Discharging the gun with the muzzle behind the holster is not allowed." I think that is pretty simple and straight forward. Sort of like the boot shot rule. It is in the implementation that there is a problem. The implementing sentence sets a guilty unless proven by naked eye standard and prohibits shots from above the holster, not behind the holster but above the holster. This is the dominant shot in cowboy fast draw today. The shot just as the barrel clears leather.
Did he really mean to say that?
Did he really mean to say that?
I have good video from the Great Plains Territorial of Beaver Creek Kid. Watching at slow motion 1/8 speed it would be "clearly obvious" to a fair and reasonable line judge that he is shooting in front of the outside of the pouch. However, to the naked eye at real time speed, it is also a reasonable conclusion that it is not clearly obvious that the barrel is in front of the outside of the pouch. Buzzard Cooper is interesting because he was shooting between .385 and .430 depending on the competition. To the naked eye at .430 it is "clearly obvious" that he is in front of the outside of the holster pouch. He shoots a very pronounced level and follow through draw. However, at .385, it may not be "clearly obvious" that he is in front the outside of the pouch, but most would give him the benefit of watching his slower draws. Old West is also a proponent of the level and follow through draw. You would think he would not have a problem with this rule, but as Old West has gotten faster he to has a draw that may not be "clearly obvious" to a line judge. Boulder Vaquero has a draw that is not "clearly obvious" in front of the pouch by the naked eye, but at 1/8 slow motion speed you can see he pokes the gun forward just beyond the lip. The correct call with Boulder would be a technical violation, even though factually he is out front.
Some shooters have such a quick draw, in the 90-110 millisecond range, such as Parttime, Thirsty, and Master Gunfighter, that it is impossible to see where the gun is fired. This rule says if you can't see it, "must be clearly obvious", then it is behind the pouch and a technical violation.
Some have commented that the photo on the cover of the Gazette shows Master Gunfighter and Oregon Ranger clearly in front of the holster. That is not what is depicted, what is depicted is the flail after the shot. By the story and the times posted, it is obvious to me that a fair and reasonable line judge would have had to conclude that it was not "clearly obvious" that the gun was fired in front of the pouch for both shooters. Having hand judged Master Gunfighter at World, I personally know nothing is "clearly obvious" concerning where he fires from. Oregon Ranger uses a hip thrust which projects the holster forward. I have also watch him closely at World and it is not "clearly obvious" that he is firing in front of the outside of the holster pouch.
Powder Keg on facebook has been accepting of this rule saying he can make an adjustment in his draw, which he can. I have a lot of video on Powder Keg and he has a very consistent compact draw. He fires between 1/2 inch behind to 1/2 inch in front of the lip of the pouch. He is between .35 to .39 in times with the faster being behind the lip and the slower in front of the lip. He can make the adjustment to the rule. Unfortunately, that will not solve the problem. Even if he is well in front of the lip of the pouch, it will not be "clearly obvious" to a line judge and therefore the correct ruling would be a technical violation.
Did he really mean to say that?
Some of us wear stain protectors, mostly because the little woman objects to the "ruined shirts." Most do not because the "gunslinger badge" is a sign that you have arrived and finally entered the realm of the quick. I am going discard the protector at least in titled events because it probably tags me as one to be watched and secondly because the "gunslinger badge" may be useful to prove I do not shoot behind the holster. If a line judge is ever appointed for me, I will whip out my 4 inch ruler and show the line judge that my "gunslinger badge" is exactly four inches behind the front of my holster pouch cut. For New Vaqueros, it is 4 1/2 inches from headspace to tip of the barrel.
I don't think anyone would have any objection to Rule #17, "Discharging the gun with the muzzle behind the holster is not allowed." I think that is pretty simple and straight forward. Sort of like the boot shot rule. It is in the implementation that there is a problem. The implementing sentence sets a guilty unless proven by naked eye standard and prohibits shots from above the holster, not behind the holster but above the holster. This is the dominant shot in cowboy fast draw today. The shot just as the barrel clears leather.
Did he really mean to say that?
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