I recently spent a weekend training with none other than Triple Crown Grand Master,
Taran Butler. He said he lived in Simi Valley. He should have said he lived in "Target Wonderland" ...a menagerie of steel, stages, and hidden hillside gongs. I would have come sooner. It's easy to find... just go through the spotting glass, make a left at every airsofter's wet dream, step over the film crew, and you're there. Can't miss it.
Day 1 - Pistol
We started out on a walled stage, and worked on accuracy while moving. I've always planted my feet to aim & shoot, so this was completely new for me. It was hard to break the habit of planting and setting up, even as Taran was bringing up my heels with, "Don't stop! Keep moving!" When running through the stage, proper target sequence, and footwork were key. I tried not to sacrifice
accuracy for speed, but in doing so, I got a taste of how to
game it.
When moving between steel bays, Taran had me practicing a low center of
gravity, wide stance, and long steady strides to cover short
distances ...instead of my natural bouncy shuffle. I cringe when I watch myself run in my videos. Do I really move like that? My whole life? Why didn't someone tell me I run
like a flaming fawn sometimes... every time.
It must be funny watching a goofball like me hack through a stage like a Hutu rebel with a dull machete, and then be all like, "OK my turn." and BOOM. Surgeon Butler with his scalpel over here, eviscerates the stage like it's no big deal. The man is a finely tuned machine. I could barely keep up with him. I'm convinced he's got two cheetahs zipped up inside his belly that eat all his food for him, and slow him down so he doesn't accidentally break the sound barrier. All his double taps were
perfect inch-group,
straight A zone hits. 100% accuracy.
Skill Level: ASIAN.
Day 2 - Pistol, Rifle, & Steel
We practiced on plate racks, plate fields, and plated hills. Transitioning from either side, near and far, distances of 2 yards to 275 yards. This was my first opportunity to run'n gun with a rifle. Again I struggled with the fluidity of shooting while moving, but my targets were still toast so I was happy.
I brought
Wifey (my custom
Citizen Arms AR15) and was able to hit my marks with iron sights, but when in Wonderland... you drink the kool-aid. So I took the
TTI TR-1 Ultralight AR15 with
Trijicon Accupoint for a few spins and was more than impressed. The TI TR-1 is definitely something I could fall in love with! As a woman I'm always keen on weapon weight, and the TTI TR-1 is highly accurate, light, and maneuverable. Champions like
Jessie Duff,
Allie Barrett, and
Taran use it to win their world titles. It's badass, to say the least.
Taran was an excellent instructor. I've never had as much individual attention & competition specific coaching. He was able to critique every movement I made, and humor me out of my comfort zone. I have a lot of work ahead of me. Particularly issues with my grip, and tracking my sights. Besides tightening the fundamentals, movement seems to be my next biggest challenge.
Before I left, I got to browse through the
Taran Tactical Innovations workshop. TTI cooks up some serious customizations, and accessories. I've got my eye on that TTI custom Benelli M1 shotgun. Unf. It was like being a kid in candy store, and Christmas came early for me! Taran hooked up my M&P with
TTI extended basepads. Depending on what type of mags you're competing with, you can max out at 23rounds +1 in the chamber for 9mm, or 20+1 of 40S&W. He also had my M&P grip stippled to perfection. And he hooked up Wifey with a
PRI compensator. I'll be changing divisions, from Production to Limited, to try out the new basepads. I can't wait!
-Jess
www.tarantacticalinnovations.com/
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