Paladin

seems to me some major fundamental fixes are needed to take this sport to the next level... e.g. once a shooter is scored, his/her score can be entered in a wireless device that on refresh updates a database. So scoring can be real time..this is old technology.. so why not go for it..simple fix to a fundamental problem..

how many of us who ccw a weapon has it totally unmodified.???..I would hazard a guess, few!! so how in blazes could we have a division with shooters having pistols taken straight out of the box and used competitively... even if this was so, then their is still the loophole of 'factory modified' out of the box.... point is Production division rules are impractical and what has happened here: the doubt and suspicion is a manifestation of that.. Adam has shot the cz85 combat ll in other matches prior to this and I understand the pistol is widely available in Europe..so Adam did nothing wrong.. As for the issue with Dave at the shootoff I think we are rushing to judgement, we don't know the story.. let's drop it...

I have had others handle issues for me, and it is not that I am guilty, it is that I can't be bothered... Let the committee carry out its mandate, that's how the system work and its what WE have built.. it is not perfect. but what is???..at the same time we strive for continuous improvement. There are more appropriate 'forums' later to take this up if the competitors feel that strongly.. On a separate note, I think the Production rules are too tight, my personal carry gun (G19) could not compete in Production since I have FOs on it, it has a grip plug and I have shaved under the trigger guard, not to gain any competitive advantage but so my finger can fit in the groove!!

wow..I am blown away with the mental energy here..!!! Sniper: You have to have an appreciation for where your mind and mechanics are and where they need to be..then just give yourself the chance to close that gap by practicing, self-assessment, external assessment, raising killer threads like these, developing a routine so that 'stuff happening' e.g. non-zeroed sights is reduced and you will see the improvement...

hmhh!! interesting match.. a few matches next year for me..lets see..

dave said it perfect.. " Drive the gun to the next shot".. establish a shoot-shoot approach.. all you have to do now is practice driving the gun to the next shot on the same target and driving the gun to the next shot on the next target.. same target..next shot next target..next shot..eventually it will be target..next shot, it does not matter if same or next target.. work on it!!

Brian pretty much said it all..I would like to add 1 comment re: the dry firing. Use the same draw speed/technique always irrespective of target distance or difficulty.. what will be different however is your level of visual attention which has to be at its peak for a difficult shot..visual attention at its highest peak gives the feeling that the gun is shooting itself and you are just hanging on for the ride!! A 'trick' I use was actually to force myself to see a full sight picture on each shot for a speed shoot..with that approach, longer range shots at speed were a breeze and when I miss it was usually because of poor trigger control.. also as my index and 'trusting' got better I found too that the sights very always there right in front of me..it was just whether I choose to see it...

Ron: it is all about being the best you can be!! As for physical challenges just work on them!! stop giving yourself a way out..your name sake Ron (Avery) had a horrific accident but he is back and look how well he shot at the Nationals.. All the best!!

In my experience 14-15 lbs for the g19 is the absolute lowest for consistent reliability..you also have to change your mag springs more frequently (better if go to +10s) to ensure bullet feed from mag is positive and fast to match the increase slide velocity.. I was very surprised by Matt using a cut down 13 lb. spring in a g19 and it working reliably..maybe other things have been done to the gun that was n't mentioned.

one of the things I did to guage the development of my shooting vision was to see muzzle flip and muzzle flash. I actually forced myself to see this and as I developed I got faster whilst still maintaining accuracy..today I see lots of flip in the top shooters weapon even in Open.. you gotta train those eyes to see all that is happening right before you!!

shooting on the move vs. sweet spot posn. effectiveness depends on the challenge and the balance you have to strike..I have seen stages were you will be much slower and more rushed not shooting on the move..nonetheless as Jake said it is really a rarity.. what happens more often is that the top shooters are so fast into and out of posns. that it appears that they are shooting on the move but their is a pause in their movements..so to cross that divide M/GM we not only need quick and effective gun handling skills but quick and effective body handling skills..the best results come from the coordination of all efforts..

Overall, it is all about coordination of thought and action...and not any one thing such as increasing visual awareness..become the total package!!

I hear the different perspectives: re: additional training vs. equipment but if a further trigger tune will boost confidence (if nothing else) then it will help..of course the question is when/where does it all end??????

nothing unusual with what has happened to you...it's all about where you are placing your focus and it was on mechanics!! That is the easy part ... You now need to rise above this and place your focus on letting it happen!!

oh, another thing.. to get the feel for forward pressure, in a standing position make 2 fists and lean into a wall.. almost as if doing a standing pushup.. step back ..that is the posture/feel you're striving for... this is demonstrated in one of Ron Avery's tape a lot better than my 2 sentences have done.. in fact one of the best exercises you can do as a shooter are pushups... BTW, you are in luck as Ron's tapes are available right here on Brian's website..!!!

Have to agree FULLY with EricW, as unpopular as his views maybe...shooters misunderstand the 'cant' thing.. they try to make the 'cant' happen..rather than getting the correct grip.. the 'cant' will then be there!! as well as other things.. also the 60/40 grip theory is not universal so you have to experiment to see what works for you.. the only guess I would warrant is that the 'strong' hand must never be gripping harder than the 'weak' hand, worst case is that it is gripping the same.. go back carefuly over Eric's post on this..it has many 'learnings'.

if you consider speed as the function (Y) = F(Xs), then speed comes from a number of inputs (Xs)..you do these Xs the speed will come.. it is for you, individually, to assess which one of these Xs are restricting your output and work on them.. oddly enough accuracy is one of the Xs that can be dual signed, i.e. +/- or positive/negative. If you are 'overaccurate' then the accuracy will be negative and restrict your speed.. Paladin, .. step into empty and meaningless to experience the absolute mind..

Endorse Jake and Brian fully.. I once tried almost this same thing in dry-fire with a training partner where when the hammer fell, the partner would hit the gun up with a rolled newspaper in an attempt to simulate recoil. This was to address a specific problem however of 'blackout' where for a nanosecond I was losing visual input/contact with the gun.. It help to show me the problem (I was blacking out between the ignition and 'sight lift' phase although my vision did come back in time to catch the back-end of the sight lift...this cause me some hesitation in the shooting cycle. This was a short duration program and I was sure after this to spend a lot of time, and ammo in live-fire bringing back my timing and recoil recovery to the 'real' thing.

The grip consists of 4 points of pressure: back and front straps from the strong hand and side to side on the grip panels by the support hand...Practice shooting one hand with the front and back grip and notice the muzzle flip and longer time the gun takes to resettle. When you shoot one hand you have to learn to accept this and not try to fight it by muscling the gun. You'll also notice the gun tracks to the side..again all natural dont fight it, learn to accept it. YOUR ONE -HAND GRIP SHOULD BE MORE LIKE HOLDING A PACK OF CARDS RATHER THAN ENCIRCLING THE GUN AS HOW YOU WOULD HOLD A RAILING. Enter the support hand. With the side to side pressure the muzzle flip will decrease and/or track more consistently and the gun will resettle quicker.. You must also allow the support hand to grip hard whilst relaxing the strong hand.. this improves your trigger control and lessens the possibility of trigger freeze.. The whole point of an effective grip is what I call 'selective tension' and this you have to master to really get an effective grip. Selective tension points are primarily along your support hand at the cammed wrist, the muscles on top of your hands and the fingers wrapped around the strong hand fingers. Your upper back and shoulders should also have a 'little' tension as it supports the gun in the vertical plane. You have got to STRENGTHEN AND IMPROVE THE STAMINA OF YOUR SUPPORT HAND. Practice this against a berm (no targets) and watch how the sights behave as you change tension levels in your grip...do this until you begin to see CONSISTENCY IN THE SIGHT TRACKING..THIS BUILDS TIMING AND THIS PROCESS WILL ALMOST INEVITABLY SHRINK YOUR GROUPS.

you'll know you are in the zone when 'you are able to watch yourself shoot'..it's like another you standing with the original you.. if you ever RO somebody you can almost tell how good they are shooting..you see all the good shots and all the bad shots.. when you can transcend to this level where 'U.RO.U' then you are in the zone...

..establish the proper intention of getting the gun back on target, some put it as x shots, x+1 sight picture, and the body will take care of the rest..

the trick to shooting plates is to shoot them as if they are A zones paper target and raise your visual input to call the shots.. learn to not use the sound as a hit confirmation.. scary but can be done!!

Dave's elbow position is not unique. Different shooters place their elbow position differently. Dave's position will cause more recoil to come into his shoulders but he handles it from that end pretty well I think..other shooters break at the elbow and this kills the recoil there.. try them out and see what works for you!! For me once I get into any sort of grip that 'locks' out I am going to get tense and tie up..so I work with the bent elbow, dropped shoulders, medium strength grip..total relaxation in the index and stance..and of course I shoot a heavier gun better.. I am sorry not aware of the Fist-fire method so can't comment..

as you progress and you improve your awareness you will pick up many other things during the shooting,the trick is to know through experience what you need to guide you to make a successful hit!! No matter how many sight pictures etc. that you see you know that it is only ONE that is needed for the shot..use it!!

so sorry to hear about Steve..my condolences!! here's my take: I'm coming from an obvious strengths perspective.. 1. Open - Eric. He is way smoother than a lot of the other shooters, possibly the smoothest of them all, and smooth is fast. Max is quick and has been using that to get close. I expect Eric to come out a lot quicker this year whilst maintaining smoothness. If it doesn't work he will lose..to Max, JJ (dark horse) or Todd. 2. Limited/L10 - Rob. Rob's mastery of index shooting with a 1911 allows him to integrate and interact his focus and feel as the needs dictate. He has to make a mistake to lose..but then again it is when he makes a mistake that he transcends the constraints of humanity in his shooting.. nah, for him to lose he has to have a good match. TT is the shooter I see with the best fundamental development now(better than even Max but Max is fearless and tough) but not seeing the mental toughness..go for it TT, take the bull by the horn, don't wait for it to come to you, go get it!! go TT, go TT!! 3. Production - David. Mechanically with a Glock - no shooter close to him in the world!! He has matured mentality but it is not yet a strength and this is his Achilles' heel- that's where you're going to have to catch him. In Production, as opposed to Limited, he is way more self-assured.. it's gonna be another ass-whopping y'all!! On Jerry: would be good to see him back. He will have nothing technical or mental on these guys but his level of tactical stage/scenario savvy is superior, you know the saying 'old broom knows the corners' (not saying Jerry is old).. but will he be sharp enough for his savvy to matter.. let's see.