Steve Anderson

I use the metronome to break people of a double tapping cadence in dry fire, and to force a faster transition. It works very well. SA

I always tell myself to slow down and concentrated on my fundamentals... Why would you want to slow down?

There is nothing difficult about making GM (by shooting classifiers) except putting in the time. That won't require any special athletic ability, either, although you will develop some in the process. Choose your goal carefully, then choose another one after that. A shooter without a goal isn't a very happy shooter. "I am training for my first competition, and there are a ton of things that I need to practice. Mag changes, draws, indexing on multiple targets, movement... I'm pretty sure those things can be practiced in dry fire. There might even be a book or two by some folks around here...

There is nothing wrong with just shooting to have fun, as long as your expectations are in line with your level of participation. Nobody ever said you MUST practice to have fun in the sport. You only must practice if you want to improve. (rapidly) SA

Esther, I have never seen a natural behind a gun... I have seen people who (over) think that it's supposed to be really hard. Closest thing I have ever seen to a "natural" is Brad Balsley, who just never believed it was supposed to be hard. Be careful of your self image during development...these ideas can stick around for a long time and do much damage. SA

In .22 handguns, make the targets more difficult. Much more difficult. Otherwise, it's too easy and you will get lazy. SA

Hey Chris, Can you start with just 10 minutes a day? Drills 1 and 3? SA

When you can score your run from unload and show clear you are calling your shots. I'm just now getting back to that level of vision. It may sound silly, but you can practice scoring your drills from the called "shots" in dry fire. You could start with, "Were any of those not an A?" If the answer is no, congrats. If the answer is yes... what were they? If you can do that, you are calling your shots. If you can call your shots, you are seeing what you need to see. It's the most important skill in the sport, because it unlocks your true potential at all the others.

"I am right-handed. Many years ago in the Republic of Vietnam, my right thumb and right little finger were severely cut when I grabbed a bayonet that was thrust at me." This will serve as a reminder for me to NEVER complain about physical discomfort. Please return to your grip discussion. SA

If it's always your second shot, what if you shot two 1st shots at a target? That may not seem like a serious question, but I assure you it is... I see a lot of shooters shoot the second shot as an extension of the first one as opposed to its own action. Call it a sliding scale of double tapping, perhaps... I would say you should go out and do WHATEVER it takes to shoot two As on a target. (I know, that probably sounds dumb too, but stick with me) In the course of deciding to do that, you'll be forced to figure out what is necessary to do that, in order to do that. BTW, I had the same problem recently after getting my open gun back last fall after a cracked slide and a long break... I did what I'm advising you to do. If you decide to correct it, you'll have no choice but to figure it out. It will involve paying close attention... Hope that helps. SA

It would be very wise to learn to treat all matches the same, big or small. Learning that soon in the process will be very good for you, could save years of struggle. So yeah, go.

"But that could've been just from not being extended so far out, which we were working on because we were both thinking that trigger freeze was happening because we were overextended (not sure yet whether over extension causes trigger freeze for me, either, but that seems to be the case and a shooter with the worst case of trigger freezes I've ever seen is extended WAY out to what appears to be an unnatural position.)" Trigger freeze is ALWAYS caused by tension. Over-extension could be a symptom of or a pseudonym for tension. All things equal, you should get better recoil management from looser elbows and relaxed arms to a point. This is why you've got to play with it in live fire. SA

Yes, there is a chance.

"i've improved quite a bit since i use this mindset , but seems like i've hit a wall since couple matches. i still loose time with mag changes/presentation , i should speed up my pace. " I heard a rumor that dry fire practice of these basic skills can dramatically speed them up and make them much more reliable... It's almost like they happen automatically at some point. Quote

Flex's reply was extremely well thought out, and got me thinking which of those categories I learned my arm position in... Probly the millions of reps club. My advice is always to face the target, then hold out your empty hands and clap them together. Now allow the arms to relax as naturally as possible. That works as well as anything I've ever tried. It's best to play with the amount of tension vs. relaxation in there during timing drills. You can make a lot of adjustments to various parts and see their effects right away... SA

" I'm thinking I am trying to see to much or wanting to see to much of the sights in relation to the A zone. It is definitely not like that when I practice." More about this please.

It's interesting to really get the trigger going with a metronome (in dry fire) , then as the gun is firing essentially full auto, learn to move it to the new target AS it is firing. This has an interesting way of increasing sense of urgency, but you have to be willing to let go of what you think you know...

You must memorize the stage, this means knowing where every target is. It does not necessarily mean every foot position, this is generally a result of training the feet on what to do and letting them do it. Once you can see the whole stage with your eyes closed, you're ready to shoot. The best way to shoot subconsciously is to give the conscious mind a job to do. That way he can't show up at your match half drunk in a stolen car asking where the nearest strip club is... The best job for the conscious mind is calling every shot. If you're not ready to embrace that you could call it seeing the sights for every shot (which is pretty close and can be a bridge to shot calling) or you could score each target as you shoot it. Again, very close and perhaps a useful bridge. And please please please in the name of all things sacred and holy (God, Van Halen, Monthers, Dry Fire, etc...) do not ever consciously control your speed in a match. Slowing down is just as bad as speeding up. It puts the conscious mind in control without addressing the problem that caused the need for the speed adjustment. If a ship is heading for an iceberg, it may wind up slowing down, but slowing down won't solve the real problem, will it?

This is a great example of what I call a "limiting factor." A limiting factor is something that may not be a big deal now, but will eventually hold up the last 5% or so of possible awesomeness. In the case of the hunch, I would guess that as you begin to really push the training it will go away on its own, as most unnecessary movement tends to do. Don't fight it in competition...it shouldn't be anywhere a thought in your head at a match. Can't do anything there but more damage. What are you doing for dry fire? Is there a set program, or maybe even a book of drills that you are using?

Is that how you always practice them? That's a pretty big chunk of activity for the brain to process as a learning activity...kinda like shooting a stage over and over for practice. It seems like they get slower as you work around the belt, similar to a weight lifter doing his last couple of reps. Have you tried the Burkett reloads from my first book? They do a great job of isolating the first half of the reload and getting it as quick as possible. Also, if it's classifier goodness you're after, let's get really quick at the number 1 reload and not worry quite so much about going round the whole belt. (Which looks pretty good, as others have said) I have a new tweak for the second half of the reload too...

When, as we are trashing a stage, we are thinking - I can't believe I'm trying to go to fast, AGAIN - our sense of self and time is at it's all time high. Our think of countless other examples. Whenever desire (time in the sense of wishing things were different from what they are) is present, in any form, the sense of self is burdening. On the other hand, as we effortlessly navigate a stage, nailing all the points in the quickest time we are capable of, during the performance, there was no sense of passing time at all. That is a beautiful place to disappear into. be Oh my... this is like Christmas for me. Another round of calling the shot is all you need VS. Conscious control of speed. Instead of trying to explain it again, let me ask a question or two What if you could score your entire stage from unload and show clear? What would you have to do in order to do that? If you were able to do that (and crucially, DECIDED to do that) what sort of shenanigans could your conscious mind get into to trip you up the way it loves to do? (the answer to #3 is: none)

"For example how to use the walkthrough, movement, where and when to reload etc, in short everything You do on stage except pulling the trigger." http://www.andersonshooting.com/products/principles-of-performance/ Seems made to order. When I made GM, I shot field courses as if they were multiple classifiers strung together. This is of course incorrect. This book covers my awakening from that illusion. The third book will cover my awakening from the next illusion. Man, I love this S#it.

Newbie rules for open shooting: 1. Look at the target, see the dot secondarily. 2. Don't try to make the dot stop completely. 3. Learn to call your shots by seeing the dot lift. If you can see where the dot lifted from, that is where your bullet went. Do that a lot. 4. Rounds downrange will teach you all you need to know, but you must decide that you will learn something from every shot.

Oh, I think i forgot to answer the original question. Best advice for a newb: A regular practice schedule. You will cycle through all of the mistakes much quicker with a regular practice schedule. Also highly recommended: ONE mentor. DO NOT allow yourself to be coached by a committee unless you have 5 years to waste chasing your tail. If you don't believe me, just read all the well-intentioned advice here and see how much of it is contradictory...

This is beautiful: Instating a no tolerance for BS in my shooting or shooting surroundings. If you take away from my self image or are corrosive at all, we will not be interacting any further. Love it Love lt Love it. The homicidal workout is good mojo in the dojo. it resumes soonly.