Training for Tactical Comps

[Ro_Bird]

Hey Guys, so here is the deal I've never shot a "tactical comp" before but it looks fun and would like to give it a try sometime. I do have some background in tactical shooting from my time in the military so I'm not completely in the dark about these sort of things but I not sure what sort of things I should be training on.

I'm getting the picture that each comp is different in the sense that there are no set standards and every comp has it's own set of challenges that a shooter must solve. So I guess I'm asking some of you that have been around the block once or twice, what sort of things should I be focusing on? What sort of events or stages do you guys see fairly often? Which ones do you find your self saying "goddamn not this again". I'm not asking for your secret training regiments, I'm just looking for some good places to start. Thanks for the help.

 

[Trigger Monkey]

Re: Training for Tactical Comps

You should always be working on your fundamentals of marksmanship and I've found that the dot drill or a similar type of target helps with that. It will also help greatly to add in mental and physical stress in to your training so that you're not completely caught off guard in a competition. A lot of competitions that I've been to will run stages where shooters have to run, do short exercises, and often be under a time limit. If someone isn't ready for that sort of thing they're going to struggle because they're going to get their head wrapped around the suck. Positional shooting is another area that I try to work on a lot with shooting with a sling and off of barricades.

A rimfire trainer can be a big help in keeping the costs down for training as well as lots of dry fire. I mostly use my 10/22 and use reduced targets at 50 yards to work on positional shooting and fundamentals. Need to get to work but I hope some of that helped.

 

[fargo007]

Re: Training for Tactical Comps

I come at this three ways. As a competitor, match director, and a training company. I am considering running a "how to compete" course next year. There is a lot of need, and a lot of call out there for something like this I am finding.

There are people who can shoot, there are people who can compete, and then there are people who can do both. You want to put yourself in that category. Being a good shot does not in any way guarantee a high finish in this arena. You have to have that mindset. And for many that doesn't come easy. The biggest thing is paying very close attention to stage instructions, and always knowing the state of your gear without looking. If you had to get on that gun and fire right now - where are the knobs? What is the magnification set at?

The first thing is - get out there and start shooting them. Local matches, whatever.

Keep yourself in very good physical condition. These are hard on competitors. If you are out of shape a 2 or 3 day high octane match will definitely fuck you up.

In a match you are probably very rarely going to get to hunker down behind your rifle, locked up tight on the bipod with a rear bag, and take your time firing the perfect shot time after time. Match directors just don't allow that. Everyone can do that well. Yes you need those fundamentals, but you won't ever get to apply them in the same way you have developed them.

Shoot standing, kneeling, NRA prone, off a barricade, braced on a post, off your ruck, moving targs, etc.

Being skilled at those unstable shots are where the competition money is at. The stuff you would want to do at the range to work on all this won't be as fun or as satisfying as what you might otherwise do.

I tell newer competitors this - Don't try to win your first time out. Try to draw <span style="font-weight: bold">some</span> blood on every single stage. Go home without a single zero if you can. If you do mess a stage up, the next stage is a brand new day! Buy it all back.

As you get exposed to more and more whacked out stuff that the MD's throw at you, you will start seeing where your peaks and valleys are and you can practice more specifically. And WE NEVER run out of whacked out stuff.

Hope that helps, and good luck!

--Fargo007

 

[jbailey]

Re: Training for Tactical Comps

Great posts above from some experienced guys (had honor of competing against both last weekend).

I like Freddy's "try to draw blood on every stage" thinking. This means try to be OK at everything. And you don't have to put too much pressure on yourself to hit everything (pressure is a negative). Instead of trying to be great at one or two areas, try to be "well rounded".

Both Ian and Freddy highlighted a lot of the areas to train up in. Positional is huge - work on barricade, roof top, and other crazy supported positions (e.g. fence posts, rope, tripods, car hoods, etc). And then of course sitting/kneeling/off-hand (its tough with a 15+lb precision rifle).

BTW - Ian has a great website with lots of good advice:
http://www.shootingvoodoo.com/

And the value of actually getting out and competing can not be overstated. 3 hours of match experience is worth 3 weeks of training

 

[herr.baer]

Re: Training for Tactical Comps

The best way to do it is just get out and shoot the competitions. Learn as you go. Ask lots of questions. Most of all be safe and have fun. As it was stated before, you don't go into looking to win, go, shoot and learn what to do better next time.

 

[turbo54]

Re: Training for Tactical Comps

Lots of great posts already.

I think to put it simply:

Stop bringing a rear-bag with you when you practice. That way ANY rear support is a god-send, but you don't "need" it.

Practice offhand, a lot. Once you can legitimately shoot well offhand, sitting, barricades etc etc are a piece of cake. Fire 50 rounds of 22 offhand for every 1 round of centerfire.

 

[MZ5]

Re: Training for Tactical Comps

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: Herr.Baer</div><div class="ubbcode-body">The best way to do it is just get out and shoot the competitions.</div></div>

This is what I'm doing. I hadn't been in a formal rifle match for many years until shooting with the AZPRC recently. I decided to come out because of the AZPRC members I met at the range. I'm a hunter, plinker, and casual shooter, and those are the kinds of guns I have. However, the group is so welcoming and has such a spirit of having a good time (while having some very challenging courses, too!) and improving skills that it fits very well. With some crowds I've encountered elsewhere, I'm just not that interested in joining the match. Here, it's great. So, I'm just going out and shooting the matches. It's fun, I learn better than reading it without shooting, and I get to improve my marksmanship in another way. Give it a try!

 

[Blanman]

Re: Training for Tactical Comps

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: turbo54</div><div class="ubbcode-body">Lots of great posts already.

I think to put it simply:

Stop bringing a rear-bag with you when you practice. That way ANY rear support is a god-send, but you don't "need" it.

Practice offhand, a lot. Once you can legitimately shoot well offhand, sitting, barricades etc etc are a piece of cake. Fire 50 rounds of 22 offhand for every 1 round of centerfire. </div></div>

All of this is good advice. But I wouldn't necessarily NOT practice at all with a rear bag.

You don't have to use it in the traditional sense, play around with it in different positions and on barricades. Maybe it'll give you that extra space to rest your elbow on your knee for a kneeling shot off a barricade..

For me personally, I've found I like my bag tucked up under my support arm for the standing shots and depending if I have time or not, throwing it up on the barricade or whatever obstacle they have for you to rest your rifle on.

 

[minnesotadan]

Re: Training for Tactical Comps

I have shot a few matches my issue it trying to finding the targets. Seems simple to look and see them with your eye or spotting scope or binos but seeing thru the scope prone poses issues for me. Seems most turn down the 22x scope to around 8x. When one has targets from 350 to 1200 yards and some of the targets over 700 yards from the next target is a real challange for me. Hell I can set up my targets for practice and move to the shooting positions and I can not find them. I suspect there are some techniques for mastering this type of skill but as of yet I have not discovered them.
Anyone chime in on this?
-Dan

 

[herr.baer]

Re: Training for Tactical Comps

The trick is to turn down your magnification and also use both eyes to spot your target then close your eye when you are on target.

 

[Mendocino]

Re: Training for Tactical Comps

<div class="ubbcode-block"><div class="ubbcode-header">Originally Posted By: minnesotadan</div><div class="ubbcode-body">I have shot a few matches my issue it trying to finding the targets. Seems simple to look and see them with your eye or spotting scope or binos but seeing thru the scope prone poses issues for me. Seems most turn down the 22x scope to around 8x. When one has targets from 350 to 1200 yards and some of the targets over 700 yards from the next target is a real challange for me. Hell I can set up my targets for practice and move to the shooting positions and I can not find them. I suspect there are some techniques for mastering this type of skill but as of yet I have not discovered them.
Anyone chime in on this?
-Dan
</div></div>

Dial your magnification down to 12x max, and set the gun down with the muzzle pointing to a target. Notice any geographic features near the target that you can use as a reference in the scope. This may sound simple, but I am frequently surprised at competitors that don's point the muzzle at the targets.