Pivothead Price drop $100 off - Now $199

Attention everyone:

Pivothead video recording eyewear have just been reduced to $199. Use the following link to enable the coupon then use the code shootmatt2012 at checkout for an additional 10% off.
http://pivothead.super-tactical.com/

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Training to Win (Ben Stoeger Training to Win DVD review)

Ben Stoeger's newest training release, his DVD "Training to Win", was released today both on DVD and on Vimeo.com video on demand. This video is a great companion to his previous dryfire and live fire training manuals and goes through many of the drills many of us have already seen in the books.  I would consider this video as best for the intermediate to advanced shooter. It does not cover fundamentals of technique like how to draw or grip your gun properly; you definitely need to have a grasp on how to do the basic skills needed for practical shooting before you start trying to rip through the par times shown in this video. If you've found this video, you probably have already been practicing for a while and maybe even have read a book or two from Ben or another trainer so you will probably know what to expect.  Although Ben does discuss these fundamentals in the context of how to perform on the macro live and dryfire drills he presents, this is not like a Matt Burkett DVD.  Most of the live and dryfire techniques involve more than one skill, such as drawing and transitioning, drawing and reloading, or shooting on the move. These are not your basic boring drills.  Technique and insight, with references to the bible verses (page numbers in Ben's other training books) that those skills draw from are shown for most of the short live fire or dry fire drills in the video.  This is good for going back and referring to the material that the video isn't able to spend as much time on as the books are.

The video also shows Ben, Matt Hopkins and some dork shooting an open gun on various field courses. Stage breakdown and multiple runs on the same stage from the different shooters show how planning and using different techniques can affect your score for a stage. Choosing when to shoot on the move and which order to engage the targets is also shown.  For this part I wish they would have scored the targets and showed the hit factor for each run in the corner of the screen instead of just showing the time, so the viewer would be able to see exactly how much he gains or loses by trying a different method or stage breakdown, but the point still comes across well in the format they chose to show it in.

Overall, the video format covers more in just over 100 minutes than any other training or technique video I've seen. Transitioning between dryfire techniques, live fire drills on the indoor range and field courses on the outdoor ranges keeps the viewer's attention and covers a ton of material on theory and technique.

The official recommendation from Super-Tactical.com is that Ben Stoeger's "Training to Win" DVD is 100% No Bullshit.  Buy it.

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IDPA is too easy? (match bump discussion)

I came across this interesting tidbit on a forum recently that kind of confirms my thoughts on the subject of match bumps.  I've bumped to Master in two divisions and haven't shot an actual Master classifier score in a scored classifier match...ever...so I guess I've benefited as much as anyone, but what he says makes sense.   Does the system balance itself out due to newcomers to the sport or are we all going to become Masters in every division eventually?  If the answer is yes, is that good or bad for the sport? Should it be changed?

^{Food for thought re: the independent  IDPA match bump & Classifier classification systems. The system's basic attribute - two independent promotion paths - leads to some interesting outcomes.}

^{Start with 100 Marksmen in any Division. Have them do nothing - no practice, no skill improvement, no equipment change, etc. - but shoot against one another in successive Major matches.}

^{After the 8th match, the system produces it's first MA. After the 33rd match, MAs are the majority. After the 49th match, the system literally locks up and 73% of the participants have been promoted to MA.}

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Shotmaxx timer

I shot today's match wearing my new DAA Shotmaxx shot timer/watch. Once I remembered to turn it on before the stages, it was interesting to review my shot splits/transitions and reload times after each stage.  What I learned today: My transitions in IDPA are not as good as they should be. Adding the lean and pieing around cover definitely adds time. My reloads from concealment need work. I only recorded one on video but it was 2.22 seconds which is quite a bit higher than it should be.  Check out the video to see what I mean.
My new FGW gun worked flawlessly again, so I'm happy with that.  Time to ditch the weak ammo and start practicing for the USPSA season!

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Super-Tactical brand swag!

We are looking to expand the firearms training we've done into a co-branded Super-Tactical and Standard Deviation Arms venture. Here is some Super-Tactical gear

http://super-tactical.spreadshirt.com/

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Back to basics - IDPA

October is here and the leaves are starting to turn. Here in Pennsylvania that means the two closest USPSA clubs are winding down for the winter and that IDPA matches(at least for me) are starting back up on a regular basis.

I shot my first match in months at Blue Ridge Cherry Valley today and had a good time.  People keep telling me that IDPA matches are supposed to be filled with close range, basic stages that test shooting skills and not bullet hosing and athleticism, and while I disagree with a lot of that, today's match follows that basic IDPA mantra and was still a pretty good time.

In other news, shooting 180 grain .40 minor after a season of shooting USPSA with major ammo feels like cheating.

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The Super Area 8 USPSA Tactical Championship Match Recap

First of all let me start with this....F that place and the ancient burial ground it's built on!  I think everyone on our squad had gun issues of some sort.  AJ dumped his primary after the first stage and went to a backup gun and I had mag issues all day Sunday.  I also broke a trigger spring somehow between firing my last shot on the final stage of Saturday and walking to the safe table to bag my gun.  Good timing!!  I pulled the spring out of my spare G35 and everything was good to go. Ben had a major issue on the second to last stage and wasn't able to continue the match which sucks because he was on pace to win.  An open shooter on our squad had a jam while running past a target which lead to him getting DQ'd. Not good.

Anyway, on to the match...technically, this was not a super difficult match. Most of the targets were inside of 15 yards and did not have overly difficult presentations. That being said, the stages were going to be fast, so you had to push as hard as you could to get a good time and still land good hits. I was able to do that on most of the stages but did have a couple of bad ones.  The highlights of my weekend were the last two stages we shot Saturday.  In the video they are the stages with the double swinger and the clamshell target, and the stage that you had to start with the gun and mags staged on barrels. I took 5th on both of these stages and beat Bob Vogel then Dave Sevigny on one then the other.  That doesn't tend to happen very often for anyone so yes I'm dropping their names here! (Dave went on to win the match so I'm sure he won't be too upset some jerk from Philly beat him once).

Lessons to be learned from this match:
-Don't wait until the last minute to sort your gear (I thought I had fixed my jam issues with new mag springs but apparently not)
-Check your ammo more often (I can't remember the last time I checked the OAL or crimp settings on my press)
-Don't travel with AJ anymore. A few little blood stains found on the pullout couch and he will leave you with the entire hotel bill and sleep somewhere else.  Thanks a lot Hampton Inn. Clean your shit!
-I'm still pulling off targets early.  I ate two easy mikes for no reason transitioning off of targets too fast. This is something I specifically work on but continue to do when the timer is running.

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