Fantasy Camp

The NSSF’s Shooting Camp Can Raise
Your Skill Level To Undreamed-Of Heights.

By Shari LeGate

We all want to get better at our game. We want a faster draw, a smoother trigger pull and a more accurate sight picture. We play to win. That’s why we play. Over the course of my competitive shooting career, the one thing I’ve learned is there’s always room for improvement, and who you learn it from is as important as what you learn.

The governing body of the Olympic shooting sports has changed many times. When I was on the US Shooting Team, shooting internationally and representing the United States, the governing body was the National Rifle Association. Other competing countries would chide us, saying the acronym NRA stood for Not Really Athletes. A little friendly smack talking amongst competitors.

Even though it was said in jest, there was some truth to this name shaming. In part, for the longest time, shooters weren’t considered athletes, especially in the way most people generalize what an athlete is––we certainly weren’t thought of as professional athletes. Thankfully, times and perceptions have changed, and the shooting sports have come full circle. Athleticism has become an integral aspect of the shooting sports. This year we’ve been elevated to the status of other mainstream sports, and we have our own shooting sports fantasy camp.

Fantasy camps are based on the desire to act out the childhood dream of being a professional athlete playing with a favorite team. Conceived by the “Stick and Ball” sports (a term used by the media referring to mainstream sports such as baseball, football, basketball, hockey etc.), we—the outdoor sports—are called the “Hook and Bullet” sports, pretty much self-explanatory. No matter the sport, though, a fantasy camp permits you to spend a couple of days interacting with a sports star, and even though shooting is not a team sport, we still dream about winning the big match and competing with the stars of our sport.

Now we can. The very first shooting sports fantasy camp took place earlier this year. It’s the brainchild of the National Shooting Sports Foundation, and it boasted a line-up of seven of the best pistol shooters in the world: Jessie Duff, Jerry & Kay Miculek, Julie Golob, Dianna & Ryan Muller and K. C. Eusebio. They spent 2-1/2 days meeting, mingling, mentoring and sharing their knowledge of competitive pistol shooting with 30 attendees. Hanging on every word, these everyday shooters, some who had come from as far away as Alaska, listened intently as these professional shooters imparted their experience and wisdom of the game and the nuances of competition.

World Champion and Team Taurus Capt. Jessie Duff explained techniques
she uses during a competition to stay poised and unruffled no matter
what happens during the heat of a shoot.

digest in one sitting. These guys push the envelope and look for the edge that will propel them across the finish line, striving to be better at their sport. They have a keen understanding of every aspect of competitive pistol shooting.

The first day was devoted to coaching. After the standard safety briefing, we were broken up into 6 groups of 5 shooters. Each group had a 1-hour session with every pro; they critiqued individual shooting styles and offered tips on how to improve. My group started the first hour with Dianna Muller, Capt. of the Benelli 3-Gun team and 2-time USPSA Multi-Gun Open Ladies Champion. Dianna focused on the grip and holding the gun steady, explaining and demonstrating how to hold a handgun based on what’s comfortable for the individual. A hold can make all the difference, depending on which game you’re shooting and your individual style of shooting.

At the next shooting bay was Jerry Miculek from Team S&W. Known as the fastest revolver shooter in the world and dubbed “The Greatest Shooter of all Time,” it could have been intimidating, but it wasn’t. Gracious and humble, Jerry focused on pulling the trigger and shared an important detail about competitive shooting we tend to forget: “Trigger control is more important than sight control. If you’re not on the target, don’t pull the trigger.” A simple and pure statement, but a detail frequently forgotten in the fog of competition.

Known as the fastest revolver shooter in the world, Team S&W’s Jerry Miculek
(above) coaches an attendee on trigger control. Dianna Muller, captain of the
Benelli 3-Gun team and 2-time USPSA Multi-Gun Open Ladies Champion (below),
shows Shari the different ways to grip a handgun for competition.

Fast Draw

Following Jerry was K. C. Eusebio, who’s well known for his fast draw and high energy. A 4-time Open National and Open World Speed Shooting Champion, this guy is crazy fast drawing from a holster. Breaking down the draw into four steps, K. C. explained each one thoroughly. From where to hold the opposite hand, grasping the gun from the holster, drawing it up to the eye line and pushing it out to line up the sight picture. Watching his lightning draw, the actual steps were imperceptible, but the end result was phenomenal. Stressing the importance of not skipping a step, he shared his draw-training exercises.

Taurus Team Captain and World Champion Jessie Duff was the group’s next coach. One of the most accomplished competition shooters in the world, Jessie has excelled in 5 different disciplines, winning the prestigious Bianchi Cup and Steel Challenge competitions. If there’s one word describing Jessie’s style, it’s “elegance.” There’s a poise to Jessie’s technique which translates to smoothness. The ability to remain undisturbed by a missed target or the pressure of a clock ticking. Keeping your shots from becoming jerky or irregular is hard to teach, especially when things get a little rough, but Jessie was able to communicate by example how to keep control, stay focused and remain unruffled.

Kay Miculek, the founder of Babes with Bullets, runs regular camps for new women shooters, and she took a different approach. Not focusing on one specific element, Kay took each shooter, paying attention to one particular element of their technique, working with that one characteristic. Because of all her years coaching new shooters and her vast knowledge of the game, Kay has a unique ability to see and understand the strengths and weaknesses of a shooter.

Ryan Muller, a 3-Gun competitor, explained the importance of a lead-off foot, the pivoting foot, and the foot you end up on. He further explained how pre-planning your steps and determining the pivot foot saves time, while positioning you for the next shot, keeping the gun pointed safely downrange. The importance of the landing foot and where it is placed can change the overall stance, transforming a miss into a hit. Ryan described how analyzing each step in advance matters and why taking any step for granted may cost time and a target.

The last coaching session ended with the first 6-division USPSA National Champion in history, Julie Golob. She has over 50 National, International and World titles in seven different disciplines. Taking on the task of explaining and demonstrating how to transition from target to target, Julie explained how a course of fire is not always the targets in a straight line. Emphasizing the best way to work the eyes and gun so they operate in unison and independently, Julie showed how to shoot one target while looking for the next.

At the end of the day, my head was spinning from trying to absorb everything, and I’m sure I missed quite a bit. But when it comes to coaching, not everything works and the pros understand this, encouraging attendees to pick and choose what worked and what didn’t. Later in the evening, a “draft” was held and attendees were assigned to a pro’s team for a friendly competition to be held the next day.

Stick-and-ball fantasy camps are exactly what they say they are—fantasies. We’re never going to play in the big game, throw the winning touchdown or hit the walk off home run. Nor will we ever be taught how to throw a football from Tom Brady or how to swing a bat from Sammy Sosa.

We’re lucky. Our professional athletes have no qualms about sharing their knowledge, and who better to learn from, than those who make a living understanding, analyzing and pursuing perfection in their game. The shooting sports allow us to compete in the big game and alongside the big names. Living out a fantasy is fun and provides fond memories, but it’s still just a dream. The NSSF Shooting Sports Fantasy Camp turned our dreams into realities. If you get a chance, take a few days and go live the dream. It’s worth it.

Fantasy Camps, National Shooting Sports Foundation,
11 Mile Hill Road, Newtown, CT 06470, (203) 426-1320,
www.shootingsportsfantasycamp.com

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