From Hunter to Grandmaster: Jake Walker’s Journey into Performance Shooting | Inside the Pew

(0:00) Hi, Dave here from Pewcentric, the marketplace for firearms enthusiasts, just like you discover unique gear, services and training, basically Everything but the Guns.

(0:16) Inside the Pew is our ongoing series of interviews with Pewcentric sellers. And today I'm joined by Jake Walker of Jake Walker shooting.

(0:24) Welcome.

(0:25) Hello. Thanks for having me.

(0:26) All right. Well, as always, we like to start with your origin story from how you got into firearms all the way up until you starting your business. So take it away.

(0:36) So I started off most like most people I grew up my dad hunted and I went with him I used to do a lot of duck hunting deer hunting and then got interested in guns that way and then my neighbor growing up became a gunsmith straight out of high school and so I would hang out with him a lot end up at the gun store seeing what he was doing and I always thought it was super interesting.

(1:06) And one day he's like, hey, you should build an AR and like, what do you mean building an AR? That's crazy talk. What are you talking about?

(1:13) So he showed me how to do it and I built an AR and I just kind of got obsessed with guns from that point.

(1:23) I would shoot random trash in the backyard and things like that. Nothing spectacularly thoughtful when it comes to training.

(1:35) Then I saw a guy I went to high school with post a video of a three gun match on Facebook and I was instantly like that's crazy. That looks like so much fun. Like this is a thing. This sport I can do.

(1:53) I shot him a message. I was like hey how do I do this? I was like make a Practiscore account and sign up for a match.

(2:02) All right cool. So I did that and I've been hooked ever since.

(2:07) So you obviously were already doing competitive shooting and were exposed to shooting. What led you to starting a business?

(2:13) Because honestly there are some incredible shooters from a skill standpoint but that doesn't mean they'd be great at teaching or coaching or even running a business. There's a difference between skill and teaching and coaching in my experience.

(2:30) What led you to developing that skill and that interest and why did you create Jake Walker shooting?

(2:38) Well so it started off mostly greed honestly. I had this developing passion for shooting and I had to fund it somehow.

(2:50) So I decided well maybe I'll start teaching CPL classes which here in Michigan you have to have a concealed pistol permit which I don't agree with but it's required so might as well dive into it.

(3:03) That got me into teaching and then once I made Grandmaster other people were kind of like hey we teach this sort of stuff too.

(3:11) And I was like alright yeah sure.

(3:14) At first it was pretty intimidating. I kind of had to jump feet first and develop my own plans because with the concealed pistol stuff it's all written out like this is what you teach.

(3:28) They basically set the curriculum for you for concealed carry.

(3:34) But now you're teaching like okay you can hold the pistol now shoot this fast which obviously isn't a good way to teach.

(3:45) I had taken a class once before with Mason Lane. It was a fantastic class.

(3:55) My first class I charged like a hundred bucks a person. Super cheap. It was mostly my buddies that are local.

(4:04) I kind of did it as like I need to figure it out just as much as you want to learn.

(4:10) Like I knew how to shoot but I had to develop the teaching portion of it.

(4:19) The more I taught the better I got at the teaching portion and the more I realized that I really enjoy the teaching aspect of it.

(4:29) I'm curious because if you're a Grand Master shooter in USPSA you're one of the top shooters.

(4:36) A lot of grandmasters I know don't know why they're great shooters. They're just like I just shoot well I don't know what to tell you.

(4:47) So how did you develop that intuition of knowing why you're good at a skill and now you can teach someone that skill?

(4:55) I think that's actually one of the areas that I shine in as an instructor.

(5:01) I didn't start off pretty good or even remotely good. I came in right into C class.

(5:08) I was not spectacular or talented by any means and I really had to figure it out along the way.

(5:17) When I took that class with Mason Lane it kind of opened my mind to wow I've been doing this all wrong.

(5:25) The mindset of the class was you shouldn't just do reps. You should figure out what needs to be improved and how to do it.

(5:37) It wasn't necessarily like this is how to fix it but this is the mindset going into it.

(5:44) I took that approach and ran with it and I haven't stopped.

(5:52) My growth as a shooter since then has come from looking at it like okay I have this specific skill set I want to work on. How do I improve that specific skill set?

(6:03) Instead of here's a set of drills I'm going to shoot those drills and hopefully I get better.

(6:17) What kinds of training are you offering on Pewcentric?

(6:25) Currently I have two different things listed.

(6:30) I have my performance shooting class which is set up where I'll travel anywhere in the US as long as there's enough demand to fill a class.

(6:45) If there's an area where a couple of people want to take a class I'll come out there.

(6:59) Then we establish where and who and figure out pricing based on that.

(7:10) The other listing I have is an online coaching session.

(7:14) We can do something just like this where we see each other, talk to each other, I can demonstrate dry fire and guide people on how to develop skills.

(7:30) I'm definitely going to take you up on that second thing because there are some skills I'm still refining in my own journey.

(7:42) I'm a B class shooter and feel that someone at your level could really help shave off the rough edges and tell me how to train.

(8:08) What kinds of buyers do you want to connect with on Pewcentric?

(8:25) It's really all across the board.

(8:26) I'll work with kids that are just getting started, adults that are just getting started.

(8:32) I'll work with people that have been shooting all their life.

(8:38) I think what I bring to the table most is being able to assess a skill set and say this is what's missing and this is how to improve it.

(9:05) I've worked with shooters from D class all the way up to fellow Grand Master shooters.

(9:17) Most issues that arise are fundamental issues which most people tend to ignore.

(9:33) Anything else you'd like to share with the Pewcentric community?

(9:39) I really enjoy the sport and think it brings a lot of benefits not just to hobbyists but to anyone wanting to learn to defend themselves or use firearms practically.

(10:02) Competitive shooting is a very beneficial avenue.

(10:08) I want to see the sport grow not just USPSA but IDPA, IPSC, 3 Gun and anything with a practical shooting aspect.

(10:22) I'm interested in doing more classes for new shooters to help them get comfortable and less intimidated.

(10:35) Even if you think you're not good enough yet it doesn't matter.

(10:40) Get out there, find out what you need to work on and keep pushing yourself.

(10:54) Thanks Jake it's been a pleasure talking with you about Jake Walker shooting.

(10:59) If you want to connect with Jake make sure to head over to Pewcentric. We'll have links above and in the description below.

(11:08) And as always please like and subscribe. It helps drive engagement across all the channels we're on.

(11:15) We'll catch you next time.

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