This week on the podcast, I discuss how USPSA is surprisingly resistant to cheating, why that’s great, and a few ideas to make it even better.
#21: Q&A
This week on the podcast, I answer listener questions about Production 15, IPSC stage design, where to look when you’re moving, and how to deal with the pressure to do well at major matches.
#20: IPSC Nationals Prep
This week on the podcast, I talk about switching my gear over to prepare for IPSC Nationals, shooting Production 15 in club matches, and what I’m focusing on training leading up to the match.
#19: Budgeting
This week on the podcast, I take the occasion of my wife and I paying off all of our consumer debts to talk about how budgeting has been useful to me during my shooting career. I talk about how we break down the budget categories for shooting, “paycheck glocks,” and give some pointers on where to find out more if you’re interested.
#18: Good Stages
This week on the podcast, I talk about some of the things I look for in a good stage and offer some ideas of how to differentiate good stages from bad.
#17: Lightning Round
This week on the podcast, I give a few updates or errata to previous episodes: #16: Hot Summer Matches, #11: Peak, #13: Origin Story, and #8: The Value of Outlaw Matches. I then cover three quick topics that can’t quite justify a full show on their own: the downside of shooting your first match with a national champ, PCC fits better in USPSA than 3 gun, and Always Video Everything.
#16: Hot Summer Matches
This week on the podcast, I talk about a recent match and the problems with making even small gear changes before a match. I then talk about some of the ways I’ve found of coping with the NC heat after five summers of shooting matches. I talk about making my own beef jerky, bringing around a small cooler, and a few other small tips.
#15: South Carolina Section Match
On this episode, I talk about the 2018 South Carolina USPSA Section match. I talk about the great administration, the high-quality, diverse stages, and some of the challenges they presented. I talk about my own performance and how things went, good and bad, and lessons I’ll be taking in to practice.
#14: Major Match Prep
This week on the podcast, I talk about what I’ve been doing to prepare for the upcoming 2018 South Carolina Section match, my first major match of the season. I talk about the minor gun maintenance I’m doing, my mindset going in to the match, and how I’m defining success for the match separate from the ultimate finish.
#13: Origin Story
This week on the podcast, I talk about shooting my first match, and my early shooting career in IDPA, including my initial novice classification. I talk about how I made the jump to USPSA (initial classification C), and the class I took that connected all the dots and put me on the path to today.
#12: Stoeger Class
This week on the podcast I talk about the Ben Stoeger Skill & Drills class that I took recently. I discuss some of the things I learned, how I tried to take notes better than past years, and how my shooting has improved since last year. I also answer a listener question about the value of shooting on the move in Production.
#11: Peak
This week on the podcast, I talk about the book Peak by Anders Ericsson and Robert Pool. I talk through some of the lessons learned from decades studying the science of expertise, including the 10,000 Hour Rule, and how to apply some of the ideas to practical shooting. You can see this book and a list of other books that I’ve found helpful on my reading list.
#10: Match Debrief: SWGC March 2018
This week on the podcast, I talk about the March 2018 USPSA match at Sir Walter Gun Club in Creedmoor, NC. I talk about some of the stages and what I liked about them, and review my own performance on some of the stages. Here’s the match video on YouTube, if you want to see the stages I’m talking about.
#9: 2018 Production Changes
This week on the podcast, I talk about the series of events leading up to the changes to the USPSA Production rules that take effect in May 2018. I talk about some of the things that changed and why I see this as a positive step forward for the sport.
#8: The Value of Outlaw Matches
This week on Short Course, I give some thoughts about pistol matches using rules other than USPSA, and why that’s a good thing. I talk about why it’s good for the hobby of practical shooting and good as a competitor to have a variety of matches that aren’t all exactly the same.
#7: Flying to Nationals & Purpose of Big Matches
This week on Short Course, I talk about my experience flying to the USPSA Nationals in 2017, particularly my mistake of trying to fly with my ammo. I also discuss what I look to get out of a big match like a Level 2, and what isn’t all that important to me.
#6: Visualizing Stages in More Detail
This week on Short Course, I talk about learning to visualize in more detail after a few bad exerpeinces at recent matches. I also discuss using the right range commands, and an example of a higher round count stage being less complex than a shorter stage.
#5: Lessons Learned in Practice
This week on Short Course, I talk about a new USPSA podcast that just started called the Shoot Fast Podcast. I cover some ideas that the hosts gave me about improving my own practice and a few things I discovered on my own during my recent practice session. If you want to get future episodes automatically, subscribe to the podcast feed.
#4: Planning Your Major Match Schedule
This week on Short Course, I talk about how I look at the different types of matches, based on the level of competition they offer and the resources required to shoot them. I outline a plan to decide which matches to shoot in a give year based on where you are as a shooter and where you can make the most useful progress. As an illustration, I apply this idea to my own 2018 match schedule. If you want to get future episodes automatically, subscribe to the podcast feed.