aahunt03 Posted August 18, 2014 Share Posted August 18, 2014 What is the single best thing you have done to improve your shooting abilities. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
alma Posted August 18, 2014 Share Posted August 18, 2014 Practice Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kneelingatlas Posted August 18, 2014 Share Posted August 18, 2014 Practice Ain't that the truth, I just can't seem to make time for it. To the OP: there's no one magic bullet because each shooter has their own strengths and weaknesses. This sport presents mental, physical and technical challenges; in switch area to you find yourself most lacking? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jman Posted August 18, 2014 Share Posted August 18, 2014 Practiced what some of the best shooters I compete with taught me. You don't want to practice bad habits. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Nimitz Posted August 18, 2014 Share Posted August 18, 2014 Train the way Ben Stoeger taught me to .... Specifically, give up the idea that you need to learn to shoot accuractly and the speed will eventually come .... It will never come, you must force yourself to learn to shoot accuractly AT SPEED ... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ZackJones Posted August 18, 2014 Share Posted August 18, 2014 Video. Shooting video of matches and training sessions really helps you to pinpoint areas where you are not performing as well as you can. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Sarge Posted August 19, 2014 Share Posted August 19, 2014 Steve Anderson's Dry fire workbooks. Now if I can only remember where I put it. lol Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
rowdyb Posted August 19, 2014 Share Posted August 19, 2014 first and foremost making it a priority so i then budgeted the time and money needed to accomplish the goals i made for myself. secondly, being able to self monitor and self teach. at a certain point you have to be responsible for teaching yourself. finally, shooting matches every week. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
aahunt03 Posted August 19, 2014 Author Share Posted August 19, 2014 wow, these are all great points. thanks everyone Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CSStreett Posted August 20, 2014 Share Posted August 20, 2014 Video. Shooting video of matches and training sessions really helps you to pinpoint areas where you are not performing as well as you can.+1. I've always Hated watching myself on video, but It really does make a difference. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CHA-LEE Posted August 20, 2014 Share Posted August 20, 2014 Practicing (live and dry) the shooting and movement challenges we face during match conditions. For example, there are a lot of one shot draw dry fire hero's out there that spend a crap ton of time honing that single skill. The thing they don't realize is that skill will rarely ever be used during a match. Ask yourself this, how many match stages have you shot where you draw and break a single shot then immediately bring the gun back down or re holster? The answer is NEVER. So why waste a crap ton of time practicing this useless skill? You would be far better served by dry firing draws as you are taking a step or two into a shooting position. Drawing while taking a step IS what we are regularly tasked with doing during matches. Assess what you are doing during practice sessions and eliminate the things that are not relevant to what you do in a match. Replace those wasteful training drills with realistic training scenarios that leverage skills you will regularly need during a match. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Iowashooter Posted August 23, 2014 Share Posted August 23, 2014 PracticeThis Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Chris iliff Posted August 23, 2014 Share Posted August 23, 2014 When I hear the old "slow is smooth and smooth is fast" or "get your hits speed will come" bull crap that gets spouted at nearly every match attended, I throat punch the offender. Then I loudly scream "you hate competition" as I kick them repeatedly while performing a Mexican Hat dance on the offender. This, I have found, has been the single most important lesson, IMHO. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
toothguy Posted August 23, 2014 Share Posted August 23, 2014 What is the single best thing you have done to improve your shooting abilities. Standing and shooting groups while concentrating on the front sight. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CSStreett Posted August 23, 2014 Share Posted August 23, 2014 PracticeThis +1. (just as long as your Not practicing bad habits) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
a matt Posted August 25, 2014 Share Posted August 25, 2014 Taking a class. From a GREAT teacher. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ericridebike Posted August 25, 2014 Share Posted August 25, 2014 For me, dry fire practice. I don't get the opportunity to get out to the range for live fire nearly as much as I like, so dry fire is the next best thing I can do to work on my skills. Also a benefit if your ammo budget is low or for whatever reason ammo or ammo components are hard to find. And since I can do it right in the house, I can squeeze in time for it easily. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
leath4m Posted August 25, 2014 Share Posted August 25, 2014 A rang diary is also very helpful in identifying where you are slow. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CZinSC Posted August 25, 2014 Share Posted August 25, 2014 Taking a class. From a GREAT teacher. this, followed by a lot of dry fire. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
TerryT Posted August 26, 2014 Share Posted August 26, 2014 Switched from IDPA to USPSA. The level of USPSA competition in my area is head and shoulders above IDPA and forced me to get way more serious in my training just to compete. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Hi-Power Jack Posted August 26, 2014 Share Posted August 26, 2014 What is the best thing you have done to improve your shooting abilities. Depends on your current level. Where are you spending more time than the better shooters? Reloads, shooting while moving, accuracy? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
ToddKS Posted August 28, 2014 Share Posted August 28, 2014 Dry fire practice. My range time is pretty limited but I can dry fire as much as I like. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BeerBaron Posted August 29, 2014 Share Posted August 29, 2014 It will be different for everyone. I agree with cha-lee that a lot of guys over emphasis skills that aren't crucial to a match. like DA trigger work and practicing DA shots. here in IPSC in a 250 round match there will be a max of 10 DA shots for a production shooter. so that's 240 SA and 10 DA, but guys spend inordinate amounts of time drawing and DA live fire. for me 3 big breakthroughs were as follows: changing my glasses. I was wearing glasses with small lenses and a half frame (just a top frame). with my head slightly down I was basically looking straight into the frame. this was causing me to tilt my head back a bit to get my eyes looking through the middle of the lense. not good. using frameless now and much better. dry fire. practicing my 'index' to the point where i can draw eyes closed, open them and the front sight is sitting there right in the rear notch for me. again, close eyes and transition. open eyes, sight is there. so that was about muscle memory. video: getting some POV cam onto my training as well as 3rd person cam too where possible. it really helps me figure out what I was actually doing in training as my memory is often: "LAMR, BEEP fast blur of running and shooting IYAF-ULASC"... I use the video to fill out that middle bit. Where were my hands? how was my grip? what did I fumble a mag change... where could I have improved etc. Before doing those 3 things I basically shot and practiced for a year going no where. started doing that stuff and suddenly had no more 'odd misses', no more wasted back up shots etc. Got much more confident. It's a different process for everyone though. I think a class will help as will getting some intelligent structure into your training (both live and dry). Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BSeevers Posted August 29, 2014 Share Posted August 29, 2014 Made the decision to become a good shooter Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
seanc Posted August 29, 2014 Share Posted August 29, 2014 There are alot of single things. First was committing to the process and then committing the time. Committing to the process means for example, you get Ben's book and you do it without "making it better". Everyone has this thing where they see someones process and before they have spent 1 second trying it they are going to "make it better". Don't do that, commit to the process. A single specific skill set though was working on much hard shots for a long time. In early 2013 I spent months and months not shooting anything closer than 25 yards and a significant amount of ammo at 50 yards, first with no time pressure, then going faster. This makes you a better shooter obviously and for me that translated into confidence at matches. Doing that made it so I was never "afraid" of any shot/target at a match since... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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