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Shooting sooner


CrashDodson

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In the last few matches I have found myself getting into a position, aimed at the target...and not pulling the trigger.  Its not trigger freeze but....brain freeze?  I can recall a specific moment when I think to myself "why are you not shooting?".  Granted this all happens in fractions of a second but I still cant get myself out of this over-aiming problem.  Its only on the first target in an array, targets I transition to after the 1st go as normal.

Anyone else ever experience something like this?  

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are you only experiencing it in live-fire? only in matches? what happens in live fire drills (and dryfire drills) where you are aiming at the target as you come into a position?

 

In general, I find the easiest way to start shooting sooner when moving into positions (besides just practicing that skill) is to get comfortable shooting on the move, in dryfire and live-fire. It doesn't take long before your brain just starts pulling the trigger when the sight picture is acceptable, regardless of whether you are still moving or not.

Edited by motosapiens
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We never setup full stages in live fire, just drills.  I only seem to notice it in matches.  Dry fire everything is fast as expected.  I have been doing a bit of practice on first shot out of the draw in live fire but it doesn't seem to translate to the matches.  Of course your not usually doing standing draws and shooting in a match.  I just have this unnecessary hesitation to get that first shot off on the first target in an array.  

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A big part of this issue comes down to WHAT you are looking at as you enter the shooting position. If you are hard focused on the first target you want to engage there will be a refocus delay as you move your focus back to your sights then break the shot. In my personal experience and training others experience this is the number one issue when it comes to delaying the shooting as you enter a shooting position. 

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3 hours ago, CrashDodson said:

We never setup full stages in live fire, just drills.  I only seem to notice it in matches.  

do some of your live-fire drills involve starting in one place, and running to another one where you have to start shooting? If not, why not? That seems like the obvious way to work on this issue.

I am finding less and less value in stand and shoot drills in live fire these days. Even el presidente I'm leaving the box as the last shot is fired. 

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4 hours ago, CHA-LEE said:

A big part of this issue comes down to WHAT you are looking at as you enter the shooting position. If you are hard focused on the first target you want to engage there will be a refocus delay as you move your focus back to your sights then break the shot. In my personal experience and training others experience this is the number one issue when it comes to delaying the shooting as you enter a shooting position. 

I think you're describing a different problem from what he has. He talked about being aimed at the target but essentially hesitating before pulling the trigger. To me, this is closer to an issue of recognizing when he has an acceptable sight picture.

The way I would address this is to practice entering position and breaking the shot at the earliest possible instant, which is as soon as your trailing foot leaves the ground and you are considered within the fault lines. You'll probably be throwing some cruddy hits on target when you start pushing this, that is fine as long as you are calling the shot. Don't slow down. You'll be able to refine that accuracy at speed if you keep digging at it.

Edited by Jake Di Vita
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15 hours ago, jstagn said:

Have the same problem, think Cha-Lee analysis is correct. So how to correct?  Start with sight focus right away while you are moving in box/shooting position ????

Yep, the sooner you see the sights the sooner you can fire and call the shots.

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I've been working on shooting sooner after a get in position lately and what has really helped me is picturing coming in and pulling the trigger on the first target during my walk through. I mime everything out down to where I'm going to position my feet. The less I have to think about what I'm going to do the quicker I can pull the trigger.

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I pretty much use a target focus or somewhere in between of target focus and front sight for 90% of the shots.  Unless its a difficult shot or hard steel I am not going to a front sight focus.  I run a magic dot/tape on my non dominate eye due to an eye dominance issue, not sure if thats part of it.  I think the problem is purely mental.  And it seems to just be the first target of a stage or sometimes the first target in an array on a new shooting position.  I will work on some drills to shoot as soon as I enter and see if it helps.  I have been doing some "call it and leave it" drills and box to box type drills but it is not yet translating to the match.  I might start trying to use my local matches as a test bed for going faster rather than being conservative.  Its interesting how fast I "feel" when I am shooting vs how fast I look on video after.  

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3 minutes ago, CrashDodson said:

I have been doing some "call it and leave it" drills and box to box type drills but it is not yet translating to the match.  I might start trying to use my local matches as a test bed for going faster rather than being conservative.

It's not yet translating to matches because it takes a lot of time for practice to turn into measurable on demand improvement. I would counsel you to keep treating local matches like they are major matches and just stay the course with practicing on the edge of your ability. We've identified drills to work on the particular problems you are having. Have patience and trust that your hard work will pay off.

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30 minutes ago, CrashDodson said:

And it seems to just be the first target of a stage or sometimes the first target in an array on a new shooting position.  I will work on some drills to shoot as soon as I enter and see if it helps.  I have been doing some "call it and leave it" drills and box to box type drills but it is not yet translating to the match.  I might start trying to use my local matches as a test bed for going faster rather than being conservative.  Its interesting how fast I "feel" when I am shooting vs how fast I look on video after.  

I work on this issue using one of stoeger's drills. Start about 3 targets 10-12 yards away from your shooting position, then back up another 4-5 yards. Start with the gun at high ready. On the beep, haul azz into the box (or past the fault line) and shoot all 3 targets. Try to minimize the time to the first shot. This drill is helpful for many things, including learning  how to decelerate more smoothly while maintaining a sight picture. I like to also leave the position after the last shot but I only take a step or two, just to get used to the idea of shifting my weight and getting ready to move (or even starting to move if it's an easy target) while shooting the last target.

Another thing that will help is practicing shooting while moving, like anderson's 24 A's drill. The two drills combined may help you break the first shots earlier because you will get a sight picture that you know is good enough to be shooting. I find that shooting on the move also helps my front sight focus and awareness.

(I do these drills in dry fire and live fire.)

Edited by motosapiens
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