Please remember this is a preliminary list of events only. Some of the events listed below may not be part of the 2010 event, while others not listed will be added to the lineup.
Chas.
Here is a description of last year's events:
2009 Events wrote:SHOOTING CLINICS (1 3/4 hrs.):
Ladies Only: General Pistol Skills & Drills
This clinic has been offered every for the last two years and it has always been a perennial favorite with the ladies. Donna paces the clinic to match the skill and experience level of her students. The clinic will include some instruction on the basics of pistol shooting, but it will then move into more advanced drills and techniques. Limit: 15 students
Introduction to IDPA Competition
This clinic is an overview of the sport of International Defensive Pistol Association (IDPA) shooting. Steve covers IDPA rules, competitive tactics and issues and provides hands-on experience shooting typical IDPA-style scenarios. Limit: 15 students
Mini-Clinics (45 minutes); Limit 6 students:
Basics: Proper grip, trigger control, sight alignment & picture
The basic skills covered in this mini-clinic were previously part of a full 2-hour shooting clinic. As with all mini-clinics, the Basics mini-clinic will be offered three times during the day and will focus on the fundamentals of good shooting. Until the proper grip, trigger control and sight alignment and picture are mastered, any attempt to learn more advanced shooting and engagement tactics is premature. This mini-clinic is perfect for the beginning shooter, but it's also a very good tune-up for experienced shooters who may have developed some bad habits. Just as professional baseball players take batting practice, even the most experienced shooters should periodically spend a little time on the basics.
Drawing and Engaging
Focus will be on basic drawing and initial engagement of a threat target. The goal of this mini-clinic is to help students master the skill of quickly and safely drawing their handgun and firing the first one or two defensive shots. Equally important is learning to safely reholster without the muzzle sweeping any part of your body, or innocent bystanders. As with most skills, repetition is the key to developing a smooth, fast, safe draw stroke and this is equally true for reholstering. Special note: Bring a holster that allows for one-handed reholstering! Holsters that "close up" when the pistol is drawn will invariably result in the shooter putting their hand/fingers at risk when they reholster.
Speed Reloading
Empty guns in a gunfight are not bad luck or poor planning, they are just a fact of life. For years there has been an on-going discussion about "round counting" to prevent running your gun dry. However, real-life experience proves very few if any people are capable of doing this when they are the victim of a deadly encounter. This mini-clinic will teach students techniques for performing fast and secure reloads, both when the gun runs dry, or as a tactical reload before the pistol goes to slide lock. This mini-clinic covers speed reloading of semi-autos only -- not revolvers.
Malfunction Drills
Learning proper techniques for clearing stoppages and diligently practicing those techniques is somewhat like weeding the flower beds. It has to be done, but finding excuses not to do it is quite easy. Students will learn and practice techniques for clearing the three most common causes of malfunctions in semi-automatic pistols: improperly seated magazines, "stove pipes," and the dreaded "double-feed." Focus will be on the use of gross motor skills in these drills, as fine motor skills will be greatly diminished, perhaps nonexistent, during a fight for your life.
Retention Shooting & Withdrawal
Focus will be on drawing and firing on a threat target from "kissing close" distances. Many if not most violent attacks on innocent victims occur at close range where it is either impossible or imprudent to draw and extend the shooting arm(s). Also covered is withdrawing or "getting out of the hole" while delivering effective fire on your attacker as you retreat. This mini-clinic was designed to address the challenges of dealing with a deadly attack that experience shows will most likely be quick, close and violent. Learning the skills necessary to deal with such threats is critical, but equally important is learning one's limitations. "I think I can make this shot" is a deadly outlook; learn what you can realistically do under pressure.
Engaging Multiple Targets
Whether shooting in competition, defending yourself or another person, or simply trying look really good to your girlfriend or boyfriend, effectively and consistently engaging multiple targets is a skill that should be mastered. Competitive shooting in IDPA or USPSA matches always involves shooting at multiple targets. Unfortunately, recent FBI studies indicate that well over 60% violent attacks involve multiple assailants and this includes both home invasion burglaries and assaults on the street. This mini-clinic covers techniques for quickly and effectively engaging multiple threat targets. The natural tendency is to simply point the gun at the 2nd threat and pull the trigger as fast as possible. The old adage that "you can't miss fast enough to win a gun fight applies equally to the 2nd, 3rd, or 10th assailant as to the first. This mini-clinic will give you the knowledge and drills to dramatically improve your multiple-threat engagement skills.
Shooting on the Move
Moving is as much a part of defensive shooting as pulling the trigger; at least it had better be if you want to survive. Many people who marvel at their shooting prowess when standing still shooting at a target that is equally still wonder "what happeded!?" when they are forced to shoot on the move. Subtle factors like shooting on cadence or letting one's feet determine when to pull the trigger are problems that can be overcome only by recognizing the issue and practicing proper engagement techniques while moving.
Cover & Concealment -- Proper Use of
Proper use of cover and/or concealment can be the determining factors in surviving a deadly attack. As Clint Smith of Thunder Ranch says, "pie the corner, don't step out full-on stupid!" One might think that the proper use of cover/concealment is intuitive, but that is hardly the case. Experience has shown that our natural instincts about using cover/concealment are counterproductive. This mini-clinic will teach proper methods and techniques for using various types of cover/concealment, including the proper methods for approaching cover/concealment so as to minimize the tendency to make crucial mistakes. The skills learned can and should be practiced in your home with an unloaded gun.
Moving Targets
Just as moving while shooting at an attacker is part of a gun fight, having to shoot at an assailant who simply will not cooperate and stand still for a moment is also part of a gun fight. Seriously though, except in close quarters fighting when attacker and victim have their hands on each other, it is highly likely that it will be necessary to engage a threat that is shooting while running. This mini-clinic will expose students to the difficulties of engaging a target that is moving, and it will provide solutions to this problem. Much of the answer to dealing with such attacks is mental attitude but the physical skill set for moving targets is different from engaging a static target.
SEMINARS:
Awareness
This one hour seminar is not really a seminar on shooting. It is better described as a seminar on how to avoid having to shoot. After all, the best gun fight is the one you never had to fight! This informative, thought-provoking discussion is something everyone periodically needs to hear and Mr. Vandermolen makes it an enjoyable hour.
Ladies Issues
Donna Vandermolen is an active competitor in IDPA matches and not just at local matches. She has competed many times in various state championships and the IDPA National Championships and she has earned many trophies and special recognition. She uses this experience to help her students in the several classes she teaches every year. Donna was also a California Highway Patrolman for many years before coming to Texas. Ms. Vandermolen has created a very popular seminar for ladies using her vast experience to address issues of special importance to women.
Christians, Weapons & Self-Defense
This unique seminar delves into issues that many people find themselves addressing when they seriously consider owning and/or carrying a handgun for self-defense. Its purpose is not to evangelize, but to address concerns that some Christians may be grappling with by providing Scriptural answers to these issues.
TABC Laws & Procedures
An issue commonly discussed on http://www.TexasCHLforum.com" onclick="window.open(this.href);return false; is how to determine if a given establishment is off-limits to Texas Concealed Handgun Licensees (CHLs), pursuant to Texas Penal Code §46.035(b)(1) that prohibits carrying a firearm in an establishment that derives 51% or more of its revenue from the sale of alcohol for on-premises consumption (a/k/a 51% locations). While the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Code requires such locations to post a 51% sign, if the bar fails to do so, a CHL can still be prosecuted. Mr. Rothstein is with the Texas Alcoholic Beverage Commission and he is responsible for training their agents. He will explain how to determine if a location is truly off-limits to CHLs and he will address other issues such as the scope of the off-limits areas in locations that house several businesses under the same roof.
Training Opportunities (discussion of courses, schools & instructors available locally and nationwide)
Everyone involved in shooting whether for sport or self-defense should take advantage of training opportunities that are within their budgets. This seminar discusses the various schools, instructors and courses available in Texas and throughout the country. The goal is to provide an overview of the types of training available in terms of the subject matter covered, length of the courses, location and course costs. Whether you have never fired a shot, or you are an accomplished shooter, this seminar is for you.
Flying With Your Guns
This seminar covers TSA regulations related to flying with firearms. It also gives examples of various additional rules imposed by some airlines. This is a must see seminar for people who plan to fly with handguns or long guns.
ALL DAY EVENTS
The following events will be on-going for all or most of the day. No registration is required for these specific events (overall registration is required) and people are invited to stop by and have fun.
Texas Stars (two)
The Texas Stars are always a crowd favorite. Each of the "stars" is a spoked wheel with five 8" plates at the end of each spoke. The object of the star is to shoot each of the five plates off the spoke before your opponent can clear the star. It's fun, it's challenging, it's frustrating and you'll be talking about how much fun it was for weeks.
Plate Rack
The name is pretty self-explanatory. The two PSC plate racks will be available for shooting all day. The racks consist of 8" round plates, triangles, bowling pin-shaped steel, each with a resetting rope to eliminate the necessity of setting them up after each shooter. If you are concerned about not having to carry a bunch of ammo home, this is a great way to make sure you don't face that problem! Like the Texas Stars, the plate rack is a favorite for open shooting.
