IPSC/IDPA Training with Emanuel "Manny" Bragg - April/May 2009

96Brigadier

96Brigadier

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We are bringing Manny Bragg back to Alberta again this year for more of his IPSC/IDPA training. For those of you who do not know Manny, he is a Top 10 in the world IPSC Standard shooter and a USPSA Grand Master who has won more matches than you can shake a stick at, including 2nd at the US Nationals a few years back, 5th at last years US Nationals, first at the 2007 Canadian Nationals, first at most Area matches that he shot in 2008, etc. He was also a member of the US Standard Gold Team at the World Shoot that won the Team Gold a few months ago. Many of the top shooters in the US say Manny is "the best shooter to have not won the US Nationals (yet)". You can read that exact quote from Phil Strader in this month's issue of Front Sight Magazine, as well as see some pictures of Manny in action. There was also a funny story in a Front Sight magazine in (I think) November about Manny and Dave Sevigny having a personal bet on a match to see who could beat the other (Manny won).

Besides being an amazingly nice person, he is also a professional shooting instructor for both IPSC and IDPA disciplines. Many of us here in Alberta have taken at least one of his courses and can attest to how valuable they are.

Manny is going to be teaching 2 day Intermediate classes as well as 1 day advanced movement classes in the following locations. You can expect to shoot around 1000 rounds at the 2 day course, less obviously at the 1 day advanced movement course. NOTE: To take the Advanced course you are supposed to have taken the Intermediate course first. If you are interested in the Advanced course and haven't taken the Intermediate before then I'll have to get some sense for what kind of shooter you are and then run that past Manny to make sure he's good with you taking the Advanced.

April 27/28: 2 day Intermediate at Olds, $500 USD, 2 slots available.
April 29/30: 2 day Intermediate at Olds, $500 USD, 7 slots available.
May 1: 1 day Advanced at Olds, $400 USD, this one may already be full.

**May 2/3 Manny will be shooting the IPSC Alberta Level II matches in Brooks, may a weekend of it and come shoot the match too.

May 4/5: 2 day Intermediate at Brooks, $500 USD, 6 slots available.
May 6: 1 day Advanced at Brooks, $400 USD, 3 slots available.

May 8/9: 2 day Intermediate at Spruce Grove (Edmonton), $500 USD, might already be full.
May 10: 1 day Advanced at Spruce Grove, $400 USD, I believe this one IS full but check if you are interested.

If you are interested in taking any of these classes please send me a PM and I will check availability. Payment will be by major Credit Card, USD bank draft, or USD cash, in advance.

The Olds range is located 1 hour from my house in NW Calgary, about 40 minutes from Airdrie, or 45 minutes south of Red Deer.
The Brooks range is in southern Alberta, look it up on Google :)
The Spruce Grove range is in Spruce Grove, about 20 minutes west of Edmonton.
 
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What are his IDPA credentials? Has he ever competed at any of the IDPA Nationals? How'd he place there?


I know Manny (having already taken training with him) and respect his abilities as a competitor and instructor, but how is he going to teach a combined IPSC/IDPA class concurrently?

First of all, the targets are completely different (particularly since the recent demise of the metric target).

Secondly, in IPSC targets may be engaged in any order and out in the open whereas in IDPA targets are engaged in either 'tactical sequence' or 'tactical priority' (and primarlily from cover).

In IPSC 'speed reloads' are the norm whereas in IDPA there are 'tactical reloads, reloads with retention and emergency (or slide-lock) reloads' (and speed reloads are strictly forbidden.).

I could go on but I think I've made my point.

As I've said earlier, I've taken training from Manny and he is a great shooter/instructor. And if he were to come to Alberta for IDPA specific training I'd likely sign up. However, to try to fill up an 'IPSC centric' course with IDPA shooters would do both the IPSC and IDPA shooters on the course a disservice. The techniques employed by the two sports are VERY different.





PS: I'm working on getting Scott Warren, an instructor at the FBI Academy in Quantico, VA and Master Class IDPA shooter, to come up to Alberta for IDPA specific training this summer. What this forum for details.
 
Manny teaches shooting first and foremost. I believe you'd agree that's a skill that is required for both. I have taken his intermediate course as well, as have several people who shoot IDPA in Alberta with you, and they have told me that his course is extremely valuable to IDPA shooters. Trigger control, sight picture, breathing, stance, how to move, all are valuable skills that can be greatly improved by taking his course. Those are all skills that regardless of discipline are required to improve scores, and can be taught concurrently with those who focus on IPSC (not to mention many people in Alberta who shoot IDPA also shoot IPSC and vice versa).

If you think learning from one of the top shooters in the world isn't valuable to those who shoot IDPA then I respectfully disagree - and I think those who Manny regularly shoots with, most of whom are also IDPA Grand Masters and current or past IDPA National Champions would also disagree.
 
I don't disagree that Manny is a good instructor or that what he has to offer isn't useful across disciplines.

And if there were to be an IPSC course and then an IDPA course on another date, then things would be different. However, to have a combined course, is to my mind not, in the best interest of either.

It's like saying we're bringing Shaquille O'Neil up to teach you how to play better basketball, and since Shaq is a pretty good volleyball player too, he'll teach a portion of the participants to play better volleyball at the same time.....
 
Wow, sounds like someone thinks IPSC is a shooting sport and IDPA is nothing close...

Great comments 98Brigadier but if Dragoon says IDPA shooters can't learn the basics then by all means I would hope not to see any IDPA shooters in a course with a USPSA GrandMaster... :)

Or, I would highly recommend that anyone who shoots in a competitive environment take this class. There is plenty to learn and if you'd like to work on tactical reloads or reloads with retention just let Manny know that's what you'll be doing.

Enjoy the class! Manny's one of the best NRA certified instructors there is :)
 
Dragoon said:
PS: I'm working on getting Scott Warren, an instructor at the FBI Academy in Quantico, VA and Master Class IDPA shooter, to come up to Alberta for IDPA specific training this summer. What this forum for details.
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Mass this would be great, Scott is an out of this world instructor. There was a course date here last year set, but his schedual was changed and he had to cancel the course. I hope you guys can get this together.

D_ said:
Manny is THE best instructor. No money in it for mass so he dumps on Manny. Shamefull
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By who's standards?
 
trickpony said:
Wow, sounds like someone thinks IPSC is a shooting sport and IDPA is nothing close...

Great comments 98Brigadier but if Dragoon says IDPA shooters can't learn the basics then by all means I would hope not to see any IDPA shooters in a course with a USPSA GrandMaster... :)

Or, I would highly recommend that anyone who shoots in a competitive environment take this class. There is plenty to learn and if you'd like to work on tactical reloads or reloads with retention just let Manny know that's what you'll be doing.

Enjoy the class! Manny's one of the best NRA certified instructors there is :)
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I'm not saying anything of the sort. I agree Manny is a very good instructor. All I'm saying is that to have a combined course would not be a good idea.

As I said before, set up a seperate course for IDPA shooters where appropriate drills would be taught and practiced and I'd sign up too.

Having shot both sports (unlike those criticising my opinion) I can tell you with utmost confidence that although the fundamentals are the same, the games are played very differently.

Would you tell me that a bullseye pistol shooter or a three position small bore rifle shooter trying to improve their game would get his or her money's worth by taking an IPSC focused course? The fundamentals of sight alignment and trigger control are the same afterall......
 
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Dragoon said:
I'm not saying anything of the sort. I agree Manny is a very good instructor. All I'm saying is that to have a combined course would not be a good idea.

As I said before, set up a seperate course for IDPA shooters where appropriate drills would be taught and practiced and I'd sign up too.

Having shot both sports (unlike those criticising my opinion) I can tell you with utmost confidence that although the fundamentals are the same, the games are played very differently.

Would you tell me that a bullseye pistol shooter or a three position small bore rifle shooter trying to improve their game would get his or her money's worth by taking an IPSC focused course? The fundamentals of sight alignment and trigger control are the same afterall......
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:agree:
 
Very intresting debate. As a relatively new member of the IDPA, I for one, am more intrested in learning from an IDPA focused instructor rather then an IPSC one. Just my 2 cents worth.
 
Here we go again... I've seen this before...

96Brigadier is bringing Emanuel "Manny" Bragg to Alberta. Thank you 96Brigadier for taking the time to arrange it and help fellow shooters get better at the sport and have fun at the same time.

Dragoon, I will help you... you should have simply said (your own words):

"I've taken training from Manny and he is a great shooter/instructor. And if he were to come to Alberta for IDPA specific training I'd likely sign up."

That's it. NOTHING ELSE. Positive, constructive and valid comments.
 
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MI6 said:
Dragoon, I will help you... you should have simply said (your own words):

"I've taken training from Manny and he is a great shooter/instructor. And if he were to come to Alberta for IDPA specific training I'd likely sign up."

That's it. NOTHING ELSE. Positive, constructive and valid comments.
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Thank you for the unsolicited advice. However, I think the sentence following the the ones you've quoted is equally constructive and VALID and provides BALANCE to the discussion at hand! Particularly for individuals trying to decide on how to spend their hard earned money on training and to get the best value for the expenditure.

"However, to try to fill up an 'IPSC centric' course with IDPA shooters would do both the IPSC and IDPA shooters on the course a disservice."
 
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Dragoon said:
Thank you for the unsolicited advice. However, I think the sentence following the the ones you've quoted is equally constructive and VALID and provides BALANCE to the discussion at hand! Particularly for individuals trying to decide on how to spend their hard earned money on training and to get the best value for the expenditure.

"However, to try to fill up an 'IPSC centric' course with IDPA shooters would do both the IPSC and IDPA shooters on the course a disservice."
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That's great Dragoon, but once again you contradict your own comments.

You're the first one to ALWAYS offer, as you said, "unsolicited advice". 96Brigadier simply offer training with Manny in Alberta. He did not ask anyone's opinion on it.

As in many occasions, you hijack threads to make YOUR points of view heard and disreguard anything that does not comply with them.

BTW, this was never a DISCUSSION until you came in.
 
MI6 said:
"I've taken training from Manny and he is a great shooter/instructor. And if he were to come to Alberta for IDPA specific training I'd likely sign up."
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The course as described is NOT IDPA specific training and as Mass has pointed out, there is a difference between IDPA and ISPC shooting and training.
 
I don't particularly want to wade into the bun fight, but Steve, couple of questions:

1) Is there a rough outline of the courses and items covered?

2) What kind of 'levels' of shooting ability would be required to take advantage of the 'intermediate' or 'advanced' classes?
Would a hack like me be over my head with either?

3) Would Manny be planning on covering specific aspects of IDPA shooting?
If so, is it worth it to bring out more than one rig, or should someone 'pick their poison' and run with one gun/setup?
 
Beltfed you might want to address the question to 96Brigadier (Unless his first name is Steve then ignore this). LOL. He is the one posting the course.

+2 on what Dragoon said.

Take Care

Bob
 
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