Reshoot's New Journey

[Nimitz]

I'm taking a class from him in Oct so I'll be sure to mention it ....also don't put too much stock in your match percentage unless the winner is a GM who is a consistent winner. Otherwise it's really hard to determine what 53% of an A class shooter is who might have won the match really means.

Classifiers can be good gauges since you're being compared to everyone in the country who shoots that classifier. And lastly, Open rewards speed more than Production due to major PF so your age does tend to work against you. I'm no spring chicken at 53 but in Production accuracy is still king because of minor PF.

I do plan to move to open eventually but no until I reach all the goals I set for myself for Production when I got into this last year ...

[Reshoot]

Changing things up ,this week and next. All practice, during this period, will be shooting on the move. By the end of this two week period, I will have received and studied Ben Steoger's book. Then, I'll start anew!

Edited August 27, 2013 by Reshoot

[Reshoot]

Have been occupied with two Ben Stoeger books. What an easy, and enlightening, read!

I have kept up dry fire practice, but have not live fired since August 24th (10 days ago). So, I decided to go out and fire 20 rounds, COLD. Taking just long enough to reset the trigger, I fired 10 head shots at 10 yards. Then, I backed up and did the same at 25 yards (at the A zone).

The results are A-typical of my accuracy at this point in time. The majority of my head shots were a bit low. At 25 yards, 8 alphas out of 10 shots.

Oh, the group size, on those 10 head shots: 2.625".

Edited September 3, 2013 by Reshoot

[Reshoot]

Boy howdy . . . sitting on the bench now.

Injuried my right Achilles tendon. Believe I got a bit too aggressive during my workouts . . . added too much weight to my squats and calf extensions, I'm thinking.

Then, my primary computer layed down on me. They tell me the hard drive in failing. Just glad my work is all caught up for the time being!

On the up side, and there is always an up side, I will be able to focus on those new Ben Stoeger books!

[Reshoot]

The ankle is pretty good today. Even worked a few (un-weighted) squats into my workout!

So, out early to beat the heat. Although I still broke a sweat, just making ready

First live fire since last Tuesday, and chose to work on something stationary . . . that being type 3 trigger control. Actually, worked a transition into the drill as well. Three plates at 10 yards, swing 15 ~ 20 degrees and engage 4 poppers at 35 yards. No timer involved, since accuracy was my goal here. It went . . . GREAT! I even impressed myself, although that doesn't take a whole lot

Local match this Sunday, and will live fire daily thru Saturday. So, I should know if the ankle is ready by then.

Oh, primary computer up and running, after staying up late last night to reload software . . . ugh!

[Nimitz]

something to consider as you seem to be on a path I was on, namely, disconnecting accuracy & speed. I started seeing bigger gains once I realized that for our sport you should never separate the 2. being accurate is irrelevant if you can't do it at speed and speed is irrelevant if you can't hit anything So, except for warm-up shooting groups the timer is always on ... I'm always thinking during training "ok, the next rep should be faster than the last one with the same accuracy ..." just my observations from someone who's been there ...

[Reshoot]

something to consider as you seem to be on a path I was on, namely, disconnecting accuracy & speed. I started seeing bigger gains once I realized that for our sport you should never separate the 2. being accurate is irrelevant if you can't do it at speed and speed is irrelevant if you can't hit anything So, except for warm-up shooting groups the timer is always on ... I'm always thinking during training "ok, the next rep should be faster than the last one with the same accuracy ..." just my observations from someone who's been there ...

Yes, indeed . . . accuracy and speed. Or rather, accuracy at speed

Just beginning live fire drills, using the 3 trigger control styles. Actually, re-learning, since I have never used anything but type 1 up to this point

I figured it would be difficult to learn releasing the trigger just to the point of reset however, I was pleasantly surprised today!

[Reshoot]

Doh! Live fire went all wrong this morning. I lost sight of the objective . . . alphas . . . or rather no mikes in this case, on my plate rack. I attempted to shoot faster than I am capable of, not seeing what I need to see. As soon as I realized the error of my ways, I stopped and came inside.

Time to watch Max Michel remind me where I can really increase my speed, while shooting alphas.

Edited September 11, 2013 by Reshoot

[Reshoot]

I set my goal, back in January, of making B Open this year. I knew at the time it was a very ambitious goal. After all, this is my last year as a senior. Quick reflexes and a sharp mind got-gone some time back. Not to mention, I was forced into Open Division 2 years ago . . . iron sights are a thing of the past for these eyes.

My summer has been filled with stupid mistakes, like the ones at yesterday's match. 1 no-shoot and 3 mikes. One of those mikes was on an 8 second flat El Prez. I need to get back to enjoying the shooting, and stop trying so hard to be something I am not. The quest stops today

I will now be shooting for . . . the love of shooting. I am content to be a 49.5% C Open competitor and looking forward to going up against other super seniors beginning in January. Hell, my good looks alone give me an edge!

I am now focused on next months trip to Disney World, with the kids and my only grand daughter. Never been there and it's going to be fun!

[Reshoot]

Last stage . . . September 15th match . . . took 7 . . . SEVEN shots to put down the last piece of steel

Two days later, I go out to shoot groups on a metric target. Looking for a reason for those misses. I shot zero alphas out of 5 shots. Why I did not closely inspect my gun prior this this, I do not know.. Dumb ass attack, I suppose.

The XDm Carver mount has a bolt that passes through the trigger group, replacing the OEM pin. I discovered that bolt had broken at the end of is threads, where it threads into the left side plate.

Thanks to Bobby Carver, two days later I had a new bolt and side plate. A big thank you, to Bobby, for quick warranty replacement parts

A quick zero and I was back in the game

[Nimitz]

Not trying to change your mind but you can just enjoy shooting and still reach your goal. You just need to focus on a different goal. Instead of your goal being a B open shooter pick goals like no no mikes or deltas in a match. Your shooting will continue to improve and when you shoot classifiers your scores will naturally go up without 'trying'. Make your goal to just shoot alphas and nothing else ....

I know everyone's different but for me I can't just participate in an activity without trying to be the best I can at it .... I bore very quickly and then stop participating. Maybe it's because I've only been shooting less than 2 years and some folks have been shooting for 20 ys before they get involved in USPSA ... Good luck in whichever way you go ....

[Reshoot]

50 rounds of live fire, this afternoon. Mostly steel, as that is what I miss the most. Not as in long for, but hit with a bullet

When I turned to metric targets, I got a best-ever for me. 5 alphas with 5 shots, at 30 yards . . . woot, woot

Edited September 28, 2013 by Reshoot

[Reshoot]

Whew, spent the last 7 days with the wife, kids and grand daughter. I have had enough magical kindom to last me for the rest of my life. It was a wonderful experience, mind you, but I am sure glad to be home!

Tomorrow I'll take up dry fire, and live fire. Thank gawd it is nice here in the Buckeye. That Florida heat sucks!

[Reshoot]

Good gawd, I was on fire this morning! I shaved .2 seconds off several dry fire drills . . . surrender 6 reload 6 and El Prez just two of them.

Shot Rayners last match of the year, this past Sunday. A lack luster performance, unfortunately. I chose to do head shots on Pucker Factor and had a miss on target number 3. What the hell was I thinking!

My last match of the year will be November 2nd, at PCSI / Circleville. Really looking forward to that, as they say the round count could be 245.

Now, if I could just talk some range into shooting year round . . . yes, I'd be there in December and January!

[Reshoot]

2014 Begins! I have closed the book on the 2013 ~ 2014 deer hunting season, and start my first year as a Super Senior USPSA competitor!

Yesterday was my first fry fire session in a long time. To my surprise, I was within one tenth of a second of my par times, on the 5 drills I ran. There will be reloads on today's drills. Hope I remember how to do that!

I am going to focus on 2 things this year; (1) make my body a lean, mean shooting machine and (2) push my classifier percentage over 50% (currently 49%).

I am off to a good start on the body, having taken off 8 pounds already! I have kicked it up a notch on my workouts, and fully intend to take off 10 more pounds by the first day of spring. I know, at my age, that is going to take a lot of discipline and hard work.

[Reshoot]

Well . . . the rust was clearly visible yesterday!

Dry fire exposed a reload that is 3/10 of a second slower than my par time. I believe that I can get back there though.

Live fire consisted of just 20 rounds, shot from the basement patio, in a 39 degree temperature. BURR! Had not fired my gun since late November 2013. 14" square steel plate at 28 yards. 10 shots resulted in just 7 hits The next 10 shots were within a 9" circle. So, need to tighten that group up to . . . I'm hoping 5 inches.

[Reshoot]

What a difference one week, and 26 dry fire drills make! This afternoon's practice not only pleased me but, surprised me. I am already taking 1 and 2 tenths of a second off last October's par times. I attribute these improvements to 3 things:

1. after 13 months of free weight workouts, the increase in upper body strength is quite noticeable. The legs have improved too, but not quite as much.

2. I am now 11 and 1/2 pounds lighter than I was just two months ago. And . . . I'm just get'n started!

3. I switched from a 4 MOA dot to a 7.5 MOA, since last season. This seems to have made a HUGE difference, in dry fire! Live fire? We will see . . .

Nearly froze my face off, removing the bit of snow we got last night, for the sidewalk and steps! -18 degree wind chill. Live fire seems soooo far off

[ZackJones]

Congrats on your improvements and weight loss. What kind of routine are you doing with free weights?

[Reshoot]

Congrats on your improvements and weight loss. What kind of routine are you doing with free weights?

I started working out on December 24, 2012, after letting my body go to hell in retirement. HUGE mistake! The ONLY thing I miss about Honda of America . . . a state of the art gym, and personal trainers, all for 45 dollars a year.

Anyhow, my upper body workout consists of 6 exercises, in my hodge poge gym:

Bench press

Tricep extensions

Bicep curls

Shoulder extensions

Pec flys

Wrist curls

Pretty much self explanatory except . . . I do not have a curling bar, to do bicep curls with both arms. I made up an inclined ramp on a chair to do curls, one arm at a time. I made a long dumbbell to do tricep extensions . . . grasping both ends, I place it behind my neck and raise the barbell straight over my head. What I call shoulder extensions, I do with a dumbbell in hand at my thigh. Raise it to the side until just above head height.

I was taught to not exercise the same muscle groups two days in a row so, the next day I do:

Barbell squats

Calf extensions

Glute kickbacks

Leg lift & spread

Back flys

I have to skip some of these from time to time, and even lay out on leg day. Back surgery and chronic pain requires me to proceed with caution. Overdue it and I'll spend the next 3 days running the crap out of my neuro stimulator implant.

I do 2 sets of the upper body exercises, planning to increase to 3 sets soon. My legs are behind, as I only manage 1 set. As long as I don't overdue it, I rarely miss a day of working out.

The 65 cm ball you see I really only use now for spinal decompression.

Now that I am 65, Medicare will pay gym membership fees. Nearest gym? 20 miles. Nearest Curves, for my wife, 4 miles. WTF! I don't have nerve enough to go in there and demand equality. Ellen would probably throw a fit anyhow.

Edited January 24, 2014 by Reshoot

[ZackJones]

I started working out on December 24, 2012, after letting my body go to hell in retirement. HUGE mistake! The ONLY thing I miss about Honda of America . . . a state of the art gym, and personal trainers, all for 45 dollars a year.

I've let my body go to hell and I'm not even retired . If it's any consolation I own two Honda's and love them.

Thanks for sharing the information. I really need to get going with some weight training to get into better shape.

[Reshoot]

I started working out on December 24, 2012, after letting my body go to hell in retirement. HUGE mistake! The ONLY thing I miss about Honda of America . . . a state of the art gym, and personal trainers, all for 45 dollars a year.

I've let my body go to hell and I'm not even retired . If it's any consolation I own two Honda's and love them.

Thanks for sharing the information. I really need to get going with some weight training to get into better shape.

My motivation was turning old. Never gave it a minutes thought when I turned 40 . . . 50 . . . and then 60. But, when I turned 64 it hit me like a Mac truck . . . in just one more year I will be an old person, on Medicare! Turning 65 has been difficult for me, and USPSA didn't help any . . . a super senior?!

Making the change wasn't easy. Fact is, it was hard, REAL hard. My biggest challenge has been diet and nutrition. I am finally at the point where meal servings are half the size they were a year ago. Snacks? Not after supper! Nothing goes in my mouth until breakfast. This is an ongoing challenge, which I still break occasionally.

When it came to working out, I made a rule that I could not dry fire until after working out. If I decided to skip a day, had to skip dry fire too. (insert a gigantic about of discipline here!). Later on, I made another rule where I had to do at least 15 workouts in the 30 days prior to a monthly match. That number was then increased to 20 workouts. Now, I am so motivated, and feel so much better after working out, it isn't even an issue. I still mark them on the calendar though!

Don't put it off Zack. Get after it!

[Reshoot]

Whew, what a week! Came down with a head cold, plus an ear infection. I'm thinking maybe I should use an old Gordon Flightfoot song, "Sundance", to come up with a theme song. Yeah, there is this lyric that goes . . . "sometimes I thinks it's a sin, when I feel like I'm winning when I'm loosing again".

It has been 7 days since my last dry fire session, and today I am feeling good enough to give it a go. Why, I might even slip outside and squeeze off a few rounds at a steel plate! After all, it is a warm 51 degrees!

I did struggle through two workouts, this past week, and did a full workout this morning. Was able to avoid putting any weight back on too!

[Reshoot]

This week in review:

My activity level quickly returned to 100% on Monday. I started the week off with an upper body workout, then alternated with legs and back. By Friday I was back up to previous weights and reps. Squats, with a 100# barbell suck! 2 sets of 15 reps and I can hardly catch my breathe. Makes for some good cardio!

Only down side, to my health, is no hearing in my right ear. Infection cleared up but, doc is sending me to an ENT specialist. Can not get in until the 20th. Sure hope this is not permanent!

I am faster, and smoother, in most of my dry fire drills, which makes me very happy! Shaving .1 second off many drills . . . others need much work. The thing that pleased me most is my 10 yard draw. I have been stuck at a 1.0 second draw since June 2013. But, I accomplished a solid .9 draw on Thursday. Woot, woot!

I do firmly believe my dry fire progress is a direct result of an increase in upper body strength. Which is excellent motivation to work out even harder.

[Reshoot]

Week of February 10th, in review:

I seemed to have hit a brick wall, at the beginning of the week, regarding workouts and weight loss. I could not ad weight, nor reps, the first four days, and I put 3 pounds back on . . . ugh!

Yesterday it all changed, and I was able to add weight to some exercises and increased reps in others. I know, I know . . . this is to be expected! Then, I made a change to my diet today. Breakfast: 8 ounces of V8 and my usual 8 ounce brown rice protein shake. I will have another 8 ounces of V8 for lunch, and a full supper.

Only did two dry fire sessions, for the week, letting a gun build get in the way ( WW II era long gun). On Thursday, I shot 40 rounds at a 30 yard plate, with no improvement to my 5 shot group size . . . no big deal. Only did that live fire, in the cold and snow, in preparation for tomorrow's match at Rayners.

That's going to be a challenge! A whole bunch of snow on the ground, with 3 fresh inches over night. A bit more expected tonight, and tomorrow morning temperature in the upper teens. I am going only because it has been so long since the last match, and there is no real start time . . . form a squad when you get there. My estimated arrival time is 11 AM ~ noon. No doubt it will be hilarious!

[Reshoot]

The match;

Other than cold fingers, I stayed nice and warm during the 5 stage match. Being an avid winter hunter helped me determine how to dress, for the twenty-something temps. I shot really slow, but them I expected that, with all those clothes and Rocky hunting boots.

I shot way too many C's, just below the lower A zone. I was hitting low last week, in live fire, but thought I had that fixed. Will have to re-zero this week. I also had 10 makeup shots on steel . . . white targets against the snow covered back ground . . . ugh! On the up side, I finished the match with no penalties, no mikes and good hits on every disappearing targets,

I had to rack the slide once, on the first stage. She ran fine the remainder of the match. It was the first match with the Leupold Delta Point, and I was pleased with the sight.

My goal going into the match was high scoring Super Senior. But, Carolyn doesn't usually get the scores posted for 3 ~ 4 days.

My brass is still laying somewhere in the snow. I wasn't about to make my fingers even more numb, by picking up those few I could see.