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Sin-ster's Achievements
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Shoot enough and you'll start to be able to feel the last round strip off the mag, tipping you off a shot in ADVANCE that you're about to go into slide lock. That said, when you know it's the last one left... try not to panic.
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The proof is in the pudding, and as your shot calling ability improves, you might even be able to see in the sights whether you dipped the gun before the click or after. If you're running the gun really fast and hard and you're not dropping shots low, chances are that your timing is solid. Think of it like this. If you went to a trainer to improve your transitions, but were 100% satisfied with your hits once you actually started shooting... and then he tried to tell you that you were flinching, despite shooting nothing but As... what would you think? Furthermore, suppose he was RIGHT-- yet you still shot all As, all day, at a world-class pace. Would you even care?
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Ever see a really great shooter have a light strike or some other type of malfunction that results in a "click" and not a "bang"? The gun dips. That's not because that person is flinching-- you know so because... they never miss! The gun dips because we don't REALLY just "let" the gun return from recoil; we are driving it back down onto the target, as Brian describes it in his book. (That said, the feeling should be that of "willing" or "letting" the gun return, as if you're TRYING to drive the gun, you WILL flinch.) The difference between driving the gun down and flinching is "timing." (And yes, breaking the shot as soon as you can guarantee the next hit goes into that as well-- though for the purpose of this discussion, it's probably better that we focus on the first part of the process.) That's why the dummy drill is often poorly used for shooters in our type of sport, as there is NECESSARILY some movement of the gun that's visible when it goes "click" and not "bang". An untrained eye may call it flinch, when in reality, the movement came after the click-- timing. Now just a side note-- as your target gets smaller (either further away or more tight), at least in my own experience, things tend to change-- and if you're driving the gun down as you would on say a 7-or-fewer-yard target, you'll wind up with some bad hits. It's a totally different feeling, for me, on those targets-- though I know that I'm still timing the gun out, it's less work on my end and more precise/relaxed as a result. (That probably won't make sense unless you've experienced it for yourself.)
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shooting left and slightly low when shooting fast?
Sin-ster replied to Toyotafrank's topic in Handgun Techniques
Try this. Make your gun safe, right now while sitting at the keyboard. Pick a spot on a blank wall, adopt your grip as if you were about to put a hole there and acquire the sights. Place your finger on the trigger, lift off as far as you can while still keeping it in the trigger guard, and SMASH that puppy as hard as you can manage *without moving any other part of your hand, arms or wrists*. (Be sure the watch the sights carefully while you do this.) Did the gun dip notably low-left? Enough to be a C and not an A, on a closer hoser-style target? (Try it a few times to get your answer. HINT-- the sight has to pretty much entirely leave the notch for that to happen, as you describe it.) The truth is... it's pretty hard to smash the trigger so badly at those stupid-close ranges to jerk one like that. Yes, the further back you move it (more notably, the smaller your target), the more likely that improper trigger control will result in such a hit. But chances are... it's something else contributing just as much, if not more, than the force of your finger on the trigger. If your index finger is so strong as to move the muzzle of the gun SO much, against the gripping force of your other two hands combined keeping it steady... Then you've got a SUperhero digit, and girly-man hands. LOL. When you slow down, it's not so much that you're suddenly able to perfectly press the trigger-- it's that you're not SO forceful in trying to slam shots on targets, which if you'll pay attention, effects your ENTIRE body... not just one finger. Now try the same thing again, only this time, clench down hard with both hands as you press the trigger-- and watch the sight. (Try it with just the strong hand, too.) Where's the sight go? How much? -
That, exactly, is the only answer. You could set up several drills and run them both ways to figure out what's faster at what distance; some top level pro's do exactly that. You could (after getting sufficiently comfortable with a hot gun to not be consciously thinking about its position during a CoF) just let your body figure it out, on the fly. The choice is really yours, but if you're intent on having the gun up and on target as you stop in a new position, it shouldn't be something you have to consciously figure out. "Long run, one hand; short shuffle, both hands." And after that... you get the idea.
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There's two parts to "managing" (or "controlling" or "mitigating" or whatever) recoil. You've got 1) the combination of technique and strength of your grip, and 2) your timing. They are not as separate as I've made them to sound-- it's just the only way to explain each concept equally. I'm not strong. I don't have powerful, crushing grip in my relatively thin hands. Truth be told, I'm not built for recoil management. But you can stick me, and others like me, on the line at 7 yards for a Bill Drill, and we'll hold A's as fast as anyone on the planet can press the trigger. That's because the technique is sound, the strength is adequate, and the timing is precise. The bad part is... you stick that target at 15+, and things will definitely change. Slap a No Shoot up and cut the A-zone down, and I might well "time" one straight into the perf if I *try* to keep a pace. It's a slippery slope. You can discover and perfect your technique in dry fire, and from watching videos, reading books and asking questions on the subject. You can improve the strength behind your technique with grippers, exercises... working as a mechanic... weight lifting... What have you. Your timing is from shooting, and shooting a lot. How effectively you practice will determine how long it takes you to get the hang of said timing, but there's no substitute for it-- and it's equally important as all of the rest. Think of the technique and the strength as your foundation, and the timing as your REAL area of development. Never truly settle on your technique, but get comfortable with it; don't over-work yourself in the strength department, but keep it up. Put most of your time in on the practice-- it's the important part.
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It's simply trigger time. Honestly, that's about the best answer for every question like this. For the average person, switching guns is going to be a chore. There are of course little tips and tricks to shortening the learning curve-- as per those helpfully suggested in this thread. But in the end, it's going to take trigger time one way or another. The more trigger time you had before, the better you'll be with a new platform. Yes, it still takes work-- but you're not only closer by way of having your fundamentals locked up, you're also better equipped in your knowledge of past issues/solutions (and your ability to SEE and diagnose them immediately) that you shorten the learning curve on your own. There's a reason why guys like Dave and Ben can switch platforms and be close to tip-top in a matter of months-- and no matter what you think, it's not the sheer volume of rounds they put down range during that time period. (Although they shoot a lot, dry fire a lot, and it all helps.) That's why the age-old adage for this sport has always been, "If you wanna get to the top, pick one Division/gun and stick with it." And it's the truth.
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The weather worked against this match from the jump, but it was still very impressive. My good friend Matt did a great job in his first outing as MD, along with Jeff and the selected administrators that backed him up. Even though Don brought rain with him every time that he showed up, it was a fair trade for his work on the shooting surfaces that made this the least muddy "wet match" that I've ever shot. (And I've shot more than most.) The stages were awesome, with a great mixture of "option-heavy" layouts as well as technical, execution, accuracy and creative shooting challenges. I had a blast with my squad, which was comprised of half familiar faces (some of my very favorites) and half new ones. We were easily the most self-amused squad at the match-- even over Cobb and Stockton and Neel. Ha. I'll definitely be back-- especially when we shoot this one next year in November... Hinthint.
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I can think of several ways, actually-- most of which don't require IP snooping at all. That said, even if a lot of people were clever enough to sign up their buddies this time around (and I highly doubt it)-- they technically didn't do anything wrong. Just like gaming a stage, when the designer, RM and ground crew don't see it and put up physical or at least verbal methods of preventing it, it's all gravy. I do have to ask, for the sake of the Wait Listers watching this thread wondering how likely they are to get a slot-- since you and M. will work the match, only J. will need a competitor slot. Did you sign up all 3 of your shooters in the general registration? Did a lot of other people who will end up with Staff slots?
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Since we're all obviously impartial... and folks that made it in would never be biased in their opinion of how registration went down... I guess it comes down to your opinion of "fair," or what a Sectional/State Match should be. This match is popular, just like its cousin match in MS. That speaks highly of it as a whole-- the administrators especially, as I know they put in a TON of work throughout the entire year to make it happen. Area 1 is apparently just as popular, from what I've seen for the past two years. And they favor shooters from their Area over those looking to travel, by way of a "A1 only" registration period-- after which the rest of the hopefuls get a crack at the remaining slots. This is the third year in a row that registration for the Gator has been closed impressively soon after it was opened, and all slots filled. It gets to be a shorter and shorter window every year-- no doubt exacerbated this time by the online (without payment) option. What that says to me is that it's time to consider what's really important-- being "fair" to the folks who are invested in the State, the local clubs involved in the match, and the match itself... or "fair" to everyone (who is awake at 6AM on a holiday with access to a computer). Best guess, we have 80 local shooters that are at least semi-regular at one or more of our local clubs. I'd say there's another 50 or so in MS that spill over into that category. That's a generous estimation-- and we'll be even more generous in saying that roughly 90% of them want (and are able) to shoot the Gator. For ease of math, call it 115 folks. Quite literally, 95% of the people who will RO this match (or work it otherwise) will also come from that group. So you can call it an outright maximum of 75 people that would be getting "preferential treatment" in terms competitor (non-staff) slots. (I'd say something like 50 would be a more accurate guess.) That's 125-150 slots left up for grabs. I'm not sure how the maximum number of shooters is determined. If Ricky truly limits the number, that leaves us in a pickle for sure. If it's based on shooters per squad, per stage... Well. There's more bays there, and though I know props and walls and such are limited (and set up teams are overtaxed already)... I think we'd all be just fine with having 3 or 4 more Speed Shoots or Standards thrown in if it meant not leaving folks out in the cold. I personally don't think that a Sectional match should exclude people from said Section, within reasonable time limits. I don't think that someone who has shot this match for several years in a row should be left out, either. I think that all L2+ matches, regardless of popularity, should award a guaranteed slot (not paid-- just reserved) for all recognized Class winners, without question. In the future, I think one or all of those considerations should be made-- though never at the cost of letting new people shoot the match. (Though I think the numbers I provided earlier illustrate that it wouldn't be an issue.) I'm genuinely glad that a lot of people in this thread made it in-- you're certainly representative of the type of people that I think "deserve" a slot. I don't see why there should be hostility aimed at others like you, who were not so fortunate. (Because it was simply good fortune-- no malicious intent or favoritism.)