I learned a couple days ago that my friend Ron Avery passed away after a four-year battle with cancer. Ron was an incredibly influential instructor who’s had a large impact on thousands of competition and tactical shooters, including me. I was very lucky to have the opportunity to learn from Ron as well as teach along side him at the Tactical Performance Center. What he taught me about shooting a handgun was invaluable, but the long conversations we had impacted me even more.
I say long conversations, because with Ron there was no such thing as a short conversation. If you started with “Hey Ron, I have a quick question,” then you better have at least an hour of free time ready for the answer. Ron was extremely giving of both his time and the depth of information locked in his head. No matter your level, Ron was happy to tell you everything he knew about a subject, and he knew more than perhaps any firearms instructor out there.
The last time I talked at length with Ron was at the 2018 USPSA Multigun Nationals. He had driven down to Vegas to see his students finish stages and was sitting in the shade waiting for awards when I walked up and sat down. I said “Ron, I just shot the worst match of my life, and I have some questions for you.” After he said “OK, tell me what happened” and listened to my recap of a three-day disaster, he opened up the preverbal fire hose and talked for nearly an hour about the mental game and how it applies to competition shooting. I don’t think he broke eye contact the entire time.
Ron’s goal in life was to “Help the good guys win.” I’ve heard him say it a dozen times, and he meant it every time. He dedicated his entire life to helping other people learn to perform at their peak in extremely stressful situations. Those of us who benefited from his knowledge will forever be in his debt.
