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.

A Wrong Turn

I have just read Quick Cal's explanation of the change of target size and distance and believe that he has made a turn in the wrong direction.  I write this post not to criticize or to be an obstructionist. I will support Cal's decision, it is his business and he has done great things for the sport in the past.

I love cowboy fast draw because it is one of the few pure sports remaining in our society.  In an early era we had many sports, i.e. character building activities.  Most of these have been highjacked for their entertainment value.  I am sensitive to this because I was a youth coach for over 15 years.  If you take 10 kids and give them a ball they will play a game, sort out the rules, and learn some life skills. If you add in 20 parents trying to get their entertainment fix, you no longer have a learning environment of good character traits, but a environment where poor sportsmanship, bad manners, poor life skills are learned.

Yes, Cowboy Fast Draw teaches good character traits, even to old guys like me. It is a sport.  It is not an entertainment venue.  Nor should it be.  Do we really want our sport to become like all the rest of the entertainment industry where you find so many miscreants.

Our sport grows, not because it entertains, but because one can participate and be successful in a relative short time.  Where else can a brand new competitor go up against a World Champion and have not only a change to win but a good likelihood of winning.

IT IS THE SAME, MAYBE YES, MAYBE NO:

Cal says he will make the change for showmanship.  He says that since the proportions are the same the balance between speed  and accuracy will remain the same. I can buy that but it will not be the same for accuracy unless you shoot from 39.5 inches muzzle height. For a muzzle height of 39.5 inches a target height should be 47 inches at 17 3/16 target at 15 feet.  But for a muzzle height of 44 inches target height should be about 46 inches.  An inch may not seem like much but how many thumb nail wins have you had.  Generally, higher muzzle height shooters will shoot low, lower muzzle height shooters will shoot high.  Guess we could all change to 39.5 inches, to keep the same accuracy between 15 feet and the championship distance of 21 feet.

As for showmanship missing at 15 feet seems to be more devastating.

UNINTENDED CONSEQUENCES:

While we transition I would expect accuracy to get a little worst for the reason set forth above, but not significantly.   However, going to the balloon targets will probably result in significantly worst accuracy for two reasons.

Cal says he is not going to grease the balloon targets. For me, being able to see my hits is critical. I walk my hits to the light. I think most top shooters use the location of their hits to stay on target whether they are aware of it or not. If we can no longer see the exact location of the hit, our accuracy will decrease.  That is the reason we hate shooting without a backstop or in poor light conditions.   To illustrate, just how important this is to me, at Texas, to start I could not see my misses and missed 27 of my first 30 shots. I finally found the target and hit better than 80% for the next four days.

If you are going to get a top shooter, you have to get him or her, early in the event or early in the match.  Ever notice how many times the first round or two nobody seems to be able to hit.  That is because shooters have not yet found the target and they have not gotten into their shooting rhythm.


All shooters get into a certain rhythm on the line.  I like to have the same announcer and like to learn his cadence. I have a certain pre-shot routine, physically and mentally.  Anything that disrupts that rhythm is harmful to quickness and accuracy.  Now we are going to change that all up for the World Magnificent Seven.  The cadence and the rhythm will be different from what you have shot all event.  Because of the target tendering for balloons each shot it will be like the first round of the day or for first shot of a match.

If you are serious about shooting in a Mag Seven at World in 2017, you probably should add a delay in your routine for the time it will take the target tenders to re-balloon.  I am thinking about stepping off the line for 45-60 second after each and every shot, during each and every match, during each and every event. Who knows, I might get there and if I do, I want to have shot my Mag 7 routine all year long.

My guess is accuracy will get worst with the balloon targets.  If Cal is going do this he should set up a practice range at 2016 World with 2 lanes at Championship distance, 2 lanes at 15 feet with 17 3/16 targets and 2 lanes at balloon targets.  Then he ought to hire a high school or college interns to run and score each shot and tabulate the accuracy rate on the targets.  Any one who wants to try these new targets should shoot down the line on all three target setups against an opponent from 21 to 15 to Balloon. That would simulate what is going to happen at World 2017.  Let us see what is likely.

TRIPPING ON MY SPURS:

Alleluia has taken a year off, but he will be back in 2017, a little quicker, a little more accurate, and with a new pre-shot routine because he is a competitor and an athlete not an entertainer who deals in illusions.

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.

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.

The Dilemma, Rule 17, A Positive View

"Life has a way of making the foreseeable never happen, and the unforeseeable that which your life becomes"  Everett Hitch.

This fall I was going to become a new man.  I had gotten a couple of long guns, was going change my draw, in part to stand more upright for my aching back, and change my alias to shed some ill gotten reputation.  I figured three thousand rounds of wax would do the trick.  About five hundred rounds into the new venture, I decided to abandon the effort, being dishearten with my lack of speed and mostly accuracy.  So I abandoned the change and rededicated myself to the short gun.  Two days later the Gazette arrives with Rule #17.

The Dilemma, now what to do?

Option #1:  I could go to the long gun.  Add 3 inches and I will be clearly out front of the holster pouch cut.  I have a Colt which I can get out of the Shaniko holster in the high 4s and be "clearly obvious" with about 40% accuracy.  I struggle to get the shot up and find myself again leaning back which is painful for me.  My backup gun is a New Vaquero which I have yet to get out of the holster.  That wax just rattles down the holster with the New Vaquero.

Option #2: The Colt long gun came with a 5 inch barrel.  I can put the five inch barrel on and I would in fact be compliant with Rule #17.  Although I am sure the additional inch would put me out in front, I am not sure it would be "clearly obvious." I would also need another backup gun with a 5 inch barrel.

Option #3:  I can change my draw.  I use the locked elbow draw as most quick shooters do.  I have controlled my elevation by my balance and my stance has a pronounced backward lean.  See the following:

Note that the gun is fired about 1 inch behind the front cut, a guess but probably correct.  Adding one inch or three inches to the barrel would probably solve the issue except one inch would not be "clearly obvious." (This was a winning shot of .415)

I am a old fella and shooting this way is painful.  I think I can comply with the Rule #17 simply by standing more upright.  If I stand more upright my shoulder will move forward more than a foot and I believe the front of the barrel with move forward to be "clearly obvious" outside the front holster pouch.  I think I will give this a try.  For bucket work, I need to recalculate my target height.  My new shooting height is 45 inches which makes my target height 46 inches at 5 feet.  My problem will be getting the shot up, but I think that it is doable, just need lots of wax.

Rule #17 may be a blessing in the end for me because it may cause me to shoot in a more comfortable stance and add years to my shooting life.

Whiner's Reaction or Reaction to Whiners

I hear there is going to be discussion about a time limit and/or moving the target closer or making the target a different size at the Marshall's muster.  Most of this comes from a relative small group of shooters.  The vast majority of shooters are happy with the current rules as am I.

If we get too many of these silly rules and/or continue our unhealthy obsession with records, I am going to start a new organization dedicated to the turn of the century gunfight.

It will have a silhouette target from the knees to shoulder.  In front of the silhouette will be a 9 inch circle representing a heart/lung hit that will have the light and will be timed. 

Matches will be either 3 shot or 5 shot affairs.  In a 5 shot match, shooters will load 5 and shoot until the gun is empty. Fanning is not allowed. Hits on the silhouette will count 2 points, hits on heart/lung will count 10 points.  If a shooter makes a heart/lung hit that is 50 milliseconds faster than his opponent's heart/lung hit, it will be a killing shot and result in a win declared by scorekeeper. (It is a killing shot because if it is 50 mls faster, it would have disabled the opponent before he could shoot.) If there is no killing shot, then the hand judges will compute the score of the wounding shots, including heart/lung hits, to determine the winner.  In the event of a tie both survive and win.

Events will be same as we current do, 3x, 4x, last man standing, magnificent, etc., except most events will evolve into 10x or so since the matches will be much more quickly resolved. Most of the rules will be the same.  

I think the vast majority of our shooters come to be in a gunfight, not a speed contest.  

We need to have our organization consider all of the shooters, not just the elite or those think they are the elite.  We are not nor should we be an entertainment venue.  We are a sport, let's keep it that way.

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.

Team Competition

Team Competition

MAIN MATCH:       3X, 3 shot (Arizona summertime best of 5), last man standing format. Standard format, team members will shoot against team members if so drawn.

TEAM COMPETITION:

            Entry fee $5 per shooter for first team entry. A shooter may join as many teams as he would like but subsequent team entries are $10 for the second entry, $15 for third and so on. Youth shooters are free. 

  All entry fees from team competition go to Shoot for the Stars.

            Teams are 4 to 7 shooters with the four top placing shooters considered for team scoring.  Team scoring is the sum of the top four placing shooters, low score wins.  The 5^th through 7^th team members are important because you never know who the top four will be and a team’s 7^th shooter may be ahead of an opponent’s 4^th shooter thereby moving that opposing shooter down in the placings.

            Placings of shooters going out in the same round are determined by fastest time out.  Ties will be shot off before next round.  Ties in team standings will be determined in favor with the team with the highest placing shooter.

            No requirements as to guns, division, residency or club membership.

ARIZONA SUGGESTED TEAMS: The Champs, The Young Guns,   The Shady Mtn Gang, Rio Salado Vaqueros, and Old Publeo Gunfighters.

Shooters may sign up on any team first come first signed on or make up their own teams, for example, family teams would be fun.

EXAMPLES: 

Thirsty might want to sign up on The Champs, a team of Territorial, State, and Club Champions, and on a family team of Thirsty, Lawless Speed, Half Cock Willie, Calaboose Bill, Buckeroo Ben, and Coyote Kid (Grandpas, Kid and Grandkids.)  His entry fee for team competition would be $5 plus $10 for second entry for total of $15.

A young guns team of Lawless Speed, Col Hip Shot, Holli Day, Prickly Pear, Dirty Dan, Hot Flash and High Strung would be a tough team.

AWARDS:   Magnet Awards for team members memorializing their victory are available from azgunslingerstore.com at reasonable costs.

Sample Sign-up Form

Team Name:________________________________

Team Members:                                  Place       Top four

1 _________________________       _____     _______

2 _________________________       _____     _______

3 _________________________       _____     _______

4 _________________________       _____     _______

5 _________________________       _____     _______

6 _________________________       _____     _______

7 _________________________       _____     _______

                                        Team Total Score         _______

Comments:

1.     Team scoring is only the top 4 shooters are scored.  If all team members are scored, then a shooter or two who are having a bad day might drag down an otherwise good team.  Also, since the bottom shooters of the match have the highest placings numbers scoring 100% of the team members unfairly considers the bottom team members over the top team members.  On the other hand, only scoring the top one or two shooters really makes it into an individual event.  There needs to be a balance.  Best balance would be shooting seven and scoring 5, like cross country.  However, I suggest shooting 7 and scoring 4 to be more accommodating to clubs to enter teams.  For example, if Rio Salado brings seven shooters they could enter seven on one team.  If they bring 8 shooters, then it makes sense for them to enter two 4 shooter teams.  Other shooters could  join their teams and since it is always better to have 7 shooters than just 4 because you never know who is going to be shoot well on any given day, it is to their advantage to have other shooters sign onto their teams until full.

2.    Many shooters have multiple connections to other shooters.  For example, I practice on Shady Mountain and would like to join a team with those shooters.  I also have family members shooting so it would make sense for me to enter a family team.  This format allows multiple entries.  However, the fee goes up to discourage someone from joining every team.  All teams are open to everyone as long as there is a slot open.  Once seven shooters have joined, then no more entries on that team are allowed.

3.    Added workload:  There really is very little extra work needed to have this event if you are have a last man standing shoot since it utilizes the CFDA scoring system.  You need someone to collect the money and supervise the sign-up sheets.  You need someone to add up the score sheets near and at the end of the event.  Since 90% of the shooters will be placed by the last several rounds of the event, most team scores will be known by the last round.  The ideal match would be to have four teams within a point or two of each other at the end with team members still shooting.  That would be exciting.  The more likely situation is to have the team competition determined before the last several rounds since the best team top to bottom should win.

Good Luck and Have Fun!

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.

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!"

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!"

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"

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.

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."

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.