Thinking Man's Corner

Article By: William G. 

Will competition get you killed in the streets? We often hear that, but how realistic is that observation? I have found, as most things in life, it is what it is – rather, how do you approach, comprehend, utilize, and adapt to it – or, adapt it to fit your needs? If you use it in a way that builds on your skills, and at least similar equipment and techniques, it can be highly beneficial. What do I mean by that? As a rookie cop, I shot competition. I would work a 12-hour night shift, then ride in the back of my friend’s truck for an hour to get to the range where we shot competition. I would shoot it in full uniform with the 1911 I carried on the street, out of my retention holster. Over the years, my work schedule changed, and I started shooting competition without having been up the entire night before. I still shot it out of a retention holster with my duty gun. As my titles/job requirements changed, I have changed the gear I shoot competition in. For close to the last decade I have shot competition from concealment. I use it to test new holsters, guns, accessories, optics, etc..

I often will make sure a gun works, and will show up at the range the very next day to shoot a match with it. That helps me gauge how the gun handles under pressure, and what level my skills and abilities are at. It is not something I advocate for everyone, but it is a tool that you can use to test yourself. You have to do this without your ego. It is about testing yourself, and no one else. A lot of the time, we are not being beat by others. We are beating ourselves. When that buzzer goes off, and everyone is watching, we let the ego start second guessing us, we let the ego start pushing us. When we just shoot, and tune out the distractions, making sure we are practical, and completing the task before us, when we Zen out (yes, I meant to say Zen, not zone), when there is nothing else in the world other than the mission at hand – then we perform, we learn, we improve, and we get a little bit more inoculated from stress. Not the same stress as in a blood confrontation, but a similar realistic stress. A very experienced gunfighter from a highly specialized unit once said that he was never in as much stress in any of his many gunfights as he was in competition. (Actually, several real deal guys have said this.)

What about using a competition specific gun? That is fine, within reason. If it is similar to your duty gun, why not? Do they operate the same way? Maybe the trigger is lighter, maybe it has a match grade barrel, maybe there is a mag well on it. As long as similar, I see no problem in it. I prefer to use my actual duty gun, but a lot of more experienced people than me advocate for a similar gun with match-oriented enhancements. Same with the holster. I prefer to use my duty or carry holster. However, as long as the holster is in the same spot, or very close to it, as you would carry on the street, then go for it. Realistic compromises are acceptable, if you think it out beforehand and are practical in your assessments. 

What about racing through a stage instead of using tactics? Depends on the discipline you are shooting. You choose in which manner you approach it. If you are shooting it for the highest possible place, then you may have to run and gun. If you do that, remember to spend time practicing street speed too. Essentially, learn to compartmentalize what is for a game, and what is for real. Take time to do some relevant mental exercises of street scenarios after the match to reset your mindset.

Look for a style of competition shooting that you are comfortable with. Maybe it is bullseye, steel challenge, IPSC, IDPA, an outlaw variant, or a local club match. What are you comfortable with? Any of those can induce a psychological stress, and you can use them to learn to manage, harness, and overcome mental barriers. You can use competition as a test to give performance on demand. While competition is not the same as a gunfight, and it is not the same as force on force, it has similar attributes. Those can be beneficial, or at least I think they are. I am not the only one to think this. We stand on the shoulders of giants. We learn from those with more experience, and wisdom than us. Below, I write of these giants, and the wisdom they have given us. Some I have had the honor of training under, teaching beside, or have the great fortune to call my friends:

Jeff Cooper used “open, unrestricted, unlimited, realistic, diversified competition” to develop the Modern Technique of the Pistol. He started with the “leather slap,” a quick draw competition in Big Bear Lake, California. He then created the South West Combat Pistol League, which was a more combat oriented series of matches, that had standardized stages, but still tested different techniques and equipment. Finally, he founded the International Practical Shooting Conferdation (IPSC), which he distanced himself from as it became a pure game that catered to equipment and techniques that were not practical in the art of self defense or combat. So, I would say that, the use of competition (with practical stages and equipment) as a tool to test one’s skills and abilities, was something that he found to be beneficial. The Colonel, as you know by now, was my friend and mentor. He was also the keynote speaker at one of the GALEFI Annual Training Conferences (ATC).

Ken Hackathorn, who is a highly valuable resource, and one of the few grandmaster firearms instructors alive (at any time in history), was at the Columbia Conference (which was the formation of IPSC), and later (when IPSC became impractical, and just a game) was one of the founding members of the International Defensive Pistol Association. Some of the younger generation is not very fond of Ken’s views on things, but that is a sign of our times. Ken has forgotten more about the use of firearms for self-defense and combat than most people could ever learn in two or three lifetimes. While all of his views may not be en vogue, they are based off of real-world experience and grounded in fact and reason. We do not have to agree with each other on everything, but we should at least try to understand where the views are coming from. Ken’s opinion carries weight for me. He has used competition as a tool to improve upon skills, and that seems to be a theme in this list of legends.

Jim Cirillo, was a cop’s cop, a good man, a world class instructor, and shot his fair share of competition. He called Jeff Cooper “the Pope” because of the wisdom the Colonel imparted, and his contributions to the world. Jeff Cooper called Cirillo “the Snake” because he had won at least 16 gunfights against dedicated, violent, and repeat offenders. Jim was on the NYPD’s legendary Stake Out Squad. One of the things he looked for in potential members of that special unit was that the officer was active in pistol competitions. He believed that shooting in front of peers, under time, for score, was something that helped in stress inoculation, and was an indicator as to if one could perform when it counted. Jim started out shooting PPC. He shot IPSC, and later IDPA. There is a story about him shooting in a decent size IDPA match, and he placed solidly in the middle of the pack when the scores were tallied. He was on up in age at the time, but no less deadly than he ever was. He was still showing up, and performing on demand, with realistic gear, using realistic tactics, and that is what counts. Jim was also the keynote speaker at one of the GALEFI Annual Training Conferences (ATC).

Mas Ayoob is another respected master instructor’s instructor, who has probably written more about shooting, tactics, and legal aspects than anyone else I could think of. He has been a proponent of competition as a stress inoculation tool for many decades. He has shot in the Bianchi Cup, IPSC, IDPA, and the old Second Chance Bowling Pin Matches. What is very unique about Mas, is that he can shoot anything. He will show up with every manner of guns, and place high in the match; proving that it is the man and not necessarily the equipment that wins. Shooting at high levels of competition, or even for bragging rights on a known course, in front of peers, is something he advocates. With as many interviews of gunfight winners as he has interviewed, with as many students as he has had that have won gunfights, and as much knowledge as he has acquired over his career, I pay attention when he talks. Mas was also the keynote speaker at one of the GALEFI Annual Training Conferences (ATC).

Tom Givens is a retired peace officer and owner of a company called Rangemaster. Tom is a super star in the training community, and has the distinction of having the largest recorded number of private citizen students to win gunfights. Only two of his students involved in deadly force confrontations lost, and that is because they were not armed at the time. Tom was a founding member of IDPA, was a participant in the National Tactical Invitational (look that one up), created the Polite Society matches, and still puts on the Rangemaster Tactical Conference every year. At TacCon, he puts on a realistic match, where the stages are mostly unknown beforehand, and you are required to shoot with your duty or carry gear. It is a wonderful test of on demand performance. If Tom is using competition as a tool, I would call that a clue (and I am a Detective, I have a certificate and a badge to prove it too). Tom was also the keynote speaker at one of the GALEFI Annual Training Conferences (ATC).

Super Dave Harrington is a force of nature, an apex predator (in a good way, against the bad guys), and when he was in the service he was one of the most lethal weapons in the US government’s arsenal. He is a legend in the military special operations community. At one time if you were a counter terrorism asset, Dave trained you. Dave is a brilliant, and articulate instructor in the combat shooting arts. Another thing Dave did was competition. He shot for Team Beretta (if you see a 92 series with SD at the end of the model number, just know that the SD stands for Super Dave – fact), Team Cor-Bon, and other international brands. Dave used competition as a tool to enhance not only his operational skillset, but to hone his understanding and application of his instructor trade craft. If someone of Dave’s caliber is shooting in competition, it may be something to make note of. 

Toni McBride, while working as an Officer for the LAPD, was put into a situation that was tense (an armed person, obviously under the influence of mind-altering substances), uncertain (in close proximity to multiple uninvolved citizens), and rapidly evolving (the armed subject refused to obey multiple, clear, lawful commands from someone that was obviously a police officer; and also refused to drop his deadly force weapon, welded with felonious intent.) Ofc. McBride was forced to fire six total rounds before the criminal ceased his hostile, violent, felonious actions. What is unique about this is Ofc. McBride was trained by Taran Butler of Taran Tactical Innovations, a world class winning competition shooter, who trains a long list of winning competition shooters. She was trained to shoot very fast, and very accurately. Yet, on the street, in the real world, she shot with what amounted to .70 splits. Yes, you read that right, not .15, not quarter second, not even half second splits, but .70 splits (actually it was slightly longer, but this is not a forensic analysis of the event). I wonder why she did shoot faster? Maybe because she was acting lawfully, engaging in decision making, and being aware of her background, while observing those pesky 4 rules that apply everywhere, all the time? Her shooting on the street looked nothing like how fast she shoots in competition, but it was none-the-less world class. She got those skills through competition, but she got her results on the street through adherence to tactical principles. She could separate competition from real world requirements, but still benefited from her competition skills.

(As a side note, Toni was not prosecuted for her lawful, necessary, and reasonable actions. The frivolous lawsuit against her was thrown out, as it should have been; and even though the first internal board review found her in violation of policy for the last two shots, either through incompetence or treachery for politically motivated ambush on part of certain persons on the board, the final board review absolved her of any policy violation. This is our world now. A cop doing her job, saving lives, and being persecuted. For my Georgia boys, if you think that it was because she was in California, just remember what happened in Atlanta a few years ago. It is a sad state of affairs, but thankfully we have peace officers, like Toni, that step up to the plate to face evil every second of every day.)

Life, like competition, is a box of chocolates. You never know what you are going to get until you open that box. Used appropriately, it may be of benefit to you. We all might just get by, with a little help from our friends.