Starting from Low Ready

[KungFuNerd]

Do you Push out like your Draw or lift straight up?

I feel like I should push out but lifting straight up seems faster if I don't 'overshoot'.

Thoughts?

[a.roberts]

Push out as normal.

Consistency is your friend.

[grapemeister]

Aren't you already pretty much pushed out when starting in low ready? I've always just lifted the gun to my line of sight when starting in low ready. I would only push out when starting at high ready. My low ready start is a bit rusty, but I got pretty quick with the low ready start when I use to shoot bowling pin matches. My advice would be to have the grip, and arm extension already in position so at the signal you just raise the gun. Raising and then pushing out is a waste of movement and time, in my opinion.

Of course, you might feel like it is more comfortable to start with the arms bent and the gun closer to your body. In that case you would have to push out at some point while bringing the gun on target. Go with what feels more comfortable to you, and what you’re most proficient at.

Don't forget about practice! It took me a fair amount of practice to get to the point where my sights would consistently line up on the target without overshooting the target or too much jiggling around. Start slow, and steadily decrease your par time. Another thing that helped me was to be as quick as I could at lifting the gun at the signal, but slightly putting on the breaks just before the sights came on target.

[KungFuNerd]

Push out as normal.

Consistency is your friend.

Thats what I was thinking.

I practiced both ways and learning to lift the Gun straight up without overshooting pas the line of sight or bobbling is a different skill.

It could certainly be learned but I could use plenty of work on my Draw/push out

[Flexmoney]

If you get it figured out, let me know! I struggle with the same thing. (hey...I'll bet there is a thread on this)

When in doubt, go with what you know.

[Strick]

I was thinking about this the other day, and I am still undecided. Maybe I will play with it tomorrow.

[baa]

I went through this dilemma recently when preparing to shoot my first GSSF match. I initially practiced pushing out to the first target as if I was in the last phase of my normal draw. It felt awkward and my sights were not indexing where I was looking. This is interesting in that if I do a normal draw, the sights do go where I my eyes go. But when I came from low ready, the sights were bouncing all over the place. Very weird! I was not consistent in my movement vs from a normal draw.

So, I started playing around with gun extended and lowered below the target. I was able to quickly get the gun on target with the sights steady and aiming at the point my eye was focused. This approach was more consistent and I ended up going that route for the GSSF match. It worked well.

This continued to be the case when shooting rimfire steel. I was on target faster with arms extended, pistol pointed at the start point.

YMMV of course… I am still trying to figure out why I am less consistent pushing out from lower ready vs coming out the holster. I guess it’s because I have done countless dry fire draws and almost no low ready push out practice.

[Noximus03]

I started out same as Baa. Never concentrated on shooting from low ready until I started practicing for a GSSF match. I found that pushing out took me a little more time to find the sights, where as lifting straight up was more consistent for me. My only issue with lifting up was that if I went too fast I would lift too high then have to bring it back down. To each shooter, his own. Go with what you feel is most comfy with and roll with it.

[Flexmoney]

My only issue with lifting up was that if I went too fast I would lift too high then have to bring it back down. ...

Yes, that is the challenge. With lifting, the arm is like a long lever... I always call that a "tuning-fork" action, where the lever whips around at the far end when you stop it.

[Flexmoney]

I went through this dilemma recently when preparing to shoot my first GSSF match. I initially practiced pushing out to the first target as if I was in the last phase of my normal draw. It felt awkward and my sights were not indexing where I was looking. This is interesting in that if I do a normal draw, the sights do go where I my eyes go.

Odd.

Even with the gun back, I'd have it under my strong eye (as opposed to my center-line).

In reality, I always like to mount the gun to extension when I "make ready", then slowly bring it back to the start position.

[West Texas Granny]

Kind of a fan of raise and push method. I shoot a CCW match where we not only shoot our centerfire pistols but also 22's. First target is something like steel or a bowling pin. Six rounds of 22, 6 targets and 5 seconds to do it in. If the pin or steel doesn't fall you continue to shoot till it does before moving on to the other 5 paper targets

Edited March 19, 2012 by West Texas Granny

[baa]

I went through this dilemma recently when preparing to shoot my first GSSF match. I initially practiced pushing out to the first target as if I was in the last phase of my normal draw. It felt awkward and my sights were not indexing where I was looking. This is interesting in that if I do a normal draw, the sights do go where I my eyes go.

Odd.

Even with the gun back, I'd have it under my strong eye (as opposed to my center-line).

In reality, I always like to mount the gun to extension when I "make ready", then slowly bring it back to the start position.

Agreed.. It is very odd, especially considering the problem does not exist when I do a normal full draw. Obviously whatever I am doing is not the same when going from low ready vs complete draw.

I shot a steel match with my rimfire pistol this weekend and played around with lowered gun vs low ready. I was averaging about .30 first shot when I had my arms extended and gun pointed below the target. I was averaging about .50 when I pushed out from "low ready."

I think it comes back to what I have practiced. 25K+ draws from the holster vs like 100 from low ready. Granted, I have shot GSSF once in my life and may shoot it once a year going forward, so I will continue to focus on USPSA related skills

[peanut4a]

Ive always gone with the quicker my sights are in my sight line, the longer they stay there, the quicker I can track them, the quicker I put rounds down range. For me, no matter where the gun starts, its getting pushed out straight at eye level.

PJ

[Sac Law Man]

If your at the low ready, your arms are pretty much already extended and locked into the position they will be when you fire. In my experience, it is rare that a shooter will lift the gun too much, but rather they will fire early resulting in a shot that goes low. Bill Rogers is big on this and has a drill in which the shooter tries to hit a 2 inch dot at 5 yards in under 1/2 second from the low ready. In his classes, books and videos, he teaches having the sights already line up at the low ready and the gun lined up under your dominant eye. At the "beep" you lift the gun while simultaneously prepping the trigger and picking up the sights. Your eyes are fixed on the target and when the sights appear in your focal plane and are lined up, you fire. If you do this drill, you will see your tendancy will be to fire early becasue you want to be quick.

[GrumpyOne]

Alright, I'm the odd man out here. I have done hundreds upon hundreds of low ready starts, compared to drawing from a holster (years and years of bowling pin matches! , Grapemiester will attest to that!). I find it quicker to raise straight up from low ready, eyes fixed on the first target.

[JimM]

If your at the low ready, your arms are pretty much already extended and locked into the position they will be when you fire. In my experience, it is rare that a shooter will lift the gun too much, but rather they will fire early resulting in a shot that goes low. Bill Rogers is big on this and has a drill in which the shooter tries to hit a 2 inch dot at 5 yards in under 1/2 second from the low ready. In his classes, books and videos, he teaches having the sights already line up at the low ready and the gun lined up under your dominant eye. At the "beep" you lift the gun while simultaneously prepping the trigger and picking up the sights. Your eyes are fixed on the target and when the sights appear in your focal plane and are lined up, you fire. If you do this drill, you will see your tendancy will be to fire early becasue you want to be quick.

Thanks for sharing this drill. Newer shooter here-this is something I need work on.

Jim

[billfer]

+1 with what GrumpyOne said. When I practice for our Ruger rimfire match I'll place a block or marker of some type half way or so between the shooter and the first target. My arms are extended

and sights aligned to the marker (my grip or index if you will) and my eyes are burning a hole into the first target. At the buzzer lift or swing because it's not always a straight up motion and bring the sights into my vision. It's important to maintain your grip (or index or whatever it's called)throughout the swing so the sights are aligned on the target at the end of the swing. Practice to eliminate the overshoot by slowing the movement just before the sights are in your line of vision. Time spent dry firing this and .6 to .7 seconds is very doable.

Bill

[Nate]

What I found was that if I do not grip with my left hand but rather put it in the "catch position with my left index finger on the trigger gaurd, I can push up and shoot just like my draw. When I grip it down low it chages things.

[MC1]

If you are shooting from a low ready or a press, are you not practicing sights acquisition? If you shoot steel it calls for a low ready with rim fire and you go from a draw with center fire. Seems like the focus should be on your sights. Does this make sense to anyone else, or am I crazy?

[bradsteimel]

Starting at low ready doesn't require arms straight with locked elbows. It's much faster to get to the get up on the first target if you have a slight bend in your elbows and use your shoulders to muscle the gun up to the target. IMO it's probably better to shoot with a slight bend in your elbows (think relax, not locked)... so that start position works nicely.

[Audioman]

Push out