Building Better Shooters: Hornady Training Weekend in Nebraska

This summer, I had the opportunity to travel to Nebraska and host a precision rifle training event at the Heartland Public Shooting Park in partnership with Hornady. Bringing shooters together for a full day of training is always something I enjoy, but this event was especially rewarding because of the amount of hands-on work we were able to accomplish throughout the day. My goal with training has never been to simply give shooters more information. I want them to leave the range understanding their own shooting process better, knowing what they need to work on, and having practical tools they can continue using long after the class is over.

Throughout the day, we focused heavily on fundamentals, positional shooting, stage strategy, and match preparation. While precision rifle competition can become incredibly complex, so much of a shooter's success comes back to consistently executing the fundamentals. We spent time breaking those fundamentals down and then applying them in realistic shooting scenarios.

A large portion of the training centered around positional work. We worked through building stable positions, approaching props efficiently, managing a rifle through transitions, and finding ways to create consistency even when a stage forces you outside of your comfort zone. Rather than simply running drills over and over, I wanted shooters to understand why something worked and where small adjustments could make them more efficient.

We also spent time working through stage strategy and match preparation. One of the biggest lessons I've learned through competing is that shooting ability is only one piece of performing well at a match. Understanding how to approach a stage, manage your time, identify potential problems before the timer starts, and create a plan you can confidently execute can make a tremendous difference.

One of my favorite parts of hosting training events is the opportunity for individual coaching. Every shooter comes into a class with different experience, strengths, habits, and areas they want to improve. Being able to watch each person shoot, identify where an adjustment could be made, and then see that adjustment begin to translate into better performance throughout the day is incredibly rewarding.

By the end of the training, the improvement across the group was noticeable. Shooters were building stronger positions, moving with more purpose, and approaching stages with a better understanding of what they needed to accomplish. More importantly, they left with skills and concepts they could continue developing on their own.

The weekend also provided a great opportunity to take what we worked on during training and connect it directly to competition, with an NRL22 match taking place at Heartland the following day. Having training and competition together in the same weekend reinforced one of the things I love most about this sport: there is always another opportunity to learn, apply what you've learned, and continue improving.

I'm incredibly grateful to Hornady and Heartland Public Shooting Park for the opportunity to bring this training event together, and to every shooter who came out ready to learn and put in the work.

Events like this are exactly why I started Watchtower by Powers. Competition has given me opportunities to travel, compete at the highest levels, and learn from some incredible people. Being able to take those experiences and turn them into something that helps another shooter become more confident and capable behind their rifle is something I don't take for granted.

At the end of the day, the goal is simple: build better shooters.

And Nebraska was a great weekend of doing exactly that.