TAIPEI (Taiwan News) — Growing up with the threat of war and invasion has inspired a half-dozen pistol enthusiasts to commit themselves to marksmanship — with the added goal of protecting their homeland.
Their hard work and dedication has paid off with multiple first-place awards in a variety of pistol categories, such as standard service pistols at the Sept. 22-24, International Defensive Pistol Association National Championships in Palisade, Colorado.
The triumph was improbable as well as unpredictable, as members of the pistol team were trained almost exclusively with replica air-guns that shot plastic bullets. The category of handgun is often referred to as Airsoft, and is safe enough to practice in basements.
Taiwan team gets familiar with live ammo fire. (Taiwan News photo)
Innovations, including some self-made modifications, have allowed Airsoft guns to more realistically resemble the kick of real gunpowder and bullets.
“To transition from Airsoft to guns, there are only two things to overcome: The bang and recoil. We are lucky to have Airsoft guns now with great recoil — able to affect shooters’ aiming movement,” said team member Shen Chih-liang in a short documentary produced by Taiwan News.
While live ammo was not afforded the Taiwan team during domestic training, overseas competitions gave them the chance to experience the kick and recoil of handguns typically deployed by police forces. The team also arrived nearly a week before the IDPA competition for a crash course on real handguns and gained familiarity with the 16-stage testing course and Dicken’s Drill.
But it was not overwhelming firepower and thousands of spent cartridge shells that endeared the Taiwan team, instead, a simple act of acknowledgement from one country to another.
“The most touching moment was when our national flag was raised. When our flag went up, I burst into tears. That’s something ordinary people cannot relate to, but I was a former professional solider watching that,” said Shen Chih-liang (沈志亮).
Taiwan flag flies over a shooting range in Colorado, U.S. (Taiwan News photo)
This small act did not go unnoticed by the Taiwan team, which has so far been banned from raising such a flag when participating in other overseas sports events. Typically, a white Chinese-Taipei flag would be raised above the medal podium for an Olympic medal, or a similar concession due to Chinese pressure.
“We are forbidden to raise our own national flag. When we told the range host this he said, 'All right, we will raise Taiwan’s national flag.' That was a very impactful moment for me: The range host knew we are a nation and was willing to treat us accordingly. I think that was the most touching moment of our trip,” said Cheng Jiang-hua (鄭嘉華).
Cheng said the team left the Taiwan flag on the shooting range with IDPA officials promising that that whenever a Taiwanese shooter competes there, the flag would be raised.
Pistol competitors win accolades at IDPA competition. (Taiwan News photo)
The Taiwanese team leader, Yeh Chien-ting (葉建廷), does not resemble the typical gun enthusiast as his day-to-day work involves more refined technology. He works in the semiconductor industry in Hsinchu. On a normal day, the measurements he is making are in nanometers and not 9mm.
Another team member, Shen Chih-liang, is a more typical gun enthusiast, a Coast Guard Administration veteran who served double duty as a weapons instructor. His everyday ritual includes putting on bullet-proof vests and carrying four magazines and Airsoft arms while running up and down stairs and doing weight training.
And then there is Cheng Jia-hua, a father of two who is a chemistry teacher at a junior high school in Taipei. He is the most accomplished marksman in the group, being national champion of IDPA Taiwan for three years since 2019.
Perhaps the most unexpected gun nut in the group is Wang Mao-chen (王茂榛 ), a violinist and composer by trade. His interest in handguns is explained by the fact that he likes wearing many hats and was formerly a pilot, a sea captain, and a member of the New Taipei City volunteer rescue squad.
Team members hold the Taiwan flag at an awards ceremony. (Taiwan News photo)
Finally, there is team trainer, Frank Xu, a Taiwanese-American competition shooter from Utah, who was instrumental in helping the four shooters on his team convert to real pistols.
“Your gun is way faster than your hands and muscles. As long as you pull the trigger correctly you still hit the target even when pressing the gun lower afterwards,” said Xu in a Taiwan News video segment.
If the jet lag and unfamiliarity with the desert climate at an altitude of 1,600 meters above sea-level were not bad enough, Cheng Jia-hua, had to battle the onset of COVID.
As he battled poor health, he also struggled to get accustomed to a real firearm.” Initially, I couldn’t control the trigger and hold the pistol well. After all, we Asians have weaker grip strength. Now, things have improved. I can hold my pistol more tightly enough for it not to shake too much,” said Cheng.
Each competitor fires between 800 and 1,000 rounds each day. The recoil of so many rounds can take a toll on a person, especially when previous training was only done on air guns, which have less bang, and are much less prone to malfunctions.
Adam Garrison, a fellow competitor at the event, was impressed by the Taiwan team. “You guys are training with Airsoft and then came out here, did a couple of days of training before the match. And I just have to say, on top of everyone just being the nicest, friendliest, happiest squad I think I’ve ever been with, their shooting is amazing. I am amazed how everyone’s gun handling is so good. Everyone is shooting well. It’s very impressive.”
Training ground for patriots ready for any challenge. (Taiwan News photo)
In the end, many awards were given to the Taiwan team. Shen Chih-liang, won first place in Marksman Class of Enhanced Service Pistol (ESP) and was Most Accurate Shooter using Iron Sights. Yeh Chien-ting, won 3rd place in Marksman Class of Enhanced Service Pistol. And bouncing back from a COVID infection, Cheng Jia-hua, won second place in Sharpshooter Class of Stock Service Pistol (SSP).
So many wins led IDPA Executive Director Joyce Wilson to joke at the awards ceremony, “You know I am a little worried about our friends from Taiwan that their luggage is going to be too heavy on their way back!"
