Ray, 16 years old at the time, misrepresented his age so he could enter the Marine Corps. He saw action during WWII in the Pacific Islands and again during the Korean Conflict. After an honorable discharge Ray worked in law enforcement for awhile. After finishing his education he became a civil engineer with the California Highway Department.

During the 1950's, Chapman's career as an engineer coincided with his years of becoming a superstar in the venue of practical pistol shooting. While working with his good friend Jeff Cooper and the other pioneers of the Southwest Pistol League, Ray honed his shooting skills. In later years, Ray Chapman was one of the original Combat Masters to whom Cooper dedicated his classic "Cooper on Handguns".

During his competitive career Ray won over 250 major tournaments including the Inaugural World Championship Of Practical Shooting in Zurich in 1975. It is safe to assume that his analytical and quantitative engineer's mind, as well as his combat and law enforcement experience led to his practical and efficient approach to defensive shooting.

With urging and support of several friends, Ray opened The Chapman Academy in 1979, within just a year of Jeff Cooper opening his Gunsite facility. These were the first two public shooting schools in the country. Such prestigious groups as Seal Team Six, LAPD Swat Team, numerous law enforcement & government agencies and thousands of law abiding citizens have benefited from his teachings.

Universally accepted modern day techniques such as the rollover prone position, speed loading the semi-auto, the modified Weaver position and the glide used when shooting while moving are but a few of the innovations in defensive shooting attributed to Ray Chapman. The Columbia Conference was held at the new Chapman Academy and IPSC was born. Ray also developed the course of fire for the NRA's flagship competition "The Bianchi Cup". The Cup is held annually to this day at the Academy. He was one of the original advocates for police departments to switch from the .38spl revolver to the .45acp semi-auto.

"Shooting from strength" and "move quickly, shoot carefully and use cover when available" are the cornerstones of his philosophy.

Sadly, Ray passed away in 2008 at the age of 79. His teachings have been passed on to several select instructors and it is their intent to continue his legacy of providing excellence in the training of practical defensive shooting. The Chapman Academy will reopen in 2012.