David, what a can of worms you have opened!
I'm not even sure I know where to start so I'll just throw a few things out at you. Please bear in mind that this topic is hightly subjective to "opinion", hence my comments are indeed my own opinions.
ANYONE can improve their "accuracy", and I use that term loosly, by going to the range and using their firearm's sighting system to hit that little "x" in the center. They can tell themselves, "now I am more accurate!" But are they?
For self defense it will be a rarity that you will have the opportunity to use those nice pretty, glow-in-the-dark sights. You will most likely not have the time. With that in mind, can you reliably and calmly hit a target zone by "instinctive" firing - no sights? I cannot tell you how many shooters at the ranges I go to squint their eyes to line up those sights. They're practically useless. I often suggest to them to NOT use the sights. And behold they are "spraying and praying" rounds all over the place. They would do the same thing if they
needed to use their weapon in self defense.
For me, unless I'm shooting at extreme distances for a handgun, I never use the sights.
I practice instinctive shooting. In short, in a self defense situation you will perform much the way you practice. If you practice WITH the sights, you will NEED the sights.
Another suggestion is when you do practice, you will improve more rapidly with shorter but more frequent shooting sessions. Don't shoot 400 rounds at one session, once a month. Shoot 100 rounds per session 4 times a month (or whatever interval you decide/afford
.
As far as breathing, IMO, that will take care of itself. Practice will bring calm
and accuracy.
As a small green friend of mine once said, "anger, aggression, fear - the dark side are those..."
Practice, practice, practice (no sights!)
CMOS
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