Retired Green Beret and 21-year Chicago PD veteran Matt Little on 525,000 virtual rounds, daily reps, and finally earning USPSA Grand Master.
This week, Ace sat down with founding player Matt Little, known online as Greybeard, to talk about his background in Army Special Forces and the Chicago Police Department. Matt authored The Way Is in Training and hosts training classes nationwide. Find him on YouTube at Greybeard Actual.
Tell us about your background.
I'm retired from dual careers as a Special Forces soldier and a 21-year Chicago PD veteran, including five years as an instructor. Today I teach open-enrollment pistol and carbine classes for military, law enforcement, agencies, and civilians. At friends' urging I started competing in USPSA and discovered real gaps in my training, despite decades of professional shooting experience.
How long have you been shooting with Ace?
I was one of Ace's founding members after a Special Forces friend introduced me to the platform in August 2023. I immediately recognized the potential: pilots, surgeons, and race car drivers all train in simulation.
“I'm at 525,000 virtual rounds fired in the last year. I couldn't do that in live fire, even if I could afford it!”
Matt Little
How often do you run drills?
Nearly daily, at minimum the Drill of the Day. I travel with it to classes and matches, running reps in hotel rooms each morning to warm up before range sessions. I'll do 2,500 reps in a single morning.
How do you set your goals and measure progress?
The Drills section makes it easy to see personal records and use the shot timer for splits. But consistency close to your PR is what matters more than peak performances. Shooting, for me, is very zen: consistency is a gauge for my overall relaxation and focus.
You recently attained Grand Master in USPSA. That's huge!
It took three months to reach Master, then eight years for Grand Master. I intensively practiced USPSA qualifiers in Ace before competing in matches.
“I really credit Ace with helping me finally get over the hump and achieve Grand Master in USPSA.”
Matt Little
Any advice for new shooters or Ace members?
Don't treat it like a video game. Treat it like training. Have a focused plan with deliberate practice. Know your goals, collect data, establish benchmarks, and track improvement with discipline. Give yourself the first couple of weeks to get comfortable with the app and your gun setup before chasing serious numbers.