Youth competitors

[HamsterStyle]

I have a 12 year old that is really showing some interest in doing some competitive handgun shooting. I am more excited about it than he is, I am sure. A couple questions for the masses.

1. What are the processes of getting a youth shooter active in something like the uspsa or similar? Just sign up and shoot? He has the basic safety stuff down and handles firearms quite well.

2. He enjoys shooting my G19 but would like to get his "own" gun eventually. As much as I would love to keep him on the Glock platform, I would rather get him into a platform that he shoots best. Are there platforms to avoid for competition? He will stay with 9mm.

3. I went to parabellum for the newbie course last month and it was spectacular. I would like to bring him and the wife to the next one if at all possible. Are there any ranges or clubs that offer uspsa or similar matches closer to east central indiana? Greenfield or carthage area.

Thanks in advance.

 

[singlesix]

I would check into Steel Challenge Competition, not a lot of equipment required, several clubs shoot this type of matches, and it's a good intro into competitive shooting. Word of caution about youth and interest levels: my son had great interest in Trap shooting, he was getting very good, so I started to invest in better equipment, than he discovered girls and that's all she wrote.

Atlanta Conservation Club and Marion County Fish and Game have this matches.

 

[HamsterStyle]

I'm not worried about the investment part so much as he will be doing the biggest part of investing by doing odds and ends jobs around our house and property. He has made the decision to save for a shotgun since he shot clay pigeons for the first time and now he wants a handgun of his "own" since he has been watching some uspsa vids on youtube. We have done a few drills in the back yard with shooting steel, dropping g mags and reloading with the P22. He wants a centerfire aND he will work to earn it

 

[mongo404]

ACC is having a steel match this Saturday. Always a good place to start.
As far as USPSA matches during the winter Parabellum is about it for central part of the State. They sneak a few in down in the southern part of the State.
ACC USPSA most likely wont start back up till spring.
As far as I know Parabellum is the only indoor range hosting these matches during the winter months

 

[Coach]

I have a 12 year old that is really showing a some interest in doing some competitive handgun shooting. I am more excited about it than he is, I am sure. A couple questions for the masses.

1. What are the processes of getting a youth shooter active in something like the uspsa or similar? Just sign up and shoot? He has the basic safety stuff down and handles forearms quite well.

2. He enjoys shooting my G19 but would like to get his "own" gun eventually. As much as I would love to keep him on the Glock platform, I would rather get him into a platform that he shoots best. Are there platforms to avoid for competition? He will stay with 9mm.

3. I went to parabellum for the newbie course last month and it was spectacular. I would like to bring him and the wife to the next one if at all possible. Are there any ranges or clubs that offer uspsa or similar matches closer to east central indiana? Greenfield or carthage area.

Thanks in advance.

We have another January 27

 

[HamsterStyle]

We have another January 27

Oh, I know. I'm eyeballing that one pretty hard. We need to make it through the holidays and then see what kind of gear we can scrounge up. All 3 of us are going to try to make it

 

[natdscott]

Well, I guess I'd not start a 12 year old on an action sport at all, at least, not unless they had a very solid background of precision (make one shot REALLY count) shooting already.

Just my opinion: you can always train to speed up a very accurate shooter, but a basis of accuracy has to be there first, or all the speed in the world attained through sloppy habits won't matter. And bad habits are lots harder for coaches to break than to have just put in place the right stuff to begin with.

-Nate

 

[17 squirrel]

I would check into Steel Challenge Competition, not a lot of equipment required, several clubs shoot this type of matches, and it's a good intro into competitive shooting. Word of caution about youth and interest levels: my son had great interest in Trap shooting, he was getting very good, so I started to invest in better equipment, than he discovered girls and that's all she wrote.

Atlanta Conservation Club and Marion County Fish and Game have this matches.

My son is 16+ and three summers ago I put my son in a class that Mongo ran at Atlanta CC.. It's was very very reasonably priced and the only equipment he needed was a pistol, holster in good working order, a few extra Mags and Mag holders, ears and glasses.and a few hundred rounds.. He had a great time in the class. He left with a good understanding of banging steel, and how that game is played. He has enjoyed a few matches since.
I know if you need some equipment to shoot a match, let the shoot Boss know before hand and other Shooters will be more than glad to help out a newbie.

 

[17 squirrel]

Oh, I know. I'm eyeballing that one pretty hard. We need to make it through the holidays and then see what kind of gear we can scrounge up. All 3 of us are going to try to make it

Let the guys who are running the shoot know that you need " blank blank " pieces of equipment for the shoot. They will ask around and in most cases help you out. Lots of Shooters keep a old extra belt,holster rig in the trunk of there car for reasons just like you need.

 

[DialTone301]

Chloe started at 9yrs old with Steel Challenge. She learned to be safe and to follow the commands of the RO's. She is now 14 and shoots Open in USPSA. I didn't push her to shoot in the beginning...she just watched matches and decided on her own to start competing. Now she enjoys it as much as I do.

We need more young shooters!!!

 

[partyboy6686]

I have a 12 year old that is really showing some interest in doing some competitive handgun shooting. I am more excited about it than he is, I am sure. A couple questions for the masses.

1. What are the processes of getting a youth shooter active in something like the uspsa or similar? Just sign up and shoot? He has the basic safety stuff down and handles firearms quite well.

2. He enjoys shooting my G19 but would like to get his "own" gun eventually. As much as I would love to keep him on the Glock platform, I would rather get him into a platform that he shoots best. Are there platforms to avoid for competition? He will stay with 9mm.

3. I went to parabellum for the newbie course last month and it was spectacular. I would like to bring him and the wife to the next one if at all possible. Are tyouhere any ranges or clubs that offer uspsa or similar matches closer to east central indiana? Greenfield or carthage area.

Thanks in advance.

Good thing about USPSA is you don't have to be a member to shoot a local club match. A Glock platform would be perfectly fine for shooting USPSA. A Lot of shooters use Glocks. The Parabellum Newbie Class would be great for him to learn all the basic fundamentals of a USPSA match. Once weather is nice there is a bunch of clubs that shoot USPSA outdoors. I'm in Central Indiana and shoot at Atlanta Conservation Club, Riley Conservation Club, South Central Conservation Club, and Silver Creek Conservation Club. All these clubs take 45 minutes to a hour and a half to get to.

 

[Mike Elzinga]

Stick with your Glock that he is already familiar with, find a match that you want and go. Let the Match Director know the score and they will likely squad you with some kind and experienced folks who will assist as needed. Focus on safety first and not his scores. You can start with Steel Challenge first if you prefer, it is simpler, but if he can confidently handle and operate the gun, even when it malfunctions, then he should be fine for uspsa.

 

[BillD]

Well, I guess I'd not start a 12 year old on an action sport at all, at least, not unless they had a very solid background of precision (make one shot REALLY count) shooting already.

Just my opinion: you can always train to speed up a very accurate shooter, but a basis of accuracy has to be there first, or all the speed in the world attained through sloppy habits won't matter. And bad habits are lots harder for coaches to break than to have just put in place the right stuff to begin with.

-Nate

Obviously you've not followed Chris Stump's career. Triple GM.

 

[Snizz1911]

I was listening to an old podcast hosting JJ Racuzza the other day. At age 9 he was shooting a 1911 with 185 pf rounds.

Not all kids are the same, maturity and responsibility aren't going to be a set age, the parents ultimately gotta make that call.

 

[2old2bfast]

My advise would be to let your son pick up and handle a M&P, XDm, and the Glock you have, and let him decide what fits his hand best. Can he reach the controls? He can grow into a gun but a gun that grows as he does will be better. Interchangeable backstraps for your hand size is a big plus. You can't go wrong with any of these guns. They are many many upgrades and options available for all of them.

 

[natdscott]

Obviously you've not followed Chris Stump's career. Triple GM.

No Bill, indeed I have not, but are your saying that a sample size of ONE is your evidence? It's tough to prove much of anything with only one.

What I have done is shot with and against a few, and known a great many more "fast" shooters, and the resulting knowledge is that while some are very good at "slow down and shoot a very controlled shot within a tiny variance of POA", those are not the norm.

As I said, and as I've seen done, those with a solid basis in precision can be made to speed up, but the fast shooters on close/large targets are (in my coaching experience) lots harder to make shoot precisely.


We can agree to disagree, but know that I am saying this from a place of value for both types of shooting. I do both, although I haven't practiced enough to be really fast at run and gun.

Give me some time.


-Nate

 

[BillD]

No Bill, indeed I have not, but are your saying that a sample size of ONE is your evidence? It's tough to prove much of anything with only one.

What I have done is shot with and against a few, and known a great many more "fast" shooters, and the resulting knowledge is that while some are very good at "slow down and shoot a very controlled shot within a tiny variance of POA", those are not the norm.

As I said, and as I've seen done, those with a solid basis in precision can be made to speed up, but the fast shooters on close/large targets are (in my coaching experience) lots harder to make shoot precisely.


We can agree to disagree, but know that I am saying this from a place of value for both types of shooting. I do both, although I haven't practiced enough to be really fast at run and gun.

Give me some time.


-Nate

If you shoot slow, you will be slow. It's much easier to teach accuracy at speed. What happens to many is they get the old "slow down and get your hits" saw. I've said it myself. It's wrong.
If you want to succeed at this game, you have to move and shoot very quickly, very quickly. People who are quick but lack accuracy are easier to advance in the ranks than people who are very accurate but slow.

Remember this:

"Slow is smooth, smooth is fast"

It's wrong. Slow is slow. If you want to be fast, you have to work at being fast.
YMMV, JMHO

 

[natdscott]

But Bill...

I have a 12 year old...

I understand you perfectly. I know what I'm getting into if I decide to start into another shooting sport that may have negative, positive, or even unintended consequences on other parts of my shooting ability. We do not have a disagreement for many reasons, not the least of which is that I can recognize that you likely know more about action shooting sports that I do.

But I am not 12 years old.

-Nate

 

[rvb]

I would say for a youth starting uspsa, the level of accuracy they need would be more for their own frustration level than anything... to keep it fun!. Being able to hit a 6" plate at 10 yards for example... it's a spirit crusher if they go through 2 whole mags before giving up or running out of ammo to finish the course. I'm not saying they need to be able to 100% hit that level of accuracy , but if they can do it in 2-3 rounds consistently, they're more likely to enjoy their first time out. Steel challenge is all 6-10" plates so hanging some paper plates at ~10 yds will give you an idea if the kid's ready.

Even if they can do that on a static range by themselves, it's a whole different thing with the pressure of being watched in a match, and I think youth feel that pressure even more than adults. The FUN disappears fast when they feel all the eyes of the squad watching them struggle, ankle deep in brass trying to hit a plate or popper. I've seen some youth (and a couple of adults) about reduced to tears when that happens.

When my kids are old enough, that will be my litmus to see if they are "accurate enough." In USPSA I always advise the new shooters (adults and youth) to take a couple of aimed shots on steel and then move on. yea, they'll get a miss, but it's more important to finish the course having fun (and in uspsa, a 5s miss is a better score than a 30 second hit!)!

Just show up to a uspsa or steel challenge match and get started! A quick look through the rulebooks is advised, especially the sections on safety and range commands.

-rvb

 

[Kmcinnes]

I have a 12 year old that is really showing some interest in doing some competitive handgun shooting. I am more excited about it than he is, I am sure. A couple questions for the masses.

1. What are the processes of getting a youth shooter active in something like the uspsa or similar? Just sign up and shoot? He has the basic safety stuff down and handles firearms quite well.

2. He enjoys shooting my G19 but would like to get his "own" gun eventually. As much as I would love to keep him on the Glock platform, I would rather get him into a platform that he shoots best. Are there platforms to avoid for competition? He will stay with 9mm.

3. I went to parabellum for the newbie course last month and it was spectacular. I would like to bring him and the wife to the next one if at all possible. Are there any ranges or clubs that offer uspsa or similar matches closer to east central indiana? Greenfield or carthage area.

Thanks in advance.

My son Nick is 12 (about to turn 13) and has been competing USPSA for the past year. I would suggest starting off with the Newbie Match on January 27th at Parabellum. If he wants to watch and learn there is a match at Parabellum on the Dec. 30th. Nick will be competing that night in the first flight which starts at about 5 pm. You are welcome to come up, your son can talk to Nick and I am sure Nick will give him all the info you guys need. You don't need much gear to start, start with the G19 (Thats what my son did) a good holster, at least 4 magazines and mag pouches, eye and ear protection, and as Nick found out a hat is important.

Here is a link to Nicks FB page, feel free to check it out. we have videos up and your boy can kinda see how it all goes.
https://www.facebook.com/nickdmcinnes