The Chapman Academy of Practical Shooting

The Chapman Academy of Practical Shooting was founded by Ray Chapman in the middle 1970's His previous experience in the Marine Corps and Law Enforcement led him to become involved in competitive shooting. He opened the Academy shortly after he won the inaugural World Championship of Practical Shooting in 1975 with a near perfect score following this by winning over 250 major shooting tournaments.

Shortly after winning that first Championship, he initiated the Bianchi Cup, an International Pistol Competition held at the Green Valley Rifle and Pistol Club just north of Columbia, Missouri. Because of his strong belief that civilians should strive to become proficient in urban combat skills and opened the Chapman Academy of Practical Shooting.

As his personal reputation grew, as a direct extension of his shooting skill, so too did the school benefit and it's reputation for excellence expanded rapidly among shooters. Those who have been fortunate enough to attend any of his programs benefited greatly from the teaching principles he imparted. Some of his clients include all types of law enforcement personnel, Highway Patrol officers, SWAT teams, DELTA force teams, and Navy SEALS. Yes, and even old duffers like me!

Ray semi retired from the Academy around 1996 and promoted John Skaggs to serve as Director and Chief Instructor of the Chapman Academy. Ray made a few appearance for special classes of returning students over the next few years. John Skaggs continued on until 2004 when he suffered a debilitating strokeand has not yet been able to return. John carried the same principles forward as taught by Ray and was excellent in making difficult tactical problems look easy.

His easy going manner inspired confidence and approachability, but when a group of Navy SEALS goofed up and shot the mirrors off the old Toyota range truck, they learned new words to add to their vocabulary.

The lack of civilian competency with defensive pistol skills became evident after Florida passed the Concealed Weapons law in 1987. Ray’s Chapman Academy took over where state requirement ended. This column describes my experience at the Chapman Academy for three days in May, many years ago. But first, a little background…

In the modern era, concealed carry has been a fact of life since Florida first opened the door in 1987. It was not uniformly embraced by the ‘Chicken Little’ news media who trumpeted dire predictions of shoot outs at high noon, blood running in the streets, gun battles over parking spaces, and macho gun fights. These bizarre claims were in the Florida newspapers daily.

History has proven them to be totally wrong. And just how wrong were they? Try this. While an immediate decrease in personal violent crime was observed, a drastic increase in car hijackings began taking place within a year of the implementation of this law. How can this be? This law was intended to provide the private citizen with the ability to protect themselves. Why then are we seeing an increase in violent crime?

Interesting question, and the increase in car hijackings overshadowed the decrease in one on one violence. But of even more interest were the answers that the investigators discovered. The profile of the hijack victims fit a narrow set circumstances. All of them were tourists. All of them entered Florida for vacations from busy International airports. All of them rented an upscale automobile. How does concealed carry fit into this scenario? Puzzling. Investigators (Rossi et al) decided to go to the source and asked those who were involved.

Setting up a series of interviews with felons who had been recently arrested for hijackings and muggings, it was learned that it was because of the recent law that had armed private citizens that criminals had changed their tactics; drastically.

Note well that there have been fewer than 1% of license holders out of millions nationwide who have mishandled their responsibilty. Virtually none of us are cop wannabes. Compared to the police, our gun handling skills are learned only to help us survive an attack. That's it!

Police on the other hand, must pursue felons into dark alleys, into dangerous buildings and apprehend them; all while adhering to a ridiculous set of politically correct rules of conduct. The tactics they use and the decision they make will then be second guessed by armchair quarterbacks who were not there and did not have to make a life saving decision in a split second. My respect for these men and women is boundless. Civilian license holders need merely to get away without damage to tender hide.

Well, enough of that. Let's get back to the car hijackers who have now learned to station themselves in the airports, waiting for passengers to disembark. Some of them even memorized the arrival times of all overseas flights as well as national arrivals from bigger cities.

Well dressed couples, young and old, preferably without children, were selected upon disembarking and followed through the airport to the baggage section, then on to the car rental desks, on out to the shuttle buses, ending at the pick up point of the rental car.

From there, the rental car itself was identified and followed by the hijackers. When the victims had reached a part of town that was less populated, the hijackers would gently bump the rear end of the victim’s car. As the law abiding folks stopped to exchange information as the rental brochures advised, the car was taken over by the bad guys. From there the victims were driven to a secluded place where the target was relieved of money, watches, clothes, tickets, credit cards and other items that could be fenced to pawn shops. In certain cases, the victims were killed!

Why? The reason is more simple than the biased news media is willing to believe. Did I mention I have no respect for members of Liberal news media? I should have.

If the victims had high limit credit cards, then killing them prevented American Express from being aware that the card had been stolen. No survivors meant no one will call to report the card stolen. This gave the hijackers more days and hours to make more purchases before the card was deactivated. Think that’s bad? Read on.

In California, young gang bangers crawl under an expensive car in exclusive shopping centers. When the driver, usually elderly women who had been pre selected, returns to her car, the miscreant reaches out with a sharp knife and cuts her on the back of her ankle, severing the Achilles tendon.

As the victim lies flopping around on the pavement, helpless, she is relieved of her purse, credit cards, and various and sundry articles that could be exchanged for cash money at pawn shops. The crowning blow was the use of bolt cutters to remove ring fingers with swollen arthritic knuckles so that her large diamond rings could more easily be removed. Nice kids. Driving away in her expensive car was a bonus and finished the crime.

Remember well that these are dangerous and vicious criminals; not far removed from rabid animals. They are not overly bright, but they are astute enough to know that selecting a Florida resident may expose them to a CCW license holder and they will face a victim who will actually fight back.

Being cowardly as well as lazy, they greet the incoming flights that provide an endless supply of targets consisting of safe and most importantly, unarmed victims. But, you may ask, how do they know the tourists are unarmed? The secret, Baba Looie, is because of the stringent Federal laws prohibiting firearms on commercial aircraft!

So now we know that the concealed carry law has indeed altered the behavior of career criminals as they go about their business of choosing safer victims. This in itself is very good, but brings up some additional questions. Just how competent are these license holders?

If the only training they received is the state mandated requirements, that training is woefully inadequate. Speaking from personal experience, I can attest to the fact that the initial class that qualified me for my Texas CHL was not related to anything other that minimum safety rules and very basic shooting qualification.

As a bonus, information was imparted about places to carry and not carry, along with circumstances that justify use of a firearm in self defense. That was about it. I was extremely uneasy when I began carrying. It's a common phenomenon among new license holders.

In talking with friends who were active law enforcement officers, they were unanimous in recommending a basic “Introduction to Defensive Pistol” course followed by regular practice and monthly participation in organized practical shooting scenarios. The Chapman Academy offered the highly desirable introduction course that I sorely needed. I quickly signed up for the three day program and headed for Columbia.

In my truck, I had two fine pistols that I would use for the course along with the minimum recommended 1,500 rounds of new factory ammo. Additionally, I took along that minimum required inventory, plus an extra 2,000 rounds of reloaded ammo, a third back up pistol, holsters for all, complete with several extra magazines, a cleaning kit, eye and ear protection, a bandanna to keep hot brass from entering my shirt at the neck, and knee and elbow pads as recommended by the faculty. Did I mention I really enjoy shooting? I should have.

Early on a beautiful Friday morning in May, I appeared at the Green Valley Rifle and Pistol Club just north of Columbia, Missouri, ready to learn. There were eight of us in the class and we spent a few minutes in the classroom with John Skaggs as he went over the outline of the course and the rules of the range.

We would learn the basics of the course as developed by Ray Chapman; shoot effectively, move quickly, and utilize cover. From this, all other skills grow.

For safety, the range was designated as a ‘cold’ range. This means the firearm is always in the holster, always unloaded, and with the magazine well always empty and open. Loading took place only on the firing line, and only when directed by the range officer. Failure to follow this rule would be met with a percussion solo as performed upon the head of the violator by John, followed by an unceremonius dismissal without benefit of a refund. Safety is a serious business at the Chapman Academy.

We started with some basic dry firing as the proper grip was demonstrated and the techniques of two rounds center mass was discussed. Finally, we got to the point where John decided we were ready to start. This went well and we shot a couple of hundred rounds. Break time. We sat in the shade and cleaned our pistols while listening to a review of our individual strengths and weaknesses along with a description of the next drill; shooting on the move.

For this dynamic drill, we again start with the dry fire exercise. This scenario deals with two attackers who, when some distance away, look at one another, move apart and with weapons drawn, advance toward us. John demonstrates the “Groucho” walk, using a smooth, gliding walk, advancing toward the threats, and shooting as he goes! Most street criminals are accustomed to seeing their victims submit without resistance or running away.

We do neither. We not only are not running away, we are headed their way decisively and aggressively. Not only are we headed their way, we are shooting at them as we advance! This gives them two things to think about at the same time, creating too many moving parts for their small minds to process. They will either freeze and get shot or run away. If they try to shoot back at us they will have to hit a moving target and John explains that if a street criminal has no prior training, they won’t fare well.

Later John has us shooting at these threats while moving laterally left and right, while moving obliquely, and while backing away. This is the heart of the program; shoot, move, find cover.

Break time again. Clean those pistols. Modern semi automatic firearms work splendidly when kept clean and most of them like proper lubrication. To keep the gun running, keep it wet! If the gun stops running, it becomes a beautiful and attractive but relatively useless short club. Clean those pistols well, boys!

While we eat lunch, clean pistols and reload magazines, John describes the next exercise that will involve shooting from cover. Cover is described as something that will stop a bullet, like a concrete wall, a fire hydrant, or the engine compartment of a car.

Concealment is something that may hide us, but will not stop a bullet; a sheetrock wall, a thin door, an overturned table. Like learning to swim, it is better to learn now rather than jumping off into the deep end. It is good to be ready.

We are now prepared to shoot from the right side of cover, from the left side of cover, and various other positions. For example we could use a large tree even if we were some distance away from it. As long as we keep it between us and the threat, it can be used as cover.

Remember our objectives, shoot effectively, (hit the target) move quickly, (to cover or to the threat) use cover. (a tree, a concrete wall). This is priceless information that may save our lives one day. The CCW class makes it legal for us to carry concealed weapons, the Chapman Academy prepares us to defeat armed attackers and survive the encounter.

We spend the rest of the day repeating the drills we learned today. At 1630, John dismisses the class and warns us that not all bad guys are untrained. Some may have military experience and will be at least as competent as we are, maybe more. Do not assume they are without gun handling skills. Our objective is to avoid getting hurt or killed. And with that, everyone heads for the exit ready for hot showers and a good meal. But, not me…

I run headlong for the steel plate target range for a little more play time. I saw this range earlier in the day and just can’t resist a few shots at these reactive targets. These plates are in four groups of six plates each, and will go down with a clang and a satisfying thump. I shoot for just a few minutes…or so I thought. When I look at my watch I am astonished to see it’s almost 1900! (For those who live in Topeka, Kansas, this means 7:00 o'clock in the evening.)

I do a quick inventory of my remaining ammo to make sure I have enough to finish the course tomorrow and Sunday. Fortunately I brought along an extra 2000 rounds of reloads so I can shoot a little more. But the recoil, the muzzle blast, and the pounding are finally getting to me. One can only have so much fun.

Back at the Red Roof Inn, I enjoy a long hot shower, call home, make a couple of sandwiches, drink some Gator Aid and clean the pistols once more and reload the magazines. It has been a good day.

Saturday morning at McDonalds, two Egg Macs, a thermos of coffee, and I'm ready to head for the range. Was I the first shooter there? Yep, but not the first visitor. The range cat, named Sh*t Head greeted me with a smile. This cat appeared at the range as a dumped kitten a couple of years back. John and the guys took him in, provided regular meals and a warm place to sleep.

The ungrateful little wretch repaid this kindness by chewing up expensive leather goods left out in the open. As he grew older, he scratched up chair legs, sofa arms, and marked out his territory leaving his pungent scent everywhere. He was a mean little dude till one day John scooped him up and presented him to the local vet for a little well deserved and long overdue personal surgery. He came back to the range without cajones and was truly a...changed cat. Still a good mouser, though, but the girls held no fascination for him now.

I drank my coffee while waiting for the others to arrive. Today would be a scorcher with temperatures in the 90’s. John reviewed some observations from yesterday and we started the day with a repeat of Friday's drills. John made corrections here and there and generally seemed satisfied that we were progressing, but by the meal break we were all ready for something new. John did not disappoint.

The new drill would have us shooing at close range, from behind cover, and at a moving target. Sounds like fun.

John demonstrates the drill. A panhandler approaches at two yards, begging for money. When rebuffed, he pulls a knife and threatens us. For the first time, we hear the phrase “the need for speed, the need for precision.” This situation calls for speed. At the signal, John draws his pistol, holding it tight against his ribs, gets off two fast shots while moving backward and laterally. There is no time to draw, extend the arms, get the two handed grip, aim and shoot. It is logical and correct to assume that if the pistol is at the level of John’s ribs, it will therefore be at the level of the threat's ribs as well.

For a threat under four yards away, the procedure changes to where the position of the pistol is held in a partly extended shooting hand much as if you were going to shake hands with someone. To give yourself a little more time, you can move backward while you are drawing. For stability, your left arm is placed diagonally across your chest to form a supported shooting platform.

At all times the draw calls for the weak hand to move in close to your own chest and out of the line of fire from the muzzle of your own pistol. As Clint Smith of Thunder Ranch says, it does not help to set yourself on fire.

Next step is to engage the target at fifteen yards. There is still a need for speed but precision is more applicable here. Run to cover and engage the threat at fifteen yards. Then it’s on to the moving target that is twenty five yards away. That’s it. Oh, by the way, this must all be done in six seconds.

When we started this drill we all finished in less than six seconds which surprised all of us except John. The fact that we missed so many of the longer shots surprised all of us except John.

The rest of the day was spent working on this drill with one addition. Following our last two shots at the moving target, we reload and move to a long stairway leading up to a wall. We move up the stairs slowly one at a time using the wall for cover and engage the threats found in the courtyard.

Black steel discs are planted at thirty, twenty five, twenty, fifteen, ten, and five yards. The assignment is to take them out without hitting the white steel discs which are innocent bystanders or in some cases hostages. Remember “the need for speed, the need for precision”.

We conclude the day with this scenario. Tomorrow…is qualification day.

Sunday morning dawned, bright, clear, another beautiful spring day. Did I mention we have had perfect weather for this class? I should have.

We are all assembled at the range where we started on Friday. John goes over the course of fire and we learn that we must have a minimum of 170 points to qualify for a certificate. But we don't want just any old certificate, we want that Master's certificate!

The classifications are; Sharpshooter, Marksman, Expert, and Master but everybody wants the Master. For that we’ll need a minimum of 187 total points.

We start out with the stand up and shoot drill. John’s words echo in our little pink ears and we make sure our grip is tight, and our stance is right. Everybody comes through this phase without any problems. After yesterday, this seems very simple.

Next is the moving and shooting scenario. We all do the “Groucho” walk and nail these targets neatly as as we move forward. If memory serves me, I believe that John threw in an unexpected moving target near the end of this drill. He likes to see how we’ll react to surprises.

We take a short break again to clean pistols and reload magazines. John keeps his distance from us today as he wants to maintain absolute integrity; this is test time!

Now we are using cover as we shoot. This does not go as well as we expected because the ranges are a little longer than we rememberand we’re shooting from more difficult positions. Only two students earn enough points to still qualify for the Master certificate. The others could shoot a perfect score from here on and still be eliminated mathematically. Gettin’ tougher.

We remember the story John told about the police officer who was 6’4” and weighed around 245 pounds. He told John it was ridiculous to expect him to find adequate cover behind a fire hydrant. John told him any cover at all is better than no cover.

Some weeks later in real life, this same officer was involved in a shooting and took cover behind a fire hydrant! He told John there was more than enough room and even several of his buddies could have joined him behind that cover!

Heading into the final scenario, the Miami Massacre, I learn that I am up first. During the break, we also learned that one other student and I are the only two still in the hunt for the Master classification. More pressure!

John asks if I understand the course of fire and I nod yes. He then gives the order to load and make ready. I put a 17 round magazine in the Beretta 92 and rack the slide to load the chamber. Then I use the decocker lever to let the hammer down, holster the pistol, and nod that I am ready.

When the moving target starts, I draw and fire. But nothing happens! I had forgotten to return the decocker lever to the ready position! I correct this fast and race through the scenario. If I’m lucky, I can make up the lost time as I have been completing this drill in about 4 seconds. I ran to cover and took out the next target and got on the moving target as fast as I could. Could not tell if I got the mover with that second shot. It’s gonna be close.

Climbing the stairs and taking out the black steel targets without collecting a hostage or an innocent bystander went well requiring only one shot per each of the six threats.

I unload, show John the empty chamber and receive the order to holster the weapon and stand down That's it, I'm finished.

I have to now wait for the other seven shooters to finish the course. I use the time wisely and clean the pistol one last time. Lovingly, I reassemble it and wipe it down, placing it in the protective case. This didn’t take anywhere near long enough and I still have time to fret over my screw up.

Eventually every one finishes and we all trudge back to the class room where John and his staff tally up the scores. He tells me he knew I had forgotten to return the decocker lever to the ready position, but after all, this was a test. All coaching was ended at the start of the day.

He did say I made a great recovery and nearly got by with it anyway. The second shot hit the barricade just nano seconds after the target disappeared behind the wall. He said the shot was on line and would have scored the point, but…

How close was it? I needed 187 points to achieve Master. I accumulated 186.4 points. Even worse, the high score was only 191.4. If that last round had connected I would have achieved the Master classification and been high gun as well with 192 points. That was a costly mistake that I’ll grieve about for a long, long time.

John told me I will receive more benefit from that miss than I realize. He said I would never forget that again and it proved to him (and should prove to me) that I could recover from unexpected surprises. You know how John loves unexpected surprises.

But it still nags at me even today. Bill Jordan, the famous Texas Border Patrol legend wrote a book about not finishing first. He entitled the book, “No Second Place Winner.” Yep, that’s me; a second place non winner.

Bill Jordan’s gone now, along with Jeff Cooper and Ray Chapman. These splendid pioneers did much to bring competency to civilian shooters as well as military and law enforcement officers. Information about these fellows is abundant on the Internet. Google them up and see what interesting lives they led. You'll be glad you did. And check out the number of other shooting schools out there as well; Thunder Ranch in Oregon, Gunsite in Arizona, and Front Sight in Nevada.

John’s final speech told us we should be proud; we had come through a shooting program that put us on a level with that of a graduate police officer. We completed the same scenarios that are taught in the Police Academy curriculum across the nation, but he also cautioned that we were just now ready to learn something about shooting!

He urged us to practice what we had learned here and to participate in local events sponsored by the various national practical shooting sports organizations. Keep on shooting, he said.

There's much more to learn, he told us; situational awareness, weapons retention, low light shooting, shooting from prone and other awkward positions, carjacking prevention, room to room clearance in case a shopping mall is attacked by terrorists and you need to get your family out, and shooting from vehicles.

Remember to shoot effectively, move quickly, and use cover. Come back regularly for additional all the Advanced Defensive Pistol courses.

That was the last time I saw John Skaggs. I learned later that he had a stroke and has not yet returned to teaching. Then in February 2008, Ray Chapman died and the highly respected Chapman Academy of Practical Shooting closed its doors.

But we must continue; and here's a good way to do that.

Each May, the Bianchi Cup International Pistol Championship match lives on at the Green Valley Rifle and Pistol Club just north of Columbia, Missouri.

Go there and watch; you'll be glad you did!

PB