OrigamiAK

Emjei- Most of the dry fire resources are going to be pretty similar, just finding the one(s) that resonate with you, or have something different to keep you interested is the key. Congrats on the strong finish! And I totally agree, dry fire does work! In fact I just saw the results from the IDPA match yesterday. I'm happy to report I won the match! :) First pistol match win for me. Congratulations!!!

There are several things working together, as has been said already. A practiced index allows the gun to show up on the target spot in perfect alignment. A practiced subconscious allows the visual information to direct the trigger pulling smoothly and without interruption and interference from the conscious mind. Practiced vision can allow the most precise and certain visual information (the sight picture with a sharp and clear front sight) to be available sooner, instead of either having to wait for that precise and certain information because of slower eyes, or proceeding with the shooting directed by coarser and less certain visual information.

Here's my review. I thought it might best go in an existing thread, no dis meant to you waktasz. Training To Win, available on DVD and Vimeo, is USPSA National Production Champion Ben Stoeger's latest in a series of works on improving technical performance for competitive shooting, particularly USPSA. I opted to buy the download from Vimeo, which was very convenient. It was a very enjoyable video. I think Ben did a good job speaking directly to his target audience. He didn't cover the very basics that a viewer of this particular video probably already knows. Instead it is oriented toward those who already have at least a basic level of skill and already compete, and want to improve their performance in USPSA competition. More fundamentally, that means to improve the technical skills that underlie a good USPSA performance. After the introduction, the main body of the video starts off a lot like Ben's class starts - by shooting a stage and analyzing the choices that were made. It then covers some foundational aspects of safe and effective dry fire, and gets right into the very important and recurring dry fire-live fire loop, interspersed with related stages. Training To Win takes an orderly approach in showing a stage that emphasizes a certain skill, shooting that stage a few different ways and comparing the results, then goes to a dry fire setting to do the foundational work of developing and refining that skill, and then finally takes it back to live fire to test and validate what's been built in dry fire. This is the dry fire-live fire loop Ben is well known for, and is a pattern repeated throughout Training To Win. This whole system is oriented toward what an average person, who cannot afford tons of ammo or range time, can do to bring their skills to a high technical level. If you've taken Ben's class, many of the drills shown in Training To Win will be familiar, though the class has much more than what is shown in the video. I liked that a range of skill levels were represented by the featured shooters. Ben was not the only shooter - Matt Hopkins (GM) and Chris Kozell (A at the time of filming) also demonstrate the drills and stages, and it broadens the perspective offered to the viewer. Training To Win frequently references Ben's other works and shows where in those works the viewer can find additional information on the drill being shown. Training To Win is presented as part of a larger body of work, though it certainly stands on its own too. The production quality was very good. It was edited and mixed in a stylish way that I didn't find annoying, and I often do find that kind of editing annoying in an instructional video. An element they managed to make work was cutting from one camera shot to another mid-action. For example, I have seen instructional videos with other top shooters, and there are parts where I am trying to discern finer points of their draw or some other technique, but as soon as their hands start to move the camera cuts to a close-up of their strained face and I can't see what I needed to. Training To Win employs similar editing at times, but keeps the cameras where they need to be to still allow me to see what I was looking for. It may be an overly picky point, but I did appreciate how viewers' potential safety concerns were addressed right away at the beginning by noting that remote cameras were used for the many uprange views of the shooting. I love how Ben embraces the negative aspects of his public image and has fun with it. The air humping in the outtakes was funny.

I like doing this.

Nebwake, I'm very glad to hear that it helped you! Gabe

Congratulations!

Hey, seeing as we might actually soon have rights here in IL...what kind of holster do you use for your G34? The Keeper, from Keepers Concealment. I love it.

Thanks for all the kind words. I look forward to reading your AAR and any positive and negative comments. You did an excellent job in class. The effort you have been putting into dry fire was clearly evident. There was something I read in Practical Shooting: Beyond Fundamentals that I think speaks to the vibration/hard stop at the end of the draw. Having an idea, an intention, of 'floating the gun' in the last few inches of the draw may help bring it to a smoother stop. Even just having an intention or desire of smoothly stopping the gun might let your body give you what you want, even without specific and conscious muscular effort. It's worth a try. You could also modify the intention of 'seeing the sights on target' to 'seeing the sights smoothly gliding to a stop on target.' Might be another way of doing the same thing.

Sure thing! When I mention indexing in this context I'm referring to looking at a spot on the target that I want to hit, then drawing to that exact point. It's a beautiful thing when it's working properly and the front sight just appears in that precise spot, ready for the shot to break without any correction. It's also very fast since I can break the shot the instant I extend my draw rather than extending, correcting, then firing. I hope I'm explaining that well, but that's what I'm talking about when I mention index. I love index! A developed index ability is, to me, the essential core of the gun being like an extension of your hand. From my elbows to yours, take it easy enough to skip the tendinitis...

After paying attention to this briefly in dry fire this morning, I still think I do it sequentially, in the sense that my strong hand gets master grip and after that the support hand joins. So the grip pressure changes when I add the support hand grip, but that change is coming from the support hand, not an intentional change in how I grip with the strong hand at that point.

Sequentially for me too. But now that you ask, I realize that's my current impression of how I do it, not having tried to notice that specifically. I'll try to notice next time I do some draws and see if I still think it's sequential.

I'm curious if most M and GM shooters do this too.In discussing vision with people, it's clear that there are at least a few people who are skilled shooters and shoot with a unified convergence and accommodation on the front sight. That's why I guardedly call it the wrong way - I'm not sure it's actually wrong. I'm not aware of any top echelon shooters who do this, but I don't know what they actually do. My suspicion is that people who can shoot well figure out at least a couple of ways to aim that they practice and get to work for them. I know I have read a reference on this forum to Eric G. shooting with almost exclusively a target focus. I also think a lot gets lost in translation, not necessarily language with Eric G., but in shooting/vision discussions generally. Some phrases used a lot in vision discussions are not totally clear, because without the preparatory discussion (which is part of why the article is as long as it is) I don't know what someone actually means with regard to the actual physical processes of convergence and accommodation. And the fact that a brain interprets the images the eyes bring to it also adds a lot of subjectivity to the discussion. Look at the front sight Focus on the front sight Look at the target through the sights Soft focus on the sight Without the preliminary discussion, I don't feel like I can accurately understand what people mean when they use these and other terms to describe how they aim the gun. To have a sense of what people are actually doing, I have to ask them if they shoot with one or two eyes open, how many targets they see, how many guns, and which ones are clear and which ones are blurry. And that's not even getting into the physical disorders that affect convergence and accommodation. I think good shooting can be done in different ways. A lot of good shooting can be done target-focused, particularly with a high-visibility front sight and a good index. To me, the real question is whether extensive practice at sight-focused shooting yields benefits of certainty without costing speed. And further, whether there is utility in forming the overarching habit of always attempting to see more and more in less and less time. I think there is. In Brian Enos' book he experiments with target focus vs. front sight focus and he determined, at least for himself, that front sight focus/fuzzy target was better.But again, what works for one shooter may not work for the next shooter... I think using a front sight focus lets me call my shots better.

My preference with a pistol is also to let the shooter use their dominant eye and dominant hand, and simply put the gun in front of the dominant eye.

I don't know, but I'd sure be afraid to use the NY spring with the coil removed in any gun or circumstance that I considered consequential. It might be worth working with the NY1 leaving the spring intact. I know I made a ton of progress a few years ago learning to run it well. I didn't stick with it (I do shoot a lighter trigger faster and more accurately.) But my trigger control definitely leveled up from the effort.

I'm curious if most M and GM shooters do this too. In discussing vision with people, it's clear that there are at least a few people who are skilled shooters and shoot with a unified convergence and accommodation on the front sight. That's why I guardedly call it the wrong way - I'm not sure it's actually wrong. I'm not aware of any top echelon shooters who do this, but I don't know what they actually do. My suspicion is that people who can shoot well figure out at least a couple of ways to aim that they practice and get to work for them. I know I have read a reference on this forum to Eric G. shooting with almost exclusively a target focus. I also think a lot gets lost in translation, not necessarily language with Eric G., but in shooting/vision discussions generally. Some phrases used a lot in vision discussions are not totally clear, because without the preparatory discussion (which is part of why the article is as long as it is) I don't know what someone actually means with regard to the actual physical processes of convergence and accommodation. And the fact that a brain interprets the images the eyes bring to it also adds a lot of subjectivity to the discussion. Look at the front sight Focus on the front sight Look at the target through the sights Soft focus on the sight Without the preliminary discussion, I don't feel like I can accurately understand what people mean when they use these and other terms to describe how they aim the gun. To have a sense of what people are actually doing, I have to ask them if they shoot with one or two eyes open, how many targets they see, how many guns, and which ones are clear and which ones are blurry. And that's not even getting into the physical disorders that affect convergence and accommodation. I think good shooting can be done in different ways. A lot of good shooting can be done target-focused, particularly with a high-visibility front sight and a good index. To me, the real question is whether extensive practice at sight-focused shooting yields benefits of certainty without costing speed. And further, whether there is utility in forming the overarching habit of always attempting to see more and more in less and less time. I think there is.

I hope it makes sense and works for you guys!

Very interesting variation, I will have to try that. Thank you for posting it. ------ You guys beat me to it, I was going to suggest the Frank Garcia Dot Drill too.

I appreciate the welcome Les, thanks!

My best guess is that you are both converging and focusing your eyes on the front sight. That will lead to doubled targets. Instead try to converge on the target but focus on the front sight. There should only be one target. I shoot with both eyes open but I am not convinced there is anything really wrong with closing one eye.

Ok guys, the vision stuff is right here: http://www.brianenos.com/forums/index.php?showtopic=184615

The Role of High and Low Visibility Sights Spending time training with all-black sights helped me learn the at-will accommodation shift. I used to always use some kind of night sights with a ‘high visibility’ front sight – normally one with a white ring painted around the tritium on the front sight. Note that the glowing tritium in low light is not part of this discussion. I’m talking about using these sights in reasonably good lighting conditions. The vast majority of my shooting is done on an indoor range, which isn’t the brightest – certainly not as bright as outdoors. It became apparent to me that for a very long time I shot with a target convergence and target accommodation, at least for the first shot or two in a string, until my eyes could accommodate to the front sight and get it sharp and clear, and my eyes couldn’t do that until the front sight was actually present in the eye-target line. I was able to get away with that largely because of the high visibility aspect of the front sight. Because it was high visibility, it allowed me to shoot with a target focus on the first couple of shots but still have sufficient awareness of the position of the front sight since it was so easy to see, even when blurry. When I tried plain black sights, I initially found the front sight quite a bit harder to see on the modestly well-lit indoor range. I found that I really had to get my accommodation shifted to the front sight or I would have very poor awareness of its precise position. The black sights forced me to be much more disciplined in accommodating to the front sight. If I let myself target focus then my shooting suffered in general, but especially so on tighter shots. Since then, I have used black sights for training, practice, and competition, and they have forced me to be disciplined in controlling my vision if I want to shoot well. This led to the habit of shooting with a true front sight focus on nearly every shot. Targets are frequently so big or close that the level of precision and certainty allowed by front sight accommodation is quite unnecessary. It could certainly be argued that I use sight-focused shooting much more than is really necessary. And I wouldn’t disagree with that. But I personally see tremendous value in cementing the habit of seeing the front sight sharp and clear, getting the most precise and certain information from the sight picture, and thus calling every shot as well as I am currently able. Learning to do this marks the last hugest improvement I have seen in my shooting. I do hope this is clear and helps someone else improve as it has helped me improve. Vision and awareness are key to good shooting. Better visual control allows me better awareness of the shooting. OrigamiAK/Gabriel White OrigamiAKtraining@gmail.com

Learning the At-Will Accommodation Shift So now the question is, how can we unhinge accommodation from convergence and commit accommodation to our conscious control so that we can get the most certain information from our sights at the earliest possible time? Some time ago, I read somewhere on the internet about this exercise and it worked for me. I don’t know who deserves credit for this method. This is how I learned the at-will accommodation shift: Pick a distant target spot or object (at least significantly further than the length of your arm) and put your vision on it. Laser focus your eyes on it. See it sharp and clear. Your convergence and accommodation will be unified at this point. Using your thumbnail or other small object as a substitute front sight, keep your vision just like it was and with your arm fully extended bring your thumbnail into your eye-target line and align the tip of your thumbnail, as if it were a front sight, with the target spot/object. There should be one hard sharp and clear target visible, and two blurry thumbnails. Now keep that alignment and bring your focus/accommodation back to the thumbnail. There should still be one target, though the target will be blurry, and there should still be two thumbnails, but they should now be sharp and clear. The alignment of the target spot and thumbnail are unchanged. Keep the alignment of the target spot and thumbnail the same, but shift your accommodation out to the target and back to the thumbnail. Make one sharp and clear, then the other, and repeat many times. There may be feelings of strain in your eyes as you exercise the tiny muscles that control accommodation. Carefully notice the sensations you feel in your eye muscles. Next, do the same thing and once you have the thumbnail sharp and clear, hold your accommodation at the distance you had your thumbnail, but then take your thumbnail away while maintaining that sensation in your eyes. Do this until you can hold that distance of accommodation and make the target remain blurry when the thumbnail is taken away. Once you can do that, take your thumb away completely so that you only have the target spot. Make yourself feel the same sensation in your eyes as you did when your thumb was present, and pull your accommodation back to where the thumbnail used to be. Your eyes should still be converged on the target spot, and there should only be one target visible, but the target will be blurry. Work to hold your accommodation at the arms-extended distance. This is what we are trying to accomplish – separating convergence from accommodation and shifting accommodation distance without the necessity of having a physical object (the front sight) actually present. If you see the target double at this point, that means you are moving your convergence along with your accommodation. We want to shift our accommodation only. You may find that you can do the accommodation shift without the thumbnail present, but have trouble holding it there, and that your eyes almost immediately revert to unifying convergence and accommodation and the target becomes sharp and clear again as your eyes automatically accommodate back to the target. That’s ok. You’re partway there. Put your thumbnail back in line with the target and again practice cultivating control of pulling your accommodation to the distance of your thumbnail with your arm fully extended and holding it there while you take your thumbnail away. With practice, hopefully you will be able to move your accommodation closer to you and further from you at will. Once you can consciously control your accommodation, you can practice using your shooting vision anywhere. Look at an object and fuzz it out – that is, pull your accommodation back to front sight distance. Snap your eyes to another object, which should automatically become sharp and clear due to the natural linkage between convergence and accommodation, and pull your accommodation back to front sight distance, making the object blurry. Keep repeating. When in a car, the windshield is about at front sight distance. Use a speck on the windshield as a substitute front sight, align it with a distant object, and move your accommodation in and out, from the speck to the distant object and back. An interesting possibility becomes available when you can shift accommodation at will. You could use your eye muscles to maintain front sight accommodation during target transitions, but otherwise use the conventional target transition process to direct your convergence, keeping the front sight perpetually sharp and clear and the targets perpetually blurry. I don’t know whether this is a good way to transition or not, but I sometimes do this when I am having trouble being mentally disciplined enough to run my accommodation correctly. I simply don’t let myself accommodate to the target at all in a given drill/array/etc.

Standard Use of Vision in Shooting This is my execution of the standard, accepted process for vision in sight-focused shooting with iron sights: Convergence and accommodation start out unified and on the target spot. There is one target spot and it is sharp and clear. Once the decision to fire is made and as the gun is brought from wherever it was (holster, ready position, previous target) to its final shooting position, convergence stays on the target spot but accommodation shifts back to where the front sight is about to be. There is still one target spot but it is now blurry, because accommodation is at front sight depth. When the gun arrives in its final firing position, the front sight is immediately sharp and clear since accommodation is already at front sight depth. There are two guns since convergence is on the target spot. Use the dominant eye image (the inner of the two images) to align with the target spot. Disregard the nondominant eye image (the outer of the two images.) The shooting commences and shots are called without moving either convergence or accommodation. When the sharp and clear front sight lifts on the last shot on a given target, convergence and accommodation both snap to the next target spot and are again unified (one sharp and clear target spot.) As the gun is driven toward alignment with the new target spot, accommodation is pulled back to front sight depth before the front sight is there. When the gun arrives in its final shooting position, there should again be one blurry target spot and two sharp and clear guns. This process continues until the shooting is done. By learning to shift accommodation back to where the front sight is going to be but before it is there, we either save time by concurrently moving the gun and our accommodation, and not having to wait for the front sight to get to its final position before shifting accommodation to it, or we increase certainty by immediately seeing the most precise and certain sight picture at the earliest opportunity. If we must wait for the gun and front sight to get to their final position before shifting accommodation back to front sight depth, we either lose time by moving the gun and accommodation consecutively rather than concurrently, or we fire the first shot or shots when still target-focused and with a lesser degree of certainty. Target-focusing works on many shots. There are also many shots where the precision and certainty allowed by target-focusing are insufficient for the difficulty of the shot. The at-will focal shift allows us to get the most precise and certain information from our sight picture at the earliest possible time.

In the left pic, Ludovici Armstrong the Argentinian Assassin (who, like me, is right handed, right eye dominant, and shoots with both eyes open), directs his convergence the way I do - both eyes are converged on the target spot. In the right pic, Ludovici directs his convergence in what I guardedly call 'the wrong way.' His eyes are converged on the front sight. An essential aspect of convergence is that there is only a single image of the spot/area being converged on. All other objects/depths will have a double image. The double image can be very hard to notice when the brain is primarily or exclusively paying attention to what your eyes are converged on, but the double image is there. This is simply the nature of binocular vision. In the left pic, Ludovici's eyes are converged on the target spot. He sees one target. He sees two guns. The inner (left) gun is the image coming from his dominant right eye. That's the image he needs to align with the target. The outer (right) gun is the image coming from his nondominant left eye. That image needs to be ignored when aligning the gun with the target. In the right pic, Ludovici's eyes are converged on the front sight. He sees one gun. He sees two targets. The right target is the image coming from his dominant right eye. That's the target that would need to be aligned with the gun if a person shot this way. The left target is the image coming from his nondominant left eye. That image would need to be ignored if shooting this way. Convergence of the eyes on the front sight is often the culprit when a person finds visual confusion in target transitions and they find that the targets double. When I try to run my vision this way, I find additional difficulty in seeing the front sight through the rear sight notch. Because of the tight double image of the rear sight when convergence is on the very near front sight, it makes the rear notch image slightly doubled and it makes it difficult for me to perceive the light bars on both sides of the front sight. This is not an issue when converged on the target spot because the angles are wide enough that the nondominant gun image is far enough off to the side that it can easily be ignored. Closing one eye eliminates the double image, which is a valid method when there is insurmountable visual confusion in the double image (wherever that is) for a given shooter. As a related side note, convergence is what must be manipulated to see Magic Eye 3D pictures. The two eyes have to get pointed at different parts of the picture, which allows the separated image to reassemble and the 3D image 'appears'. Convergence and accommodation are naturally linked. They both move together in normal, non-shooting activities. There is normally no reason to separate convergence from accommodation. Whatever you look at (convergence) is normally what you want to see sharp and clear (accommodation.) In shooting with iron sights, it is very useful to be able to separate convergence from accommodation and exert control over those two processes separately and independent of each other. It is also useful to be able to shift accommodation back to front sight depth, but before the front sight and gun get to their final shooting position at full extension.

Preliminary Definitions and Discussion There is a lot of confusion in the shooting world as a result of imprecise language and misapplication of terms. 'Look at' and 'focus on' (the front sight) are often used interchangeably, but that is not a precise way to refer to the relevant visual processes. There are two separate visual processes we are dealing with in this discussion: the spot your eyes are pointed at, and the distance that is in sharp and clear visual focus. The spot your eyes are pointed at is called 'convergence'. The depth of visual focus is called 'accommodation'. I will try stick with those terms from here forward. The following illustration shows convergence only. Accommodation is not addressed yet.