jabbermurph Posted January 28, 2014 Share Posted January 28, 2014 (edited) I had a breakthrough this Sunday while shooting an All Steel USPSA Match. 4th stage of the day...was having ups and downs, and I stumbled upon my greatest weakness. Transitioning, I feel, is one of the hardest aspects of this game. It is hard to separate the conscious mind from physically moving the gun. Let's break down the scene. Stepped into the box, deep breath in, hard full exhale out. Hands dropped to sides, eyes focus a death stare on the first plate. My mind drifts off...and it was like watching a movie. BEEP! Hand moves to gun, not the best draw...went for the grab a bit too aggressively and my holster positioning was not ergonomic, but I allowed it to be corrected in autopilot, focus still hard on the plate. Front sight on plate, in the exact spot I'm staring, "Bang-ding," followed by 10 more in the most symphonic rhythm I have experienced to date. Gun is dry, just as planned in the etching of my stage visualization. I step and turn, as a fresh mag enters the gun, and face the bowling pin-like set up of 5 more poppers and a big plate above and behind the center....my eyes staring a 9mm sized hole in the popper farthest left. 6 more beautifully articulated "bang-dings," as if my Shadeaux's spittle was a mallet on a popperesque steel drum. RO yells, "Now that's how you do it, ULSC. Slide, hammer, holster. Time: 10.61 " Wowzers!!! I don't even recall pulling the trigger, or even initiating the reload. All I saw was the steel, front sight, and the magwell as I slammed the freshy in. It was surreal. Blazing fast seems like molasses in the polar vortex....and it feels absolutely amazing And it dawned on me...I never consciously moved the gun, nor did I consciously change focal planes. I just looked from plate to plate, popper to popper....and the front sight followed on it's own. I have found myself guilty, more often than not, of being aware of my shift in focus from the front sight to the next target....almost as if I ever so slightly lift my head before the transition. This is all starting to truly sink in, as with most learning experiences, as time passes and my mind replays the event. The transition is ALL 100% in the eyes! The body moves where the mind tells it to go, and the mind knows where to go through the picture of sight. I am only a B class shooter, but I know I have great potential, and other more experienced and highly classed shooters in my area have noticed it as well. Just gotta keep on grindin' and enjoying the ride! Just wanted to share.....I'm now more in love with shooting than I ever was....and I fall deeper than before every time I put on the belt. Edited January 28, 2014 by jabbermurph Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
a matt Posted January 29, 2014 Share Posted January 29, 2014 Rock n roll Brotha !! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Reshoot Posted January 29, 2014 Share Posted January 29, 2014 I good feeling, isn't it! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
msg73 Posted February 2, 2014 Share Posted February 2, 2014 You should post this in the 'Zen' sub-forum as it seems like you've found it. Question is, can you hold onto it??? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
jabbermurph Posted February 2, 2014 Author Share Posted February 2, 2014 You should post this in the 'Zen' sub-forum as it seems like you've found it. Question is, can you hold onto it??? Stay tuned... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CHA-LEE Posted February 2, 2014 Share Posted February 2, 2014 The real question you need to ask yourself when trying to perfect transitions is where the transition movement is being driven from. Most C, B, and even A class shooters transition target to target using their arms or waist. The transition movement should be performed by your legs at your knees. Transitioning with your legs/knees allows you to aggressively move between targets but more importantly smoothly and accurately stop the gun on your next target exactly where your aiming spot is without overshooting it. This greatly improves the function of looking to the next target for an aiming spot then driving the sights to that place aggressively and stopping the sights right on the aiming spot. They physical gun movement speed between targets while transitioning with your arms/waist verses your legs/knees is usually the same velocity and time. The main difference is the ability to stop accurately and aggressively on your next targets aiming spot while using your legs/knees. Basically using your legs/knees to transition allows you to break the next shot sooner because you are not waiting for the sights to settle onto your aiming spot like what usually happens when you transition with your arms/waist. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CHA-LEE Posted February 2, 2014 Share Posted February 2, 2014 The below video is a very good example of Todd Jerrett transitioning properly with his legs/knees. The below video is a very good example of another shooter shooting the exact same classifier improperly with his arms/waist. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=V3fMXYBvKjU Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
DoubleL Posted February 2, 2014 Share Posted February 2, 2014 Insane-o transition speed in that Jerrett video. You can see how his stance rotates from below the picture. His head/shoulders/gun positioning is rock solid! The practice that must have taken to achieve!! Thanks for posting that! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
benos Posted February 11, 2014 Share Posted February 11, 2014 You should post this in the 'Zen' sub-forum as it seems like you've found it. Question is, can you hold onto it??? Trying to hold onto it will ensure that you will loose it:D:) (That is a universal principle.) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Craig N Posted February 12, 2014 Share Posted February 12, 2014 I love the disconnected runs where everything is on auto pilot. They are few and far between for me but it seems I remember them better, like watching a movie. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BillD Posted February 20, 2014 Share Posted February 20, 2014 Doing small transitions from below the waist seems counterintuitive. Of course, mine suck so I should read more, type less. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
bigstick0000 Posted February 24, 2014 Share Posted February 24, 2014 Try this if you can. If you have access to a pair of plate racks and another shooter this will help you on your focus. Two shooters, each with their own plate rack. When the buzzer goes off you both shoot at your plates. I had a problem when I did the first couple of man on man shoot offs . I found myself watching the other guys plates while he beat me. Then after I discovered my problem was focus and blocking out other things I had a huge improvement. B class shooter? I am a b class shooter and this summer I placed first in many steel matches, including master shooters. I also took first in the state in the state steel speed shooting championship. Steel can teach you a lot about drawing, target acquisitioning and when to speed up and hit your targets. Draw and dry fire. Draw and dryfire. Check out berrys 1st big steel match coming up in april in st George Utah. Will be awesome. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Kool Aid Posted February 27, 2014 Share Posted February 27, 2014 Myself and a few other B classers took a class with Cha Lee last year, and he pointed out we were all transitioning mostly with our arms, not our legs. I suppose this is relatively common for shooters who spend most of their time training within the confines of a single shooting lane. In class, I had trouble grasping the technique because I was transitioning so much faster and harder that I was blowing past targets. It took some practice to dial in the technique, but my transitions are much faster now. I've watched several videos of the best Steel Challenge shooters, and they all pivot hard below the waist on wide transitions. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ridenrunwv Posted February 27, 2014 Share Posted February 27, 2014 Just wanted to say thanks to those that posted the tips about transitioning with legs rather than arms and waist. I'm new to USPSA and trying to learn things correctly the first time to keep from developing bad habits. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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