Last weekend's shoot - Where should I go for improvement?

[TerryYu]

I'm currently a 55% or so shooter and would like to see what others would recommend I work on.

Here's two stages from last weekend's match. I am shooting a CZ 75 Shadow with the first shot DA.

I was first C in prod and 3/13. 21/46 overall. Generally I felt very sluggish. It may have been the temperature, as it was about 50 degrees and falling. It really seems like I am having a ton of problems shooting on the move, cause once the timer starts I tend to run to a position and stand there.

It took me forever and a day to prep the trigger and I did a bunch of stand and shoot.

This was a bit better, but I wound up getting a miss into hard cover about 1/2 inch from brown. My hands were also freezing by the time I got to the last shooting position.

I've put some lighter springs in my gun to make the DA a bit lighter and I will be trying some dry fire while forcing myself to move more.

Any more tips? Do I currently shoot like someone who's a C, or am I a lucky D? Thanks!

[lumpygravy]

Here's what I see:

Video #1:

You get buried pretty deep into those ports. Unless the targets are positioned in such a manner that the only way to see them is to stick the gun all the way through up to your wrists (did not appear to be the case), it's unnecessary and requires you to withdraw as you proceed to the next array.

More motion = more time. Try setting up a step back and spotting up on the first target visible in the port as you and the target come into alignment.

Plus there's a certain disaster factor with bumping the gun on the prop, either in recoil or as you are exiting.

Also, on your first reload, your muzzle appeared to be nearly at the 180 (vertically). I couldn't really tell for subsequent reloads.

Video #2:

I counted six-seven steps before you completed your reload going into the last array. Essentially, you completed the reload almost as you arrived. Even though you're shooting Production with no magwell, there's probably room for some improvement there.

There's nothing wrong with stand-n-shoot if that's what it takes to get your hits.

Edited March 5, 2013 by lumpygravy

[lumpygravy]

I clicked on one of the other videos in your YouTube channel.

Compare your Video #1 with the dude in the red shirt. Notice how he keeps clear of the ports.

[TerryYu]

Thanks lumpy.

I was deep in that port when I didn't have to be. That's an issue with intentions and actually doing it. I am always talking about not crowding barrels and ports and then when the timer goes off I still do.

Same with the reload. I can do Burkett reload drills in about 0.8 seconds reliably and can reload in a couple of steps in dry fire. I think I need to dry fire shooting on the move, ports, and reloading while trying to navigate around things.

[lumpygravy]

That's buzzer really has a strange effect doesn't it?

When you do your walk through, are you all up in the port or are you setting up a step back? If your walk through is in the port then guess what? You're probably going to shoot it that way too.

One other thing: it looks like you're walking on eggshells. All that in between time is non-shooting time and should be minimised as much as possible.

Others have noticed this in my movement and tell me to move more aggressively and really motor to the next spot. I think I'm moving aggressively, but I know I can do better.

[TerryYu]

I'm going to try limited minor next weekend and see if I can make myself move faster without the distraction of constant reloading.

[LexTalionis]

Besides what has already been said, the easiest thing for you to work on would be to economize your motion. Newer shooters think that moving-while-shooting is always faster... the truth is that it is sometimes faster depending on your skill level. What's more, moving-while-shooting can actually be a liability if you fall into the mindset that you should always be moving (and thus create excess motion).

Case in point. Check out your last shooting position in video one (the spot with the barrel port). For those last five targets, I count three steps taken. You engage the first target, take two steps, engage the next three, then step back (!) to engage the last target through the barrel. From my perspective, all of those could have been engaged from a single spot. It would have been much faster (not to mention more stable) for you to rush to that spot, plant, and shoot away.

Another spot I see that could have been beneficial to plant and shoot would be at the second window port. In your run, you got deep into the port to engage the targets. Then you backed out, did an unnecessary reload, and engaged the first target on the left. The more efficient way to run this would have been to plant a couple yards back from the port, engage everything, then pivot left and engage that first target (which would have been visible from the further back position). Then reload while rushing to the last position (as stated above).

Once you have a good grasp on economy of motion in your stage breakdowns, then you can start factoring in little bits of moving-while-shooting to lower your times. But to do the latter first is to get the cart before the horse.

[TerryYu]

Good points Lex. I'll be shooting this weekend and I'll try and come up with a better stage plan.

[bigfish]

On the 1st video on the last port when you left you should have had 2 plus 1 in the gun. Instead of slowly walking to the last bit of the stage while reloading, shooting and reloading again, you could have hurried over, engage 1 target, reload and finish the stage. Either way there is going to be 1 standing reload but you could have saved a couple of seconds or on the transition without the reload at your level. If you could get reload on the move fast while moving fast then it wouldn't matter as much. Also the target through the barrel should have been engaged earlier so you wouldnt have to back up before engaging it. As you rounded the corner if you had 2 plus 1 in the gun that would have been a great place to use them. The next targets would have been close making the reload fast becuase you wouldn't have need a great sight picture to hit A's

[bigfish]

On the second video your head followed you body on the turn and draw. The first thing you need to do on the buzzer is snap the head to get eyes on target and the body will follow. Faster reloads, you need to be engaging targets as you come in to position so all you have to do is pull the trigger after you stop. You don't want to come into position, stop and then find the target. Over all your fundamentals look good, its just little things that can save you 1/4 or 1/2 a second here and there.

[TerryYu]

Great feedback bigfish.

Sadly the babysitter fell through so I'm sitting at home playing Black Ops instead of Real Shooting. I've got IDPA next weekend, which isn't anywhere close to USPSA as far as stage planning is concerned, since it's mostly dictated. I'll wind up doing better in IDPA relative to the regulars than at USPSA because I don't have to develop much of a stage plan!

[old506]

My suggestion is to get Steve Anderson's Dry Fire Book, instead of playing "black ops". That will help you clean up and see immediate gains in your draw, reloads and transitions. Don't worry about shooting on the move yet, it will come but you need to get the fundamentals down and when you do you will see all kinds of gains while still doing the run/stand/shoot thing.

After that, get Lanny Bassham's book "With Winning in Mind", that will stop you from blaming the weather. In particular, pay attention to Lanny's match that took place in a blizzard. The weather is always, always on my side. It is always something that makes me better and gives me an edge, I shoot better in the rain/snow/wind/heat/cold, that's what I do.

Keep posting your videos on this thread, I am looking forward to watching you get better.......

[TerryYu]

I've got both of those. Have to use them though!

[TerryYu]

Update:

Worked on moving during dry fire and it paid off in a big way.

Got contacts, game changer.

Just shot my club's monthly IDPA match and was lowest time overall. I shot faster than I've ever shot before and I really think it's because I've gotten over freezing over the DA and actually being able to see my slide cycle with my new contact lenses!

Had no idea how much I was being held back by my vision until I started shooting today. Previously I had to choose between shooting with both eyes open and everything being a blur or long distance vision with one eye. Didn't think that it slowed me down very much, but today the sights and the targets were so clear! Shot much faster because I could see much faster.

[a matt]

Best bang for the buck dryfire, most improvement and biggest time saver, take a class from a GOOD teacher everyone that shoots good is not a good teacher. That way you will learn the right way. It's very hard to unlearn a bad habit. Good luck.

[Nimitz]

My impression after watching your first video is that there is no sense of urgency as you are shooting. You appear to just be out for a stroll and shoot the targets when you see them.

Go to Ben Stoeger's website and watch any clip of him shooting a stage, it looks like he's being chased by a 500 lb gorilla and he has to shoot every target he ses while trying to escape ....

Whenever thre is more than 2-3 steps between targets you need to be sprinting at top speed to get there, our game is points/sec so when you are not shooting you are not earning points so you need to MOVE. Even when the distance it short you still need to be aggressive. Everything needs to be done with an extreme sense of urgency.

If you want feel what it's like to shoot aggressively consider trying this experiment at your next match .... Warning .... You may find this almost impossible to do ... Which means its definitely for you.

Pick a stage with a lot of movement, a 28-30 rd field course will do nicely. Then just shoot the stage in what Steve Anderson calls "speed mode". It is where you literally shoot as fast as you possibly can without worrying about accuracy ... You read that right. You can note your accuracy if you want but do not judge it. Your goal is to feel what it's like to 'drive the gun'. Try to be the last shooter on the stage and attempt to have the fastest time.

Now you know what it feels like to move as fast as possible through a stage so in training you can work on preserving your accuracy while attempting to recreate the speed you achieved in speed mode.

Sounds crazy but it works. At Area 6 last month after shooting day 1 at 93.5% pts shot, my ammo failed to make PF at the start of day 2 ... But instead of being really upset that I would no longer be getting a score I saw a golden opportunity to shoot the rest of the match in speed mode. You should of seen the look on my squadmates faces when I shot the first stage after chrono (a little 12 rd course requiring you to move between 2 walls) in under 9 secs. I had to explain to them what I was up to .... That would normally have taken me 15-20 secs in my usual match mode ....