I just saw the documentary video where Jerry Miculek will be trying to set a world record and it got me thinking how does one become a pro shooter or even get good enough for sponsorship? I’ve seen some amazing shooters at local events and just wondered how hard it is to say become a Jerry.
Becoming a pro
- Thread starter Axis II
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LimaCharlie
Member.
Some people are born with it and others have to practice many hours every day.
.38 Special
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I shot at a fairly high level, decades ago, and plateaued just below the level at which I could have gone "full time". It took a couple of years of roughly 2000 rounds per week (shooting five or six days per week) to get to that level (NRA Action/Bianchi Cup stuff) and while there may have been some secret training plan that could have broken me through that plateau, I suspect I just came up to my natural limits.
So I believe that you have to have both a natural ability* and the desire/opportunity to shoot a whole lot - and not the usual goofing around/plinking/whatever, but disciplined practice tailored to the game you plan on winning, identifying and improving your weak points, etc. Frequent competition is also critical to your development, and to you getting noticed by sponsors. Essentially, I'd think of it just as an athlete in a solo sport: you have to train, you have to compete, and you have to have the genetics.
*I don't believe in "natural talent", per se. That is, no one is "born knowing how to shoot" or anything like that. We all suck when we first start. It's just that some of us have higher ceilings than others. We all have to put in the work, and some of us will find greater rewards from that work than will others.
So I believe that you have to have both a natural ability* and the desire/opportunity to shoot a whole lot - and not the usual goofing around/plinking/whatever, but disciplined practice tailored to the game you plan on winning, identifying and improving your weak points, etc. Frequent competition is also critical to your development, and to you getting noticed by sponsors. Essentially, I'd think of it just as an athlete in a solo sport: you have to train, you have to compete, and you have to have the genetics.
*I don't believe in "natural talent", per se. That is, no one is "born knowing how to shoot" or anything like that. We all suck when we first start. It's just that some of us have higher ceilings than others. We all have to put in the work, and some of us will find greater rewards from that work than will others.
American_Fusilier
Member
2k rounds per week! That's insane! I wish I had that kind of money, or time.
Heck, I wish I could get to the range once every two weeks...
Heck, I wish I could get to the range once every two weeks...
Nuke8401
Member
Pretty sure Jerry set the record at the new S&W facility grand opening.
I had a 20K round year in 2009 practicing, shooting matches and making IDPA SSP MA (Stock Service Pistol Master).
- Reloading was cheaper then.
- IDPA Masters aren't quite a dime a dozen, but almost.
I shot 3-gun for 3 years before it died in 2014ish.
I was a "75%" shooter, as in I could finish in the top 25% = nothing special.
Talking to sponsored shooters back then, shooting well gave you a chance but being a good spokesperson/brand ambassador was more important.
I had a 20K round year in 2009 practicing, shooting matches and making IDPA SSP MA (Stock Service Pistol Master).
- Reloading was cheaper then.
- IDPA Masters aren't quite a dime a dozen, but almost.
I shot 3-gun for 3 years before it died in 2014ish.
I was a "75%" shooter, as in I could finish in the top 25% = nothing special.
Talking to sponsored shooters back then, shooting well gave you a chance but being a good spokesperson/brand ambassador was more important.
Riomouse911
Member
I do believe there are levels of natural ability that puts some folks above others. If it was just a matter of equipment, training and practice, anyone with the resources could be a pro shooter, MLB baseball player, bowler, poker player, etc.
Solid instruction, good equipment, strong mental focus, physical preparation and LOTS of practice will help bring you to your personal apex. If that is at the professional level and you are getting paid for your skills, you have made it!
I have happily resigned myself to the club level shooter category. I can shoot better than many, often days better than most around me, but I shoot nowhere near the levels others are at in order to place in the contests or think about making any money at it.
Good luck to you if you choose to give it a try!
Stay safe.
Solid instruction, good equipment, strong mental focus, physical preparation and LOTS of practice will help bring you to your personal apex. If that is at the professional level and you are getting paid for your skills, you have made it!
I have happily resigned myself to the club level shooter category. I can shoot better than many, often days better than most around me, but I shoot nowhere near the levels others are at in order to place in the contests or think about making any money at it.
Good luck to you if you choose to give it a try!
Stay safe.
Old Dog
Member
One trait I've noted over the years is that so many of the top-level shooters have really, really good eyesight.
I had 20/15 vision into my 40s, and was pretty doggone good (if I do say so myself) at the club level, big fish in a small pond... Comes the day when one wakes up and notices the sights on one's handguns have all shrunk and the targets are all blurry.
Strong hands, strong forearms and healthy shoulders help. And not having a real job, because the sheer amount of time required to stay proficient means the pesky aspect of having to earn a living (and buy ammo and equipment) is not to be understated and will hold you back.
But the constant practice as others have stated is the real key. And frankly, for me, the practice demands got to the point where I was not having fun shooting. If you can commit to disciplined practice -- every single day -- and you stop thinking that the constant shooting is supposed to be fun, you can be really good. But when the practice starts to seem like just another chore, unless, as Riomouse says, you can keep that strong mental focus, that's your clue.
Heck no! I have no money nor the time for that lol. I was just curious how someone got “looked at”. Heck if I could get a company to just give me bullets i’d be happy lol.I do believe there are levels of natural ability that puts some folks above others. If it was just a matter of equipment, training and practice, anyone with the resources could be a pro shooter, MLB baseball player, bowler, poker player, etc.
Solid instruction, good equipment, strong mental focus, physical preparation and LOTS of practice will help bring you to your personal apex. If that is at the professional level and you are getting paid for your skills, you have made it!
I have happily resigned myself to the club level shooter category. I can shoot better than many, often days better than most around me, but I shoot nowhere near the levels others are at in order to place in the contests or think about making any money at it.
Good luck to you if you choose to give it a try!
Stay safe.
Riomouse911
Member
I hear you, it can be frustrating if you are competing for sponsors.
I have been trying to get my daughter a partial sponsorship from a motorcycle dealership over the past month. Even with her finishing second overall in her class two years in a row, in a 10-event AMA National Championship-level racing series, is not enough for a yes… so far anyway.
Stay safe.
Smokin Gator
Member
It depends on how you define pro or sponsored. Lots of different levels. There are very few who make a living only by their shooting. Some have jobs with firearms companies and are sponsored by them for matches. Some top shooters make a lot of their money traveling around the country teaching classes. There are some who get guns. Many with lesser sponsorships getting bullets or ammo, whatever someone offers them. A few attractive female instagram c/b level shooters get some sponsorship and training.
I had a friend who was a revolver champ and came in second after Jerry a few times. He shot at least 20k rounds a year, maybe more. However, there is physical price to pay for that. He had to scale down to 22 LR Steel due to the wear and tear on his hands.
.38 Special
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Just about all my spare money and time went into it. I was lucky to have a range a couple of blocks from my home, a club with regular practice and competition - and a very good coach! - and a girlfriend who put up with it. I'm very glad to have had the experience, but just can't imagine doing it again.
Being the best or close to the best at anything in life takes a serious amount of work. Pros shoot tens of thousands of rounds to get there and exponentially more dry fire. I've shot with them at classes and there's definitely a difference between good amateurs and real professionals.
Same with shotgun sports. I am often in the top five to eight percent in three clubs at trap and vying for first at one each year. I wouldn’t even be in the top quarter at a big shoot where you need a hundred or two hundred straight to make a shoot off.
Some of our local high school kids might be good in ten years or so. One of ours led the three class adult league this summer with a 47.7/50 average for the 18 week league. We were at 25 for the caps most of the season.
Some of our local high school kids might be good in ten years or so. One of ours led the three class adult league this summer with a 47.7/50 average for the 18 week league. We were at 25 for the caps most of the season.
Jerry himself says something along the lines of " you have to pay for the first million rounds yourself if you want somebody else to pay for the 2nd million". I can't find the exact quote but I know I've heard him say it multiple times.
InTheSwamp
Member
He also said, "you have to be the first one to arrive at the range and the last one to leave"...so, save for that first million
dweis
Member
Want to be a pro? It starts with have a vision of your professional future and then developing the skill set to succeed by training and practice. Just keep seeing that vision in your mind’s eye to stay motivated. The visio is th goal.
Compete. Beat everyone at the competition. Repeat. Beat everyone at more competitions. Get noticed or reach out for sponsors. Compete. Beat everyone at more competitions. ...
tark
Member
Or, as a Viper pilot once told me at a military airshow: "Pilots are made, not born."
Hooda Thunkit
Member
However, one has to be born with the set of tools necessary to become a top jet pilot.
Good eyesight, excellent reflexes, the ability to process visual input faster than most, an aptitude for spatial reasoning, etc.
Most importantly; the desire to excel at the chosen job.
Then comes the training and practice.
Annie Oakly always said "practice", "practice", "practice". If you ever get tired of shooting, it just means you haven't shot enough.
I read about Kim Rhode, an Olympic shooter who shoots trap 4 times a day, Everyday. She eats, sleeps and dreams about shooting. She wore out a custom Kolar o/u. Of course Kolar replaced it. And Kim had the old one rebuilt and still shoots it. She has a lot of good memories with that gun. She has also shot a Perozzi and a Beretta. She likes shooting Winchester ammo. World Wide Championships shooting in different categories, she has won 14 gold, 6 silver and 1 bronze. Olympics, she has 3 gold, a silver and several bronze. She is the youngest Olympic trapshooter.
Read her biography.
Mark_Mark
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Not sure if you mentioned Practice but…. Practice Practice Practice Practice Practice
then go shoot USPSA, IDPA… and see if your win a sponsorship
I believe that talent is one of the most important aspects in excelling at anything. I have had two people pick up a revolver first time in their lives, listening carefully to the instructions about grip, stance, trigger pull, and sight picture and put all rounds into the black of the UIT pistol target at 25 meters.
I went shooting a lot with my teenage sons and both had the same instructions and practice but the older one could draw a Glock in 0.3 seconds less and hit a paper plate at ten yards than his younger brother but was more interested in academics than getting deeper into shooting sports.
I went shooting a lot with my teenage sons and both had the same instructions and practice but the older one could draw a Glock in 0.3 seconds less and hit a paper plate at ten yards than his younger brother but was more interested in academics than getting deeper into shooting sports.
