Project Appleseed

After Action Reports! => After Action Reports => Topic started by: fisherdawg on August 18, 2014, 08:38:16 PM

Title: Talkeetna, Alaska 16 -17 August 2014 AAR
Post by: fisherdawg on August 18, 2014, 08:38:16 PM
Over the course of this past weekend, 7 fine American patriots came out to visit the Upper Susitna Shooters Assn. Range for the second Talkeetna, Alaska Appleseed. 

The weather for this event started each day with a bit of light rain turning to sun in the afternoons. 

Our students each brought the most important thing- a teachable attitude.  Soaking up the instruction like a sponge, our students made remarkable improvement throughout the weekend. 

Saturday started with the ubiquitous Hits Count! target, which served to illustrate to our students what their current skill level was.  Only 2 of 6 shooters qualified at 100 yards.

With their performance on the Hits Count! target serving as a not-so-subtle indication of what they were capable of on their own, our students were now ready to begin their journey towards becoming Riflemen (and Riflewomen!). 

The instruction began in earnest, starting with the Steady Hold Factors of the Prone position, and how to use both the Hasty Sling and Loop Sling to support it.  Almost immediately, groups on paper began to coalesce.  But wait! There's more!

The next topic of instruction was the Six Steps to Firing a Shot - A simple, but effective task list for executing a perfect shot, every time.  Then we covered the sight in process / shoot group analysis topics of Talking Targets and Inches-Minutes-Clicks or IMC.   Then we added to the six steps instruction an introduction to Natural Point of Aim, or NPOA.  While our students were still getting used to the aches and pains associated with stretching out into a proper prone position, we then told them they were supposed to RELAX.  The looks of incredulity gave way to beaming smiles when they saw the improvement in their group size.

As the hours passed by, the instruction never stopped;  group instruction on Riflemans Cadence, Seated and Standing positions, transitions (or as I prefer to call it, Rifleman's Calisthenics) one-on-one instruction on proper trigger squeeze, breath control, creating a stable position, and a host of other topics finally culminated in the Appleseed Qualification Test, or AQT. 

The AQT is our student's final exam- putting their marksmanship ability up against reduced-sized silhouettes ranging from a lone one-hundred yard silhouette to FOUR (4) 400 yard silhouettes, scoring Expert on the AQT is no easy feat- it requires not only mastery of the physical skills we teach, but it also requires the mental fortitude to get into a bubble, and leave the 'time monkey' in the dust. 

The end of day brought a re-qualifying score from returning Rifleman Doug M.  And AND -- all 6 of our shooters qualifed at some distance on the Red Coat with 2 clearing it!

Sunday brought an additional shooter to make 7 on the line. We reviewed the course of Instruction and shot an AQT before lunch.  In the afternoon we mixed the AQT grind of 5 additional with NPOA drills & star shoot.

The end of the day had every shooter qualifying at some distance on the Red Coat with 1 clearing it and 3 making the Shingle shoot!  The Instruction works, hmmmm  ;D

In addition to Doug's requal:
Eric shot 225, 231 & 218 on AQT's to reveal a Rifleman
Mikaela shot 218 & 218 on AQT's to reveal a Riflewoman who knows very well what she is about!
Jim B. knocked on the door with multiple scores over 200
Kat made steady progress
Connor (our newest Blue Hat at 9 y.o.) made remarkable progress and shot wonderfully small groups all day
Jim M. had 'walked on' on Sunday and thought the sling was cool and shot very well.

A Star Target Team shoot brought a near tie.

Final Red Coat showed: ALL 7 Shooters qualified, 3 shingle shots and 1 cleared Red Coat.
That's what a teachable attitude and persistent effort can accomplish.

More importantly, I believe all came away with a much enhanced appreciation for the our shared Heritage of Liberty and the importance of passing it own 'entire to future generations.'

Please post your pictures, comments and stories below.

fisherdawg
O0

Title: Re: Talkeetna, Alaska 16 -17 August 2014 AAR
Post by: Medicus on August 19, 2014, 01:56:40 AM
Our shooters this weekend:
Title: Re: Talkeetna, Alaska 16 -17 August 2014 AAR
Post by: Medicus on August 19, 2014, 02:19:19 AM
Alaska's new  Blue Hat, Connor. Look for his forum handle in years to come.
Title: Re: Talkeetna, Alaska 16 -17 August 2014 AAR
Post by: Medicus on August 19, 2014, 02:28:59 AM
Instructor highlights, Day 1:
Title: Re: Talkeetna, Alaska 16 -17 August 2014 AAR
Post by: Medicus on August 19, 2014, 02:31:32 AM
God bless America, half of these are posting upside down. I'll get more up tomorrow when I am working from a PC instead of an iPad.
Title: Re: Talkeetna, Alaska 16 -17 August 2014 AAR
Post by: fisherdawg on August 19, 2014, 02:35:47 AM
Photos of Talkeetna
Title: Re: Talkeetna, Alaska 16 -17 August 2014 AAR
Post by: fisherdawg on August 19, 2014, 02:37:21 AM
From now on Hogfamily & Medicus take all the photos.  Nice work.
Title: Re: Talkeetna, Alaska 16 -17 August 2014 AAR
Post by: Medicus on August 19, 2014, 01:20:28 PM
OK, more pics, right-side-up this time, of our new Blue Hat, ScutMonkey:
Title: Re: Talkeetna, Alaska 16 -17 August 2014 AAR
Post by: Medicus on August 19, 2014, 01:22:44 PM
Day 1 Instruction Highlights:
Title: Re: Talkeetna, Alaska 16 -17 August 2014 AAR
Post by: Medicus on August 19, 2014, 01:24:34 PM
Instructor trigger time on the KD side!
Title: Re: Talkeetna, Alaska 16 -17 August 2014 AAR
Post by: Medicus on August 19, 2014, 01:30:23 PM
Day 2 Instruction highlights:
Title: Re: Talkeetna, Alaska 16 -17 August 2014 AAR
Post by: Medicus on August 19, 2014, 01:32:12 PM
That'll do for now. I have more but getting them from my phone to the computer and then the computer to the internet through this coffee-stirrer wireless connection is proving aggravating during a workday. A kickstarter campaign for a new computer and internet, maybe?
Title: Re: Talkeetna, Alaska 16 -17 August 2014 AAR
Post by: hogfamily on August 28, 2014, 05:10:56 AM
http://hogfamilyalaska.blogspot.com/2014/08/talkeetna-appleseed-marksmanship-and.html