how to train to shoot Alphas

[jimbullet]

Ok, so just recently I am doing something wrong that everytime a stage had poppers or steel plates and some paper, I am able to hit all the steel each shot (one shot one hit) but in the same stage where there are paper and some being much closer, I miss. 

 

Thoughts please on how do you resolve this? I find it confusing that I shoot fast at steel and they all get hit but same speed, I miss on paper.

[perttime]

I suspect a plate makes you focus on hitting, because you know the other option is missing completely. Paper lets you be lazy. You can be a little sloppy, and it isn't a big disaster. You need to shoot for the A, not the whole paper target.

[jimbullet]

Same thing that I thought - maybe I was lazy and was too hasty on my shots on the paper but if you look at this video, my pace was consistent in every shot and I tried to make every shot deliberate and yet I had one mike on the paper to the right of the target.

 

 

[MemphisMechanic]

Because you didn't shoot your sights.

 

Potential cause #1: You had predetermined what cadence you'd fire your second shot at before the first one had even finished. The sights weren't there, but it was time to shoot anyway... and either you didn't have the visual patience to get the sights back in the center, or you didn't have enough trigger control to keep that shot in the center at speed.

 

#2: You're dragging your second round off the target. Beginning the transition back to steel a  millisecond too early, before round has left the barrel.

 

Edited August 7, 2017 by MemphisMechanic

[motosapiens]

sounds to me like two shots with one sight picture, which is a prescription for unexpected misses. Where was the sight in relation to the target when it lifted for the second shot?

 

I've been working alot on refining my grip and vision tuning my grip to the gun/springs/load to get the sights to settle quickly instead of bouncing around alot as the gun comes back down. In doing this, I find that I am gaining awareness of the whole path of the sight. I was often initiating the second shot as the sight came back down, but then by the time the shot broke, the sights had dropped below the first shot. Better grip, lighter bullet, lighter recoil spring are things that seem to help, but ultimately it is more visual awareness that is needed.

[benos]

On 8/7/2017 at 0:47 AM, perttime said:

I suspect a plate makes you focus on hitting, because you know the other option is missing completely. Paper lets you be lazy. You can be a little sloppy, and it isn't a big disaster. You need to shoot for the A, not the whole paper target.

This. Just doing that should fix the problem. You should shoot so you know all your shots are A's, without having to see the target. 

[Rnlinebacker]

Same thing that I thought - maybe I was lazy and was too hasty on my shots on the paper but if you look at this video, my pace was consistent in every shot and I tried to make every shot deliberate and yet I had one mike on the paper to the right of the target.
 
 

On the second paper shot your front sight was at least 1-2moa above paper that's a miss by a lot at distance on paper

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[barebones1]

I took some used targets home , used contact cement to secure white paper plates to the Alpha circle. set up dry fire and live fire ( co2 powered BB gun, same weight as original. Slide blows back just like the real thing ) didn't take long ....the A`s started happening. seems I was not focusing my front sight on the alpha area ( too much brown) the white paper help me !

 

[jimbullet]

On 8/13/2017 at 7:32 AM, Rnlinebacker said:

On the second paper shot your front sight was at least 1-2moa above paper that's a miss by a lot at distance on paper

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I did not notice that until reviewing the video several times. It looks like the pistol has not returned to where it should be. some factors to think about then. Firstly sight focus and secondly the gun is not sprung correctly for it to return to where it should be.

[MemphisMechanic]

You left the biggest factor out. Your grip. 

 

Grip harder. Grip hard as hell with the weak hand, and see how things change.

[Stickman301]

On August 14, 2017 at 9:30 PM, MemphisMechanic said:

You left the biggest factor out. Your grip. 

 

Grip harder. Grip hard as hell with the weak hand, and see how things change.

You beat me to it.  

 

Lock your weak hand wrist over.  Google "Ron Avery" and watch some of his videos.  You will instantly see a difference.

[Ocrrhbow]

Slide the timeline bar to exactly 11 seconds.  That will show your gun pointing perfectly on level with the center of the target but half way between you second steel and the paper target.  There is even a puff of dirt on level with the paper target and half way between the second steel and the paper.  After your first shot you pulled the gun to the left in recoil and fired when the gun was level with the target but, as others have said, without seeing the sights. seeing what you did made me realize that I must do the same thing sometimes.  I just can't figure out how I miss some targets but it is clear to me that I pull the trigger when the timing is right but I haven't followed the recoul to know where the sights really are. 

[Bdh821]

An exercise I've done with shooting friends is black tape within the A zone and setup a mini stage for fast shots and aiming/long shots. It helps give you a visual of where you need to be. I find this to work best because typically I see people hose the close targets and try and keep the same speed on the long shots. It teaches you to give each target the respect it deserves and where to visualize your hits 

[StuckinMS]

We have been playing tic tac toe.  Printing out on the computer using 2 inch squares.  Any hit touching the line doesn't count.  It's fun and we mix it up setting par times double taps etc.  We started playing at 7 yards and move further back .  We have even installed marker caps into the squares center and you have to call the cap before you shoot.  Lots of fun and will aid in accuracy. 

[Outcrydrummer]

On ‎8‎/‎7‎/‎2017 at 2:29 AM, jimbullet said:

Ok, so just recently I am doing something wrong that everytime a stage had poppers or steel plates and some paper, I am able to hit all the steel each shot (one shot one hit) but in the same stage where there are paper and some being much closer, I miss. 

 

Thoughts please on how do you resolve this? I find it confusing that I shoot fast at steel and they all get hit but same speed, I miss on paper.

I seem to have the opposite problem. I shoot A's on paper and miss the crap out of the steel. LOL

[zinger4040]

This is something I struggle with, great info!

[benos]

Since steel targets don't have a scoring zone, they induce visual sloppiness. Shoot all steel targets, no matter their size or distance, in the middle.

[B585]

3 hours ago, benos said:

Since steel targets don't have a scoring zone, they induce visual sloppiness. Shoot all steel targets, no matter their size or distance, in the middle.

I also struggle with steel so next match I am going to make this my priority.  Thanks

[johnbu]

I realized that I was missing because I wasn't missing.

 

Wha?

 

I mean i was AIMING at the "brown thing" and not the "A" perforation in the middle of the A zone.  So the "C" hits were where the gun was aimed.  Now I am attempting to intentionally aim for a particular spot on the target and not yanking the trigger as soon as brown is seen.  It feels like it takes a long time, but doesn't... and the hits are improving.  ALSO, during walk throughs, I focus on the A perforation of each target.  

 

Just a low class scrub, but it's what has been helping.

[benos]

56 minutes ago, johnbu said:

during walk throughs, I focus on the A perforation of each target.  

 

Not only on the walk through... If you can see the perfs from where you are shooting - see the perf first, then don't shoot until you see the sights stopped and aligned in them.

[zinger4040]

I have the same issue. I'm a big golfer as well and the best advice I was ever given for golf was aim small, miss small. Instead of aiming to hit the fairway I now aim to hit a specific target in the fairway. I applied this to my shooting and it did help a bit but I have a long way to go 

[IsaacB]

For me I had to learn to focus on one region of the Alpha in dry practice. If I was standing at a range and just taking slow aimed shots I could hit anything I could see. As soon as the buzzer would go off, my groups would be low. I outlined a box in the upper half of the A zone that I focus on in dry practice. Helps me bring the groups up and stay in the A zone when on the clock.

[dogtired]

Reading this post I did a few measurements.  The top line is the center of the A, the bottom is center of the target.  After doing this I realized my subconscious aiming point has been the lower line.  I need to relearn my sight picture.

[HoMiE]

35 minutes ago, dogtired said:

Reading this post I did a few measurements.  The top line is the center of the A, the bottom is center of the target.  After doing this I realized my subconscious aiming point has been the lower line.  I need to relearn my sight picture.

I would aim higher than the exact middle since shots tend to get pulled down when firing fast. 

[dogtired]

Math wise, your deviation would be consistent with all shots aimed to the center.