Apparently, I am still suffering from flusters from the Comish's silliness this past summer. At the last jackpot shoot I finished last losing every match. If this keeps up I will be too embarrassed for either of my personas to show up at any titled match next year. One commentator recently opined that my "poor" shooting was the result of "buck fever" even though I harvested a bull at considerable distance, bulls apparently equating to bucks. The truth be known the unfortunate bull just happened to wander into the path of my stray bullet, it being fired by chance probably in a fit of flusters according to the commentator.
Western hunts allow much time for analytical thinking. I can recognize an Oswald shot when I make one. They are not particularly difficult because the lead required by the target moving away is offset by the lead required by the downward angle of the shot and if the shot is straight away then distance is irrelevant. I learned this some 60 years ago from Nebraska coyote hunters who took great care to set their shots up so that the target was running straight away with the lead required for the movement away being cancelled by the lead required by the downward angle, much like Oswald on JFK. Remember to turn the engine off so there is no motor vibration. Learn by watching. Any way maybe a good shot or maybe as the commentator thinks the poor animal ran into the path of the bullet.
Getting back to fast draw, maybe my poor shooting at the Camp was the remnants of "buck fever" or the result of the pain and suffering of the hunt, or as I want to think, the lingering fluster of the Comish's silliness. Cutting comments can cause one to bleed and if I have done so in the past to anyone I am truly sorry and apologize to all. Any cuts I may have received I hope I can look upon them as scars of banter and fodder for humor.
"....is a jackass, but he is our jackass!" Devil Anse Hatfield
Showing posts with label fast draw practice techniques. Show all posts
Showing posts with label fast draw practice techniques. Show all posts
Wednesday, December 7, 2016
Thursday, August 11, 2016
The Good Old Days
I was having "lively times" in the comments with Rodeo, Hell on Wheels, and Powder Keg concerning whether this sport was a speed contest or a gunfight and I recalled a conversation I heard in the hole at Nationals between two Old Timers, both Champions, World and National, saying that in the good old days, times were slower but accuracy was better. "If you missed, you lost!"
In our relentless pursuit of speed, we have devalued the miss. Some seems to think if you hit in the mid threes it okay to hit only 30% and that seems to work for them because if every one else is hitting 30% to 40 %, they can be competitive. After all it is "fastdraw." We see 15 shot matches. We see the two fastest ladies in the State of Texas on that day miss 22 in a row in a State Championship.
These "sports", those with grailfever, when they get into a gunfight don't do very well, so they lobby for new rules to give themselves a better chance. Some will even in ask you before a match, "now you won't hold my miss against me, cause I try to go fast."
Last year at Nationals I was in almost a perfect match. It was against Luckey O'Riley and he was pumped having just beaten the only black badge from his state in the prior match. I was pumped because I drew him. He is quicker than me but we are a pretty evenly matched overall. After four shots, it was 2-2, both shooters hitting 100%. Fifth shot one of us missed. Almost perfect, but alas only a mere 90% on ten shots. It would had been better if decided on speed, but you rarely get perfection. Does not matter who won, we both shot to the best of our abilities. A match from the good old days, a gunfight, not a speed contest!
I have been watching the Olympics and I admire most, not the winners, but the competitors who when they fall off the bar, they get up again and finish their routine. Does not matter that they fell, they are going to do the best that they can do under the circumstances. I did not like the competitor who did not do his routine because of a false sense of sportsmanship thereby disqualifying his team and affecting the standing of other teams on something other than performance.
I know I am kicking a sleeping dog, but Cal has told me he is going fix the problem. I don't care if you give me a sportsmanship warning in every match, I am going to do my best in every match under all circumstances, even if I fall I am getting up and finishing the match, because "this ain't Dodge City, and you ain't Bill Hickok........I didn't say I didn't know how to use one." I will do my best on each and every shot whether that is a .399 or a 1.729, both of which were the final shot of 2-2 matches in the top 15 or so at Nationals and both just mere milliseconds slow. Even losing, great fun, loved both matches.
Getting back to the topic at hand, maybe a slight rule change may helpful with grailfever. How about three winning hits you win, three misses you lose. That might bring back the good old days when "if you missed you lost." I know it will never happen in titled matches, but it is something to think about for club practices. You know it may not just be coincidence that our new National Champion warmed for Nationals with a club event of Arizona Five the week before. Arizona Five is just a mental toughness drill. You got to hit, and you got to hit right now. Most of our quick shooters don't like it and don't do well with it, that does not mean it is not good for them.
New club event. We will call it, "The Tough 3 by 3", 6-8 seeding rounds no x, three winning shots you win, three misses you lose. Then brackets with a Magnificent 1 x shoot-off. Sounds like a good warm-up for World. Let see if the next World Champion comes from the Camp, Shady Mountain, or at least the Valley of the Sun.
Postscript: Thank you for all the prayers, heading to Camp I had a pulmonary embolism, made it into and now out of hospital okay. My life coaches have prevailed upon me not to shoot for another 7 days.
In our relentless pursuit of speed, we have devalued the miss. Some seems to think if you hit in the mid threes it okay to hit only 30% and that seems to work for them because if every one else is hitting 30% to 40 %, they can be competitive. After all it is "fastdraw." We see 15 shot matches. We see the two fastest ladies in the State of Texas on that day miss 22 in a row in a State Championship.
These "sports", those with grailfever, when they get into a gunfight don't do very well, so they lobby for new rules to give themselves a better chance. Some will even in ask you before a match, "now you won't hold my miss against me, cause I try to go fast."
Last year at Nationals I was in almost a perfect match. It was against Luckey O'Riley and he was pumped having just beaten the only black badge from his state in the prior match. I was pumped because I drew him. He is quicker than me but we are a pretty evenly matched overall. After four shots, it was 2-2, both shooters hitting 100%. Fifth shot one of us missed. Almost perfect, but alas only a mere 90% on ten shots. It would had been better if decided on speed, but you rarely get perfection. Does not matter who won, we both shot to the best of our abilities. A match from the good old days, a gunfight, not a speed contest!
I have been watching the Olympics and I admire most, not the winners, but the competitors who when they fall off the bar, they get up again and finish their routine. Does not matter that they fell, they are going to do the best that they can do under the circumstances. I did not like the competitor who did not do his routine because of a false sense of sportsmanship thereby disqualifying his team and affecting the standing of other teams on something other than performance.
I know I am kicking a sleeping dog, but Cal has told me he is going fix the problem. I don't care if you give me a sportsmanship warning in every match, I am going to do my best in every match under all circumstances, even if I fall I am getting up and finishing the match, because "this ain't Dodge City, and you ain't Bill Hickok........I didn't say I didn't know how to use one." I will do my best on each and every shot whether that is a .399 or a 1.729, both of which were the final shot of 2-2 matches in the top 15 or so at Nationals and both just mere milliseconds slow. Even losing, great fun, loved both matches.
Getting back to the topic at hand, maybe a slight rule change may helpful with grailfever. How about three winning hits you win, three misses you lose. That might bring back the good old days when "if you missed you lost." I know it will never happen in titled matches, but it is something to think about for club practices. You know it may not just be coincidence that our new National Champion warmed for Nationals with a club event of Arizona Five the week before. Arizona Five is just a mental toughness drill. You got to hit, and you got to hit right now. Most of our quick shooters don't like it and don't do well with it, that does not mean it is not good for them.
New club event. We will call it, "The Tough 3 by 3", 6-8 seeding rounds no x, three winning shots you win, three misses you lose. Then brackets with a Magnificent 1 x shoot-off. Sounds like a good warm-up for World. Let see if the next World Champion comes from the Camp, Shady Mountain, or at least the Valley of the Sun.
Postscript: Thank you for all the prayers, heading to Camp I had a pulmonary embolism, made it into and now out of hospital okay. My life coaches have prevailed upon me not to shoot for another 7 days.
Thursday, August 4, 2016
Nationals, Photos, and Rule 17
The National Championship was a great event put on by a great club and fine folks. I have nothing but good things to say about the event. I write this blog to be helpful to myself and my fellow competitors. Before you get your feathers all ruffled please read the general warnings to this blog.
Mary Eileen Russell has posted hundreds of photos which are very helpful for training. I thank her for her efforts and commend her for the great value she has provided to us.
Personal Conclusion: Looking through the photos, I would conclude that most 5 flat and slower shooters shoot the level and follow through draw. Most 4 flat and faster shooters shoot the locked elbow draw or the flail draw with the exception of two old timers who shoot the level and follow through down into the threes.
In the men's division the majority of the Mag 7 shooters were locked elbow shooters with the remainder being level and follow through or hybrids. There were no flail shooters in the Mag 7. The highest placing flail shooter went out in round 10 shooting 3 flat times.
The problem with the flail draw can clearly be seen in a three shot series of photos of a relative new shooter. His first shot would have been 2 or 3 feet high if it hit the backstop at all. His second shot was foot or so low. His third shot may have had a chance to hit the target. Watching him in three titled events this year his hit percentage generally is below 30%. He went out in the fourth round. If he recognizes himself and wants help I will direct him to some good blogs to find the target. By the way he is blazing fast, a low 3 shooter. That is the problem with the flail draw, almost impossible to master with sufficient accuracy to be competitive.
The dominant draw among the men is the locked elbow draw. It dominates because it is the most stable accurate draw. With the locked elbow draw, there is less total motion, the gun is fired from a locked fixed position with no motion. With it your most accurate draw will be your quickest. It is also the safest of the draws.
With the flail or the level and follow through the gun is fired while in motion. Timing is much more crucial in these draws. The flail draw can be especially troubling with wax being slung everywhere.
However, the locked elbow draw is not without its challenges. A perfect locked elbow draw would be shot with the muzzle directly above the holster pouch in a fixed stable position, hence a Rule 17 violation.
Rule 17: Rule 17 is biased against the locked elbow draw because it is the only draw where the shot is fired from a fixed position close to the holster. A line judge may think he can see where the gun is fired with the locked elbow draw because the gun is stable. There is absolutely no possibility that a line judge can determine where a flail shooters fires from when the draw takes less than 100 milliseconds. With the level and follow through draw, even if the gun is fired behind the front lip the forward follow through masks the violation. Some have suggested that I should "poke." Sorry, that is recipe to boothill, I will not give up the accuracy.
Locked elbow shooters have dealt with Rule 17 in a number of ways. Some have moved the anchor point higher up on the body. This moves the muzzle away from holster and it is much less likely that a line judge will think he see a violation. Others have moved the anchor point forward, therefore the muzzle is moved forward. A more erect stance with move the shoulder forward and hence the muzzle forward.
Mag 7 Violations: We shot five days without a problem and then in the Mag 7 two shooters were eliminated for Rule 17 violations. If anyone thinks this was good for the sport they need to think again.
I have no complaint with Cal's call on me. It was probably correct. I did not handle it well. I was not mentally tough. I thought now what am I going to do. I can stand more erect and I can move my anchor point forward. Of course, "thinking about an action is the sign of a novice, or a key to turning an expert into an amateur." Sports Illustrated. The results were that I anticipated by cocking the hammer before the light and almost shooting myself I was so flustered. I called the anticipation on myself, the hand judge did not see it. A veteran shooter watching the live feed has told me that he observed that the hand judges were so focus on Rule 17 that there was no way they could call anticipation because they were out of position to see the light.
I think it is helpful for folks to see my Rule 17 violation in comparison to Powder Kegs winning draw in the finals.
Clearly Powder Kegs' draw is not in violation and mine maybe is in violation. When you compare the two, you see that the stance is similar, the location of the gun in relationship to the body is almost the same, the draws very nearly the same (except I am missing high). What is different is the location of the holster. Powder Kegs' holster is several inches father back on his side. I will move my holster back!
This will not happen again. I will not be flustered by a warning. Starting today I will be practicing what I will call my "warning draw." It will probably be a two handed aimed draw to be used only in case of a warning. I will not be a danger to myself or others trying to change my draw in a competition. "I warned em!" Virgil Cole.
We had some silliness at Nationals with Range Masters either not knowing the rules or making up new rules to suit they own perceptions. I have discussed this with Cal and he said he is going "nip it in the bud", we will see.
Mental Toughness: I would be remiss if I did not mention that Powder Keg went through the entire event without an X. He had also done this at the Texas State Championship. Power Keg won not because he was the quickest but because he was the toughest gunfighter there. He did not win a single shot against Marshall Cooper on time in the final match. Powder Keg has a training regiment wherein he practices mental toughness. This sport is a gunfight, it is not a speed contest.
Mary Eileen Russell has posted hundreds of photos which are very helpful for training. I thank her for her efforts and commend her for the great value she has provided to us.
Personal Conclusion: Looking through the photos, I would conclude that most 5 flat and slower shooters shoot the level and follow through draw. Most 4 flat and faster shooters shoot the locked elbow draw or the flail draw with the exception of two old timers who shoot the level and follow through down into the threes.
In the men's division the majority of the Mag 7 shooters were locked elbow shooters with the remainder being level and follow through or hybrids. There were no flail shooters in the Mag 7. The highest placing flail shooter went out in round 10 shooting 3 flat times.
The problem with the flail draw can clearly be seen in a three shot series of photos of a relative new shooter. His first shot would have been 2 or 3 feet high if it hit the backstop at all. His second shot was foot or so low. His third shot may have had a chance to hit the target. Watching him in three titled events this year his hit percentage generally is below 30%. He went out in the fourth round. If he recognizes himself and wants help I will direct him to some good blogs to find the target. By the way he is blazing fast, a low 3 shooter. That is the problem with the flail draw, almost impossible to master with sufficient accuracy to be competitive.
The dominant draw among the men is the locked elbow draw. It dominates because it is the most stable accurate draw. With the locked elbow draw, there is less total motion, the gun is fired from a locked fixed position with no motion. With it your most accurate draw will be your quickest. It is also the safest of the draws.
With the flail or the level and follow through the gun is fired while in motion. Timing is much more crucial in these draws. The flail draw can be especially troubling with wax being slung everywhere.
However, the locked elbow draw is not without its challenges. A perfect locked elbow draw would be shot with the muzzle directly above the holster pouch in a fixed stable position, hence a Rule 17 violation.
Rule 17: Rule 17 is biased against the locked elbow draw because it is the only draw where the shot is fired from a fixed position close to the holster. A line judge may think he can see where the gun is fired with the locked elbow draw because the gun is stable. There is absolutely no possibility that a line judge can determine where a flail shooters fires from when the draw takes less than 100 milliseconds. With the level and follow through draw, even if the gun is fired behind the front lip the forward follow through masks the violation. Some have suggested that I should "poke." Sorry, that is recipe to boothill, I will not give up the accuracy.
Locked elbow shooters have dealt with Rule 17 in a number of ways. Some have moved the anchor point higher up on the body. This moves the muzzle away from holster and it is much less likely that a line judge will think he see a violation. Others have moved the anchor point forward, therefore the muzzle is moved forward. A more erect stance with move the shoulder forward and hence the muzzle forward.
Mag 7 Violations: We shot five days without a problem and then in the Mag 7 two shooters were eliminated for Rule 17 violations. If anyone thinks this was good for the sport they need to think again.
I have no complaint with Cal's call on me. It was probably correct. I did not handle it well. I was not mentally tough. I thought now what am I going to do. I can stand more erect and I can move my anchor point forward. Of course, "thinking about an action is the sign of a novice, or a key to turning an expert into an amateur." Sports Illustrated. The results were that I anticipated by cocking the hammer before the light and almost shooting myself I was so flustered. I called the anticipation on myself, the hand judge did not see it. A veteran shooter watching the live feed has told me that he observed that the hand judges were so focus on Rule 17 that there was no way they could call anticipation because they were out of position to see the light.
I think it is helpful for folks to see my Rule 17 violation in comparison to Powder Kegs winning draw in the finals.
Clearly Powder Kegs' draw is not in violation and mine maybe is in violation. When you compare the two, you see that the stance is similar, the location of the gun in relationship to the body is almost the same, the draws very nearly the same (except I am missing high). What is different is the location of the holster. Powder Kegs' holster is several inches father back on his side. I will move my holster back!
This will not happen again. I will not be flustered by a warning. Starting today I will be practicing what I will call my "warning draw." It will probably be a two handed aimed draw to be used only in case of a warning. I will not be a danger to myself or others trying to change my draw in a competition. "I warned em!" Virgil Cole.
We had some silliness at Nationals with Range Masters either not knowing the rules or making up new rules to suit they own perceptions. I have discussed this with Cal and he said he is going "nip it in the bud", we will see.
Mental Toughness: I would be remiss if I did not mention that Powder Keg went through the entire event without an X. He had also done this at the Texas State Championship. Power Keg won not because he was the quickest but because he was the toughest gunfighter there. He did not win a single shot against Marshall Cooper on time in the final match. Powder Keg has a training regiment wherein he practices mental toughness. This sport is a gunfight, it is not a speed contest.
Monday, April 11, 2016
Put the fear of Alleluia in 'em!
I had a pretty good day shooting at Rio Salado Vaqueros practice shoot. It was a 3 x last man standing affair. The field was not overwhelming but it did have a World Champion, several World Champion Category shooters, multiple Territorial Champions and of course a Two-time National Champion. 38 shooters in all. I only had one poor match shooting 57% at mid four speed. In the other ten matches I shot 89% at mid four speed. To quote William Munny, "I was lucky in the order, but then I'm always lucky in the order when......" Most of the speed ended up shooting in the 2nd chance match.
I mention this only as a prelude to my main point. The Alleluia training regiment trains gunfighters, not necessarily the quickest but maybe the most deadly. Saturday shoot, for me was what it always should be, except that one match in which I got flustered and lost the target.
I am looking for two disciples to train in the Alleluia system for 8 weeks. I would prefer new shooters because they come without all that baggage, but would consider seasoned shooters who have the right attitude. Would like one lady and one man. Plan to start May 1 and finish the week before the Pioneer shoot in June. Prefer folks in the Valley of the Sun so I can meet with them weekly, but would consider others dedicated to the system.
Commitment:
1. Must be willing to shoot a minimum of 150 rounds off of the clock a week. Would plan to meet with you at least once a week in the desert for a practice session. Normally student would shoot 50 rounds three times a week. Wax is reusable so 500 wax should be sufficient.
2. Must be willing to forego the clock except for competition. You can't learn to be a gunfighter if you have grailfever.
3. Must be willing to dry fire in front of a mirror on days not shooting live rounds.
4. Must forgo outside influences. Only one mentor allowed. Quickest way to booth hill is to work on your draw during competition.
5. Must acquire practice stand. (about $25)
6. Must agree I can use your alias and story in any future publications.
Goals:
1. Goal for the man would be to be a 4 shooter shooting better than 80%.
2. Goal for the lady would be to be a World Champion. This is not a higher goal, it just that the next Lady World Champion will be a 4 or 5 shooter shooting better than 60%.
3. My goal is to see if I am in left field or not. You will be the test of the training regiment.
The Draw:
Most new shooters start out with the level and follow through draw. They spend months or sometimes years learning to be fast with this technique. Some become top shooters but most level out in the mid 5s. Some spend years trying to unlearn the follow through to get truly fast. We will try to learn the Lock-elbow/Thumb-roll draw. If you can't do the lock elbow draw you still can be a 4 flat shooter shooting the level and follow through. The flail draw is a defect and not an acceptable draw although some shoot world record times with it. It is a symptom of grailfever.
I plan to video students before, during and after the 8 weeks and give each their reaction/draw splits.
Observation: I have to end this post with an observation of my idol, Miss Kitty, World Champion. She is getting ready to hand judge me late in the event and she has her box of 100 cartridges open looking at them. To me there is no reasonable order to the shot shells and unshot shells so I ask her about it. She tells me there is a definite order and she can ascertain the hits and misses of each round from the order in the box. See why she is a world champion. I got to get her to train me more! She never has, I just pick up tips here and there by watching her.
I mention this only as a prelude to my main point. The Alleluia training regiment trains gunfighters, not necessarily the quickest but maybe the most deadly. Saturday shoot, for me was what it always should be, except that one match in which I got flustered and lost the target.
I am looking for two disciples to train in the Alleluia system for 8 weeks. I would prefer new shooters because they come without all that baggage, but would consider seasoned shooters who have the right attitude. Would like one lady and one man. Plan to start May 1 and finish the week before the Pioneer shoot in June. Prefer folks in the Valley of the Sun so I can meet with them weekly, but would consider others dedicated to the system.
Commitment:
1. Must be willing to shoot a minimum of 150 rounds off of the clock a week. Would plan to meet with you at least once a week in the desert for a practice session. Normally student would shoot 50 rounds three times a week. Wax is reusable so 500 wax should be sufficient.
2. Must be willing to forego the clock except for competition. You can't learn to be a gunfighter if you have grailfever.
3. Must be willing to dry fire in front of a mirror on days not shooting live rounds.
4. Must forgo outside influences. Only one mentor allowed. Quickest way to booth hill is to work on your draw during competition.
5. Must acquire practice stand. (about $25)
6. Must agree I can use your alias and story in any future publications.
Goals:
1. Goal for the man would be to be a 4 shooter shooting better than 80%.
2. Goal for the lady would be to be a World Champion. This is not a higher goal, it just that the next Lady World Champion will be a 4 or 5 shooter shooting better than 60%.
3. My goal is to see if I am in left field or not. You will be the test of the training regiment.
The Draw:
Most new shooters start out with the level and follow through draw. They spend months or sometimes years learning to be fast with this technique. Some become top shooters but most level out in the mid 5s. Some spend years trying to unlearn the follow through to get truly fast. We will try to learn the Lock-elbow/Thumb-roll draw. If you can't do the lock elbow draw you still can be a 4 flat shooter shooting the level and follow through. The flail draw is a defect and not an acceptable draw although some shoot world record times with it. It is a symptom of grailfever.
I plan to video students before, during and after the 8 weeks and give each their reaction/draw splits.
Observation: I have to end this post with an observation of my idol, Miss Kitty, World Champion. She is getting ready to hand judge me late in the event and she has her box of 100 cartridges open looking at them. To me there is no reasonable order to the shot shells and unshot shells so I ask her about it. She tells me there is a definite order and she can ascertain the hits and misses of each round from the order in the box. See why she is a world champion. I got to get her to train me more! She never has, I just pick up tips here and there by watching her.
Friday, March 4, 2016
Arizona Five
On Shady Mtn we did a test run of Arizona Five and found that it is works well using the CFDA scoring program. It has two big advantages, one, there is no down time between rounds and two, you get to shoot against twice as many shooters.
I am going to lobby hard to use it this summer at our practice shoots. Our problem is having a large number of shooters in 115* heat. Arizona Five will help getting more rounds in.
The format: Arizona Five is a five shot option. You shoot five shots with the shooter hitting the most shots getting the win. If the shooters are tied 2-2, both shooters get a win because both shooters are shooting good enough to win, hitting between 40-80% and winning at least 2 shots each. If it is tied 0-0 or 1-1, after five shots both shooters get a X because both shooters are shooting less than 20% and deserve an X. Ties in time are re-shot. After five shots round one is complete for those six shooters.
The Shuffle: Upon the completion round one for those 6 shooters, the shooter on lane one moves to lane 6 and all other shooters move one lane to the left. Must move to the left to make score sheet work. Hand judges stay where they are, since they are the next round one shooters. You then shoot round two for those 6 shooters. Each shooter has a new opponent.
Scorekeeping: When setting up the match you tell the CFDA program to print only six shooters per sheet. (Or the number of lanes you have.) The first five boxes are used to score round one, boxes 6 & 7 record W/Xs and fastest time for round one, box 8 is lane assignments for round two, that leaves 6 boxes for scores of round two. Shooter on lane one is first shooter on the sheet and then you move him to the bottom row for scoring round two. It can be confusing and it helps to draw dark lines between the round two matches so it is clear who is shooting who. On the line there is no problem because targets are scored against your opponent.
While round two is being shot, scores of round one can be entered. ONLY round one! When the last round one match is complete those last six shooters are entered. The computer then draws what it thinks is round two. You can use that draw for round 3 and 4. You must enter a round completely then have the computer draw the next round before entering the next round scores.
Downtime On our test run, we used two draws to shoot four rounds, but the computer drew four rounds. We did not use two of the draws. WARNING: The x count listed on the draws may not accurate if you are using an earlier draw to shoot a round but you can run standings report after completion of entering a round that will have the correct x count. If you want an accurate x count on the draws you would have to wait until the scores of the second round shot on a scoresheet are entered, but then you would have downtime while those scores are entered.
In our test run, we did wait and used draw three for rounds three and four so we did have some downtime. But we could have used draw 2 for rounds 3 & 4 and there would not have been any downtime. Draw 2 having been made before the completion of rounds 1 & 2.
Scorekeeping can confusing but it is not hard once you get used to the format and you "follow the form, See score sheet for rounds 1&2 from test.
This test was actually much more confusing because we shot it on two lanes using a 6 lane score sheet. Shooter one had to wait several matches to shoot his/her second round.
Application to Events: I would only recommend Arizona Five for events where you are shooting a No X event for seeding. Shooters are not going to accept elimination based on ties. But you have to consider that most main matches are really nothing more that seeding matches. It is how we get to the top gunslingers on a particular day, whether it is Last Man Standing, Magnificent or Bracket shoots.
At Winter Range, Shady Mike reached a #2 seed, shooting against only 5% of the 79 shooter field. If he had shot against more shooters it probably would not made any difference the way he was shooting. I shot against him all week and I was hitting 80% at 4 flat and finished 1-6 against him in marble matches. He was just on and no one there could compete against him. But that is not the normal event. Normally the more opponents you shoot against, the more accurate the seedings will be. If we had shot Arizona Five, each shooter would have had 8 opponents or 10% of the field.
At our club shoots with say 40 shooters, should be able to get in 10 rounds of Arizona Five in summertime, and each shooter will have shot against 10 opponents or 25% of the field. So with a 1x magnificent shoot-off each shooter would get 11 matches. With our current format we are lucky to get 4 or 5 matches with a 40 shooter turnout in the summertime.
The only challenge is training the scorekeepers and computer operators. After we are done with Four Corners, I am suggesting we shoot this for 12 shooters every Sunday. If you want to come shoot on Shady Mtn, you got to learn how to score Arizona Five. Vic pick it up great Saturday That way we will have at least 12 trained scorekeepers for the summertime.
I am still trying to find people who want to learn how to announce and score a Magnificent 2 x shoot on two lanes instead of on 6 lanes. Seems to me to be terrible waste of lanes to use only one half of your facilities, guess it it more fun to shoot in the dark than to get done by sundown (insider neddle).
I am going to lobby hard to use it this summer at our practice shoots. Our problem is having a large number of shooters in 115* heat. Arizona Five will help getting more rounds in.
The format: Arizona Five is a five shot option. You shoot five shots with the shooter hitting the most shots getting the win. If the shooters are tied 2-2, both shooters get a win because both shooters are shooting good enough to win, hitting between 40-80% and winning at least 2 shots each. If it is tied 0-0 or 1-1, after five shots both shooters get a X because both shooters are shooting less than 20% and deserve an X. Ties in time are re-shot. After five shots round one is complete for those six shooters.
The Shuffle: Upon the completion round one for those 6 shooters, the shooter on lane one moves to lane 6 and all other shooters move one lane to the left. Must move to the left to make score sheet work. Hand judges stay where they are, since they are the next round one shooters. You then shoot round two for those 6 shooters. Each shooter has a new opponent.
Scorekeeping: When setting up the match you tell the CFDA program to print only six shooters per sheet. (Or the number of lanes you have.) The first five boxes are used to score round one, boxes 6 & 7 record W/Xs and fastest time for round one, box 8 is lane assignments for round two, that leaves 6 boxes for scores of round two. Shooter on lane one is first shooter on the sheet and then you move him to the bottom row for scoring round two. It can be confusing and it helps to draw dark lines between the round two matches so it is clear who is shooting who. On the line there is no problem because targets are scored against your opponent.
While round two is being shot, scores of round one can be entered. ONLY round one! When the last round one match is complete those last six shooters are entered. The computer then draws what it thinks is round two. You can use that draw for round 3 and 4. You must enter a round completely then have the computer draw the next round before entering the next round scores.
Downtime On our test run, we used two draws to shoot four rounds, but the computer drew four rounds. We did not use two of the draws. WARNING: The x count listed on the draws may not accurate if you are using an earlier draw to shoot a round but you can run standings report after completion of entering a round that will have the correct x count. If you want an accurate x count on the draws you would have to wait until the scores of the second round shot on a scoresheet are entered, but then you would have downtime while those scores are entered.
In our test run, we did wait and used draw three for rounds three and four so we did have some downtime. But we could have used draw 2 for rounds 3 & 4 and there would not have been any downtime. Draw 2 having been made before the completion of rounds 1 & 2.
Scorekeeping can confusing but it is not hard once you get used to the format and you "follow the form, See score sheet for rounds 1&2 from test.
Application to Events: I would only recommend Arizona Five for events where you are shooting a No X event for seeding. Shooters are not going to accept elimination based on ties. But you have to consider that most main matches are really nothing more that seeding matches. It is how we get to the top gunslingers on a particular day, whether it is Last Man Standing, Magnificent or Bracket shoots.
At Winter Range, Shady Mike reached a #2 seed, shooting against only 5% of the 79 shooter field. If he had shot against more shooters it probably would not made any difference the way he was shooting. I shot against him all week and I was hitting 80% at 4 flat and finished 1-6 against him in marble matches. He was just on and no one there could compete against him. But that is not the normal event. Normally the more opponents you shoot against, the more accurate the seedings will be. If we had shot Arizona Five, each shooter would have had 8 opponents or 10% of the field.
At our club shoots with say 40 shooters, should be able to get in 10 rounds of Arizona Five in summertime, and each shooter will have shot against 10 opponents or 25% of the field. So with a 1x magnificent shoot-off each shooter would get 11 matches. With our current format we are lucky to get 4 or 5 matches with a 40 shooter turnout in the summertime.
The only challenge is training the scorekeepers and computer operators. After we are done with Four Corners, I am suggesting we shoot this for 12 shooters every Sunday. If you want to come shoot on Shady Mtn, you got to learn how to score Arizona Five. Vic pick it up great Saturday That way we will have at least 12 trained scorekeepers for the summertime.
I am still trying to find people who want to learn how to announce and score a Magnificent 2 x shoot on two lanes instead of on 6 lanes. Seems to me to be terrible waste of lanes to use only one half of your facilities, guess it it more fun to shoot in the dark than to get done by sundown (insider neddle).
Monday, February 29, 2016
Winter Range, Partners, and Adversaries
Most of the fastdraw loot at Winter Range came home to Shady Mtn. I won the SASS fastdraw sidematch on speed and the 45 revolver on luck. Shady Mike cut through 78 shooters to win the jackpot shoot without a loss. Miss Kitty won Bracket C of the jackpot shoot.
I have to believe the games we play on Shady Mtn may have something to do with it. Shady and I shoot marble matches about twice a week. It is just a 3 out of 5 match for a marble, a $1 gold piece. It is good to shoot against someone that is a little faster than you or a little more accurate with something on the line. It simulates those shoot off matches. We used to shoot for all the marbles about twice a year, but one of us got tired of that game.
The SASS side match was interesting, fun, and useful for training. At our town alley the SASS shooters got to shoot 10 shots for free, the first five being practice and not counting for time, and the second five for time with the sum of the three fastest counting for a score. You had to hit three to get a score. If a shooter wanted to improve his score he could buy an additional 5 shots for $5. All proceeds went to a SASS charity. Each SASS shooter got a ticket for each 5 shots for a drawing for a 45 revolver, one for men and one for ladies. Shooters could try as often as they wanted to. Only open to members of SASS who also competed in SASS event (I did long range but not very well.)
It was a good training match, the fact that you had to hit 3 out of 5 put pressure on you to be accurate. To improve your time put pressure on you to be quick. I purchased extra rounds every day and improved my time each day finally reaching a .394 average which was the winning time. I only shot SASS rounds once or twice a day and had to declare them to be SASS rounds before I shot, no picking a good 5 shot string. Last year it took me to the last day to catch the leader. This year my last day round was also the best. Trying to get that last few milliseconds while hitting better than 60% is really a good training routine.
I always shoot better against Shady, about 30 mls faster, and he helped me by shooting against me in my SASS matches. Some were also marble matches, don't know if I can afford to show up on Shady Mtn cause the tab is due. I have to add I always had one shot quicker than his fastest shot, but since he has been tuned up to about 80%, sadly he got all the marbles but one.
The SASS matches would make a good club practice match. You could have two tin cups one being a daily pot and one a monthly pot. Five shots would cost $2, $1 in each pot. Pot strings have to be declared before they are shot. The fastest total of 3 shots wins the daily pot. Must have 3 hits to get a score. One might think the daily pot might go to the fastest gun, but may more likely go to the most accurate. Quick only matters if you can hit that which you are trying to be quick about. Monthly pot would go to the shooter that improved his time the most during the month. I went from 1.223 to 1.182 over five days improving each day. Hard to shoot 60% while finding that last millisecond of speed.
I had the pleasure of hand judging a match between Holli Day and Honey Badger. It was something to behold. Holli Day had a .374 and Honey Badger a .375. Neither would give in or give up a millisecond, but I would add the match was determined on accuracy not speed.
Many thanks to all those 78 shooters who came to our bracket jackpot shoot, especially those bandits from down on the border, those Deputies from the coast, and those Shootists from the mountains. Think I only have one more bracket shoot left in me, that being Cave Creek.
Took my winnings and spend them on sutter's row, so you will just have to come to the Four Corners to see what the dog drags in.
I have to believe the games we play on Shady Mtn may have something to do with it. Shady and I shoot marble matches about twice a week. It is just a 3 out of 5 match for a marble, a $1 gold piece. It is good to shoot against someone that is a little faster than you or a little more accurate with something on the line. It simulates those shoot off matches. We used to shoot for all the marbles about twice a year, but one of us got tired of that game.
The SASS side match was interesting, fun, and useful for training. At our town alley the SASS shooters got to shoot 10 shots for free, the first five being practice and not counting for time, and the second five for time with the sum of the three fastest counting for a score. You had to hit three to get a score. If a shooter wanted to improve his score he could buy an additional 5 shots for $5. All proceeds went to a SASS charity. Each SASS shooter got a ticket for each 5 shots for a drawing for a 45 revolver, one for men and one for ladies. Shooters could try as often as they wanted to. Only open to members of SASS who also competed in SASS event (I did long range but not very well.)
It was a good training match, the fact that you had to hit 3 out of 5 put pressure on you to be accurate. To improve your time put pressure on you to be quick. I purchased extra rounds every day and improved my time each day finally reaching a .394 average which was the winning time. I only shot SASS rounds once or twice a day and had to declare them to be SASS rounds before I shot, no picking a good 5 shot string. Last year it took me to the last day to catch the leader. This year my last day round was also the best. Trying to get that last few milliseconds while hitting better than 60% is really a good training routine.
I always shoot better against Shady, about 30 mls faster, and he helped me by shooting against me in my SASS matches. Some were also marble matches, don't know if I can afford to show up on Shady Mtn cause the tab is due. I have to add I always had one shot quicker than his fastest shot, but since he has been tuned up to about 80%, sadly he got all the marbles but one.
The SASS matches would make a good club practice match. You could have two tin cups one being a daily pot and one a monthly pot. Five shots would cost $2, $1 in each pot. Pot strings have to be declared before they are shot. The fastest total of 3 shots wins the daily pot. Must have 3 hits to get a score. One might think the daily pot might go to the fastest gun, but may more likely go to the most accurate. Quick only matters if you can hit that which you are trying to be quick about. Monthly pot would go to the shooter that improved his time the most during the month. I went from 1.223 to 1.182 over five days improving each day. Hard to shoot 60% while finding that last millisecond of speed.
I had the pleasure of hand judging a match between Holli Day and Honey Badger. It was something to behold. Holli Day had a .374 and Honey Badger a .375. Neither would give in or give up a millisecond, but I would add the match was determined on accuracy not speed.
Many thanks to all those 78 shooters who came to our bracket jackpot shoot, especially those bandits from down on the border, those Deputies from the coast, and those Shootists from the mountains. Think I only have one more bracket shoot left in me, that being Cave Creek.
Took my winnings and spend them on sutter's row, so you will just have to come to the Four Corners to see what the dog drags in.
Sunday, February 14, 2016
Philosophy from the Salty River
We have had lively discussion about format with Levi and Mitch. Levi says there can only be one winner. The acorn does not fall far from the tree. Mitch says that when he is 4th in Bracket C he is 32nd and deserves nothing. Both look at this from an individual perspective, Levi from his five year plan to win a World Championship and Mitch under the influence of his father. When you're talking about formats one needs to leave the realm of the individual and think in terms of the whole, the CFDA, the club, and the average shooter. That is why Quick Cal says "CFDA strongly supports the instituting Bracket Matches at all classes of events."
Last Saturday the Rio Salado Vaqueros held a 3x Magnificent Seven Match. As always it was an excellent event with 44 shooters attending. It is informative to consider the results in the discussion of format. The best gunfighter of the day clearly was The Draw (World 3rd) and the 2nd best gunfighter probably was Coyote Kid (Tenderfoot, age 7). Hi Strung was lamenting all day to me that he was shooting poorly (slow) but he was hitting and ended the main match clean with no x s. As such, Hi Strung was seeded 1st in the Magnificent Seven. Although probably in the top 20%, it was clear he was not the top gunfighter at the event.
Resurrection Feature: Although there was no official resurrection feature in the contest, it being a standard CFDA format, a resurrection did occur. In the last round of the main event, Coyote Kid eliminated the Draw reducing the field to 6. Following standard protocol, The Draw, clawed his way back through two other shooters to re-enter the field as the 7th seed.
This is not uncommon. In 2015, Marshall Cooper was resurrected at Winter Range to go onto win in a Magnificent Five format. At Colorado, Bonnie Ringo out shot Marshall Cooper to secure the 5th seed. It happens at most shoots with the magnificent format.
This resurrection feature was instituted for its entertainment value, to have a full field, but many times it serves a better function, that is to determine who the best gunfighter is on a given day. On Saturday, The Draw even though he had been eliminated won a bye round, then 8 matches in a row to win the event. He was truly the best gunfighter on February 13 on the Salty River.
The Magnificent Seven format does a pretty good job sorting out who the best gunfighter is on a given day. Getting ready for the Magnificent Seven, I see Hi Strung in the dry fire area, trying to find some more speed and I lectured him to dance with the girl (draw) that got him the number #1 seed. He and I both could not take my advice, and two losses resulted for both of us.
Lest you think it is easy to shoot in the Valley of the Sun here is the results of Saturday's shoot. 1st The Draw (Two-time National Champion), 2nd Whiskey, 3rd Hi Strung (2nd Tombstone),4th Muletrain (2015 Senior World Champion), 5th Coyote Kid (Tenderfoot age 7), 6th Alleluia Ruah (2014 Super Senior National Champion) 7th Miss Kitty (2015 World Champion and Multi-Territorial Champion).
Getting back to the discussion, I think it is good for the sport to have multiple champions. I love the way the Powderhorn Ranch Regulators shoot the National Championship. On Sunday, championship day, they crown 15 or so category champions and then the overall youth, women and men's overall champions. I hope, but doubt, this year's national shoot will have that format.
The inadvertent resurrection feature has worked so well in determining the best gunfighter, I see no reason that we do not institute it for all shooters and have a true resurrection shoot. Now we have 2nd chance shoots just to occupy eliminated shooters. There is no good reason or rule that prevents us from putting meaning into these shoots by allowing the winner back in as the number 7th seed. (paragraph 4, page 21 would have to be tweaked a bit.) Shouldn't our goal be to determine the best gunfighter on any given day.
It is too late to do much about the 2016 schedule, but 2017 is less then a year away. Got my work cut out for me. I have stated before, the best championship format would be to shoot down to five, (or 6 if not having categories) then let the resurrection winner in as 7th seed and the fastest category champion in as the 6th seed. Don't we want to find out who the best gunfighter is at any given event. One of the weaknesses of the elimination format is that the luck of the draw many times determines how you do, not how you are shooting. To come back from the resurrection match to win is nearly impossible except for the best gunfighter there, and that is what we are trying to determine.
Last Saturday the Rio Salado Vaqueros held a 3x Magnificent Seven Match. As always it was an excellent event with 44 shooters attending. It is informative to consider the results in the discussion of format. The best gunfighter of the day clearly was The Draw (World 3rd) and the 2nd best gunfighter probably was Coyote Kid (Tenderfoot, age 7). Hi Strung was lamenting all day to me that he was shooting poorly (slow) but he was hitting and ended the main match clean with no x s. As such, Hi Strung was seeded 1st in the Magnificent Seven. Although probably in the top 20%, it was clear he was not the top gunfighter at the event.
Resurrection Feature: Although there was no official resurrection feature in the contest, it being a standard CFDA format, a resurrection did occur. In the last round of the main event, Coyote Kid eliminated the Draw reducing the field to 6. Following standard protocol, The Draw, clawed his way back through two other shooters to re-enter the field as the 7th seed.
This is not uncommon. In 2015, Marshall Cooper was resurrected at Winter Range to go onto win in a Magnificent Five format. At Colorado, Bonnie Ringo out shot Marshall Cooper to secure the 5th seed. It happens at most shoots with the magnificent format.
This resurrection feature was instituted for its entertainment value, to have a full field, but many times it serves a better function, that is to determine who the best gunfighter is on a given day. On Saturday, The Draw even though he had been eliminated won a bye round, then 8 matches in a row to win the event. He was truly the best gunfighter on February 13 on the Salty River.
The Magnificent Seven format does a pretty good job sorting out who the best gunfighter is on a given day. Getting ready for the Magnificent Seven, I see Hi Strung in the dry fire area, trying to find some more speed and I lectured him to dance with the girl (draw) that got him the number #1 seed. He and I both could not take my advice, and two losses resulted for both of us.
Lest you think it is easy to shoot in the Valley of the Sun here is the results of Saturday's shoot. 1st The Draw (Two-time National Champion), 2nd Whiskey, 3rd Hi Strung (2nd Tombstone),4th Muletrain (2015 Senior World Champion), 5th Coyote Kid (Tenderfoot age 7), 6th Alleluia Ruah (2014 Super Senior National Champion) 7th Miss Kitty (2015 World Champion and Multi-Territorial Champion).
Getting back to the discussion, I think it is good for the sport to have multiple champions. I love the way the Powderhorn Ranch Regulators shoot the National Championship. On Sunday, championship day, they crown 15 or so category champions and then the overall youth, women and men's overall champions. I hope, but doubt, this year's national shoot will have that format.
The inadvertent resurrection feature has worked so well in determining the best gunfighter, I see no reason that we do not institute it for all shooters and have a true resurrection shoot. Now we have 2nd chance shoots just to occupy eliminated shooters. There is no good reason or rule that prevents us from putting meaning into these shoots by allowing the winner back in as the number 7th seed. (paragraph 4, page 21 would have to be tweaked a bit.) Shouldn't our goal be to determine the best gunfighter on any given day.
It is too late to do much about the 2016 schedule, but 2017 is less then a year away. Got my work cut out for me. I have stated before, the best championship format would be to shoot down to five, (or 6 if not having categories) then let the resurrection winner in as 7th seed and the fastest category champion in as the 6th seed. Don't we want to find out who the best gunfighter is at any given event. One of the weaknesses of the elimination format is that the luck of the draw many times determines how you do, not how you are shooting. To come back from the resurrection match to win is nearly impossible except for the best gunfighter there, and that is what we are trying to determine.
Sunday, February 7, 2016
Ole to the Bucket
After months of struggle I finally did better in competition going clean for six rounds at the Camp, no small feat since there were a lots of World, Territorial and State Champions there. No easy draw in the bunch. I attribute my good showing to the fact that two days prior I went to the river and did bucket work.
Bucket work consists of shooting at 6 feet onto cardboard. You are working only on finalizing your draw. Only elevation and a consistent draw matters. You can see each hit and your body will automatically adjust to bring the shot to the desired elevation. You are just trying to get the draw to be automatic, no thought, no change, just like breathing. You are not worried about speed, but your speed will get faster as your draw becomes more finalized.
I enjoy shooting so much with my partners that I have neglected my bucket work. Practicing missing is not helpful, may be fun, but is not helpful.
When you come to a competition, you shoot the draw you brought. No changing or no tinkering and definitely no thinking. That is just the route to boot hill. When you get to the line the only things that you are concerned about are your alignment and your balance. You adjust those before the set command. When the set command is given you are ready, the draw on the light is nothing more than another breath.
"Remember boys, quick only matters if you can hit that which you are trying to be quick about." Virgil Cole.
Bucket work consists of shooting at 6 feet onto cardboard. You are working only on finalizing your draw. Only elevation and a consistent draw matters. You can see each hit and your body will automatically adjust to bring the shot to the desired elevation. You are just trying to get the draw to be automatic, no thought, no change, just like breathing. You are not worried about speed, but your speed will get faster as your draw becomes more finalized.
I enjoy shooting so much with my partners that I have neglected my bucket work. Practicing missing is not helpful, may be fun, but is not helpful.
When you come to a competition, you shoot the draw you brought. No changing or no tinkering and definitely no thinking. That is just the route to boot hill. When you get to the line the only things that you are concerned about are your alignment and your balance. You adjust those before the set command. When the set command is given you are ready, the draw on the light is nothing more than another breath.
"Remember boys, quick only matters if you can hit that which you are trying to be quick about." Virgil Cole.
Thursday, February 4, 2016
Place Obsession
This is a rant about human nature and our obsession with the past. Our ability to try new things or novel things is many times limited by our obsession with what we have done in the past. The biggest hurdle to trying something new is the "can't" factor as in "You can't do that."
I was trying to come up with new and novel format for a jackpot bracket shoot. I thought, well, what if we paid 5 places in three brackets or a total of 15 shooters. We could divide the pot into 20 equal parts. Each of the top five would get 5% of the pot for being one of the top five shooters in the bracket. Then, since we love winners, we give the winner in each bracket an additional 5% for winning the bracket. And again, since we love winners, we shoot the bracket winners off to get an overall winner and he or she gets an additional 5%. The ultimate split works out to be 20%, 10%, 10% and then 12 5% winners. Makes sense to me, since a shooter's ultimate overall place has more to do with the luck of the draw than with how he is shooting, except maybe for that one shooter that goes all the way without a lose in the shoot-offs.
I pitched this to some of the board and club members and was hit with the "can't" factor. The pointed question I could not answer at the time was "Who is in fourth place?" Now, I can answer. There is no overall fourth place. There is just 15 shooters that shot well, three shooters that shot a little bit better, and one shooter that shot the best getting through the shoot-offs without a loss. He or she is the Overall Champion. I proposed Top Fifteen Medallions and little money to each of the top fifteen shooters, and then a little bit more money to the bracket winners and a little more money to the Overall Champion.
I don't suppose this will ever fly because of place obsession. We got to be able to pull our suspenders and say "I was fourth" to the other lower placing shooters even though one's draws may have been the easiest of the lot.
More rant.
We shoot in the summer heat, sometimes 115, and may have between 40 to 70 shooters on 6 lanes. It is not fun to wait an hour between rounds. I propose the Arizona Five to move the shoot along. We would only use it in no X contests like our bracket shoots before the shoot offs.
Arizona Five: Shooters shoot five rounds with the shooter with the most winning shots winning the match. If there is a tie 2-2, then both shooters get a win because both are hitting between 40% and 80%. If there is a tie 0-0 or 1-1, then both shooters get a X because both shooters are shooting 40% or less.
This has also been met with the "can't" factor. "You got to have a winner." No, you don't, you can have a winner, or two winners, or two losers in a match. This would be used only when there is no elimination factor involved, we are only shooting seeding rounds, trying to sort out who is shooting the best this particular day. If two shooters can't hit the target more the once in five shots they ought to sit down, and let's get on with the sorting.
If you can't tell, I am a little frustrated by the "can't" faction. To get this little shoot off of the ground I need a little boost from positive comments, I get plenty negativism from the "can't" faction, that is human nature.
The old Vaquero was giving some advice to the young Vaquero saying, "Remember, you are a Mexican, not a Mexican't." A native American shop owner was lamenting the state of today's youth saying, "Unfortunately, our young people are all pull start, not push button start, like those from India."
I was trying to come up with new and novel format for a jackpot bracket shoot. I thought, well, what if we paid 5 places in three brackets or a total of 15 shooters. We could divide the pot into 20 equal parts. Each of the top five would get 5% of the pot for being one of the top five shooters in the bracket. Then, since we love winners, we give the winner in each bracket an additional 5% for winning the bracket. And again, since we love winners, we shoot the bracket winners off to get an overall winner and he or she gets an additional 5%. The ultimate split works out to be 20%, 10%, 10% and then 12 5% winners. Makes sense to me, since a shooter's ultimate overall place has more to do with the luck of the draw than with how he is shooting, except maybe for that one shooter that goes all the way without a lose in the shoot-offs.
I pitched this to some of the board and club members and was hit with the "can't" factor. The pointed question I could not answer at the time was "Who is in fourth place?" Now, I can answer. There is no overall fourth place. There is just 15 shooters that shot well, three shooters that shot a little bit better, and one shooter that shot the best getting through the shoot-offs without a loss. He or she is the Overall Champion. I proposed Top Fifteen Medallions and little money to each of the top fifteen shooters, and then a little bit more money to the bracket winners and a little more money to the Overall Champion.
I don't suppose this will ever fly because of place obsession. We got to be able to pull our suspenders and say "I was fourth" to the other lower placing shooters even though one's draws may have been the easiest of the lot.
More rant.
We shoot in the summer heat, sometimes 115, and may have between 40 to 70 shooters on 6 lanes. It is not fun to wait an hour between rounds. I propose the Arizona Five to move the shoot along. We would only use it in no X contests like our bracket shoots before the shoot offs.
Arizona Five: Shooters shoot five rounds with the shooter with the most winning shots winning the match. If there is a tie 2-2, then both shooters get a win because both are hitting between 40% and 80%. If there is a tie 0-0 or 1-1, then both shooters get a X because both shooters are shooting 40% or less.
This has also been met with the "can't" factor. "You got to have a winner." No, you don't, you can have a winner, or two winners, or two losers in a match. This would be used only when there is no elimination factor involved, we are only shooting seeding rounds, trying to sort out who is shooting the best this particular day. If two shooters can't hit the target more the once in five shots they ought to sit down, and let's get on with the sorting.
If you can't tell, I am a little frustrated by the "can't" faction. To get this little shoot off of the ground I need a little boost from positive comments, I get plenty negativism from the "can't" faction, that is human nature.
The old Vaquero was giving some advice to the young Vaquero saying, "Remember, you are a Mexican, not a Mexican't." A native American shop owner was lamenting the state of today's youth saying, "Unfortunately, our young people are all pull start, not push button start, like those from India."
Friday, January 29, 2016
Resurrection Revisited
We got some really good observations from Rodeo, Powder Keg, Boss 45 and WOW. It is helpful to get feed back. Just because there is some grumbling does not mean that the basic concept is flawed.
One needs to remember what we are trying to accomplish with a practice shoot. Our goals should be:
1. To give all of the members an equal opportunity to practice, not a just a select few;
2. To fit the shoot within the time we have, summer time that is 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.;
3. To have fun.
Rodeo suggests we should mimic the CFDA shoots and I agreed. But for a practice shoot this present some problems. With the last man standing format with a 3x, a large portion of our members only get a few rounds. The format we are using insures all the members get about the same amount of shooting. Also, with the last man standing format many leave when they are done and tearing down is left to just a few.
Boss 45 highlighted the potential for sandbagging. I have never believed that has been a problem, but understand that is a concern.
WOW expressed we need to get more rounds in. That is not a format problem, but a space problem. Until we get more lanes, we will have to address this with either Montana Five or 2 out of 3, neither of which is popular.
Try this on for size. A magnificent five on two lanes take 45 minutes. A three person shoot off takes less that 15 minutes.
We shoot a No X shoot from 8 to 11 for seeding purposes. If we have more than 40 shooters, we do Montana Five or 2 out of 3, so that we get more rounds in. Then we divide into brackets by x s and time out and shoot 1x magnificent format down to 5 shooters in each bracket. Then we shoot a magnificent five 2x in each bracket (should take 45 minutes). We finish the day by shooting off the three winners with a bye shoot-off, then one championship round.
If I were doing a jackpot shoot with this format I would suggest that that 75% of the prize money be divided by 15 with each of the top shooters getting 5% and then the Champion getting an additional 10% and each winners getting additional 5%. So split would be Champion 20%, two 2nds get 10% each and 12 others getting 5% each.
What do you think. Your input is appreciated and helpful. Think in terms of the club and not just how it may affect you.
"Quick don't matter much in a gunfight!" Little Bill, Unforgiven.
One needs to remember what we are trying to accomplish with a practice shoot. Our goals should be:
1. To give all of the members an equal opportunity to practice, not a just a select few;
2. To fit the shoot within the time we have, summer time that is 8 a.m. to 1 p.m.;
3. To have fun.
Rodeo suggests we should mimic the CFDA shoots and I agreed. But for a practice shoot this present some problems. With the last man standing format with a 3x, a large portion of our members only get a few rounds. The format we are using insures all the members get about the same amount of shooting. Also, with the last man standing format many leave when they are done and tearing down is left to just a few.
Boss 45 highlighted the potential for sandbagging. I have never believed that has been a problem, but understand that is a concern.
WOW expressed we need to get more rounds in. That is not a format problem, but a space problem. Until we get more lanes, we will have to address this with either Montana Five or 2 out of 3, neither of which is popular.
Try this on for size. A magnificent five on two lanes take 45 minutes. A three person shoot off takes less that 15 minutes.
We shoot a No X shoot from 8 to 11 for seeding purposes. If we have more than 40 shooters, we do Montana Five or 2 out of 3, so that we get more rounds in. Then we divide into brackets by x s and time out and shoot 1x magnificent format down to 5 shooters in each bracket. Then we shoot a magnificent five 2x in each bracket (should take 45 minutes). We finish the day by shooting off the three winners with a bye shoot-off, then one championship round.
If I were doing a jackpot shoot with this format I would suggest that that 75% of the prize money be divided by 15 with each of the top shooters getting 5% and then the Champion getting an additional 10% and each winners getting additional 5%. So split would be Champion 20%, two 2nds get 10% each and 12 others getting 5% each.
What do you think. Your input is appreciated and helpful. Think in terms of the club and not just how it may affect you.
"Quick don't matter much in a gunfight!" Little Bill, Unforgiven.
Monday, January 25, 2016
Tombstone Revisited & Arizona Gunslinger Bracket with Resurrection
The 2016 Tombstone shoot is in the books and as usual the Old Publeo Gunfighters put on a great event. I think the value of the door prizes exceeded the entry fee. This year's event used the Arizona Gunslinger Bracket shoot as a format. For those not familiar with it, that format has a no x seeding shoot for as many rounds as time will permit. Then the shooters are seeded by x s and time out of last round and divided into three brackets, then there is a magnificent one x shoot off with the top three shooters in each bracket winning prize money. The prize money is divided equally between Bracket A, B, and C.
This has been been very popular format for jackpot shoots because of the perception that it allows the average shooter a better chance of winning prize money. The perception is that the A bracket is the fastest and the C bracket the slowest, but in fact that is normally not the case. At tombstone, the fastest bracket was the B bracket. Hanker Hank has given me the results and analyzing it, I find that the average time out of A bracket was .6285, B bracket .6039 and C bracket .6403. Taking just the five fastest shooters in each bracket, the averages were A .4464, B .4088, and C .4924. At tombstone, Powder Keg was dialed in and came from the 5th seed to win A Bracket.
Powder Keg won and everyone says he won tombstone, but I am not sure he was the best shooter on that day. Two/thirds of the field did not have a chance to compete against him. Fastest shooter there was Witlock with a timeout of .332, but he was in Bracket B.
It has always annoyed me that the winner of Bracket A claims to have won the shoot (think loverboy) when 2/3rds of the field does not have the opportunity to make it to 1st place.
The Arizona Bracket shoot works best with small to medium shoots. At Tombstone there were 55 shooters and we only got four seeding rounds. That means that the luck of the draw has more to do with where you are seeded and where you place than how you are shooting. If you draw the best three shooter you go down to the bottom in the bracket shoot or out in a last man standing, even if you are shooting well and are the 4th best shooter there. With small numbers you get more seeding rounds and so there is a chance to overcome a tough series of shooters.
WE CAN IMPROVE ON THIS FORMAT. By adding a resurrection feature, we can give each shooter a chance to make it to first. What you do is to shoot the Arizona Gunslinger Bracket as normal, and then take the top three shooters in each bracket and shoot them off. You put all of the 1s on lanes 1 & 2 and they are shooting for 1st, 2nd and 3rd with A 1 getting a bye, you put all of the 2s on lane 3&4 shooting for 4th 5th and 6th with A 2 getting a bye, and you put all of the 3s on lane 5 & 6 and they are shooting for 7th 8th and 9th.
Every shooter has a chance to make it to 1st no matter where they are seeded. No one is out until the fat lady sings.
We tried the Arizona Gunslinger Bracket Shoot with Resurrection last Saturday and it worked. Adding the additional rounds only added two more rounds and about 10 minutes to the shoot. We had 42 shooters participate in the shoot off. EB was seeded 39th, being in bracket C, and he was unstoppable, winning 8 matches in Bracket C and two matches against the other number 1s to win the event. HawgLeg Willie was seeded 17th and moved up to place 7th. Powder Keg was on fire again being seeded 8th and moved up until he met the number one seed Lawless Speed. Lawless Speed finished 2nd and Powder Keg finished 4th. We had one tenderfoot shooter, Coyote Kid, seeded 29th who finished 9th. Our Billy the Kid shooter, Buckeroo Ben, was seeded 28th and finished 6th.
Looking at the breakdown of the top nine, we had 2 three shooters, two four shooters, two five/six shooters, two long guns, two 7/8 shooters, and two youth.
The format rewards the best gunfighter, not necessarily the quickest nor the slowest, but the ones who in the shoot offs are shooting the best. It is interesting to note that we had seven World, National, Territorial, State champions shooting Saturday, none of whom made the top nine. The Champions were pretty much evenly distributed among the three brackets. The fastest shooter there got mowed downed by EB in Bracket C.
Some might says the the lack of the Champions in the final nine means format is not good, but I don't think so. The Champions just were not hitting and it you don't hit you don't win. To do well in this format, what is needed is consistency. You must shoot well in each and every match and for a lot of matches.
SPEED BIAS: There is a speed bias built in since seeding is done by xs and time out. Also the A shooters get a bye. One would expect the speed to be in Bracket A, which among the nine, both of the 3 shooters came from Bracket A. The two fastest shooters were in Bracket B and C. You can't miss fast enough to win.
Saturday's shoot was just for practice and was not for prize money.
However, if and when it is used of a jackpot shoot, prize money can be distributed 1 through 9, thereby alleviate one of the complaints we hear about the bracket shoot.
MAJOR TITLED EVENTS: The Arizona Gunslingers Bracket Shoot with Resurrection would make a great warm-up event at a titled shoot. Warm-up event should be just that, a chance to get dialed in and prepared for the main event. With the last man standing format, say 3x, 25% of the field only gets three matches.
With two ranges, you can shoot everyone together for the seeding rounds and get probably get 6 or 7 rounds in if you have 60 shooters or 5 or 6 with 80 shooters. Then seed by xs and time out into 6 brackets. Shoot three brackets one range and three brackets on the other. Shoot offs on each range would remain separate and you would have 9 places set on one range and 9 places on the other. So you could pay out prize money to a total of 18 shooters. Sounds like fun
One big advantage, after the seeding rounds, you do not need the computer. Everything is set up on paper.
Well, what do you think?
"Remember boys quick don't matter, if you don't hit that which you are trying to be quick about."
This has been been very popular format for jackpot shoots because of the perception that it allows the average shooter a better chance of winning prize money. The perception is that the A bracket is the fastest and the C bracket the slowest, but in fact that is normally not the case. At tombstone, the fastest bracket was the B bracket. Hanker Hank has given me the results and analyzing it, I find that the average time out of A bracket was .6285, B bracket .6039 and C bracket .6403. Taking just the five fastest shooters in each bracket, the averages were A .4464, B .4088, and C .4924. At tombstone, Powder Keg was dialed in and came from the 5th seed to win A Bracket.
Powder Keg won and everyone says he won tombstone, but I am not sure he was the best shooter on that day. Two/thirds of the field did not have a chance to compete against him. Fastest shooter there was Witlock with a timeout of .332, but he was in Bracket B.
It has always annoyed me that the winner of Bracket A claims to have won the shoot (think loverboy) when 2/3rds of the field does not have the opportunity to make it to 1st place.
The Arizona Bracket shoot works best with small to medium shoots. At Tombstone there were 55 shooters and we only got four seeding rounds. That means that the luck of the draw has more to do with where you are seeded and where you place than how you are shooting. If you draw the best three shooter you go down to the bottom in the bracket shoot or out in a last man standing, even if you are shooting well and are the 4th best shooter there. With small numbers you get more seeding rounds and so there is a chance to overcome a tough series of shooters.
WE CAN IMPROVE ON THIS FORMAT. By adding a resurrection feature, we can give each shooter a chance to make it to first. What you do is to shoot the Arizona Gunslinger Bracket as normal, and then take the top three shooters in each bracket and shoot them off. You put all of the 1s on lanes 1 & 2 and they are shooting for 1st, 2nd and 3rd with A 1 getting a bye, you put all of the 2s on lane 3&4 shooting for 4th 5th and 6th with A 2 getting a bye, and you put all of the 3s on lane 5 & 6 and they are shooting for 7th 8th and 9th.
Every shooter has a chance to make it to 1st no matter where they are seeded. No one is out until the fat lady sings.
We tried the Arizona Gunslinger Bracket Shoot with Resurrection last Saturday and it worked. Adding the additional rounds only added two more rounds and about 10 minutes to the shoot. We had 42 shooters participate in the shoot off. EB was seeded 39th, being in bracket C, and he was unstoppable, winning 8 matches in Bracket C and two matches against the other number 1s to win the event. HawgLeg Willie was seeded 17th and moved up to place 7th. Powder Keg was on fire again being seeded 8th and moved up until he met the number one seed Lawless Speed. Lawless Speed finished 2nd and Powder Keg finished 4th. We had one tenderfoot shooter, Coyote Kid, seeded 29th who finished 9th. Our Billy the Kid shooter, Buckeroo Ben, was seeded 28th and finished 6th.
Looking at the breakdown of the top nine, we had 2 three shooters, two four shooters, two five/six shooters, two long guns, two 7/8 shooters, and two youth.
The format rewards the best gunfighter, not necessarily the quickest nor the slowest, but the ones who in the shoot offs are shooting the best. It is interesting to note that we had seven World, National, Territorial, State champions shooting Saturday, none of whom made the top nine. The Champions were pretty much evenly distributed among the three brackets. The fastest shooter there got mowed downed by EB in Bracket C.
Some might says the the lack of the Champions in the final nine means format is not good, but I don't think so. The Champions just were not hitting and it you don't hit you don't win. To do well in this format, what is needed is consistency. You must shoot well in each and every match and for a lot of matches.
SPEED BIAS: There is a speed bias built in since seeding is done by xs and time out. Also the A shooters get a bye. One would expect the speed to be in Bracket A, which among the nine, both of the 3 shooters came from Bracket A. The two fastest shooters were in Bracket B and C. You can't miss fast enough to win.
Saturday's shoot was just for practice and was not for prize money.
However, if and when it is used of a jackpot shoot, prize money can be distributed 1 through 9, thereby alleviate one of the complaints we hear about the bracket shoot.
MAJOR TITLED EVENTS: The Arizona Gunslingers Bracket Shoot with Resurrection would make a great warm-up event at a titled shoot. Warm-up event should be just that, a chance to get dialed in and prepared for the main event. With the last man standing format, say 3x, 25% of the field only gets three matches.
With two ranges, you can shoot everyone together for the seeding rounds and get probably get 6 or 7 rounds in if you have 60 shooters or 5 or 6 with 80 shooters. Then seed by xs and time out into 6 brackets. Shoot three brackets one range and three brackets on the other. Shoot offs on each range would remain separate and you would have 9 places set on one range and 9 places on the other. So you could pay out prize money to a total of 18 shooters. Sounds like fun
One big advantage, after the seeding rounds, you do not need the computer. Everything is set up on paper.
Well, what do you think?
"Remember boys quick don't matter, if you don't hit that which you are trying to be quick about."
Monday, August 31, 2015
Splits, Handjudging and other Nonsense
Using coach's eye with its timer feature I have been able to get fairly accurate splits on some of the gunslingers here in the Valley of the Sun. I am pretty confident that Thirsty's draw speed is 120 mls give or take 10 mls. Powder Keg's draw speed is 150 mls again +/- 10 mls. My draw speed is right around 160 mls.
Sunday we had an interesting match on Shady Mtn between Thirsty and Powder Keg. Before the light Powder Keg flinched but he did not move the gun in the holster. It was an observable body flinch. Thirsty drew on the flinch and hit a .307. Powder Keg then drew on the light and hit a .379. Okay, handjudges and range masters, call this one. Knowing the draw speeds of the shooters you can conclude that Thirsty had splits of reaction time 154 mls, draw time of 120 mls and flight time of .33 mls. Thristy clearly drew 154 mls after the light came on. Powder Keg would have been190/156/33.
I have been hearing rumblings that they is a move afoot to change the shooting distance or size of the target to get more hits. Nobody said anything to me probably because I am such an opinionated fella. If you can't hit the target shooting 3s then either you are practicing missing or you have a draw that is inherently inaccurate. If you practice enough to shoot threes, then you practice enough to be hitting 80%.
I went to the mountains and practiced exclusively speed. Screwed up my draw. Came back and could not hit the inside of a barn. Grail fever will do you in quicker than any other ailment. My fault. No need move the targets closer, I just got to remember that a fast miss will not help me against that gunfighter I have to face, whether he is a world champion or that ten year old that does not miss.
"Quick don't mean much in a gunfight!" Little Bill, Unforgiven.
Sunday we had an interesting match on Shady Mtn between Thirsty and Powder Keg. Before the light Powder Keg flinched but he did not move the gun in the holster. It was an observable body flinch. Thirsty drew on the flinch and hit a .307. Powder Keg then drew on the light and hit a .379. Okay, handjudges and range masters, call this one. Knowing the draw speeds of the shooters you can conclude that Thirsty had splits of reaction time 154 mls, draw time of 120 mls and flight time of .33 mls. Thristy clearly drew 154 mls after the light came on. Powder Keg would have been190/156/33.
I have been hearing rumblings that they is a move afoot to change the shooting distance or size of the target to get more hits. Nobody said anything to me probably because I am such an opinionated fella. If you can't hit the target shooting 3s then either you are practicing missing or you have a draw that is inherently inaccurate. If you practice enough to shoot threes, then you practice enough to be hitting 80%.
I went to the mountains and practiced exclusively speed. Screwed up my draw. Came back and could not hit the inside of a barn. Grail fever will do you in quicker than any other ailment. My fault. No need move the targets closer, I just got to remember that a fast miss will not help me against that gunfighter I have to face, whether he is a world champion or that ten year old that does not miss.
"Quick don't mean much in a gunfight!" Little Bill, Unforgiven.
Sunday, August 2, 2015
Speed, Accuracy, and Wins
The Four Corner's Territorial is in the book, as usual it was a great event in a great location put on by great people. My only complaint is that I could not have had a tougher draw. In eleven matches, my opponent was faster than me, substantially, in ten of the eleven matches. The only opponent that was slower than me made it to the final five even though I defeated him on speed, both hitting 100%, and I being about 10 mls faster on average. He was shooting 415s and I 4 flat. The other ten opponents were low 3s, mid 3s and high 3s shooters.
Speed: Speed was a partial factor in only three matches, I winning one and losing two. It was decisive only in one match with the fifth place finisher.
Accuracy: In my seven wins I hit better than 80%. Most of those matches were over before the faster shooter found the target. Generally, I missed the first shot, then walked the hits to the light. In my four losses I hit 60%. In all four losses, I let the opponent get away. Had I hit 80% I would have won all four of those matches. That purveyor of videos got me twice on speed after we both had missed at 2-2. Because he is in our club and is faster than me, I probably let the adrenaline push the winning shot high off the target.
I have never suggested slowing down to hit. Your quickest draw should be your most accurate. If it is not, then change your draw. What I do say is that you can and should learn accuracy at the same time that you learn speed.
"Quick don't mean much in a gunfight" Little Bill, Unforgiven.
It is informative to look at the three final championship matches. On average Quick Cal is at least 50 milliseconds slower than Parttime. Quick Cal won on accuracy. Miss Kitty is on average 30-40 mls slower than KK Kid. Miss Kitty won! Miss Kitty did win on speed in the championship match against Texas Rose. Tank is on average 100 mls slower than Trigger Happy. Tank won! Bonnie Ringo is 70 mls slower than Marshall Cooper but eliminated Marshall Cooper.
What is common to all three Champions is champion gunfighter nerves. Those that control the nerves and shoot under pressure best usually prevail. In three of my four losses, I know I let the adrenaline get the better of me because who I was shooting against. I really wanted to get Quick Cal and Old West, but got out of my proper mind set in those matches.
Before the next state and territorial my goal is to be quicker than .390 at 80% accuracy or better. But of the two, 80% accuracy will get more wins than .390 speed.
I placed 12th at the four corners territorial shooting generally between .395 and .415 in the matches decided by speed. Best match of the week was with my training partner with a winning shot of .391and other shots in the .39 s.
I have to give credit to loverboy's training tips for moving me down into the threes.
Speed: Speed was a partial factor in only three matches, I winning one and losing two. It was decisive only in one match with the fifth place finisher.
Accuracy: In my seven wins I hit better than 80%. Most of those matches were over before the faster shooter found the target. Generally, I missed the first shot, then walked the hits to the light. In my four losses I hit 60%. In all four losses, I let the opponent get away. Had I hit 80% I would have won all four of those matches. That purveyor of videos got me twice on speed after we both had missed at 2-2. Because he is in our club and is faster than me, I probably let the adrenaline push the winning shot high off the target.
I have never suggested slowing down to hit. Your quickest draw should be your most accurate. If it is not, then change your draw. What I do say is that you can and should learn accuracy at the same time that you learn speed.
"Quick don't mean much in a gunfight" Little Bill, Unforgiven.
It is informative to look at the three final championship matches. On average Quick Cal is at least 50 milliseconds slower than Parttime. Quick Cal won on accuracy. Miss Kitty is on average 30-40 mls slower than KK Kid. Miss Kitty won! Miss Kitty did win on speed in the championship match against Texas Rose. Tank is on average 100 mls slower than Trigger Happy. Tank won! Bonnie Ringo is 70 mls slower than Marshall Cooper but eliminated Marshall Cooper.
What is common to all three Champions is champion gunfighter nerves. Those that control the nerves and shoot under pressure best usually prevail. In three of my four losses, I know I let the adrenaline get the better of me because who I was shooting against. I really wanted to get Quick Cal and Old West, but got out of my proper mind set in those matches.
Before the next state and territorial my goal is to be quicker than .390 at 80% accuracy or better. But of the two, 80% accuracy will get more wins than .390 speed.
I placed 12th at the four corners territorial shooting generally between .395 and .415 in the matches decided by speed. Best match of the week was with my training partner with a winning shot of .391and other shots in the .39 s.
I have to give credit to loverboy's training tips for moving me down into the threes.
Wednesday, July 22, 2015
Practicing Missing!
I was working with my 6 year old shooter getting him ready for a local shoot (finished 13th out of 40.) After we finished he said, "Watch Grandpa, I can go fast". He then dry fires 10 rounds in about 5 seconds. He was quick, but every shot was about 10 feet high. He was flailing the gun. What did he learn? Nothing, but a bad habit.
Rodeo Romeo would say you got to learn to go fast before you learn to be accurate. He says that because that is how he learned and was told that by his mentor. I don't think it is true. I think this fallacy comes from the flailers, those that get their speed from swinging the gun upward rapidly. If you flail, it is a matter of chance whether you will hit. The faster you flail, the faster your times will be and the less accurate you will be. Most of the top guns do not flail. Rodeo does not flail. There are some that flail, but it is extremely hard to be accurate doing that.
Another fallacy is that you have to slow down to be accurate. This also comes for those that learned by flailing. It makes sense for the flailer. If you flail, the slower you flail the longer the muzzle will be in the hit zone, hence the better chance you will have to hit. For those that do not flail, those that shoot from a solid stable shooting position, their fastest and quickest shot is also their most accurate. This fallacy, that you have to slow down to be accurate, is why slower shooters give us so much trouble. We come against a slower shooter and we change our draw trying to slow down, hence we miss.
It is frustrating to see new shooters in our club, routinely shoot into the 3s and 4s, and then go to competitions and hit 30% or less. If you are practicing enough to shoot into the 3s or 4s, you are practicing enough to be shooting 80%. If not, you are either a flailer or you have been practicing missing.
If you are practicing and hitting 30% and not paying attention to that 70% that miss, then you are wasting that 70%. YOU ARE PRACTICING MISSING. Why do it? Takes no more effort to learn from that 70%.
What you need is a target medium that allows you to see every shot. And I don't mean in a general way but a very specific way, 2 inches high, 3 inches high, 4 inches low and so forth. If you see every miss and exactly how far off, your body and mind will automatic adjust to hit the target. You don't even have to think or try. With the proper target medium, you may start out hitting 30% but by the time you have shot a 50 shot practice round you will be hitting more consistently. The body and mind will move the hits into the target zone. The last 15 or 20 rounds of a 50 round practice session are what are important. That is where you progress into being a gunfighter, not just someone that happens to hit the target every once and awhile.
It is also beneficial to get off of the clock. If you are always chasing the clock you will never finalize your draw. Your draw needs to be automatic, instinctive, done without thought or effort when you compete. If you are always changing your draw trying to get that last millisecond, you will never be done with your draw and will be always in the draw developer stage. Those developing their draw are slowed by the process. To reach your potential, the draw must be like breathing. That is why our fastest times come not when we are trying to go fast, but come as a complete surprise, when we are relaxed and just letting our body do what it done a thousand times before.
Fair warning to those who compete in the Valley of the Sun. There are a few youths that shoot with me in Jack's Canyon and,
"We don't practice missing in Jack's Canyon!"
Rodeo Romeo would say you got to learn to go fast before you learn to be accurate. He says that because that is how he learned and was told that by his mentor. I don't think it is true. I think this fallacy comes from the flailers, those that get their speed from swinging the gun upward rapidly. If you flail, it is a matter of chance whether you will hit. The faster you flail, the faster your times will be and the less accurate you will be. Most of the top guns do not flail. Rodeo does not flail. There are some that flail, but it is extremely hard to be accurate doing that.
Another fallacy is that you have to slow down to be accurate. This also comes for those that learned by flailing. It makes sense for the flailer. If you flail, the slower you flail the longer the muzzle will be in the hit zone, hence the better chance you will have to hit. For those that do not flail, those that shoot from a solid stable shooting position, their fastest and quickest shot is also their most accurate. This fallacy, that you have to slow down to be accurate, is why slower shooters give us so much trouble. We come against a slower shooter and we change our draw trying to slow down, hence we miss.
It is frustrating to see new shooters in our club, routinely shoot into the 3s and 4s, and then go to competitions and hit 30% or less. If you are practicing enough to shoot into the 3s or 4s, you are practicing enough to be shooting 80%. If not, you are either a flailer or you have been practicing missing.
If you are practicing and hitting 30% and not paying attention to that 70% that miss, then you are wasting that 70%. YOU ARE PRACTICING MISSING. Why do it? Takes no more effort to learn from that 70%.
What you need is a target medium that allows you to see every shot. And I don't mean in a general way but a very specific way, 2 inches high, 3 inches high, 4 inches low and so forth. If you see every miss and exactly how far off, your body and mind will automatic adjust to hit the target. You don't even have to think or try. With the proper target medium, you may start out hitting 30% but by the time you have shot a 50 shot practice round you will be hitting more consistently. The body and mind will move the hits into the target zone. The last 15 or 20 rounds of a 50 round practice session are what are important. That is where you progress into being a gunfighter, not just someone that happens to hit the target every once and awhile.
It is also beneficial to get off of the clock. If you are always chasing the clock you will never finalize your draw. Your draw needs to be automatic, instinctive, done without thought or effort when you compete. If you are always changing your draw trying to get that last millisecond, you will never be done with your draw and will be always in the draw developer stage. Those developing their draw are slowed by the process. To reach your potential, the draw must be like breathing. That is why our fastest times come not when we are trying to go fast, but come as a complete surprise, when we are relaxed and just letting our body do what it done a thousand times before.
Fair warning to those who compete in the Valley of the Sun. There are a few youths that shoot with me in Jack's Canyon and,
"We don't practice missing in Jack's Canyon!"
Thursday, July 16, 2015
The Recovery Shot
That purveyor of videos has been ranting about sportsmanship again. He has just about ridden that horse into the ground. We are proud to have him as a life member and take him with that one flaw. In a few short years he has become one of the top guns of the sport.
I just don't understand the obsession. In the old west I doubt anyone worried about sportsmanship, they were too busy looking for an advantage.
When someone on the line asks me if I take recovery shots, I belly laugh and respond "Every chance I get." I am reserving another comment for that one cowboy who thinks he epitomizes cowboy fast draw but really is a tad short on sportsmanship to meet the norm. The comment is "If you will tell me when you are going to miss, I will intentionally slip cock." When asked, I always think "this ought to be easy, he is already worried about missing."
We have to take every competitor as they are when they come to the line. If one is thinking about whether I might take a recovery shot, that is fine, it is just an advantage I will have. I ain't missing, so it does not matter to me and I always enjoy a good laugh before I shoot. Loosens me up.
The top guns don't worry about recovery shots, that why we have championships determined by .98, .34 and a .331 to a .36 and .36. For my obsession, I note that the winner shot 75% while the loser shot 50%.
John, I don't know why you always flee this crispy weather we are having for that cool, breezy place. Now I hear you are fleeing to an island. You need to get back here, I can't handle Shady any more. I might have to break down and buy one of your videos. "But it is hard to fill a cup that is already full!"
I just don't understand the obsession. In the old west I doubt anyone worried about sportsmanship, they were too busy looking for an advantage.
When someone on the line asks me if I take recovery shots, I belly laugh and respond "Every chance I get." I am reserving another comment for that one cowboy who thinks he epitomizes cowboy fast draw but really is a tad short on sportsmanship to meet the norm. The comment is "If you will tell me when you are going to miss, I will intentionally slip cock." When asked, I always think "this ought to be easy, he is already worried about missing."
We have to take every competitor as they are when they come to the line. If one is thinking about whether I might take a recovery shot, that is fine, it is just an advantage I will have. I ain't missing, so it does not matter to me and I always enjoy a good laugh before I shoot. Loosens me up.
The top guns don't worry about recovery shots, that why we have championships determined by .98, .34 and a .331 to a .36 and .36. For my obsession, I note that the winner shot 75% while the loser shot 50%.
John, I don't know why you always flee this crispy weather we are having for that cool, breezy place. Now I hear you are fleeing to an island. You need to get back here, I can't handle Shady any more. I might have to break down and buy one of your videos. "But it is hard to fill a cup that is already full!"
Wednesday, July 15, 2015
The Belly Shot
I have been training a young lad, age 6, who for anonymity I will call the Jack' s Canyon Kid since that is where he first drew from a holster. He has been shooting off the table for about a year and at his last competition hit 24 out of 25 shots finishing 25th out of 50 shooters. He is ready to move on. We moved him to the holster with the requirement that he shoot from the hip. We intentionally were going to skip "the point and shoot stage," so that he never would learn the "point and shoot" since so many struggle unlearning that technique.
He did well drawing from the holster. After 150 rounds he was hitting about 60% from the holster, although slow. Hitting has always been important to him. Unfortunately, the powers that be have read the rule book which says that a competitor under the age of 8 can not shoot out of the holster. So now it is back to the table.
So as not to lose what we have accomplished he is now shooting the "belly shot" from the table. He starts with the gun on the table or at low ready position. Upon the light he draws the gun back to the locked elbow position while cocking the hammer. When the off hand wrist reaches the belly he pulls the trigger. Therefore the gun is fired from a stable position with no forward or upward movement. THERE IS NO POINT AND SHOOT involved. Why learn something you have to unlearn later on. This method mimics the draw out of the holster. When he turns 8, the draw will be already firmly established.
His first seventy rounds were good but he was consistently high. It will not take long to fix that because in Jack's Canyon we don't practice missing and to the Jack's Canyon Kid the most important thing is to be able to brag he beat Grandpa. He is the only novice I have ever seen who adjusts his stance naturally upon a miss. He broke into the six s today and I foresee he will be a force to be reckoned with.
Others that help new shooters age 6 to 86 may want to consider the belly shot for their new shooters. Start them from the low ready position and have them draw back to a hip fire position, I have good friends that can consistently shoot into the low fours until they get into competition and the target draws them back to their "point and shoot" roots. Why learn something that you have to unlearn later on.
"We don't practice missing on the mountain or in Jack's Canyon"
He did well drawing from the holster. After 150 rounds he was hitting about 60% from the holster, although slow. Hitting has always been important to him. Unfortunately, the powers that be have read the rule book which says that a competitor under the age of 8 can not shoot out of the holster. So now it is back to the table.
So as not to lose what we have accomplished he is now shooting the "belly shot" from the table. He starts with the gun on the table or at low ready position. Upon the light he draws the gun back to the locked elbow position while cocking the hammer. When the off hand wrist reaches the belly he pulls the trigger. Therefore the gun is fired from a stable position with no forward or upward movement. THERE IS NO POINT AND SHOOT involved. Why learn something you have to unlearn later on. This method mimics the draw out of the holster. When he turns 8, the draw will be already firmly established.
His first seventy rounds were good but he was consistently high. It will not take long to fix that because in Jack's Canyon we don't practice missing and to the Jack's Canyon Kid the most important thing is to be able to brag he beat Grandpa. He is the only novice I have ever seen who adjusts his stance naturally upon a miss. He broke into the six s today and I foresee he will be a force to be reckoned with.
Others that help new shooters age 6 to 86 may want to consider the belly shot for their new shooters. Start them from the low ready position and have them draw back to a hip fire position, I have good friends that can consistently shoot into the low fours until they get into competition and the target draws them back to their "point and shoot" roots. Why learn something that you have to unlearn later on.
"We don't practice missing on the mountain or in Jack's Canyon"
Monday, June 29, 2015
The Waggle
Professional golfers have a pre-shot routine that they go through each and every time prior to a shot. Many use a pre-shot "waggle," immediately before the shot. It is a insignificant motion of the club head right before they beginning their shot. It is a signal to their bodies and especially their minds that they are ready to go. All preparation has been completed.
When I started to shoot I had the privilege of hand judging Wild Onion Willie. He has a waggle which at the time I thought may be a violation of the rules but I did not say anything because of his stature in the sport. Of course, it was not a violation I just did not understand the rules. I just watched a video of Yusta B Fast in which there appears to be a waggle but it was not there on every draw. To be a waggle it must be done intentionally, each and every time, and be a signal to the mind and body that the shooter is ready to go.
I have a pre-match waggle which is to draw and dry fire my gun twice. After that I am set and do not think about my draw or anything related to it again. If I lose a bye round I always unload and show clear so that I can go through my waggle again on the load and make ready command.
I am currently working on a pre-shot waggle but have not perfected it yet. I did use one at Nationals and shot my fastest competitive time.
We can learn from other sports. I wish I had been a sprinter in track and field because I am sure that there are some techniques used there to get off on the light. I heard of trying to anticipate the light but when I do that I am generally 50 mls slower because I am thinking, and whenever you think you are slow.
When I started to shoot I had the privilege of hand judging Wild Onion Willie. He has a waggle which at the time I thought may be a violation of the rules but I did not say anything because of his stature in the sport. Of course, it was not a violation I just did not understand the rules. I just watched a video of Yusta B Fast in which there appears to be a waggle but it was not there on every draw. To be a waggle it must be done intentionally, each and every time, and be a signal to the mind and body that the shooter is ready to go.
I have a pre-match waggle which is to draw and dry fire my gun twice. After that I am set and do not think about my draw or anything related to it again. If I lose a bye round I always unload and show clear so that I can go through my waggle again on the load and make ready command.
I am currently working on a pre-shot waggle but have not perfected it yet. I did use one at Nationals and shot my fastest competitive time.
We can learn from other sports. I wish I had been a sprinter in track and field because I am sure that there are some techniques used there to get off on the light. I heard of trying to anticipate the light but when I do that I am generally 50 mls slower because I am thinking, and whenever you think you are slow.
Thursday, June 18, 2015
Mind Set
I think the mental part of this game far exceeds the physical. At the High Plains Territorial I followed WildShot around for five rounds, he was either hand judging me or I he, or on the next lane. He shoots the long gun and he was on. In round four he put three shots in a dollar size circle. I figured he was the cowboy to beat.
In round five, WildShot, met Marshall Cooper. He put one in the ground 6 feet in front of the target, several over the top, don't remember him hitting the target once. After the round I asked him what happened, you were so accurate in the earlier rounds. He said well I shoot with Marshall every week and I always shoot different against him. I always try to go faster.
The mind affects how we shoot. Thinking about anything is bad. I was cruising along and really had found the target. In round three I missed an inch wide on the first shot then proceeded to walk the shots right to the middle on the next three winning in four shots. I was so pleased with myself that I bragged in between matches. Then I met Deacon, a 90% shooter. I never hit the target once. Mind set?
The next round I shot what I considered the near perfect adjustment match. Four rounds, first a miss light high to the left, then three shots walked to the middle in perfect horizontal line.
Next, I met Wildshot and my mind was right. Match over in three or four shots.
Then in round eight, I met Luckey O'Riley. He is faster than me but he also knows that when I am on he has to hit. He had just defeated Beaver Creek Kid, wearer of the black badge, in two consecutive matches so he was flying high. We both had our minds right! First shot he wins .434 to .436. The die was cast. He wins two on speed, I win two on speed. He hits 4 out of 5, I hit 5 out of 5. That is what this sport is about, a perfect match beween good friends, felt like a marble match.
I am a student of the game and the mind set. You would think I would learn. Met Marshall Cooper in the 10th round and I think (all thinking in bad) "Well, I can't beat him on speed just put it on the target" Marshall hits one out of the first five shots, I hit none. It was just as if I met Deacon again.
This game is not about who can shoot the best, but who can get or keep their mind in the proper set. As Little Bill explained, "Quick don't mean much in a gunfight."
In round five, WildShot, met Marshall Cooper. He put one in the ground 6 feet in front of the target, several over the top, don't remember him hitting the target once. After the round I asked him what happened, you were so accurate in the earlier rounds. He said well I shoot with Marshall every week and I always shoot different against him. I always try to go faster.
The mind affects how we shoot. Thinking about anything is bad. I was cruising along and really had found the target. In round three I missed an inch wide on the first shot then proceeded to walk the shots right to the middle on the next three winning in four shots. I was so pleased with myself that I bragged in between matches. Then I met Deacon, a 90% shooter. I never hit the target once. Mind set?
The next round I shot what I considered the near perfect adjustment match. Four rounds, first a miss light high to the left, then three shots walked to the middle in perfect horizontal line.
Next, I met Wildshot and my mind was right. Match over in three or four shots.
Then in round eight, I met Luckey O'Riley. He is faster than me but he also knows that when I am on he has to hit. He had just defeated Beaver Creek Kid, wearer of the black badge, in two consecutive matches so he was flying high. We both had our minds right! First shot he wins .434 to .436. The die was cast. He wins two on speed, I win two on speed. He hits 4 out of 5, I hit 5 out of 5. That is what this sport is about, a perfect match beween good friends, felt like a marble match.
I am a student of the game and the mind set. You would think I would learn. Met Marshall Cooper in the 10th round and I think (all thinking in bad) "Well, I can't beat him on speed just put it on the target" Marshall hits one out of the first five shots, I hit none. It was just as if I met Deacon again.
This game is not about who can shoot the best, but who can get or keep their mind in the proper set. As Little Bill explained, "Quick don't mean much in a gunfight."
Tuesday, June 2, 2015
Style or Draw Technique
A few weeks ago a regular and seasoned contributor to the forum opined that there really was only two types of draw for the fast shooter, the level and follow through and the upswing draw. I took offense that the locked elbow draw had being omitted and opined that the current world champion used it. The contributor corrected me that the World Champion uses the level and follow through but has omitted the follow through. Marshall Cooper in his video explains his draw that way.
Problem with this is it is exceeding hard to learn. I seen numerous shooter work years to learn the level and follow then work years trying to unlearn the follow through. Many are successful in practice getting into the 4s but in competition the target draws them out and they shoot 5s and 6s.
On the other hand with the lock elbow draw, you never learn the follow through so you don't have to unlearn it. The lock elbow draw may be the favored draw in the Valley of the Sun because the desert master teaches it.
I was fortunate in that I had hand surgery and could not shoot for two months. I used the time to copy a multiple champion who shoots the locked elbow draw and she was trained by the desert master. Since I now shoot a variation, the thumb roll draw, I will explain that and let some else explain the lock elbow draw.
The thumb roll draw is a variation of the locked elbow draw out of a high rise Shaniko holster. The Shaniko is suited for it because of its high position on the hip and its wrapped trigger guard. You start by crossing the thumb over the hammer (as Wyatt Earp recommended, yes that Wyatt). This helps in eliminating slip cocks and provides the power for the draw, You draw by forcefully cocking the hammer thereby rolling the gun out of the holster.. When you clear the holster you should be in the locked elbow position and the trigger is pulled. The gun is solidly against your body, there no forward motion, there is no upward motion. You should be able to shoot better than 80% because of the stable position from which the gun is fired. Misses result from misalignment of your stance, not from variation in the draw.
If you can do it, I recommend the thumb roll draw, if not then the locked elbow draw.
An humorous side note. About six months ago a pretty young thing came to a shoot and needed help learning the sport. The old geezers could not get in line quick enough to help her. There was that purveyor of videos trying to teach her the level and follow thru, the prayerful one was selling the locked elbow draw, and there were other cowboys mentoring when they have never mentored before. I was worried she was going hurt herself she was getting so much conflicting advice. Fortunately, the desert master took her under his wing as he does with all novices, She now has a .373 competitive PR and routinely breaks into the threes. If you want to see good form on the locked elbow draw, look at her facebook page. There is a straight line from her locked elbow to the muzzle horizontal to the ground, gun solidly a her side as the trigger is pulled.
Problem with this is it is exceeding hard to learn. I seen numerous shooter work years to learn the level and follow then work years trying to unlearn the follow through. Many are successful in practice getting into the 4s but in competition the target draws them out and they shoot 5s and 6s.
On the other hand with the lock elbow draw, you never learn the follow through so you don't have to unlearn it. The lock elbow draw may be the favored draw in the Valley of the Sun because the desert master teaches it.
I was fortunate in that I had hand surgery and could not shoot for two months. I used the time to copy a multiple champion who shoots the locked elbow draw and she was trained by the desert master. Since I now shoot a variation, the thumb roll draw, I will explain that and let some else explain the lock elbow draw.
The thumb roll draw is a variation of the locked elbow draw out of a high rise Shaniko holster. The Shaniko is suited for it because of its high position on the hip and its wrapped trigger guard. You start by crossing the thumb over the hammer (as Wyatt Earp recommended, yes that Wyatt). This helps in eliminating slip cocks and provides the power for the draw, You draw by forcefully cocking the hammer thereby rolling the gun out of the holster.. When you clear the holster you should be in the locked elbow position and the trigger is pulled. The gun is solidly against your body, there no forward motion, there is no upward motion. You should be able to shoot better than 80% because of the stable position from which the gun is fired. Misses result from misalignment of your stance, not from variation in the draw.
If you can do it, I recommend the thumb roll draw, if not then the locked elbow draw.
An humorous side note. About six months ago a pretty young thing came to a shoot and needed help learning the sport. The old geezers could not get in line quick enough to help her. There was that purveyor of videos trying to teach her the level and follow thru, the prayerful one was selling the locked elbow draw, and there were other cowboys mentoring when they have never mentored before. I was worried she was going hurt herself she was getting so much conflicting advice. Fortunately, the desert master took her under his wing as he does with all novices, She now has a .373 competitive PR and routinely breaks into the threes. If you want to see good form on the locked elbow draw, look at her facebook page. There is a straight line from her locked elbow to the muzzle horizontal to the ground, gun solidly a her side as the trigger is pulled.
Friday, May 22, 2015
Holster Location
The Irishman on facebook posted a photo of an alleged illegal holster position. I don't understand the problem with the rule because if the trigger guard must be over the seam of the jeans, then the location of the end of the holster or muzzle of the gun is determined by the cant of the hollster which must be less than 20 degrees. I guess there is about an inch of fudge factor there by the size of the trigger guard, but the muzzle is where ever it is by the cant. That inch is important so that the gun is properly lined up for the shooter's draw. Any way this post is not about that. It is about holster location and movement
We have several new shooters that have been working hard to learn their holster location. One is a former olympic athlete and former college field event coach who was adjusting his holster to the limit of the rules. The opinion of those watching was that "he couldn't do that." The other novice has been chasing the clock and she would adjust her holster and belt 10-15 times before each shot. It would tire me out just watching her. She has been looking for that magical location that would produce the fastest time.
When you watch the pro s they do not move their holsters during a match. They may check the alignment before the start but they do not constantly adjust their holster location. If you change the location during a match you are essentially changing your draw. If you are changing your draw each and every shot, then you are going to be inaccurate and slow.
During practice you might want to try different locations, but if you do you should do it in a manner that you can remember what you did and the results. To be constantly changing it without any way to remember the change and results is just practicing missing.
Once in competition, you dance with the girl you brought. The draw you brought to the competition is the draw you should shoot, start to finish. You can beat anyone in the field. Just believe in that pretty little gal who came with you.
We have several new shooters that have been working hard to learn their holster location. One is a former olympic athlete and former college field event coach who was adjusting his holster to the limit of the rules. The opinion of those watching was that "he couldn't do that." The other novice has been chasing the clock and she would adjust her holster and belt 10-15 times before each shot. It would tire me out just watching her. She has been looking for that magical location that would produce the fastest time.
When you watch the pro s they do not move their holsters during a match. They may check the alignment before the start but they do not constantly adjust their holster location. If you change the location during a match you are essentially changing your draw. If you are changing your draw each and every shot, then you are going to be inaccurate and slow.
During practice you might want to try different locations, but if you do you should do it in a manner that you can remember what you did and the results. To be constantly changing it without any way to remember the change and results is just practicing missing.
Once in competition, you dance with the girl you brought. The draw you brought to the competition is the draw you should shoot, start to finish. You can beat anyone in the field. Just believe in that pretty little gal who came with you.
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