Shaw Lineage

My father, John Shaw, dominated the competitive shooting scene during the 1980's.  While being the captain and nine-year member of the World Champion U.S. I.P.S.C. Team, he won, or was the runner-up, in every major shooting competition in the world including:

• I.P.S.C. National Championships

• I.P.S.C. World Championships

• Bianchi Cup

• Steel Challenge 'World Speed Shooting Championships'

• Second Chance

• Soldier of Fortune

He is a self-taught shooter who recognized that the techniques and lessons he learned could be used to train our war fighters.  Accordingly, he founded Mid-South Institute of Self-Defense Shooting in 1981 just south of Memphis, TN where he developed the most comprehensive firearms training program in the country.  For over 41 years, Mid-South has been continually regarded as one of the premier shooting schools in the world by the United States Special Operations Community. To this day, their shooting principles and tactics have become the operational doctrines for numerous Special Operation Forces as well as Federal and State Level Law Enforcement.  In 1997, John retired and moved his family to Southern Idaho.   

Houston Shaw

I grew up in Sun Valley, Idaho and started competing in National and World level shooting matches as early as 11 years of age, finishing 6th at the SASS End of Trail World Championships (12-18 Year Olds).  Sun Valley is famous for its world class skiing and snowboarding thus, I joined a competitive snowboard team and became an athlete for the Sun Valley Ski Education Foundation.  Upon graduation from Wood River High School in 2006,  I attended the University of Nevada and graduated in 2010 with a Bachelor's Degree in Business Management.  

Directly after college, I had the opportunity to return to Memphis and begin an internship at Mid-South.  By the age of 22, I was a successful competitive shooter at a National and World class level. That success granted me the avenue I needed to gain a small amount of reputable credibility amongst some of our clients training there.  

• 2-time Production Steel Challenge National Champion (2011-2012)

• Limited Man VS Man Grand Nationals Master Champion (2011)

• Limited & Production Steel Challenge World Speed Shooting Championships Runner-Up (2014)

• Steel Master Steel Challenge World Speed Shooting Championships Runner-Up (2014)

• 2-time Limited Man VS Man Grand Nationals Grand Master Runner-Up (2012-2013)

• 3rd Place Limited Pro Division Pro/Am Steel Shoot (2012)

• 3rd Place Production Steel Challenge World Speed Shooting Championships (2011)

Competing in only a dozen matches throughout my life, my drive to compete was not fueled by a desire to become a professional competitive shooter.  Constantly traveling around the country trying to win gold ribbons with the same crew of other high level competition shooters was not appealing to me.  My motivation to compete at a world class level was driven by the students that I had the rare opportunity to teach.  I needed proven legitimacy and winning national titles aided me in that process. 

Shaw Shooting

I returned to Idaho in 2012 and with the support of my family, I started Shaw Shooting to embark on my own professional instructing career.  The goal was to create a school where I am free to teach my own classes using the structure and content of my choice, thereby reinstating the Shaw fundamentals that had been diluted over time.  In the first three years my calendar filled with business men, competitive shooters, concealed weapon permit holders, and the general public.  In my fourth year, the local 124th Air Support Operations Squadron from the Idaho National Guard completed 2 weeks of training.  Their decision to train here is what first established Shaw Shooting as a creditable training option for the U. S. Military.  With continual improvements to our range facilities and overall operation, the large majority of our business is now U.S. Military, and Federal, State and Local Level Law Enforcement.  My passion is to continue to grow and operate Shaw Shooting, sharpening the firearms skills of the best war fighters this country has to offer.

We will continue to provide world class in-depth instruction to optimize the use of pistols and carbines.  While our steel ranges have many tactical applications, our paper ranges are used to teach tried and proven techniques for clients to gain speed and accuracy.  Supported with constant live-fire demonstrations, we teach our students how to simply shoot faster, to be more accurate, and to utilize the manipulation of their weapons in the most efficient manner possible.

Our content, delivery, order of instruction, drills, pace, and range selection are different from class to class, depending on our students that given day or week.  My instructors and I have spent countless days on shooting ranges, teaching our students while we further develop our own skills, shooting IQ, and pedagogy.

Steel Ranges

We have some of the finest pistol/carbine pneumatic resetting steel ranges offered anywhere in the world.  After paper instruction, clients are taken through various well maintained ranges at a constant pace.  Each steel range stresses an important aspect of shooting to give our students a well rounded variation of dynamic drills.  Specific steel ranges were constructed for shooters to build their skill in:

• Speed and Accuracy

• Reloads

• Draws

• Transitions

• Body Positions/Directional Movement

• Target Movement

• Positional Barricades/Barriers

• Vehicle Cover

• Target Identification

• Timed Stress

Marketing

Other than this website and a couple short videos from years past, the only marketing we have is "word of mouth".  Like many of our clients, we believe in being quiet, hardworking professionals.  In a firearms industry filled with constant media posts from companies/individuals promoting themselves, we let the success of our clients speak for Shaw Shooting.  No pictures or videos are allowed at Shaw Shooting.      

Our overall goal is to help sharpen a simple, yet important aspect of defense for our war fighters when they find themselves in the company of hostile combatants.  Firearms proficiency is an essential part of their job and it is a great honor to help them hone their shooting technique, so they can come home to their families, protect their brothers in arm, and defend our country from terrorists who wish harm upon the United States of America.

Thank you for considering Shaw Shooting.   

Sincerely,

Houston Shaw