Like us, we’re sure you often hear “Faster, faster…mmm, yeahhhh…” But, we’re not talking about that here. While going fast has its own place and time, sometimes you want to do it sooner. Wait, we all want it sooner. Holy shit, maybe Will Petty’s on to something. Sooner is the new better faster according to our token competition-shooter minion. Hear why Candice thinks you should adopt the “sooner rather than faster” approach as taught by Will Petty during the VCQB class at 88 Tactical, filmed by Firelance Media.  Mad Duo

Sooner, Not Faster: VCQB with Will Petty

Candice Horner

Being a student in a Vehicle CQB class was out of my comfort zone, which was a perfect opportunity for learning. There was more to Will Petty’s VCQB class than just shooting through and around cars. The broadly applicable concept of “sooner rather than faster” ended up being my most valuable takeaway from the class.

“Sooner rather than faster” is not a new concept, but when Petty taught, it was a much-needed reminder. In the game I play, competitive shooting, everyone wants to shoot fast. The faster you shoot, presumably, the better you are because you should have the quickest time. If you’re familiar with shooting competitions, then you already know more factors come into play.

The assumption that shooting faster is better can pull a competitive shooter into an endless cycle of nonproductive practice that does not benefit them in the long run. By benefit them in the long run, I mean finish where they could. I’m sorry to tell you, but just because you can quad-load a shotgun with 8 shells in less than 2 seconds or your rifle split times are 0.11 seconds, more improvement is necessary. While these skills are great to have in your toolbox, it’s what you do between shots and positions that benefits you.

With timer in hand, Petty demonstrated how to get a shot off in half the amount of time.  This is how is went:

First shot: “Beeeeeeep, bang.”

Second shot: “Bee-Bang-eeep.”

Do you see what he did there? Petty was able to split the time it took him to fire a shot. His reaction time was faster, errrrr- sooner. Instead of waiting for the audible noise to finish, he shot at the beginning of the timer’s beep for the second shot. He then explained you should react to the stimulus as soon as possible.

In a real life scenario, learning to shoot sooner could save your life. You would shoot when the threat presents itself. In the competitive shooting world, this can improve your economy of motion by maximizing efficiency.

What Petty taught during the VCQB class from vehicle ballistics, to 16 points of cover, to temple index, all of that will only matter if you don’t get shot first. Get your gun up, out, and on target sooner to win.

How do you apply this same concept? It can be something as simple as getting up sooner in the morning to the first sound of your alarm instead of having to rush to get ready, or you unbuckle your seatbelt if approaching a scene when you may need to get out of the car quickly… Let us know what you do…

 

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About the Author:

Start your caviling and contravening because yes, Candice Horner is AFM. That is: Another Fucking Marine (we swear that if we put two or more of them in a room it becomes all Oorah-Chesty-Puller-Port Hole-Hathcock-Ladderwell, but fortunately we have a Klingon translator). A prior federal LEO and current Registered Nurse, Candice brings special skills to the table our current minions don’t, such as the ability to properly ensconce an IV after a long night of drinking (some of our minions are CLS trained, but that usually equates to missing the stick 14 times before giving up). Like any good Marine NCO, she can spit shine boots better than a seasoned fluffer can suck, roll sleeves tight enough to make a tourniquet envious, and yell loud enough to bring a grown man to tears. Candice is an enthusiastic hunter, outdoorsman (outdoorswoman?), writer (writress?), and accomplished competitive shooter.