PMCI - February 2017

pmcimagazine.com
TRAINING TOOLS: MANTISX
target” of old. After a few shots, the training device shows the
pattern of your movement. Analysing an individual shot or the
group of shots, MantisX provides you with a suggestion as to
what you’re doing wrong (in the case of pulling right it suggests
“Too much trigger finger and Thumbing”) that could improve
your shooting mechanics. If the terminology is not familiar to
you then reading the coaching tips will enable you to focus
your efforts in specific areas in the next round of shooting.
You can basically track the movement of your handgun’s
barrel during the trigger pull. Shots are grouped according to
movement pattern similarity (Screen 1). You can track the score
of each shot individually, which easily allows you to analyse
trends (Screen 2). A detailed trace (Screen 3) will indicate
Green: your hold/sighting, Yellow: trigger pull, and Red: the
shot breaking and recoil pattern.
IN USE, LET’S “GEEK” OUT!
In their own words the guys at MantisX state;
“We’re gun nuts, with some heavy geek seasoning and a deep
passion for our families and our future. Like you, we want to shoot
better. Like you, we recognize that shooting is a perishable skill.
We want more options for effective, efficient training. Like you,
we believe that when performance is measured, performance
improves. Like you, we want to take the guesswork out, and
replace it with cold, hard data. So we made Mantis - for us. And
it turns out that a whole bunch of other people felt the same
way. This is only the beginning for Mantis. We work tirelessly
to improve algorithms, give actionable data, and help shooters
at every skill level - to shoot better.”
Well I have to tell you that this is 100% my kind of
“geekiness”, and the guys also state that “94% of the BETA
TESTERS improved markedly after using MantisX for just 20
minutes” and I can attest to that being the truth; the details
given by the system really focus you on what you are doing
right, what you are doing wrong, and how to rectify the
negatives.
On my first attempt with the system, with an unfamiliar
handgun model and some good old-fashioned nerves about
performing in front of my USA-based peers thrown in I was
pretty abysmal; after I’d had a long, hard talk with myself I
returned and tried again, this time actually taking note of what
the data screens were telling me. This led to a somewhat more
respectable final score of 87.4 out of 100, but I know that with
time and practice using the system I could better this even
further (Robo M, you know what I’m talking about mate…)!
MantisX really offers a new paradigm that is a totally
fresh way of doing things and that has a profound effect on
performance. “New paradigm” draws its roots from the idea of
a paradigm shift in science, in which technology or new findings
completely change the way people think about or interact with
something, and to me MantisX does exactly that in relation
to firearms training. It’s a complex system that actually makes
training far simpler, and given its miniscule size and negligible
weight it’s a tool that you can quite literally use anywhere; as
there’s no projectile to contend with this is even something
I could train with if I had a few spare moments during my
working day in the office, and it fits neatly into my Safariland
Glock/Surefire holster.
Overall MantisX is a truly stand-out product for me, and thus
far everyone that I’ve shown it to has been in total agreement.
Whether you’re a tactical shooter, a competitor, or simply a
dedicated recreational shooter who wants to perform at the
best possible level then this is one bit of training kit that you
will most definitely want!
The MantisX system costs US$149.99; if you’re based in
the UK Land Warrior Firearms in Scotland will soon have stock,
although a final UK price is awaited at the time of writing. For
direct order outside the UK please simply visit http://mantisx.com.
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