match director resources

MATCH DIRECTING
MATCH DIRECTING

As a Match Director (MD) at a PRS match, you’re the person who is responsible for organizing and overseeing the event. The MD is in charge of ensuring that the match runs smoothly, and safely and that all participants have a fair and enjoyable experience.

Templates

• To-Do List Template

• Match Safety Brief Information

• Match Presentations Guide and Template

  Duties of a Match Director

COURSE OF FIRE DESIGN:

The MD is responsible for designing the course of fire. This includes determining the location and number of stages, the size and type of targets, and the overall format of the match.

SAFETY:

The MD is responsible for ensuring that the match is conducted safely. This includes implementing safety protocols and rules. Conducting safety briefings, and monitoring the event to ensure that all participants comply with safety regulations.

COMMUNICATION:

The MD is responsible for communicating with the participants, providing them with information about the match, and answering any questions they may have.

LOGISTICS:

The MD also organizes the logistics of the match, including arranging facilities, equipment, supplies, and staffing. Coordinating with volunteers, range officials, and other personnel to ensure that the event runs smoothly.

SCORING AND RESULTS:

The MD is also responsible for ensuring that the scoring and results of the match are accurate and transparent. This involves tabulating the scores and announcing the results at presentations.

Overall, the Match Director plays a crucial role in the success of a PRS match. Ensuring that all aspects of the event are well-organized, safe, and enjoyable for all participants.

ADDITIONAL MATCH INFORMATION

More Information coming soon!

THE COURSE OF FIRE

*For a more detailed and comprehensive guide refer to the Expanded Guide
written by Luke McKennie

Expectations from a Course of Fire

A well-organized course of fire is essential for a successful PRS match. The course should be well-structured, with clearly defined stages, shooting lanes, and targets. The shooters should be able to move through the course efficiently, with minimal waiting time between stages.

The course of fire should cater to shooters of all abilities. The act of distinguishing shooters from one another will come from well developed and carefully thought out stage design.

The course should be designed to balance the difficulty of each stage, to ensure that each stage offers a fair challenge to all participants. The stages should be challenging enough to push the shooters out of their comfort zone, but not so difficult that they are impossible to complete.

The match should have stages that test the shooter's skills in a variety of conditions. Such as shooting from different positions, at different ranges, and under time constraints. It should also reward accuracy and consistency over luck or chance.

Above all, a good PRS match should be an enjoyable experience for all participants, with a positive atmosphere and a sense of camaraderie among fellow shooters.

What makes a Course Of Fire

When approaching the design of a PRS Course of Fire. It’s extremely important to put as much thought into the firing line, as down range. The Firing Line is defined as the barricades, props and shooting locations. While Down Range is defined as, target sizes, framing, mounting and location/distance. It’s important split the thought and time invested into both of these aspects evenly.

Firing Line:

• Barricades/Props

• Stages

• Shooting Positions

Down Range:

• Targets

• Distance

• Terrain

• Weather Conditions

BARRICADE DESIGN:

When designing a barricade or shooting position, there a few things to consider. Factors such as height, accessibility, and stability. The goal of PRS is to test a shooter in making a precision shot. Combing factors such as an unstable prop and small targets can disregard the skill involved in making a precise or technical shot.

Some benefits to providing solid and stable shooting positions, allows the shooter to be completely confident in corrections and the ownership of mistakes. This confidence is knowing whether a shot may have missed due environmental, fundamentals or simple mistakes. Not whether a shot is timed or chanced for an impact.

Not every barricade or shooting position must be 100% solid. But at least have an intended method of allowing the shooter to make said position stable. Then having adequate time and sight picture to note feedback after a shot. This should be the goal of an intended shooting position. Factors that will compare individual shooters from one another are tested through shot corrections, first round assessments, efficient movement, and stage craft.

Another significant aspect to barricade and position design is sequencing. This refers only to the order in which positions are shot in, in relation to the targets. The main importance is to consider how achievable a shot is from each selected position for all competitors.

Consideration of the physical and practical nature of each position should be made. Difficulties might be due to shooters, height, physical ability and even understanding of that prop. Pairing more achievable positions and targets earlier in stages, allows shooters to exhaust their skill sets before time becomes a factor. A shooter can then graduate to harder positions as he or she progresses through the stage.

Another concept might be to offer the shooter multiple avenues to approach barricades without setting the position order, allowing the shooter to play to their strengths first. Both ways if implemented correctly allow a shooter to use gear, knowledge and positions that they’re more comfortable with. Distinguishing competitors in their ability of stagecraft, planning and execution.

STAGE SEQUENCING:

Stage Stressors are key factors to test a certain shooter’s ability on a given stage. These five main stage stressors are listed below but not limited to:
                - Time
                - Distance
                - Target Size
                - Positional
                                Actual shooting position (i.e Standing, Prone, Modified Prone)
                                Total positional movements in the stage.
                - Complexity/Memory

Utilization of these stressors should be balanced throughout both single stages and the overall match. As a rule of thumb, an MD would only test a couple of these stressors per stage. Then a spread of stages over the match.

For example, an MD may be looking to test time and positions. So, making other factors such as target size and distance retrospectively easier balances out the intended tests of the stage.

This goes both ways. So, if the MD wanted to make targets further in distance and smaller in size. Fewer positions and more time given to the shooter would compensate accordingly. A balance of these stressors and how they’d be implemented in a single stage is shown in the table below:

RANGE UTILISATION:

listed dot points to consider:

• Distance factors of the range (Even distribution along the firing line)
  - Longer range stages balanced accordingly. Maybe paired with closer distances or different stage stressors.

• Weather and Terrain conditions are considered and balanced throughout.
  - Factors such as mirage spots, wind channels or visual obstructions.

• Creating diversity through props and positions along the firing line.

PLANNING OF BARRICADES PER RANGE

• Utilising a varying amount of barricades.

• Range-Specific Features (ie: Target setups troop line or installed barricades)

TARGET SIZE, FRAMING, AND FEEDBACK:

When designing the Down Range aspects of the match, an MD should put considerable thought into the target arrays and potential target feedback.
Factors to consider:

- Target Location and Spacing
- Straps/Mounting formats
- Berms and bullet feedback.
- Height
- Distance
- Framing
- Enclosures
- Target Shape/Size
- Visibility

The goal of using these factors is to achieve a simple rule of progression. Allowing the shooter to gain “Feedback” data throughout a stage. A well-written stage would allow the shooter great chances to gain information on their initial shots of a stage. i.e. on first rounds or impacts. This might be through strap-mounted targets for movement, or initial shots at targets on berms for visual information. As the stage progresses, feedback factors become harder. Such as pole-mounted floating targets, double strapped to limit movement. This creates a stepping-stone effect of feedback throughout the stage, achieving the rule of progression.

Represented below is a good stage breakdown of target difficulty:

50% of targets, every shooter could seemingly hit.
20% of targets, would challenge the mid-pack.
20% of targets, would challenge the top-level shooters.
10% of targets, leave shooters with something to strive for.

Ex. 10 round stage:
5 targets everyone could hit
2 targets to challenge a mid-level shooter
2 targets to challenge a top shooter
1 target to strive for

As targets get smaller and farther, an established shooter will use the information from the previous target to correct as they progress through the stage. An MD will achieve this with the multiple factors mentioned above.

Further Readings

This guide written by Luke McKennie is a great tool to help shape your match. While it certainly isn’t a set of rules to follow, it should prompt some ideas and areas to consider when building out your course of fire.

 EMAIL TEMPLATES

The goal of emails is to create a routine. Using the provided templates and email schedule, competitors will have a better understanding of the match before the weekend arrives.

The email templates below include prompts for information and details that will be useful to all competitors and volunteers. These prompts are to be used as guides for the details that everyone will require. This is to ensure that all information is provided throughout the planning and build-up process of a match.

Template Downloads

Below are the templates for shooters and volunteers:

To be sent 4 WEEKS before the match:

• Shooters email

• Volunteers’ email

To be sent 2 WEEKS before the match:

• Shooters email

• Volunteers’ email

To be sent WEDNESDAY before the match:

• Shooters email

• Volunteers’ email