Flyboy_451
New member
I think all of us would agree that the key to effective shooting is being proficient in fundamentals. These are the things that we all (hopefully) learned when we were novices. Stance, grip, sight alignment, and trigger control. But how often do you actually practice with a focus on fundamentals?? How can we incorporate this focus of fundamentals in our practice routine?
Everybody has their favorite routine of drills that they go through at the range, but how we conduct these drills can dramatically affect performance. Only perfect practice makes perfect. Next time you go to the range try the following ideas.
SLOW DOWN!
Make every movement slow and deliberate. Focus on economy of movement and proper technique. If you carry concealed, practice while dressed as you would normally be in public. Start by facing your target and getting your feet in position for a proper stance. When you draw, pay close attention to what movements are required to clear a covering garment, and attain a FULL FIRING GRIP on your handgun. Now stop!! With your hand on your gun, but the gun still in the holster, is your hand in the position it should be in for proper grip? If not, adjust your grip to get a feel for how your hand should be positioned, then start over.
when you are consistently getting a proper grip, slowly draw your gun. Are you pulling the gun straight out of the holster, or are you twisting it sideways, or rotating it forward or rearward? The gun should slide freely from the holster, without undue friction from misalignment. Move on to presentation when you have mastered this movement.
When bringing the gun onto target, are you swinging the gun up to the target, or pushing it to your target? If you swing your gun up to the target, it is very difficult to stop it at the proper point within the arc to have proper sight alignment. However, if you push the gun to the target, what I call "Punching the target", you will find that you actually pick up your front sight in your peripheral vision and can guide it to the exact spot you want to aim at. Your weak hand comes into play at this point too, making it necessary to evaluate its movement and position as well. If your weak hand grip is not proper, once again correct it and start from the beginning until you are consistently placing your hand correctly. When you have reached this point, you are ready for your first shot.
When you have presented your gun to the target, focus on the front sight, and let fly with one shot, concentrating on trigger control. After the shot breaks, follow through by reacquiring the front sight, and taking aim once again. If you consistently make a good center mass hit at this point, follow up with a second shot, but do not try for speed at this point. Focus on putting the front sight on the target, and breaking a second clean shot with precision. I call this a "controlled pair", rather than a double tap.
Now it's time to speed things up a little. Once again, do not try for speed at this point, but focus on economy of motion, and proper technique. Let your body learn the mechanics that are required. As you do this, you will find your body will speed up, all on it's own. Before long, you will have a smooth efficient draw that can be very fast. I am no speed demon, but using this method of practice, I can draw and fire a controlled pair, from concealment, making "A zone" hits @ 10 yards in about 1.15 seconds.
Give it a try and see if your technique improves.
Justin
Everybody has their favorite routine of drills that they go through at the range, but how we conduct these drills can dramatically affect performance. Only perfect practice makes perfect. Next time you go to the range try the following ideas.
SLOW DOWN!
Make every movement slow and deliberate. Focus on economy of movement and proper technique. If you carry concealed, practice while dressed as you would normally be in public. Start by facing your target and getting your feet in position for a proper stance. When you draw, pay close attention to what movements are required to clear a covering garment, and attain a FULL FIRING GRIP on your handgun. Now stop!! With your hand on your gun, but the gun still in the holster, is your hand in the position it should be in for proper grip? If not, adjust your grip to get a feel for how your hand should be positioned, then start over.
when you are consistently getting a proper grip, slowly draw your gun. Are you pulling the gun straight out of the holster, or are you twisting it sideways, or rotating it forward or rearward? The gun should slide freely from the holster, without undue friction from misalignment. Move on to presentation when you have mastered this movement.
When bringing the gun onto target, are you swinging the gun up to the target, or pushing it to your target? If you swing your gun up to the target, it is very difficult to stop it at the proper point within the arc to have proper sight alignment. However, if you push the gun to the target, what I call "Punching the target", you will find that you actually pick up your front sight in your peripheral vision and can guide it to the exact spot you want to aim at. Your weak hand comes into play at this point too, making it necessary to evaluate its movement and position as well. If your weak hand grip is not proper, once again correct it and start from the beginning until you are consistently placing your hand correctly. When you have reached this point, you are ready for your first shot.
When you have presented your gun to the target, focus on the front sight, and let fly with one shot, concentrating on trigger control. After the shot breaks, follow through by reacquiring the front sight, and taking aim once again. If you consistently make a good center mass hit at this point, follow up with a second shot, but do not try for speed at this point. Focus on putting the front sight on the target, and breaking a second clean shot with precision. I call this a "controlled pair", rather than a double tap.
Now it's time to speed things up a little. Once again, do not try for speed at this point, but focus on economy of motion, and proper technique. Let your body learn the mechanics that are required. As you do this, you will find your body will speed up, all on it's own. Before long, you will have a smooth efficient draw that can be very fast. I am no speed demon, but using this method of practice, I can draw and fire a controlled pair, from concealment, making "A zone" hits @ 10 yards in about 1.15 seconds.
Give it a try and see if your technique improves.
Justin
