Doodle's Diary

[Doodle]

My dearest diary,

I've been shooting for almost 2 years now. I started competing in USPSA not long after I first picked up a gun. I've been stuck in D class in production, and it's starting to get old. Guess it's time to start taking this whole shooting thing a little more seriously and actually try practicing. Well, I started to make a list of all the things I needed to work on, and it got quite extensive. I think I will list everything here and use it as a reference anytime I'm wondering what I can work on or to assess how I am doing in each area.

I. Strength

I need to exercise to improve my overall strength, particularly:

-Grip for managing recoil; also weak hand/strong hand shooting

-Shoulders/arms to stay stable and keep the gun at eye level throughout the stage

-Legs for a stable base and various shooting positions

II. Trigger control

III. Sights

-Being able to quickly acquire sights.

-Staying straight

-Smaller point of aim

-Calling my shots

-Using both eyes; correcting the blinking and squinting

IV. Draws (Surrender, at sides, table, etc.)

-Weak hand position at belly

-Pushing straight out (I tend to push up and then out)

-Grip at draw

V. Reloads

-Keeping gun at eye level

-Mag release (I have little hands)

-Speed!

VI. Target Acquisition

-Moving quickly/confidently to the next target

-Acquiring the target without go too far or not far enough/precision

-Small aim (Not so much of the "Ooh I see brown.. yank trigger.)

VII. Movement and Positioning

-Flexibility in and out of positions

-Movement to next target

-Shooting on the move

-Doors, Ports and Barricades

VIII. Moving targets

-Swingers, Texas Stars, Drop turners, etc

IX. Understanding the "Game"

-Scoring

-Speed vs Accuracy

-Walking the stage

Sooo yeah, I have a lot to work on. Certainly I'd love to be the first woman GM, but I think I'll keep the goals a little smaller for now. I will be at Area 3 this year. I'm really hoping to win D class and get bumped to C. After today's practice at the range though, I need to be a lot more consistent. There's a Sectional match at my range next weekend, a Glock match the 24th, a steel match the 25th, and a pistol match Aug 1st, so thankfully I will get quite a bit of match time in before that. Let's see if I can make the most of it.

That's all for now.

Lindsey

[Shawn Knight]

Hi Doodle!!

[Doodle]

Hopefully I can make it to the range later today. It will be my last chance to practice at my range before the Sectional since they will begin setup on Wednesday. I went to the range on Saturday and that was awful , but I did at least discover a few things that I can work on to make it better.. I hope..

I've noticed during dry fire/practice draws that I have a tendency to aim left right out the gate. My sight picture is just ever so slightly off to the left of center. I also notice during live fire that I have a difficult time keeping the gun straight when the shot breaks. I did throw a few dummy rounds in with my live ammo at the range, and I was actually surprised that I didn't have a significant flinch with the dummy rounds. That's at least some good news. Whenever I have difficulty with a long range plate or small popper the response is usually "quit jerkin the trigger!" I'm starting to think the bigger problem is actually my weak hand grip. I had more accurate shots when I was conscientious of that weak hand, especially my thumbs forward and pressed into the gun to keep it straight/stable. Saturday was really humid though and I was having trouble maintaining that grip. My hands were sweating and slipping all over the place. I did a search and found a few threads with some good solutions. I'll have to try one of them out and see how it helps. In the meantime I've been doing strength exercises for my grip as well as trying to hit the gym when I can.

Sweaty Hands

Pro Grip Lotion

I guess I'll see how practice goes today if the thunderstorms don't beat me to it. After my last practice I need to do something to build up my confidence a little before the sectional.

Lindsey

[Doodle]

Made it to the range. Practice felt better today, but I don't know if I really shot that much better. So I have some problems with my week hand that I've identified but I found some problems in my grip with my strong hand as well. I really need to get the web of my hand between my thumb and pointer finger further up and forward on the grip towards the slide. My hands are so little that I think it creates a pivot point when the gun recoils which makes it more difficult to control. Anyways, I just got home from the gym. Going to keep working on building up my strength and practice developing a better grip in dry fire.

I'm not sure what to do about this whole one eye squinting thing I've got. I just feel like I have so much more clarity when I close one eye, but I don't want it to hinder my shooting as I start to speed up. It's something I'd rather fix sooner than later. It's not bad in dry fire, but once I hear that buzzer at a match I get anxious about being able to acquire my sights on the targets quickly. We'll see if I can make some progress on that as well over the next few months.

[Doodle]

Just got done doing a little dry fire/reload/draw practice. Shooting the sectional tomorrow. I was at least smart enough to bring my gun to the range today, even though they were setting up and I knew I wouldn't be able to shoot. I got to calibrate all the steel poppers, so that was good for a little last minute practice. It's going to be hot as flip, and I haven't felt very good the last couple days. Hopefully it doesn't affect my shooting. Tomorrow I just want to focus on: 1)My weak hand grip 2)aiming small and not just spraying bullets at brown 3)Transitioning from point A to B faster and 4)as always a nice smooth trigger pull. I don't think that should be too much to focus on. We shall see how I do!!

Lindsey

[Shawn Knight]

At least we know your ammo is more than good enough to take down the steel!

[Doodle]

So Saturday night when I got home I thought I had done a decent job shooting the sectional, but now that I see the videos of me shooting I see a TON of things I could have done better (of course). One really big thing I notice is that I waste time staring at the target before moving to the next, worried that I didn't make my hits. I only had one mike the entire match and no no-shoots or procedurals, so I obviously can hit the targets. My lack of confidence in my shooting is really hindering my ability to do well. I spend time making up shots that I don't need to and don't get to the next targets quickly enough. I'm also finding that at times I have difficulty sticking to my plan during the stage.

The few stages where I was able to keep both eyes open and not rely on my squinty eye, I found that I actually got better hits, could see the targets better, and was able to shoot more quickly. However, it stills feels foreign to me, and again I lack the confidence to follow through.. like I think I won't be able to find my sights or a point of aim on the target. I was given the suggestion by Manny (such a nice guy!) to dryfire with the dot on an open gun to help me "see" correctly. I'll have to see if it helps.

Today I helped RO the match and stayed with the same squad throughout. I was able to watch a really great group of shooters and how they broke down their stages. I think that was really helpful being able to compare how I shot the stage with what they chose to do. I think I now have a clear idea of what direction I need to take my training to prepare for Area 3. Shooting is like losing weight. You want results right away to make it feel worthwhile and that you're getting somewhere, but you just have to stick to it and know that I will eventually get better. It will get better, right?

Lindsey

[Doodle]

I don't have much to say, but posting here helps keep me motivated to continue practicing. Keeps it on the forefront of my thoughts. I'm planning on setting up a schedule during the week, maybe 2 or 3 days, that I can go out and practice with the .22. I think I can do some movement drills and target transitions as well as maybe work on barriers and things like that. I seem to have problems when I have to shoot around things. I'm throwing myself off balance or not lining my sights up correctly or something. Definitely need to work on that before Area 3. Regular practice with the competition pistol will be on the weekends. I don't want to blow through too much ammo.. gets too expensive. Then there's dryfire, draws, reloads at home as always.

Ok, it sounds really silly, but I was thinking about making a chart with the things I need to do and days on it... Here's the silly part.. It will be like a kids chart that I can put up a star or little sticker each time I get done what I need to do. I gotta find some way to make sure I'm practicing and not blowing it off. I'm a full time student and things have a tendency to get pushed to the wayside when I have other priorities.

I'd really like to get an airsoft array set up for practice, but the basement needs to get cleaned before that's going to happen. Cleaning the basement is a project in and of itself.. won't be doing that for awhile. Guess I can save that project for winter time when the range is unbearable.

I still haven't been exercising as much as I want. I did a pilates class yesterday. When it started I thought, "This is lame," but I was feeling it after only 15 minutes. I really like the balance and isolation of certain muscles needed to perform the exercises. I also need to start incorporating some regular cardio into my everyday routine.

All for now.

[dagger10k]

Sounds like you are pretty serious about improving. That's good. Just make sure you don't work so hard you burn yourself out and make it not fun!

Also, your plan for improvement sounds good. I think dryfire is the best way to improve (also very cheap.) I've probably done 100x as much dry fire as live fire practice, and it pays off.

Edited July 14, 2010 by dagger10k

[Shawn Knight]

She is serious!! It makes me want to practice more!

[Doodle]

Here is some video of my stages from the Sectional. It's embarrassing to post since I think I made a lot of dumb mistakes, but feel free to comment or critique or make jokes.. ok maybe no jokes... nah jokes are ok. As long as they are good jokes.

http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=lvxrGxyTPa4&feature=youtube_gdata

Edited July 15, 2010 by Doodle

[Doodle]

Haven't done much practice lately. A mean sinus infection and allergies have left me fatigued and with many headaches. Kinda depressing since Area 3 is quickly approaching. I was able to go out to the range and practice yesterday though. I met up with the M production shooter from my range for some tips and to chrono my ammo. We put up some printed 3in dots and worked on various accuracy drills, freestyle, strong/weak hand, transitioning, and some draw 1 shot practice. It was really helpful in giving me some direction for my future practice sessions. He also gave me a few good tips just on my shooting technique. So all is not lost. I just hope I'm 100% feeling good by the time Area hits.