yup...."up and running".....more like walking slow and aching....LOL

I consider myself lucky, never got into the shooting games. I get it how they could be fun, test the nerves in their own capacity, maybe make new friends. Excitement oozes from what I read. Just not for me. For a decade I have been shooting with a DI up in SC, and the last few years with you, and with Bob. Your methods of deploying a pistol on target, with speed, are fairly easily learned. It is the practice after learning that people must keep up on. Since our last class I have put minimum 20k rounds on steel practicing. The zipper is damn near instinct. I catch myself sometimes with a round or two in the ground before hitting steel. But I could babble on, people need to experience your class to get it.

Appreciate the kind words Joe, stay well, see you in about 6 weeks now. Looking forward to it, just two range officers this go round, everyone else has bailed except xbluelight [ rick ]

No sweat....I can RO for ya too...I keep my certs silent...till today

Appreciate the assist Joe, you're the man

All great points. It occurred to me before I read the article that I shoot a lot more often now than when I was in the Marine Corp. Not only more but despite tired old eyes and NO quick twitch muscles, and damn few slow twitch as well, I shoot better now than I ever did then. My weapons are much better and my focus is too. I think the realization that at 74 I need to be super careful and evaluate more decisively helps along with the realization that feats of strength are days of old. I remember more clearly my Calculus prof saying," Dennis, bull strength and ignorance is a hard way to go through life." that was along time ago. I have tried both and he was right. The edge is situational awareness at all times no matter how young, old or well prepared. Pony

I thought about taking Bob's RSO class this weekend so I could volunteer to help with this but I couldn't swing it.

I'll finally get to meet up with you.....in Volusia???? Man oh man, I forgot all about the books....running with kid stuff, life gets away from me

But, but, but what if you train for and use both. I'm never going to beat Rob Lathem, I shoot Comp for fun and to practice my gun handling skills. IMHO they are not mutually exclusive.

IMHO they are not mutually exclusive.

Sorry if my comments led you to believe I thought they were. Of course they can't be as many skills necessary for both apply equally. Hand hold, trigger control and, sight alignment are basic skills that can and should be honed to a higher level than most take the time to learn until it's subconsciously ingrained.

Learning to shoot under pressure, even self induced as it may be, is a learning experience and over time stress is less apt to affect outcomes/shooting scores. That puts the games squarely in the camp of increasing some ability to run the gun under some stress level until the competitor gets comfortable shooting thusly. Though the stress induced in the games isn't near the same, any system that produces some stress is more beneficial to shooting for self defense than never having had to shoot under any more stress than one isn't happy with not being able to drill one hole.

Now, as for scoring in the games, they suck at getting people to realize you don't NEED A hits or down Zero hits on the street. In fact, I think more will take too much time trying to acquire an A or down Zero hit on the street if they are heavier into the games for most of their shooting time.

Another point of difference I mentioned previously, I'd use 1/2 hip, 3/4 hip or zipper more often on the street and using only one hand, but in the games, I'd got to line of sight or near line of sight and two hands "for the score". If one were to zipper in the games, one would be wasting time for score, where on the street, the zipper is a fight winner and in the games it's a detriment to score.

Some of the tactics that win games can get you killed on the streets, like having to reload form cover when on the street, I'll reload as I'm moving to cover, no wasting time waiting to get to some position before I can recharge and get back in the fight.

I played the games for some time, mostly plate shoots which gave practice for QK pistol skills on multiples. IPSC and IDPA, not so much but enough to know I didn't want my present skills to be altered or degraded by the gamers rules.

There are no rules on the street and there's no "look see" beforehand, of the course of fire on the street. In the game of staying alive, there are no do over or procedurals. My biggest concern for gamers is that those procedurals they try to avoid for score could get someone killed unnecessarily ;)

And gunfights are 360 without sidelines and endlines. Annnndddddd Ya don't use cover as a rest.................