When to start shooting faster

[Mbauer67]

Ok, I have been shooting USPSA and IDPA for about a year, and I have been working on my accuracy and trigger discipline and getting good hits with the first shoot. I can say with all honesty I can shoot A's on most targets pretty quickly, even the ones out past 25 yds.

My question is, should I start trying to shoot faster while keeping track of my shot placement, or keep working on my accuracy?

[Will_M]

Don't ever forget about accuracy but the general rule I've been told is shoot at least 90% of the available points as fast as you can.

Or as some of the wiser (read: older ) shooters have told me, shoot as fast as you can SEE.

[benos]

Ok, I have been shooting USPSA and IDPA for about a year, and I have been working on my accuracy and trigger discipline and getting good hits with the first shoot. I can say with all honesty I can shoot A's on most targets pretty quickly, even the ones out past 25 yds.

My question is, should I start trying to shoot faster while keeping track of my shot placement, or keep working on my accuracy?

Instead of thinking of when to start shooting faster, think of when to start seeing more. Every time you are at the range would be my suggestion.

Seeing more translates to shooting faster. After around a year of training/shooting, you are probably still "stop and go" shooting. You probably tend to see things one thing at a time. For example, you are looking at the target during the draw, then the next thing you remembe seeing is the sights on the target. (Didn't see the sights as they were coming onto the target.) Then bang. You may or may not see a little sight lifting and returning, or the next thing you remember seeing might just be the sights realigned on the target for shot # 2. Then bang. The the next thing you remember is seeing the next target, then the next thing is a stopped, sight alignment on the target. (The a repeat, over and over, of "seeing the sights on the target."

If that hits home at all there's a good chance you are blinking after each shot.

If you are blinking that needs to be fixed first before you can start seeing more. (Lots of threads on blinking in the Hangun Techniques forum.)

When you learn to always keep your eyes open and your mind calm while you are shooting, a whole new visual world will be revealed.

The final goal: See everything! It's all happening right there in front of you.

be

[doc540]

Thanks

good example of why I registered here

Excellent question, excellent answer with many sub-points in the answer

reading and re-reading your book, be

[Mbauer67]

You brought up a really good subject, and have opened my eyes to the next area of skills I need to work on. I actually do accomplish the first portion of "seeing the target", at least all the way up to pressing the first shot. It's the latter parts of "seeing" where I am going to focus my efforts for the time being.

Thank you again for the truly deep insight.

MB

[CocoBolo]

Well Be nailed it on the shooting, its got to come from seeing more and geting the eye and the brain to work faster you can't force that, with your trigger finger.

IDPA does not present as many opportunities to go faster but the possibilities are wide open in uspsa. I find that most of the lost time is that time not shooting so I focus my efforts on that. Put simply as eliminating the pauses, this is done by refining the draw and mount of the gun, learning to explode out of a position and coast into the next with the gun mounted, perfecting the reload, fine hone the stage to minimize shooting positions, optomize shooting on the move. Remember its points per second and if you are not shooting you are not making points. One of our fastest local shooters open GM, just shoots pop...pop but he always has a very fast time and great hits. Others are pop..pop or pop.pop and even the spray artist with poppop the .10 or less split the guy that sounds like his gun is doubling, the fast guy has got his foot work down and the draw, reload etc he doesn't have to shoot fast when he is on a stage there is almost no silent time, no pauses and that is how he wins.

[calishootr]

as our erstwhile host put it, only shoot as fast as you can see, while that may seem 'otherworldly' at this point in your skill level, it will indeed come with time and practice, you will 'see' more things happening, i harken back to the comment about MJ and basketball where he says he is 'in the zone' where everythingfor him is in slow motion...or ken griffey's(or any other major league playerforthat matter) ability to 'see' the rotation of a 95 mph pitch and know by therotation and seeing the seams as to what kind of pitch is being tossed at them...

several books on practice are out there, set up some drills at different yardages under some time constraints, if you are able to get 90 percent A hits under the time contraints then speed up...always knowing once the hits starts to trail off, to slow back down and analize what is causeing the bad/poor hits

[BradGannaway]

I can tell you from experience, Brian's advice will work. I didn't even try to shoot faster, I just tried to see more.

I was at the range today running some drills and I set up a "stage" that I run every once in a while to see how I'm progressing. I try to vary the distances, transitions, and bullet placement so I don't rely on rote.

Well, starting out 6 months ago, I would run it at about 11 seconds. I ran it today, and busted 8 seconds. I just stared at the timer. I had never been below 9 seconds, and there, staring back at me was a 7.833. I ran it again just to make sure it wasn't a fluke, and I ran a 7.632. So I just sat down to think about it.

I didn't feel like I was shooting "faster", in fact, I still feel like I am in slow motion while I'm shooting. I realized that I was shooting the same speed, only I was seeing more, lining the sights up faster, and pulling the trigger before my brain was consciously telling me to. It was a great feeling.

Brian, I really appreciate your book and all it's given me. Taking what I learned from Pat and Mike at USSA, and combining it with your expertise, I have improved dramatically more than I would have ever imagined to in only 6 months.

All that to say; don't shoot faster, see the sights faster, and shoot the same speed.

[cas]

Don't ever start shooting faster, if it's right it will happen on it's own.

If you want to shave time there's plenty of other things to do "faster" (smoother, more efficiently) that will help just as much.

The biggest improvement in my match shooting (in speed and over all placement/finish) came from changes in my movement and not anything I did with the gun.

Edited May 30, 2010 by cas

[TnJ]

Brad

which book are you referring to you?

thanks

[BradGannaway]

Bradwhich book are you referring to you?thanks

"Practical Shooting" Beyond Fundamentals by Be.

BSG

[Flexmoney]

Don't ever forget about accuracy but the general rule I've been told is shoot at least 90% of the available points as fast as you can.

I got the same advice when I started. I consider it some of the worst advice I was exposed to.

Some people do shoot overly slow and need to get a bit more aggressive. But, most need to realize that increased speed comes from being efficient and executing proper techniques.

To me it is a lot about vision, and where the focus is at any given point during a stage.

Or as some of the wiser (read: older ) shooters have told me, shoot as fast as you can SEE.

That is the stuff! Being on the edge isn't being fast. It is just losing control. Seeing what you need to see...when you need to see it...that is key.

[Ron Ankeny]

I got the same advice when I started. I consider it some of the worst advice I was exposed to.

Would you elaborate a bit for me? I too was told to shoot around 90% of available points as quickly as possible. I translate that into shooting A's as quickly as I can execute and call the shot, but settle for the occasional C, with a D not being acceptable (make it up). Of course all of that is in terms of vision, not time on the clock.

[Flexmoney]

It keep me in a speed vs. accuracy focus. One or the other.