The JJ Racaza Effect…
I have been a law enforcement officer for over twenty years, serving at both the Federal level and state level and during that time I have had the privilege to work and train with some of the most gifted and talented shooters, tacticians, and outright bad asses in this great country. Out of that prestigious group, one person stands out from all those that I have worked and trained with. That person is Simon “JJ” Racaza. Before I get into why JJ stands apart from all the other men and women I have worked and trained with, let me provide you with a little background on JJ, in case you didn’t know. JJ started shooting a firearm at 9 years old, after watching his father compete in shooting competitions. JJ started shooting with a 1911 .45 cal. and once he started started shooting, he couldn’t miss and with everyone watching it, his firing seemed effortless. And as the saying goes, the rest is history, literally. JJ is a 3-time world speed-shooting champion who has broken and held multiple world speed shooting records. JJ is a 3-time US Gold Team Member for the World Shooting Championships, leading the US Team in 2011 and 2014. In 2011, JJ was ranked #2 in the world in the ‘open’ category and in 2014 he was ranked #2 in ‘production’.
As you can see from that short biography, JJ is an extremely gifted shooter and tactician (as well as a real-life bad-ass, even though he would never admit it). Outside of professional shooting, JJ also served as a Homeland Security Federal Law Enforcement Officer for several years before embarking on his most recent new adventure, the opening of Magnus Sports USA in Las Vegas, NV. Anyway, I had the pleasure of working with JJ in various capacities over a several year period while he served with DHS. I worked operationally with JJ, where he was always a team player, willing to do whatever needed to be done to perform our mission. Beside being willing to do anything for the team, he was always optimistic, motivating the rest of the team to do their best. I also worked with JJ at a DHS national training academy where JJ served as a primary firearms instructor and mentor to other firearms instructors. During his tenure at the DHS national training academy, is where my admiration of JJ’s ability to connect with people really developed. JJ was responsible for providing firearms instruction to a myriad of agents, from recruits to seasoned veteran agents. As talented as JJ is with a firearm, his true gift, as I quickly learned, was his ability to connect with his students and have them comprehend what he was trying to teach them. On several occasions, JJ was tasked with providing remedial firearms instruction to DHS agents whose firearms proficiency was slipping. Fail none; JJ was able to improve every one of their firearms abilities. At first, I thought he just re-taught them sight picture, grip and smooth trigger-pull. Then, as I started to talk to the agents after their remediation training, I learned that as important as the technical instruction JJ provided, it was the self-confidence that he was able to instill in each shooter, that enabled them to succeed in their firearms training. And that is what I call the JJ effect! Don’t get me wrong, JJ has the eye of an eagle when evaluating a shooters technical deficiencies. But it is his amazing combination of technical expertise and ability to listen and connect with his shooters that enables JJ to be one of the most amazing firearms instructors that I have had the pleasure of working with. And as everyone that knows JJ will attest, he does it all with a constant smile on his face!
As a homeland security professional, I want to thank JJ for everything that he has done to advance the firearms ability of thousands of law enforcement and military professionals. JJ recently opened up Magnus Sports USA where you can buy some awesome firearms, gear, apparel, or anything else you are looking for. Also check out JJ’s website for information about him and his current adventures.
Submitted by team Plugged-In.
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