rwmagnus Posted January 7, 2004 Share Posted January 7, 2004 I am new to IDPA with a background of Bullseyse competition. Having said that, I am deep into the data gathering of this shoot and move or engage multiple targets in a nano-second, LOL. I shoot CPD division and have about 3 months experience in IDPA. My first qualifier is this Saturday. BTW yes I have Brian’s Book and Matt’s videos. So here's my question. At what yardage do you go from a Type 2 sighting (looking thru the sights to the target) to Type 3 (focusing from targets to sights back)? I'm still having a hard time shooting faster. Accuracy isn't a problem but speed is. I basically need improvement in all areas but fundamentally understanding how to acquire the target faster and getting the shot off would be nice. Not sure I've articulated the problem well. IMO I get too hung up on focusing on the front sight which slows my target acquisition (is that possible?). Then I seem to transition from target to front sight seeking perfection rather than just anything in the -0 circle. I see guys logging 5-8 seconds for double taps in 4 targets at 5yds and I'm in the 11 second range, (ouch). In Bullseye we had forever and a day to get everything just right before letting go the shot. I seem to get stuck in a Type 4 focus (stay with the front sight until it lifts) quite abit Thanks in advance for any help. I've read alot of good info here and it has helped. Don't get me wrong for a newbie in IDPA I'm making some fast progress. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick Weidhaas Posted January 8, 2004 Share Posted January 8, 2004 I recently took an IDPA shooting course with Steve Broom. He suggested that inside of 10 yards you look at the target (specific spot you want to hit) and see your gun in your perpherial vision. Outide of 10 yards focus on your front sight. I've been doing this and it works for me. I shot bullsey for years as well and I know the need to only let the shot go when the sight picture is perfect. This will kill your speed. Trust your ability to look at something and point to it. Your just pointing with the pistol. Once my peripherial vision picks up the pistol in the scoring area, allow yourself to press the trigger. Brian talks about being aware of what is happening when your shooting without trying to make it happen or trying to go fast. On the up close open targets, if you relax, have confidence in your plan, abilities and equipment, you will go on auto pilot and just let it happen. The speed with naturally come. Hope this helps. Nick- Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rwmagnus Posted January 8, 2004 Author Share Posted January 8, 2004 Nick, You nailed it about getting the sight picture perfect and killing my speed. Old habits die hard. My point shooting is pretty good however. Target acquisition is still a problem but I'm still pretty new at at. I have a tendency to move the gun and look for the next target vs move your eyes or head and snap the gun into the target. Sometimes knowing what to do is different than doing it. Seems like I do better at the longer stages cause the speed guys slow down here but the 5-10yarders are killing me. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Joe D Posted January 8, 2004 Share Posted January 8, 2004 Check your PM. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jake Di Vita Posted January 8, 2004 Share Posted January 8, 2004 Well to answer your first question, it is all up to you. Shooters that have a well developed index can obviously shoot with a Type 2 focus out to a further yardage. "I'm still having a hard time shooting faster. Accuracy isn't a problem but speed is." To clarify, accuracy IS the problem. You can go faster, you just become inaccurate. You haven't been shooting for a long time, and a lot of this stuff comes from experience and hours of dry/live fire. If you are having a major problem with accuracy when your speed increases, I suggest shooting some bill drills. Make sure all your shots are A's and see ONLY what you need to see to make the hits. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nick Weidhaas Posted January 8, 2004 Share Posted January 8, 2004 Another thing you might be doing, which will kill speed, is watching for your holes in the target or looking to confirm you hit on steel. Even when shooting up close you can still track your sight in your peripherial vision. If your calling your shots there is no need to look at the target to confirm hits. When your gun lifts after your last shot on a target, you should be moving your eyes to to the spot on the next target you want to hit. Good stage planning will also help you with speed. If you know where to look for the next target your transition to that target will be faster. Steve Broom gave me a drill to do for target transition. He had me a mix of steel and IDPA paper targets. Drill : Set up the targets in a V. 1st close paper target @ 3 yards, 2nd steel @ 15-20 yards (right tip of V), third paper or steel @ 10 yards on left side of V. Practice drawing and hitting the paper, transitioning to the far steel and then the closer paper or steel. Keep track of your runs with a timer. Must be 0 down on paper. 1 shot on steel for the run to count. This drill allows you to acquire and shoot fast on a close target (target focus), transition to a more difficult target (slow down and focus on front sight) and then transition to an intermediate target (speed up a again depending on distance). You can vary the use of steel or paper, the size of the steel target (I use various size fixed steel plates), and which target you shoot 1st. (Reverse it and shoot long steel from draw, transition to close paper and then to mid range steel or paper.). I think you ge the idea. Hope this helps. Nick- Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rwmagnus Posted January 8, 2004 Author Share Posted January 8, 2004 Joe D., No PM in the box, just the original. Jake, I understand what you're saying and agree to an extent. Just pulling the trigger into a berm I'm still not fast enough. Might be a tension thing. Dry fire practice can speed up alot of thingslike the draw (against a par time) and laterial target acquisition. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
JD45 Posted January 8, 2004 Share Posted January 8, 2004 rwmagnus, I shoot in the same division and I have been where you are. All of the above suggestions are good. I could give all sorts of tips, but it is hard to work on a dozen things at once. So, I'll just say that if you practice live-fire all you can afford or wish to, and dry-fire at least 3 days a week, you will gain speed along the way. Try to have all the fun that you can. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jake Di Vita Posted January 8, 2004 Share Posted January 8, 2004 Not might be a tension thing, totally is a tension thing... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rwmagnus Posted January 8, 2004 Author Share Posted January 8, 2004 Yep mucho practice is needed but I'm learning alot along the way and the fun factor is right up there. Thanks for the tips. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Ron Ankeny Posted January 8, 2004 Share Posted January 8, 2004 rwmagnus: I just found this old thread. Maybe it will help. Sight Picture Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rwmagnus Posted January 9, 2004 Author Share Posted January 9, 2004 Ron, Thanks there is some great stuff in that thread! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ErikW Posted January 9, 2004 Share Posted January 9, 2004 Ron's reference to that thread reminded me of this FAQ compiled by jhgtyre. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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