ERIC GRAUFFEL
IPSC SHOOTER & FIREARMS INSTRUCTOR
FRANCE
9 TIME UNDEFEATED IPSC HANDGUN WORLD CHAMPION
Grauffel (b. 1979), a highly accomplished competitive shooter, has been an International Practical Shooting Confederation (IPSC) competitor since the age of 10. He achieved his first French Championship title at the age of 16 and has successfully retained it ever since. Nearly 3 decades later he continues to dominate the sport, winning not only 9 consecutive European Championships but also an impressive 9 consecutive World Championships, his most recent victory being in December 2022.
“Being a 9-times World Champion since 1999, I’m being chased! And, in order to keep my position, I need to train and I need to always be ready. Ready for the fight, that’s the job.” – Grauffel
Grauffel is often referred to as “The King” or “The Legend” within the sport shooting community. In comparison to football, he is considered both the Messi and the Ronaldo of the shooting sports.
ACCURACY, POWER AND SPEED
“IPSC - for most of us - is about power, accuracy and speed. To me, it’s honestly delivering a performance… on the spot.”
IPSC courses utilize aspects such as movement by the athlete, moving targets, and the freedom for the competitor to solve the shooting challenges presented in the varying courses of fire. Each athlete is allowed 3 minutes to walk through each course of fire and prepare their individual plan to shoot it including target sequences, magazine changes, timing of moving targets, etc. Every small detail needs to be planned because competitors only get one try to perform – on demand.
NO JUICEBAR, NO MIRRORS, NO ARROGANCE
To always be ready, Grauffel truly embodies the “no juice bars, no mirrors, no arrogance” lifestyle and puts in the hard work – every single day.
“To win, it takes a lot of things. From the training; the gym; the shooting; your equipment; your diet; your team.”
Without ever losing sight of his goal (or target), Grauffel trains on the shooting range everyday. With a 9mm handgun or sometimes a larger caliber he shoots about 500-1000 rounds each day. Closer to a big championship he increases to 2000 rounds a day.