[Standing outside the shooting area]

You are either outside the shooting area or you aren't, it can't be both.

There's a third option: you can be neither.

[FTDMFR's Range Journal]

THURSDAY 4/14/16

Dry Fire

• Trigger control at speed
  • 5 mins each: freestyle, SHO, and WHO
• 20 mins easy exits
  • Recently, I noticed I lead with the inner leg, which feels incredibly awkward and slow. So, I practiced leading with the outer leg and lifting the leg earlier as I'm shooting the last target.
  • ​Setup: Two shooting positions 5 feet apart. At each position: partial paper, popper, open paper.
  • Average shot-to-shot (exit-to-entry) time when starting to move AFTER I shoot the last target: 1.50s.
  • Average time when exiting WHILE shooting the last target: 0.60s. With some runs as low as 0.45s.
  • Let's say four positions per stage, so three exits, times .90s savings, that's 2.70s per stage. Not too bad. I need to practice this more often.
• 20 mins shooting on the move
  • ​Same array as above.
  • Very comfortable with 6 yd partials on the move now. Time to up the distance to 8 yards.

[Question on Anderson's Repetitions and refinement book]

The feedback is actually pretty quick. It's not a video, it's a still image showing all of the hits, numbered in order.

When I use the software, it isn't a substitute for shot calling. It's just a check to see if my shot calling is honest.

Very interesting. I guess it would give you similar training to a live fire exercise where you are working on shot calling (see Anderson's two target shot calling drill).

It's great for that drill, as well as the drill where you call your shots for 10 seconds, then 12, then 14, etc.

[Question on Anderson's Repetitions and refinement book]

I don't mean to say that your laser emitted from your pistol has any notable POA/POI shift. What I mean is that your camera that watches where your laser strikes is experiencing parallax error. The same way you would if you looked at a clock on the wall that was not directly in front of you. I would assume that your "lasr" camera must be off to one side as you are probably in front of you target. All speculation of course.

Ah.... well, no. The camera is directly in front if the targets. But I don't think it would matter as it picks up the dot on target nicely.

But range time tonight.. well it was cold! Gun didn't like it.

Again, I am a lowly C class shooter, but I would lose the laser/camera solution. The feedback is too late if you have to go back and watch video. Are you going to be able to remember what your trigger pull felt like on the shot that ended up in the D zone? Probably not. You need to see the front site in dry fire and where it is as you execute the trigger pull. Did you pull the site left, right, up or down? If so, where would that shot have ended up? Call every shot during dry fire even when pushing your limits in Speed Mode. Don't judge the accuracy and get upset that you had a poor shot, but only pay attention to making speed improvements while calling your shots. The time for caring about where your hits go is when you slip into Accuracy mode. Don't try to work on both at the same time. Seriously though, Anderson's third book is training Gold! Plus, he is probably still paying off that $13k vet bill.

The feedback is actually pretty quick. It's not a video, it's a still image showing all of the hits, numbered in order.

When I use the software, it isn't a substitute for shot calling. It's just a check to see if my shot calling is honest.

[XL650...What the hell?]

Motor oil on the ram shaft, black wheel bearing grease on the ram linkages and plastic bearing surfaces.

[My home dry fire target factory]

Can you cut grip tape with the Silhouette Portrait?

I haven't tried cutting grip tape in the machine itself, but I did pull the blade out to test it, and it's definitely long enough and sharp enough to cut it.

I'll draw up a some pattern for my M&P so I can try cutting it with the machine. I'll post an update later.

Cancel that. A single cut through grip tape was enough to dull the blade so much that it would no longer cut paper.

[Hand chalk/grip lotions]

I put it on the bottom of my strong hand thumb, the back of my weak hand where my strong hand thumb rests, the back of my strong hand fingers where my weak hand wraps around, and on my strong hand pinky where it wraps around the front strap.

[170mm mag too long in open. what is the penalty?]

You get bumped to Revolver.

[Transition Drills]

The dry fire drill that helped my transitions the most was a Blake Drill using a metronome.

Set up three targets, turn on the metronome, and put two on each target, one shot per click.

Start slow, say 60 bpm, so there's plenty of time to confidently call the last shot on a target, snap your eyes to the next target, drive the gun there, and then call the first shot on that target.

Gradually increase the tempo and repeat. Don't cheat on the shot calling. And practice in both directions.

This drill is how I learned how to move my eyes first and then the gun.

[Reloads]

Are there any "hot tips" to get the gun and mag to the same spot ?

I'm finding the gun is in slightly different locations all the time, leading to clanks as the mag misses the hole. But I can't seem to figure out a way to consistently hold the gun "unsupported" out in space in the exact same place.

Also, Ben Steoger suggested in a class that I grab a mag and throw it up in front of me and then position the gun around the mag (instead of the other way around). That helped me figure out a better angle to hold the gun and made my reloads way more consistent.

[Reloads]

Are there any "hot tips" to get the gun and mag to the same spot ?

I'm finding the gun is in slightly different locations all the time, leading to clanks as the mag misses the hole. But I can't seem to figure out a way to consistently hold the gun "unsupported" out in space in the exact same place.

A SIRT comes in really handy for this. I'll start a reload and pause when the mag enters the well (Burkett reload), and then pull the trigger a bit and see where the take up laser hits on my wall/ceiling.

That's more of a check, though. I try to rely more on body feel and looking at the gun.

[Question on Anderson's Repetitions and refinement book]

Lately, I've been tracking two par times for a drill. First, I'll work up to as fast as I can go while still calling all As and close Cs.

When I can't get any faster, I'll switch to any called shot on paper (no mikes or no-shoots) and work up again to as fast as I can go.

To finish off, I'll shoot the drill at my regular match pace for a few reps to see what's what.

I think there are certain drills that really benefit from having a relaxed accuracy standard. Wide transitions, position entries and exits, and moving reloads come to mind. Anything that's less about accuracy and more about moving the gun and/or your body around faster.

[Dry firing at home]

Any pros or pro instructors teach pistol in Dallas? I've read a million books on golf, once I took a $150 lesson, I shoot in the low 80's regularly. Looking for the same thing so I can incorporate book knowledge with 3rd person view instruction. :-)

Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk

Stoeger has a class in Dallas in April I believe.

[Being accurate, but not fast]

Ugh, I did it again today. Shot very accurately, but damn it all, I need to get my speed up!! Completely flubbed one of my reloads, only got 19th place

A guy I shot with today is gonna hook me up with his old GoPro so I'll be able to analyze my shooting and get better!

Are you trying to work on your shooting speed or your movement speed? Or both?

[How many matches do you shoot per month?]

4-6 USPSA matches per month. I'll occasionally swap one of those out for IDPA.

Live fire practice 1-2 times per month.

[My home dry fire target factory]

Can you cut grip tape with the Silhouette Portrait?

I haven't tried cutting grip tape in the machine itself, but I did pull the blade out to test it, and it's definitely long enough and sharp enough to cut it.

I'll draw up a some pattern for my M&P so I can try cutting it with the machine. I'll post an update later.

[My home dry fire target factory]

I'm glad to hear they're helping.

[Reloads]

Same here. A bazillion to one.

[Criticism on my stage runs,]

Question: Is knowing you need to shoot a make-up shot on a target (either from knowing you mike'd or delta'd it) a result of calling your shots? And the other topics I, for the most part, know how to address (just a matter of doing it and practice), but how do I go about improving calling my shots?

One of the common drills for shot calling is to put a target far enough away to where you can't see the holes, fire one or two shots at it, guess where they hit based on reading the sights, mark those locations with tape or something on another target you have next to you, and then walk up and compare the two targets.

You could start off by calling your shots in a very general way (high right, high left, low right, low left, etc.). As you get better, you can start calling them in more detail (1 o'clock, 2" out of the -0 zone, etc.).

Once you get good at shot calling, you should be able to take a make up shot without looking at the target, with the make up shot having the same split as the other shots.

[FTDMFR's Range Journal]

SUNDAY 3/27/16

Live Fire

• 2 hours, 200 rounds
• First half was 25 yard shooting.
  • Started with slow fire group shooting, then trigger control at speed, then draws, then doubles, then Bill Drills
  • Bill Drills with all As averaged 4.00s, lowest was 3.80s.
• Second half was position entry:
  • I'm focusing on entering a shooting box with the correct foot (right foot when moving right, left foot when moving left), and then breaking the shot before the other foot is planted in the box.
  • Practiced on open targets at 7 yards.
  • I'm happy with how the entries are coming along. I'm breaking the shot a lot sooner than before.
  • Speed when moving between the boxes needs some work. I think I'm stepping with the wrong foot. I'll practice both ways in dry fire and see which is faster.

TUESDAY 3/29/16

Dry Fire

• 60 mins
• All reloads
• Started off with static reloads:
  • Worked my shot-to-shot reload (on simulated 7 yard open target) down to .95-1.00s. Average is around 1.15s.
• Finished with moving reloads between two positions 6 feet apart.
  • Shot-to-shot (7 yard open target) was as low as 1.05s. Average is around 1.25s.
• Observations:
  • I noticed a couple of new things that cause me to miss the mag well:
    • Limp wristing the mag as I present it to the mag well. I think there needs to be some sort of give in the wrist to allow the mag to pilot itself into the well, but sometimes I hold it way too loose, and it makes the location of the bullet tip somewhat unpredictable.
    • Not bringing the gun in soon enough, causing my left and right hands to be out of sync.
  • Not that long ago, I thought I would never, ever be able to pull off a sub-1.0s shot-to-shot reload. It really is true that if you repeat something enough times, you can't help but get faster at it.

[25 yard Bill Drill]

With all As, my best is around 3.80s, and my average is 4.00s. M&P Pro with iron sights.

[Need help on mental anticipation problem while pulling the trigger]

I caught myself on video compensating for recoil very early on in my competitive shooting days (I pulled the trigger on a bad round and then dipped the gun A LOT), before I even knew the difference between flinching and compensating for recoil. I'd say it was something I started doing subconsciously; I wasn't knowledgeable enough at the time to try to do something like that consciously.

It's really interesting seeing it on video. It's not a sudden jerking motion like a flinch. It's more like a smooth, controlled rolling up and down motion.

[Need help on mental anticipation problem while pulling the trigger]

Wall drill (dry fire), untimed.

Then, wall drill, with a timer set on random start, and you have to pull the trigger before the end of the beep.

Then, same drill as above, but in live fire, with a target at say 20-25 yards.

[Dry fire reps?]

Asking for personal opinions on training advice for dry fire.

Option 1) run drill on manual timer. Reholster/reset (pick up mags) and repeat at your leisure .

Option 2) run drills on a par timer app that automatically runs multiple reps (basically no time to rest between drills)

Example, I have par timer app set up for 5-7 sets of 10 reps.

I'll end up doing 50 drills back to back to back with barely enough time to pick up mags and get ready.

With a manual timer, it would be much more leisurely, but I would probably not get as tired.

Thoughts?

I wouldn't do anything that would cause you to rush the START of the drill.

What are you trying to achieve in dry fire? Are you trying to learn the mechanics of a new technique? Are you trying to drive down the par time for an existing technique?

[FTDMFR's Range Journal]

THURSDAY 3/25/16

Dry Fire

• 30 minutes
• More shooting on the move. Simulating shooting targets on left and on right while moving uprange.
• More work on 7 yard targets with hard cover and no shoots. I now feel very comfortable doing this.
• All this shooting on the move practice is also helping with my entries and exits.