Ichiro Nagata has been shooting various pistol matches for the last 40 years. Since the 1980’s, Ichiro has continually sought to refine and increase the speed of his draw, to achieve the goal of having the fastest draw possible. To reach his goal, he tested numerous holsters, ranging from classic leather holsters, ballistic nylon holsters, all the way to modern Kydex holsters. His drawing style has changed over the years as the holster capabilities and features have progressed.At age 65, Ichiro was still competing at two main shooting events; the Steel Challenge and the Bianchi Cup.
In the all-out drag race that is the Steel Challenge, speed is the ultimate goal, where a fast draw is critical for success. Like Olympic athletes, Steel Challenge shooters compete by tenths of seconds. They draw 39 times at the event, so if the shooter could draw 0.2 seconds faster, the total score would improve by a huge margin of 7.8 seconds, gaining seconds where tenths of a second mean the difference between becoming the champion or the first loser.
As Ichiro was examining the best holster for this event, and many holsters have satisfactory aspects, he found that the hanger systems often left something to be desired. So, Ichiro created his own. Taking his new hanger design, Ichiro has gone on to win the Super Senior Champion titles for five consecutive years.
While his record speaks for itself, you can see for yourself that his draw is strikingly fast. Ichiro comments “When we draw, each of us has preferred angles and habits. Where on the waist we want to locate our pistol, how we want to grab the grip, and what angle the pistol is positioned in while in the holster. I’m a very precise person as you can see in my photos, so I wanted to adjust my angles within ¼”. But there weren't such hangers in the market, so I made one by myself.
The Ichiro Hanger is infinitely adjustable in height, cant, tilt and offset to fine-tune your technique to get an exact and efficient draw.
Strike Industries is proud to partner with Mr. Nagata to bring to you, the action shooter, a way to unlock the potential to nail down your fastest draw ever by utilizing the Ichiro Hanger. Whether you compete in Steel Challenge, 3-gun/Multi-gun, USPSA/IPSC, or are the next YouTube/Instagram superstar, realize the increased speed, consistency, and comfort of your draw with the Ichiro Hanger.
Ichiro Nagata Profile
Mr. Nagata is a world-renowned photographer and is arguably the best firearms and knife photographer in the United States. He is well known and respected for his innovative and imaginative photo props, coupled with the stunning quality and clarity of his photographs. He is now retired but his works have seen in Combat Tactics, Tactical Weapons, American Hand gunners, Guns and many other magazines. Mr. Nagata is an avid shooter and a Surefire Low Light instructor. He is also PPC Grand Master, a Bianchi Cup High Master and “A” Class IPSC shooter.
NOTE: Holster must be purchased separately. Not guaranteed to be compatible with non-listed holster makes and models.
The Ichiro Holster is currently offered in two models, the Safariland 014 and Double Alpha Race Master holsters (and models using same hanger mount).
Package includes:
1x Bladetech Tek-Lok belt clip
1x hanger
1x coupler
1x Safariland 014 Adapter
1x Double Alpha Academy Racemaster Adapter
1x pressure pad
Features:
- Infinitely adjust height and horizontal holster position as well as canted angle for the most precise fit to the shooter's style.
- Simple and practical hanger adapter
- Improve draw speed
Warning: Primarily rated for competition use only. Not recommended for law enforcement/military and related types of use.
-CALIFORNIA PROPOSITION 65 WARNING:-
WARNING: This product contains chemicals known to the State of California to cause cancer and birth defects or other reproductive harm. For more information: www.P65Warnings.ca.gov
