Blade landing in notch...just not low enough

[speedseeker]

So took some time at the range the other day and after shooting perhaps 50 rounds (1 round at a time) from draw focusing on awareness, I decided to up the anti and start slinging two rounds and maintain the focus on awareness. The cool thing is that by doing this, I learned my shots tend to drift up as I increase the number of rounds I fire with any speed. Not crazy speed mind you but a bit more that if I were shooting with a slow steady pull one at a time. Tried to push things just a bit. The bad thing is that I learned my shots tend to drift up the faster I shoot. I saw, via my new awareness, that my front sight doesnt land directly back in the notch but just a tad up. Question: Is this a point-of aim thing? A grip thing? Any tips for how I can remediate this? I mean I know if I slow down things will be fine, but is there anything I can do to ensure the blade lands in the notch appropriatly when increasing speed -Or- is this something that just takes more rounds down range with a slow staedy pull and a focus on awareness.

Any tips?

Edited April 20, 2011 by speedseeker

[alpha-charlie]

Recoil managaement. Work on finding that perfect medium of how much grip you need to apply to not only let the gun naturally recoil but manage it enough so that the front sight comes back to it's original position. You may be fighting the recoil too much and not letting the front sight settle back into it's original position. Ease up a little bit until you get the perfect combination of letting the gun naturally recoil and managing how much "muscle" to apply in order to get it to perfectly settle in the notch.

[Bsbllrooster]

Visual patience. See what you need to see before you break the shot. Just make sure the sight is completely in the notch before you press the trigger. Much much easier typed then done

[ACraig]

Practice and patients. As has been said, see what you need to see before breaking the shot. With enough practice, your fine-twitch muscles with eventually know what they need to do to get the gun back on target quicker and your eyes will more quickly track the front sight. At least that's what I keep telling myself will happen . . . still waiting

[Steven Cline]

How much up?

How much difference on target at what distance?

1" - 3" at 7yrds?

8" - 15" at 5 yards?

See the point?

Your A zone is 4" wide x 11" tall.

One of those changes is at least acceptable at 7 yards, the other is not. The first will remain in the A zone, the other won't.

[benos]

A nuetral grip will allow the front sight to return to exactly from where it left, with any reasonable grip pressure. Nuetral defined negatively: no front to back, back to front, or side to side grip pressure with either hand. Defined positively: Just grip the pistol with and equal amount of pressure from both hands.

Remember and summon the "total both hands grip feeling" as one feeling.

Test for grip nuetrality: Align the sights, close your eyes and fire the shot, then open your eyes and note the sight alignment.

If the sights are not perfectly aligned, without making any conscious effort to change any part of your grip, re-grip the pistol and repeat the drill.

Often the best way to learn a new skill is not to try to "figure it out" like we normally would. Instead, clearly state the goal. In this case, "The sights will return to perfect alignment after the shot fires."

Removing distracting influences, such as visual or by trying to mentally direct your gripping pressures - will allow your body to work it out.

The skills you can master by totally surrendering to that process and allowing your body to work things out can be mind blowing.

be

[Downrange58]

A nuetral grip will allow the front sight to return to exactly from where it left, with any reasonable grip pressure. Nuetral defined negatively: no front to back, back to front, or side to side grip pressure with either hand. Defined positively: Just grip the pistol with and equal amount of pressure from both hands.

Remember and summon the "total both hands grip feeling" as one feeling.

Test for grip nuetrality: Align the sights, close your eyes and fire the shot, then open your eyes and note the sight alignment.

If the sights are not perfectly aligned, without making any conscious effort to change any part of your grip, re-grip the pistol and repeat the drill.

Often the best way to learn a new skill is not to try to "figure it out" like we normally would. Instead, clearly state the goal. In this case, "The sights will return to perfect alignment after the shot fires."

Removing distracting influences, such as visual or by trying to mentally direct your gripping pressures - will allow your body to work it out.

The skills you can master by totally surrendering to that process and allowing your body to work things out can be mind blowing.

be

I am guessing that we would continue to strive for a balanced grip until it naturally came back into alignment when we have opened our eyes? Rather than adjusting the left hand because we experienced X result or the right hand because of Y result for example?

[benos]

A nuetral grip will allow the front sight to return to exactly from where it left, with any reasonable grip pressure. Nuetral defined negatively: no front to back, back to front, or side to side grip pressure with either hand. Defined positively: Just grip the pistol with and equal amount of pressure from both hands.

Remember and summon the "total both hands grip feeling" as one feeling.

Test for grip nuetrality: Align the sights, close your eyes and fire the shot, then open your eyes and note the sight alignment.

If the sights are not perfectly aligned, without making any conscious effort to change any part of your grip, re-grip the pistol and repeat the drill.

Often the best way to learn a new skill is not to try to "figure it out" like we normally would. Instead, clearly state the goal. In this case, "The sights will return to perfect alignment after the shot fires."

Removing distracting influences, such as visual or by trying to mentally direct your gripping pressures - will allow your body to work it out.

The skills you can master by totally surrendering to that process and allowing your body to work things out can be mind blowing.

be

I am guessing that we would continue to strive for a balanced grip until it naturally came back into alignment when we have opened our eyes? Rather than adjusting the left hand because we experienced X result or the right hand because of Y result for example?

Exactly. If "it" [our mind] knows the goal, and sees what is happening instead, "it" will figure out how to get to the goal more quickly, if we let it. If we try to fix it with the conscious mind, we usually end up complicating the the solution.

be

[Downrange58]

A nuetral grip will allow the front sight to return to exactly from where it left, with any reasonable grip pressure. Nuetral defined negatively: no front to back, back to front, or side to side grip pressure with either hand. Defined positively: Just grip the pistol with and equal amount of pressure from both hands.

Remember and summon the "total both hands grip feeling" as one feeling.

Test for grip nuetrality: Align the sights, close your eyes and fire the shot, then open your eyes and note the sight alignment.

If the sights are not perfectly aligned, without making any conscious effort to change any part of your grip, re-grip the pistol and repeat the drill.

Often the best way to learn a new skill is not to try to "figure it out" like we normally would. Instead, clearly state the goal. In this case, "The sights will return to perfect alignment after the shot fires."

Removing distracting influences, such as visual or by trying to mentally direct your gripping pressures - will allow your body to work it out.

The skills you can master by totally surrendering to that process and allowing your body to work things out can be mind blowing.

be

I am guessing that we would continue to strive for a balanced grip until it naturally came back into alignment when we have opened our eyes? Rather than adjusting the left hand because we experienced X result or the right hand because of Y result for example?

Exactly. If "it" [our mind] knows the goal, and sees what is happening instead, "it" will figure out how to get to the goal more quickly, if we let it. If we try to fix it with the conscious mind, we usually end up complicating the the solution.

be

Thanks Brian! Tried it at the range today and 9 of the 10 shots with eyes closed indexed back onto the original aiming point which made me very happy. The second time was not as good as only 5 of the 10 came back. I then made what seemed like a natural progression to 2 shots with my eyes closed... All my shots were 4-6 inches apart... Not sure what to make of that, but grip balance will be worked on a lot in the next month. Thanks again!

[Powder Finger]

A nuetral grip will allow the front sight to return to exactly from where it left, with any reasonable grip pressure. Nuetral defined negatively: no front to back, back to front, or side to side grip pressure with either hand. Defined positively: Just grip the pistol with and equal amount of pressure from both hands.

Remember and summon the "total both hands grip feeling" as one feeling.

Test for grip nuetrality: Align the sights, close your eyes and fire the shot, then open your eyes and note the sight alignment.

If the sights are not perfectly aligned, without making any conscious effort to change any part of your grip, re-grip the pistol and repeat the drill.

Often the best way to learn a new skill is not to try to "figure it out" like we normally would. Instead, clearly state the goal. In this case, "The sights will return to perfect alignment after the shot fires."

Removing distracting influences, such as visual or by trying to mentally direct your gripping pressures - will allow your body to work it out.

The skills you can master by totally surrendering to that process and allowing your body to work things out can be mind blowing.

be

I am guessing that we would continue to strive for a balanced grip until it naturally came back into alignment when we have opened our eyes? Rather than adjusting the left hand because we experienced X result or the right hand because of Y result for example?

Exactly. If "it" [our mind] knows the goal, and sees what is happening instead, "it" will figure out how to get to the goal more quickly, if we let it. If we try to fix it with the conscious mind, we usually end up complicating the the solution.

be

Thanks Brian! Tried it at the range today and 9 of the 10 shots with eyes closed indexed back onto the original aiming point which made me very happy. The second time was not as good as only 5 of the 10 came back. I then made what seemed like a natural progression to 2 shots with my eyes closed... All my shots were 4-6 inches apart... Not sure what to make of that, but grip balance will be worked on a lot in the next month. Thanks again!

I would not read too much into the 2 shot deal (eyes shut) as you are just pressing the trigger at some arbitrary time with no input/feed back at all.

In other words, your "eye ball/vision" would press the trigger for you for the 2nd shot at the correct moment.

Edited April 22, 2011 by Powder Finger

[38supPat]

Something else to pay attention to. It can be easy the stay focused on the front sight too long, or rather stay with it to long. While we want to see the sight lift and return to the notch if you watch it do this it won't. Either because you may lack the visual patience to wait for it to return to the notch or because you are staying with the sight and are not directing it back to the origional point of aim. Similar to transitions, if your vision does not direct the sights where to go on the next target it will end up wherever your vision allows it to go, or allows it to fire the shot. Even under recoil the gun needs to be directed back to point of aim, otherwise it will just fire where your vision says is ok. Grip and recoil control will accomplish the physical act of returning the gun but your vision tells it when to fire.

[stringcheese]

I shoot with a high sight and aim low unless it is a high accuracy target (small or far target) then I line everything up tight.