Training for Bianchi Cup

Despite my love for Bianchi Cup, I have to say that actually training for the match is pretty boring. Unless you can actually set up the four stages on your range, which even then is a little repetitive, the best way to train for the Cup is to shoot groups on the clock.

Photo by Dustin Pluth
Photo by Dustin Pluth

Here’s an example of a typical training session that I’ll do before I head to Columbia and start working on their practice range:

  • Shoot five 6-shot strings at 15 yards, no par time.
  • Shoot five 2-shot strings at 15 yards, 2.5 second par time.
  • Shoot five 3-shot strings at 15 yards, 3 second par time.
  • Shoot five 6-shot strings at 15 yards, 6 second par time.
  • Take a break.
  • Shoot five 6-shot strings at 25 yards, no par time.
  • Shoot five 2-shot strings at 25 yards, 3 second par time.
  • Shoot five 3-shot strings at 25 yards, 3.5 second par time.
  • Shoot five 6-shot strings at 25 yards, 7 second par time.
  • Take another break.
  • Repeat 1x.

All the par times are based on actual par times you’ll see at Bianchi, and the assumption is that you’ll be shooting these from the draw. If you’re not allowed to draw at your local range, shave 0.5 seconds off the par and shoot from the low ready. For newbies to Bianchi Cup that are used to shooting a lot of USPSA/IDPA, these par times are a long, long time. When you first start, you’ll find yourself finishing with loads of time to spare…and not so great hits on the target. The goal of these training trills is to put an absolute premium on accuracy – you must get good hits. If you don’t have a Bianchi Cup target available, that’s fine. Use a bullseye target, or print off a 4 inch black circle on a piece of regular paper. A regular 8.5×11 with a four inch black dot is a pretty decent Bianchi training target, because it gives you all of the 10 ring and just a little bit of the 8 as well.

See you in Columbia!