KISS Principle
Michael Bane on Shooter Retention:
Getting Beyond Catch & Release
The last few posts have got me thinkng about recruitment and retention strategies within the shooting sports, and issue that is guaranteed to come up in the first meeting of the NSSF 20/20 Shooting Sports Task Force in mid-October.
Speaking strictly for sport shooting, we typically put the huge majority of our efforts on recruitment ? how do we get new shooters? Most of the sports have junior programs in place (in some case for a long time), and we define that as “recruitment.”
That’s good, but not nearly good enough. I think the strength of the NSSF report is dividing potential shooters into a number of distinct markets that all require different strategies to reach. I’ll deal with that in a later post.
It’s an interesting issue. I will address one thing that I’ve noticed. The shooting sports, in addition to being expensive, are complex. I’ve contemplated and been researching getting into practical shooting. I’ve pondered IPDA v. IPSC (btw, here’s a good page on the differences between the two). And that’s complex in that, while one is pitched as a sport or game, the other is pitched as turning you into a tacticool ninja. Then, you get into the various divisions in each format and that gets confusing. It’s looking like if I ever attend an event, I’ll just take all my handguns and ask which one I can shoot. Because I still haven’t figured it out.
We seem to make things too hard for newbies. I think that, perhaps, a good two-gun match done with rimfires (handgun/rifle) would be perfect for getting and keeping people in the game. It’s cheap and not complex.
October 1st, 2008 at 12:03 pm
New folks at the TSRA Garand Championship. Plus vets.
http://www.youtube.com/user/Blackfork6
We are trying to cultivate new folks all the time, but it’s never enough. Need more.
October 1st, 2008 at 12:12 pm
A rimfire-only 2 gun is a wonderful idea.
October 1st, 2008 at 12:30 pm
absolutely great idea.
October 1st, 2008 at 12:59 pm
Some of the most fun I’ve had in “Shooting Sports” was partipating at a Rifle & Pistol club in low-key competitions like bowling pin shoots for rifles (centerfire and rimfire competitions) and plate shoots for handguns. Simple rules, no huge investments, and lots of fun for youth and adults alike.
I think these informal events (no acronym laden sanctioning bodies) are a great catalyst for getting people started in a fun and non-intimidating enviroment. And maybe some will be interested to move on and join / compete in the more formal shooting sports. It’s win all the way around.
October 1st, 2008 at 1:04 pm
Total agreement.
I’ve been competing (sorta) in USPSA production for over a year now, and the costs for this “hobby” are a bit much, doubly so in today’s economic times. On a typical match at my club, we shoot 4 stages of 20-30 rounds each, so a one match per month costs me $30-50 bucks, ($10 match fee, 1-2 boxes of 9mm Winchester White Box), and that’s with no practice time in between, which would be an additional $20 for a box of ammo. Equipment costs? 800 bucks+ for a CZ with trigger job, BladeTech holster, CR Speed belt and 5 CZ mags. And that’s for Production, the cheapest of the USPSA divisions. And yes, I know, I could save $$$ by reloading, but that involves an initial outlay of cash that I just can’t do right now.
Let’s compare that that to golf. One game per month on a local public course is $20-40 dollars, and one bucket of balls at the driving range is about $8. Right off the bat, I’m saving over $20/month right there, and that’s before equipment costs. You can play golf with a $200 set of Wal-Mart clubs: Sure, you’re not going to play Pebble Beach with those clubs, but you will learn to play the game.
You can’t shoot USPSA for $200. And therein lies the problem. The question is, what are IPSC/IDPA *really* about? Jeff Cooper (and others) started the ball rolling with the idea of “accuracy, power and speed”, but are all three needed to get people into the sport? We force new shooters into a significant initial cash outlay, and it only gets worse from there.
It seems to me we’d be better off by bringing people into the sport the way that people are brought into shooting in general: Start them off small, and ease them into the big stuff. It’s as if we want people to get into hunting, but then hand them a .270 Weatherby Magnum. The vast majority of shooters started out with a .22, and that’s how IPSC/IDPA will grow as well. If IPSC/IDPA is about developing a “combat mindset”, that’s something you can learn just as easily with a .22 as you can with a tricked out .38 Super Open gun.
October 1st, 2008 at 1:10 pm
All sports have complex rules.
Whether it’s baseball, football, basketball, golf, they all have incomprehensible rules to newbies.
October 1st, 2008 at 1:16 pm
I should also say that my range has a monthly .22 Practical Pistol Light match, but there is no movement or reloading involved: It’s more like Steel Challenge than IPSC, and is, quite frankly, a little boring compared to a USPSA match.
A .22 match that can be shot with a Ruger MkIII and 10/22 with 1 etra mag each, involves movement, combat reloading and shot selection and stresses moving on to full IPSC/IDPA competition would be a great way to get people into practical shooting.
October 1st, 2008 at 2:15 pm
Ruger Rimfire Challenge, guys.
October 1st, 2008 at 3:35 pm
Anything with math count me out I went to school in CA, hell I can barely differentiate between all the damn acronyms.
Actually I don’t even bother to differentiate between all the acronyms, when people start throwing that crap at me I just glaze over and go into blue-screen.
October 1st, 2008 at 3:35 pm
I don’t like Rugers or rimfires. 😉
October 1st, 2008 at 4:24 pm
Two gun rimfire sounds excellent! Can be done on smaller facilities due to accuracy limits and the cost to participate ammo-wise is low.
I’d argue against a “one-design” or “one-manufacturer” rule. I’d argue for classes along the lines of “stock”, “limited” and “unlimited”. That way entry-level shooters can use an out-of-the-box rifle and pistol without modification.
For “limited”, changes are limited to stock swaps, trigger and sights. No accurizing beyond what the gun already has (means no glass bedding or the like). That way the guns can be adjusted for ergonomics but stock shooting abilities are retained.
For “unlimited”, anything goes. Barrels, bedding, magazines, feeding, etc. Pure open class competition.
It would need fine-tuning but the basics I think would work. I would also offer walk-ons and beginner instruction like they do with driving ranges. If someone wants to show up and give it a try, let them pay the fees, sign the waiver, loan them a rifle and pistol. Walk them through an introduction course in a morning practice and let them compete with the loaners in the afternoon. Make it fun.
The difficulty in getting through the door of competitive shooting at any level is a huge deterrent to new blood in the shooting sports. It’s almost like the “elite” in the various competitive disciplines don’t want new shooters. Some of it is to avoid idiots but the rest is simply elitism. They’ve forgotten what it was like to be a beginner. It can be very frustrating for the beginner when they are looking at you with a sneer and a “What do you think you’re doing here?” attitude.
I would enjoy practical shooting but I can’t justify the current cost or the equipment specialization required. I want to be able to grab my off-the-shelf guns, go out and have fun. Ideally with practice be able to work my way up the pack without having to orient my lifestyle around competition and rebuild my guns just to get there. I’ve been down that road. I’m looking for things that don’t require massive expenditures of time and money just to get started.
October 1st, 2008 at 6:04 pm
Excellent points.
Sanctioning bodies are what, restricting and limiting bodies? Fine for national championships. Dumb for recruitment.
Informal pin shoots are the most fun I’ve had in any “shooting sport”. Pistol, carbine or shotgun. We’ve done them as company parties.
October 1st, 2008 at 6:08 pm
Uncle, just take your favorite pistol, some spare mags, and a few boxes of ammo. Your local club match guys will put you in the right division and explain exactly what you need to do at each particular stage.
My first IPSC match I didn’t have enough magazines or ammo. One guy gave me extra ammo and also loaned me extra magazines. They will also probably let you shoot each stage last so you can see how everyone else did it.
If you are ever in Oklahoma City on the first Saturday of the month I would be happy to take you to our match.
October 1st, 2008 at 6:10 pm
“I would enjoy practical shooting but I can’t justify the current cost or the equipment specialization required. I want to be able to grab my off-the-shelf guns, go out and have fun.”
I shoot the single-stack division with the same 1911 .45 that I carry every day. Sure, some guys have highly specialized race guns that they spend a ton of money and time on. Lots of us shoot production or single-stack classes with off the shelf equipment. The only things I had to buy extra were magazines.
October 1st, 2008 at 6:17 pm
Just a quick plug… I’ve have never met a nicer bunch of guys than those who run the monthly IPSC match at the Oklahoma City Gun Club. My first time was great.
One of the match directors held an informal training session before the match to tell us newbies how the stages were run and the few simple rules to follow. Members loaned me equipment I didn’t know I was supposed to have. I shot each stage last so I could see how to do it. And just about everyone in my squad had some helpful advice to give on improving my times and accuracy.
I’ve seen guys there loaning guns, fixing other peoples guns, and in general just helping each other to have fun. As I have heard around the match almost every month, “If you’re not having fun, you’re not doing it right.”
Hopefully the club near you is stocked with the same kind of friendly folks as mine is. If not, I invite you to come to our match.
October 1st, 2008 at 9:25 pm
Something similar for airguns would be great as well as avoiding the regulatory encumbrances for the true newbe. Along with less noise and virtually no recoil that would be a great way to get people engaged.
BTW: Finally got ’round to downloading Firefox in place of my antique version or Internet Exploder. The new layout looks great!
October 2nd, 2008 at 10:26 am
I’ve always found the shooting disciplines to be very open and encouraging. I like IDPA because you show up with what you carry on a normal day and shoot. Practice to fight, and then you will fight like you practice. When the clock is running stress kicks in and things get fumbled real quick.
October 2nd, 2008 at 2:16 pm
I like the informal pin-shooting idea. I don’t need no sancioning badges, or stress – I shoot to relieve stress not to time it or otherwise heap it up. Favorite pistol means I have more than one (?), and it’s a flintlock pistol almost, a wheel-gun anyhow – such distinctions remain 18th Century. What the hell is IDPA anyhow? Is ISPC for Policemen? USPSA???
I really have never even seen any advertising around here for any them.
October 2nd, 2008 at 7:57 pm
The best practical shooting blogger is Cogito Ergo Geek, and he blogs about his sport with all the joy of someone who is deep into it.
I’ve read his long, detailed posts on match activity, and even watch some of the videos he posts. All I can say from the position of someone who never got past entry-level pin shooting is, “how do those guys remember all those rules and penalties and still shoot the match?”