By Vanessa Torres
USA -(Ammoland.com)- I had the privilege to speak with champion shooter, and firearms trainer Ben Stoeger. He will be talking to us about his philosophy on dry fire, his next competition, and upcoming projects.
Out of all of your shooting competitions which one of you competitions are you the proudest of winning?
USPSA Nationals is the competition I am the proudest of winning. It’s like the big competition to win. When I first turned to competitive shooting I knew that this was the competition I wanted to win; to have actually won that competition was a big deal and a great honor for me.
Your next match is on April 19th 2015, what firearms are you planning to use? What else are you doing in preparations for this match?
I am planning on shooting a Tanfoglio stock 2. it is the gun I prefer to shoot right now, so I am planning on shooting it for at least the next three years.
When it comes to preparation I am going to do a couple hours of dry fire daily, shoot around 500 rounds a day and my usual daily workouts. I usually spend 6-8 hours daily traning as we get closer to the match.
As many know you are very interested when it comes to dry fire training for operators. You have also released your book “Dry-fire Training for the Practical Pistol Shooter” What is your philosophy (belief) on this subject?
My core philosophy on the subject I believe is to practice everything when it comes to handgun shooting. If in your mind you are shooting real rounds, if you are holding the gun really hard, practice pressing the trigger straight, and repeat for all other exercises, then you can really practice a lot with dry fire.
For most people, there is no way in reality to afford enough ammo, and shoot enough rounds to train well enough for today’s competitive shooting. DryFire is something that could work for that individual; it’s something that if you wanna get really good then you are going to have to dry fire a lot.
My book “Dry Fire Training” come from a few years of doing dry fire personally. I also had a predecessor training manual that I started using when doing more classes. I went on to revise methods, and that is how my book came about. Later in the future there will be another edition coming as well that will have more techniques that I am learning myself, and wanting to pass on to others. I hand them out in every fundamentals class I teach. Especially for those who are interested in dry fire and need tips to practice with.
I have heard talk about your DVD, “Practical Pistol Foundations” that is coming out in April 2015 could you elaborate on that?
I currently have a how-to practice DVD on the market. It’s different drills, and I discuss what that has to do with competition shooting. What I haven’t done yet is instruction on how to hold the gun, how to shoot the gun, how to draw out of a holster, and specifics of foundations. It is competition based, but it is not strictly for people who are interested in competition shooting. There will be relevant information for shooters who want to just shoot a handgun, in general.
It has been designed more for newer shooters and beginners. However, even for shooters who have been shooting for a long time can really benefit from the DVD as well. It will be out in April for physical media and digital download.
What are the different types of classes that you teach?
I have two different types of classes that I am teaching right now.
I do a practical shooting fundamentals class. It is for people who actively compete in the competition, and understand the safety rules, and showing them what the sport is all about, and how to get better. The centerpiece of that is learning how to dry fire, learning practice drills, and learning what you need to be good at competition shooting.
The other class I teach is a more advanced technical class that is for people who are really serious about shooting. For example individuals who shoot live the fire multiple times a week. It is showing those individuals how to make their practice sessions much more efficient.
This class for individuals who want to go from being the best in their club to one of the best in the country.
We know that you currently have your podcast on your website. What could we see you discussing in the future?
I plan on talking about current issues that the online world is mad about. I also answer any shooting questions. I am also going to be talking about USPSA elections. We always talk about new firearms that are coming out to the market that are relevant to practical competition shooting, and as the are new developments they will always be subject to conversation.
What do you recommend for individuals who are interested in shooting, and haven’t done any training yet?
Don’t start with me. I would recommend to first to go to safety training, then move on to basic pistol classes. I teach more to the competition end of shooting.
Do you have any final remarks for us?
If any individual is interested in competitive shooting and you are unsure, then you should go for it, and try it out. There are many individuals out there who can help you. If it’s something that you really want to do then just find a match and go.
For more information on Ben, His classes, and to order any training videos, or books please visit http://benstoeger.com/index.php
