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The Success From Using Steve Anderson’s Book


JP_Thomas

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A little thing I am just starting to notice and a short story, I wanted to relay to everyone else…

Back in June 2005 I bought my first pistol in over 10 yrs. I have had various girlfriends/wife that were TOO liberal for their own good and severely fronded upon having a gun in the house. :blink: Do you realize how insulting telling a former Marine that he cannot have a firearm around??? :angry: Anyhow, I needed time with my ‘gun’ not a rifle or pistol, so I sucked it up. (see the movie Full Metal Jacket for proper differences between a ‘gun’ and a ‘rifle’) Anyhow, the above mentioned females are no longer a factor.

I always qualified ‘expert’ on rifle and pistol while in the Corps, but using Known Distance courses – it never was that difficult, at least for me.

So, in June 2005 after purchasing a Glock 23 (I should say ‘re-purchase’ – I used to own 4 different Glocks in the early 90s) :) I decided to research out opportunities to shoot with others – thus I found IPSC, then USPSA, and finally my club – Gwinnett Practical Shooters League. All I can say is – WHAT A BLAST! I can’t wait for every Wednesday night to come around – and then the outside matches 2-3 times a month at various clubs in the area. In late August, I purchased a Glock 34 specifically to use in production class.

Well, I shot for a couple of months – and just listened to the more experienced guys around me to learn. I could never remember everything that was said and started searching for some sort of instruction or manual that would help me improve – at least in a home environment. The range is too far to go on a daily or bi-daily basis.

About a month ago, I bought Steve Anderson’s book Refinement and Repetition I am slightly strapped for time, so I do not always get ALL the repetitions in nor all the dry-fire exercises in. I am pretty consistent on the first 18 to 20 exercises. I usually put in 4-5 days a week, 2 sessions @ 30 minutes or so per session.

Anyhow, to get to the point --- this past Wednesday, we had out league shoot. This is ‘Carry Night’ and consisted of three stages.

STAGE 1: 3 boxes w/walls total, 2 targets per box, two shots each, targets @ 4 yds - boxes about 8 ft. apart.

STAGE 2: "ATM" type stage - slip paper through slot, turn and engage 6 targets @ 10,12, and 2 o'clock. (no shoot in middle of target 'sets") targets @ 4 to 10 yrd.

STAGE 3: Typical 6 shot Bill Drill.

I do not remember all my times exactly, but they where pretty "quick" for me. I think stage 1 was around 10.5 sec, stage two - I do not remember, and stage 3 was like 2.15 sec or something like that. ANYHOW --- the BIG deal is ......I do not remember dropping one point ............. ALPHAs on all targets - every stage. :P And YES, I can recall breaking each shot in the A-zone! Pretty damn neat. Hell, I amazed myself! (well, my memory is foggy … I **may have** :huh: dropped one or two in the C zone – scores are not posted yet) Nevertheless, I do feel pretty darn good about my performance.

The only thing I can credit this two is 2 things:

1) Exercises from Steve’s books

2) Hints and helps from our two Grand Masters – Erik Lund & Bill Munier

I just got my ‘D’ classification on Sept 10th. Right now, my goal is to make ‘C’ by the end of the year, and ‘B’ by the end of 2006.

Sorry for such a long post, but I figured some beginners on the board would enjoy hearing my story and my increase success.

:D

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I'm a new C shooter who started with a P14.45 in February. I also shoot a G35. I'm trying to shoot above 60% on all classifiers so I can make B by early next year.

Your story is encouraging. I've been trying hard to watch the front sight. I think I've been losing it and reaquiring it all my life. Now I'm at the stage where I see it during part of the recoil, not all, and I'm amazed at how high the G35 rises.

I shot in an IDPA match a couple of months ago and it was by far my best match experience. I shoot steel and USPSA also, and my last two matches were by far my best performances. But you're right - WHAT A BLAST!

You might consider buying Practical Shooting: Beyond Fundamentals, Perfect Practice, and With Winning in Mind.

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I just recieved Steve Anderson's book and Practical Shooting: Beyond Fundamentals last night. Have started reading Brians's book and have looked through the dry-fire book, haven't fired a shot and think I'll see an improvement next time out. I've used dry-fire practice a lot in the last year or so, unstructured I should add, and have seen large improvements in my shooting. Steve's book will add a whole lot to my dry-fire sessions, and Brian's book is helping me to understand a lot of what I have experienced in my shooting but haven't quite figured out for myself. I've shot five USPSA matches, thee as a member, and am looking at "C" in L10, I'd like to see "B" by the end of the year and "A" by next summer.

BTW, congrats JP and good luck to you both on your goals.

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What ever you do......

DON'T get Steves book !!!!!!!

Anything that helps you see the sights better, get used to certain gun manipulations, and improve trigger control CAN NOT be good for YOU !!!!!!

It will only cause bad habits.......Like actually LOOKING at the sights. :blink:

And watching the mag into the magwell during a reload. :o

Feeling the trigger take up. :wacko:

Sycronization of Head and body. <_<

None of this can be good.......Please what ever you do......Don't !!!!!!

Plus....You guys are going to make him have a complex!!!!! and make him RICH !!!!! :lol::lol::lol::lol:

Hopalong

Edited to add: And I have to shoot with him Sunday :P

Good stuff.....REALLY

Edited by hopalong
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Wanna know what it takes to get good? How about a second mortgage... :)

If can ever break even on shooting after expenses, I'll feel lucky indeed.

I'm just glad the book is helping people. Because of my background in music, practicing always made a lot of sense to me, and I could easily separate mechanics of technique from performing music. (I used to spend hours running scales and finger excercises on my unplugged guitar)

Anyway, thanks again. I plan to start R&R 2 over winter...

SA

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Because of my background in music, practicing always made a lot of sense to me, and I could easily separate mechanics of technique from performing music.

SA

Awwwwwwwwwwwwww....a freak'in STRING player! That's it...I'm returning the book! (Yea, right!)

Brother ... pick up a REAL instrument ... a BRASS one!! (Hence, yes, I do know what practice is all about! ;)

--joking

Edited by JP_Thomas
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I played cornet for a while...I can stil play a C major scale from memory. That cornet came in handy in the rock band...I used to light it on fire and play the melody from our signature show-ender. (don't inhale near a flaming trumpet :))

We called it the frumpet. ;)

SA

Aw....dear sir, you have earned my respect in more than one topic! You know .. David Monnette actucally makes 'frumpets" ..

http://www.monette.net/newsite/instruments_flumpet.htm

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Well, all - shot again yesterday. I thought I shot VERY well. When I 'zoned' in I was shooting 98% Alphas - 2 MIKES!!! Mikes were on a stage with strong & weak hand stuff - needless to say, I see more reps of thoses dryfire drills!!

Funny thing - one of the guys said that now that I am making so many Alphas - I should speed up some. Welllllll, I did on the VERY LAST stage and my acurracy went down ... a lot ... still no Mikes ... but 16 Alphas - 7 Charlies - 1 Delta. I think I was trying to go TOO fast. Now that I look back at it, if I would have slowed just .50 or even 1.0 seconds, they would have been all Alphas! Maybe I would have seen the front sight more!! (hahahaha)

"Grand Masters, tricks you must learn old padawan"

...... yoda!

Edited by JP_Thomas
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Like you JP I am new to IPSC shooting though unlike you I am also pretty darn new to shooting in general. Aside from shooting with my dad as a kid deer hunting and rare plinking with his pistol, I had not fired a gun or had any real serious training (except video games of course). I started out this Spring shooting a walther p99 and really enjoyed it at Crooked Creek my local club. As I started to really enjoy it, I became a frequent visitor of this forum, and found a great many useful posts. I was making some progress with that and BE book, but mostly I was just focusing on trying to stay safe. Then I bought Steve Anderson's book as a result of recommendations here and from one of my friends at CC. Boy what a difference. While I had dry fired a great deal, until I started following his drills, I had never really done it in the context of using a buzzer and set targets and distances, etc. Doing his drills has really helped me to focus on the sights after the buzzer goes off rather than having the brain shut off. I started out shooting in the 30% range at my local matches, and now just this past weekend at Area 5 shot 56% overall and in the 60's on several stages with Dave Sevigny as the standard! Steve's book has definitely contribued to that progress.

Good stuff and good luck.

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