I got Bored.

[Steve Anderson]

I got bored.

I've been waiting to get my Open gun back for a while, and I didn't really want to shoot or train with my production gear, so I decided to use my Beretta 87T w/ C-more to at least get some kind of practice in.

No holster for that thing, so I started gun in hand, hands at sides.

No reload practice available... Yeah, you could do it, but what's the point?

As far as the trigger goes, ...the 87T is a single action gun and the safety frees the trigger completely. However, with the gun cocked and the safety off, I discovered that a light trigger press has a little bump in it (before the hammer drops) that kinda feels like a hammer dropping.

Hmmmm.

So I start with some transition drills on my dryfire plate rack.

Wobbly at first, then a few reps later... nice and steady.

(Always remember and never forget to LOOK at the new target before the gun gets there, no matter how close the targets are.)

Did that for a few and then, based on my recent epiphany, I decided to do everything while moving.

So I "shot" little mini stages for what I thought was forever. I had committed 45 minutes to this and set an alarm on my phone to keep me honest.

I was sweating and tired and my eyes were starting to hurt a little.

(I had just finished my 4th 2 mile run of the day, btw. Dogs!)

20 minutes had passed.

I put the gun down, went up and got some water and thought about packing it in for the night. After all, I had already done the same thing that morning. Why not cut it short tonight and get a beer?

Nope. Not gonna happen.

(Hey @$$hole, how much would you give for an extra 20 minutes of practice when the results come out and you're #17?)

So I kept at it.

And I got bored. I was doing steel, paper, paper, paper, steel... different combinations.

I willed my self not to look at the clock. Bored. Tired.

And then I noticed that I was pausing between steel and paper for some reason. So I eliminated the pause.

Next, I decided to see if I could get an acceptable sight picture on every target AS I pulled the trigger as fast as possible. Really push the speed.

Turns out I could do that too.

The dot began to get sucked into the a zones and the center of the little fake poppers. All by itself. Everything got faster and clearer.

I wonder how much better I would have gotten if I'd stopped and had a beer?

When will you have your breakthrough?

[leas327]

Hey Steve, love the new posts. I don't do the FB so I can't "like you".

You gonna take that .22 to the pin match tuesday?

If you are let me know. Cause I read the other post with the artist and the competitor mindset.

I plan to show up and beat the shit out of everyone cause I am awsome.

ETA: Champion/Competitor whatever. Like TGO once said "I'm a shooter not a Rocket Surgeon."

Edited September 26, 2012 by leas327

[Lifeislarge]

My biggest foe is a lack of discipline when it comes to practice. I hate dry fire, and find it to be the most boring and useless exercise outside of polishing silverware that nobody uses. How does one overcome this mental block? No matter how many games, drills, and exercises I find for practice, none of them stimulate me. I can't afford to shoot much outside of matches so what can I do? Am I destined to suck forever?

[Steve Anderson]

"Am I destined to suck forever?"

Only until you decide to do something about it.

Set a schedule and stick to it.

Start with 5 minutes a day. Set a timer or alarm.

Then increase to 10.

Repeat until the sucking stops.

[Steve Anderson]

there may be a fancy book of drills that can provide some structure...

[Steve Anderson]

"none of them stimulate me"

They are not supposed to. It's not porn, it's practice.

There are two things you can do: Complain about sucking or F@#*ing do something about it.

I can't make that choice for you.

And if you don't adopt a practice schedule, you need to change your expectations and just try to have fun shooting, because improvement will be slow or nonexistent.

You must accept that or you will be very frustrated.

I'll be here for ya either way.

[lugnut]

"none of them stimulate me"

They are not supposed to. It's not porn, it's practice.

LMAO!!!

[lugnut]

My biggest foe is a lack of discipline when it comes to practice. I hate dry fire, and find it to be the most boring and useless exercise outside of polishing silverware that nobody uses. How does one overcome this mental block? No matter how many games, drills, and exercises I find for practice, none of them stimulate me. I can't afford to shoot much outside of matches so what can I do? Am I destined to suck forever?

I too had this problem with dry fire... however if you want to get better it's something you really need to consider. I've committed to giving it my efforts in 2013 because I simply can't afford the time to live fire more... and I don't just shoot for fun.

One other tidbit I've found, being a new A shooter: I'm ALWAYS working on the fundamentals still- grip, trigger control, follow up/shot calling etc. (ABL- always be learning) I've become more aware of the importance of perfect practice. Steve says this all the time but don't cheat in dry fire... it WILL show up in live fire. Sure push for speed in practice but don't allow yourself to ignore the fundamentals.

Edited September 26, 2012 by lugnut

[Steve Anderson]

"I hate dry fire"

Emotion has no place in the pursuit of improvement.

"boring and useless"

Read my original post again, please.

Boring, maybe. At times, sure.

Useless?

[ricardo28]

"I hate dry fire"

Emotion has no place in the pursuit of improvement.

"boring and useless"

Boring, maybe. At times, sure.

Useless?

Unless your targets are porn pictures... Now were talking.

[Flexmoney]

My biggest foe is a lack of discipline when it comes to practice. I hate dry fire, and find it to be the most boring and useless exercise outside of polishing silverware that nobody uses. How does one overcome this mental block? No matter how many games, drills, and exercises I find for practice, none of them stimulate me. I can't afford to shoot much outside of matches so what can I do? Am I destined to suck forever?

You can buy cool shoes, glasses, etc. That'll help you feel good for a bit.

### - see this item, at the end of the post after you read the next part

Actually, you might be a bit more like me. I'd believe that Steve would agree that he is a practice'r first, then a think'r...and I am a think'r first, then a practice'r. (*when either of us is in shooter/improvement mode)

My path is to:

- figure out what is the most fundamental thing that I need work on.

Why a fundamental thing? As Brain says...something that is fundamental is essential. Now, I believe there is a sliding scale of how fundamental a skill is. Some things are very fundamental/essential.

- Once I know what to work on, I figure out how to work on it.

- Then I work/focus on that one thing, making it into a strength.

That sounds like a linear process, first one thing and then the next...it is, sorta. What gives it a growth curve (with some good slope) is the fact that a solid foundation allows you to learn other stuff faster.

### - That said, you need a goal!! (If you say your goal is "not to suck"...Steve gets to kick you in the nutz first.)

Make your goal about something positive...and based on a fundamental skill set. It needs to be easy to measure. Your can increment it...

A. Draw to a clear picture of the front sight in alignment. (Steve's first drill.) You need a way to measure this. 1. It has got to be an Alpha. 2. Use a timer. 3. Be sure to set a standard, a reachable goal, and a stretch goal. [vision]

B. Same as above, but now draw to a first shot. [vision + presentation]

C. Now, make it a Bill Drill (draw plus splits...this will show if your grip/stance is good) [vision + presentation + grip/stance]

D. Next might be 3 targets (adds in transitions)

[Flexmoney]

BTW... the GOALS there might be (adjust as needed)

A. See the front sight clearly, in 1.25 seconds.

B. Hit an Alpha in 1.00 seconds.

C. Do a Bill Drill (6 Alphas) in 2.00 seconds (1.00s draw - 0.20s splits)

D. etc.

[Lifeislarge]

Boy do I feel like a pussy now. Thanks for all your input. I suffer from some serious ADD and really have a hard time staying focused. I honestly don't understand most of what you guys talk about when it comes to seeing the sights and whatnot, it's like... maybe I am, or maybe I'm not. I can hit alphas all day at 25 yards if I take my time but how the hell do you know if you're hitting an alpha if you're not actually firing a shot that'll leave a mark? I came into this game having no previous experience and hadn't even shot a pistol until about two and half years ago. Maybe I should just save my dimes and take a class before I "train myself" into all sorts of bad habits. Then there's the whole natural talent deal, but that's a thread all in itself. I do appreciate ya'll taking the time to respond to my query.

[Flexmoney]

I know what I shot (alpha or not) before the bullet gets to the target. I get that information from reading the sights as the sights lift in recoil. That is what calling the shot means.

[Lifeislarge]

Yeah I can't do that.

[Steve Anderson]

Sure you can.

Aim at your empty gun at a target 3 feet away with an acceptable sight picture. Press the trigger.

Would a bullet have hit the target? Of course.

Move back to 15 feet and aim at the A-zone with an acceptable sight picture. Press the trigger.

Move back to 30 and repeat.

The bullet MUST go where the sights are aligned when the gun fires. As long as trigger pull doesn't disturb our acceptable sight picture, it can't go anywhere else.

(This is why we have to see the sights lift. Took me awhile to understand that one.)

Now what else can't you do?

Yet.

[Heckler]

"none of them stimulate me"

They are not supposed to. It's not porn, it's practice.

There are two things you can do: Complain about sucking or F@#*ing do something about it.

Awesome post!

[Heckler]

I know what I shot (alpha or not) before the bullet gets to the target. I get that information from reading the sights as the sights lift in recoil. That is what calling the shot means.

Yeah I can't do that.

The goal is to have the same mental sight picture whether you are dry firing or live firing, that will tell you where your sights were when you squeezed the trigger. You don't need to know where the bullet went because you KNOW where the sights were when the hammer fell.

If the mental sight picture is off, you can already be lining up the make up shot "before the last bullet hit the target."

[Flexmoney]

It might help if you don't think of the sights as being tools to aim the gun (and hit a target at 25y). They are, but that is not the point with shot calling. Shot calling isn't about hitting the target.

Think of the sights as tools to give you feedback...information on what the gun is doing. If you really want that information, then get a desire to see what that front sight is doing. See it lots, especially when the gun lifts in recoil.

[jkatz44]

I think one of my problems is that I'm not totally 100% honest with myself during dryfire. I sometimes tend to run through drills in dryfire faster than what I can "call" my shots. I guess the only remedy is to just force myself to see the sight each and every trigger press no matter what?

[daverich]

Thanks for the posts Steve. I am a new shooter but feel that I am starting to see the sights sometimes. I have trouble staying focused on the front sights but am getting better all the time. It is good when you start to understand what you are trying to teach. David

[Steve Anderson]

Jkatz: When that happens, it is very useful to turn off the par times and just make perfect sight pictures. Then you can return to the world of par times and acceptable sight pictures.

Dave: See what you need to see. An acceptable sight picture is all you need, but it takes a while to figure that out. No real shortcuts.

[Flexmoney]

...I guess the only remedy is to just force myself to see the sight each and every trigger press no matter what?

If you aren't looking for the sight, what are you doing?

You are racing the clock, right? You have a speed focus. You need to have a vision focus. So, yeah...force yourself to see more. Try Steve's trick to help.

[BSeevers]

I always relate getting better at something to a couple times I got good at something one time

People laughed at me in college when they looked in our suite and they were accomplishing getting drunk and I was practicing my keyboard. I didn't like it one bit (practicing or in a way Dry Firing) but I knew that if I held in there I would be a good player. In a way this made my shooting development easier also. It helps with everything actually.

I was a kinda non athlete in high school but came out of my shell in basketball later.I didn't practice much but went with my friend who was a great player to the inner city courts a lot. Usually they wouldn't let me play but when my buddy said I play with him they wanted him so bad they would often accept me. We usually held the court for hours. In other words, Won. I learned heart, competition and drive there.

Returning home a few years later it was way fun taking it to the starting point guard in high school and after scoring on him he said, what got into you?

Two very different lessons but kinda toward the same goal.

Edited September 27, 2012 by BSeevers

[toothguy]

Boy do I feel like a pussy now. Thanks for all your input. I suffer from some serious ADD and really have a hard time staying focused. I honestly don't understand most of what you guys talk about when it comes to seeing the sights and whatnot, it's like... maybe I am, or maybe I'm not. I can hit alphas all day at 25 yards if I take my time but how the hell do you know if you're hitting an alpha if you're not actually firing a shot that'll leave a mark? I came into this game having no previous experience and hadn't even shot a pistol until about two and half years ago. Maybe I should just save my dimes and take a class before I "train myself" into all sorts of bad habits. Then there's the whole natural talent deal, but that's a thread all in itself. I do appreciate ya'll taking the time to respond to my query.

If I may suggest, give PPC a try. PPC is all about fundamentals and will make you a better pistol shooter no mater the game.