Professional Shooting Websites

I've just added a new section to my Sidebar ... it's called "Professional Shooting Websites".

While I was struggling (unsuccessfully) to define "Professional Shooters" in the context of Practical (Action) shooting competition, it occurred to me that everyone in USPSA --- and, to a certain extent, IPSC --- intuitively "knows" who is a 'professional shooter', it's difficult to do more than select sufficient identifiers to differentiate between a "professional" and someone who has less lucrative, but still significant, connection with the Firearms Industry and also with Internet resources.

One major factor may be that the "Professional Shooter" often makes a significant portion of his or her annual income by training. They may be training amateurs, they may be training other professionals (eg: military, LEO), but they have established a business on the basis that their training is recognized as a benefit to people who want to shoot.

If I started a business training people to shoot, I probably wouldn't make much money at it, if any. I know a lot of what NOT to do, and even some of what a shooter SHOULD do. But my competitive success (or lack of it) demonstrates clearly that people who have much success in competition would probably not benefit from my instruction.

In short, I'm just not 'good enough' to support myself through training.

On the other hand, we can name a long list of people who can win matches, can benefit a sponsor who is willing to at least pay his or her expenses, and can probably attract a lot of people to attend any training session which they may choose to offer.

This is my attempt to identify those people who can considered professional in that they provide training, and they are able to attract enough 'students' so that their income probably exceeds their expenses.

This last is not an Iron-clad guarantee, but they at least have sufficient standing in the shooting community that they think they can make a profit.

I'll be working on this concept during the ensuing weeks, but my first connection is "Ron Avery - PSA".

Ron Avery is President, and Director of Training at the "Practical Shooting Academy". He is a contributor to POLICEONE.COM

PSA is apparently homed at the NRA Whittington Center (near Raton, NM) and is centered at Ouray, CO, judging from the website's "About" information. It offers training in Tactical, Practical and NRA courses. It also offers "Online" training courses. (Most of these seem to be used to discover the skill-level of prospective students, in one context or another.)

Ron Avery has historically been one of the "Greats" in IPSC/USPSA competition. Several years ago I purchased Ron Avery's 3-volume video series on Practical Pistol competition. I found it sufficiently helpful that I subsequently loaned the tapes out to a series of friends and new shooters. Unfortunately, that practice seems to have back-fired on me, as I cannot now find the tapes.

However, the website does contain a number of videos which the student may find informative, perhaps elucidative, and always impressive.

I've included a 10-minute video of Ron Avery appearing as an "Adjunct Instructor: at the Sig Sauer Academy in Exeter, NH. This video is (curiously, to me) titled "American Guardian". I understand that this is cut down from the original 12-minute version, to meet the then-limits imposed by you tube.



Watching this video, I found several very useful tips on shooting a pistol in a situation which involves multiple shots fired from a position oriented in the same general direction. Watching new shooters (and more, watching videos of myself shooting) I see a lot that I can learn from this single video about grip, body stance, adjustment of weight and tension .... it's all the same old stuff that I've read (for example) in the Brian Enos book "Practical Shooting, Beyond Fundamentals". But I was unable to get such a clear understanding, without the video experience.

Ron's earlier videos were not as helpful to the inexperienced shooter, actually, as was this single video. At that time (ten years ago?), Ron wasn't as good a trainer. I suspect that the information in this single ten-minute video would be extremely helpful to the student who was willing to watch it several times, and make note of the points presented ... and then practice them.

If course, it's difficult to be your own trainer. That's why professional trainers can charge hundreds of dollars for a single day of personal training ... and why it's often worth it to the student.

BONUS MATERIAL:
PoliceOne.com published an article by Ron Avery on July 26, 2010, titled "Dealing with Citizens Carrying a Concealed Weapon". While this may be a useful bit of information for LEOs, it may also prove helpful to honest citizens who are lawfully carrying concealed. The emphasis here is that LEO and CCW citizen can become aware of the kind of activities and other 'indicators' which may help to LEO to understand the difference between a (potential) felon and an honest CCW citizen. I found it helpful; you may, too.