Interview with EHC 2010 Champion JC Jamie Diaz
At the 2010 European Handgun Championships in Belgrade, Serbia, Juan Carlos Jamie Diaz ( universally known as JC ) achieved his European Standard Division win. At the conclusion of the match Practical Handgun took the opportunity to talk to JC about his shooting career and his preparation for the EHC 2010.
The Interview
Hi Jaime, Practical Handgun would like to congratulate you on your EHC 2010 win in Standard Division. I am sure it feels very good! Take us through your preparation for the match from the early days of the season.I’m very happy! It’s been a tough year but fortunately it has been very rewarding. The IPSC season training started in February, shooting twice a week, usually Tuesdays and Thursdays. Also I combined this with three sessions of dry firing. In late April, early May I added one more shooting session per week, provided the rest of my work commitments would permit me. I like to go to the range having previously prepared the training that I will do that day. I do not do the same drills every week. Normally I train for about 3 ½ hours per session on the range.
With 20 days to the European Championships, I took a vacation from work to go to the range and practice everyday, thus completing the last phase of my preparation for the Europeans. I have been gradually increasing the intensity of the sessions and increased the round count to 500 rounds per session.
Going back to the start of your shooting career when did you start competing in IPSC and in which IPSC Division?
About 12 years ago, when I left thePoliceAcademy. Standard Division, I have always competed in Standard.
What equipment did you start out with?
My first competition pistol was a Llama in .45 ACP and, in 1999, cost me 550 Euros. I won my first National Championship with this pistol in 2000.
When did you start competing on the IPSC match circuit?
I started competing In the Spanish IPSC national circuit in 2000. My first big international competition was the 2001 European Handgun Championship, inGermany. In my first two years I won the Spanish Championship and came second at the Europeans, both in Standard Division.
You have been winning the top European matches this season. What were your expectations when you came to the EHC 2010?
At the beginning of the season I thought that to be among the top three places in each match would be a good result, but I new that I had the ability to win. I have worked very hard during the year, and had the confidence that I could win the EHC.
It knew that was not going to be easy, because there are many excellent IPSC competitors aroundEurope, but I had a lot of physical and mental coaching and training and was positively thinking about winning the EHC.
Take us through your stage preparation process, from start to finish.
I try to learn the stage before receiving the briefing. I take this opportunity to see how the shooters in the squad ahead of us shoot it, memorised the positions and the number of shots from each position, where I will make a magazine change etc. After the briefing, with the rest of my squad, I access how to shoot the stage from a technical standpoint and how can I maximise performance according to my skills. Access the possibilities to shoot on the move, the exact area to which I will shoot at each target if there are no shoots.
I try to memorise the rates of fire, depending on the distance to each target etc. Finally when the time briefing ends, I withdraw from the stage and start my mental views and rehearsals. Just before the shooter in front of me is on the line, I run the drill in my head again, get up and do some exercises to activate my body and mind, I walk onto the line ready to go and then you just have to wait for the beep! At this stage I let it all out instinctively.
Reloading on the loading the cannon field stage. During the briefing JC memorises the shooting positions and the number of shots from each position and where he will make a magazine change etc
Equipment
We all know that the right equipment is important to winning a match. What kind of gear do you use, such as pistol, holster and magazines?I compete with a STI Edge model. I have 100% trust in my pistol; it has never has failed me. For me the most important thing is the quality of my pistol; its operation is always perfect and I have my full trust in it.
To see information on the ammunition that JC and the rest of the STI European Team use in their STI's go to the STI Team Loads article in the Reloading - Pistol Reloading section on the menu bar.
My magazines are also STI, with Grams springs. Like my Edge they function perfectly. I also utilise magazines by CR Speed. They hold 18 cartridges and work perfectly. With these magazines I also use Grams springs. I use the Double Alpha Race Master holster, magazine pouches and competition belt.
Look at the Race Master review in DAA section on the menu bar.
Can you list your sponsors?
STI
Fiocchi
Vihtavuori
DoubleAlphaAcademy
D Shoot
Sordin
Blackhawk
Borchers
Oakley
JC uses a STI Edge pistol to compete in Standard Division and it works flawlessly for him
What were your impressions of Belgrade?
The old part ofBelgradeCityis a beautiful city and was a very interesting place to visit.
Stage Design
I can agree with your impressions of Belgrade. Likewise I did not know what to expect, but I was very surprised by the city and the friendliness of the Serbian people. How was the stage design and match organisation as seen from your perspective?Excellent! Everything has been perfectly organised. The design of the stages has been very impressive in the way that they have set them in the style of medieval battles. The organisers have taken care of designing and setting up the stages. I was impressed that they laid a grass lawn on the ground of every stage!
The competition has been very well well-proportioned. Static and moving targets, long and short distances. Poppers and plates, difficult positions from the outset, windows doors; it was all here! They have set a very high bar for the organisers of the 2013 Europeans to follow!
Which stage did you shoot best at the EHC?
The stage I shot best was Stage 21 of the European Championship. I shot 32 alphas in 18.79 seconds.
Name three things you dislike at IPSC matches?
Traps.
The problems with the ammunition at airports.
Cold weather conditions.
When things go bad in a match how do you get back in the game?
I try to downplay my mistakes and forget about them. Everyone makes mistakes, I know that! I try to keep in mind all the hard training I have done in the months and weeks leading up to the match and keep fighting hard until the end of the match.
Did you make any mistakes at the EHC, or did every stage go smoothly for you?
It has been a quite stable competition for me. I did not make any large errors. I had one miss in the match, on a swinging target. Otherwise I was very pleased with my form during this competition.
My two most important errors were committed on the last day of the match. I accidentally dumped the magazine from the pistol and this cost me several seconds. In another stage I went back to fire another shot on a target thinking that had scored a miss. Upon finishing the stage, I checked the target and the one hole was actually two shots overlapping, which cost me several more seconds.
Oops!!! This is where JC accidentally dumped the magazine mid stage. The secret once something goes wrong is to immediately react, correct what has gone wrong and get back into the stage!
Top level competition nerves can often give shooters problems. Every time I seen you and talked to you, you seemed very relaxed.
Ha ha ha! Great if that is what it seemed to you! In competition everyone is nervous, above all in the last stages of the match. When the nerves appear, I think that I am very well mentally prepared; that I have worked very hard and that all is going to leave well. But it is true that the nerves accompany you always. You have to be been accustomed to shoot with them. Therefore I try to simulate stressful situations in my match training.
Courses
Are you planning to run any shooting courses and / or do more IPSC related projects on your web site?In principle nothing new, as what you have asked is currently happening. I am already giving IPSC courses inSpainand I will continue to do so. Right now I prefer to rest a little and to charge my batteries for the next year, as 2011 is going to be very hard. I want to train more than this year to be well prepared for the World Shoot.
Do you plan to stay in Standard Division or would you shift to another division?
I prefer to shoot in Standard Division. I like watching Open Division competitors, because the guns are very fast, but I believe that I will always compete in Standard Division.
How did you celebrate your EHC 2010 win?
With a big party ( LOL! ), just kidding! I am very discreet, and it’s hard enough to express my emotions in public, but this time I have to admit that once I made aware of the outcome, which by the way my wife Noemi was the first to tell me, I got so excited and we hugged. Hugs followed for a long time with the rest of the Spanish National Team shooters, Ralf, Gregory, Angie, and many other known and unknown shooters who came to congratulate me.
JC with his wife Noemi, who gave him a lot of support in the match
How important is the mental game in IPSC?
For me the mental preparation is 80% of my results.
A good IPSC competitor needs the following attributes in a match.
A positive attitude.
Confidence.
A good level of relaxation / activation.
Concentration and control of distractions.
And also to have fun!
Goals
Setting goals is important. Have you set a new shooting goal(s) for yourself yet?Ha ha, I agree! Actually I have several, but if you ask me the most important is to win Standard Division at the next IPSC World Championship. For that, I will make an effort next season far more than the efforts leading up to this Europeans.
You joined the STI Euro Team in 2009. What is the best part / what do you enjoy about being part of the STI Euro Team?
The best part of being a member of the STI Euro Team for me has been getting to know the members of the team. Besides being excellent competitors, they are charming people. I have been able to learn a lot from all of them. Since I arrived at the team, if I have a problem that seems to be insurmountable, the rest of the team have always gave me as much help as I need. Also Pauletta and David of STI are excellent people and very loving with me and with Noemí, my wife.
Forming part of the STI Euro Team has been marvellous for me and I enjoy taking part in competitions as part of a closely knit and supportive group. Also after a match I like to go out to dinner with the team and have a few beers. We have some very amusing moments outside the competition! I believe that we have a great friendship; we say that we are a great family.
I am very thankful of the reception that have had since I arrived two years ago and of course a big thank you to Pauletta and David and to all the people at STI International.
Juan Carlos Jamie Diaz on the winners podium at the 2010 EHC, with his fellow STI European Team member Ralf Jensen, who came in second place and Hungary’s Gyorgy Batki, who was third
To conclude JC, do you feel you have more room to improve your ability?
I have never shot a perfect match! I always demand more. I think a shooter who believes he shoots perfect will not grow as a shooter.
Finally a big thank you to all my sponsors for the support that have given me during this year, without which not to have been able to reach this goal of winning the 2010 Europeans!
For Further Information
