Accelerated learning

[JD45]

You know that colleges do this, and some big names in shooting have done similar.

What I am talking about is a learning phase that I hear that Barnhart once did. He shot a .45 for thirty days straight, 400rds per day. All of us can't afford to go quite that far, but you see what I mean.

Assuming that a shooter has the basics behind him, would shooting your annual round count in a short period of time(in a month or two) take you to higher levels?

I want to keep this short, but it isn't easy to put into words how deep I'm going with this question. For example, one USPSA shooter told me that he had been shooting for years, and last year he shot 60,000rds. He is in C class. Another has been shooting since 1980 (didn't hear round counts) and he is in A class. All of this blew my mind. I always assumed that if you have been around a while and shoot over 50,000rds in a year, that you would be getting close to the big names(not there, but close).

I can't shoot as much as they can right now, but I'm wondering if shooting like crazy for a month or two could move a shooter to a higher level than the usual two live sessions per week could.

[Pierruiggi]

I only WISH I could shoot 400 rounds..... in a month

I don't know about what you say JB did and how it works, even though I'd enjoy doing that tremendously I think it would induce burnout if you aren't careful.

As far as people shooting 50000 rounds a year since a long time..... well, its all in the quality of the training.

[achard]

I wish I could also shoot 400 rds a day, I need sponsors .

I dry fire every night and shoot 200 rounds a week (Sunday). We call it the Sunday's shooter.

[Religious Shooter]

I think it's worth a try.

BUT I think you should get professional instruction and appraisal before you do it.

Just banging 400 rounds a day isn't necessarily gonna get you there.

You should have some directed goals in the sessions.

A lot of times what you think you need to work on... isn't what you really need to work on. The fresh, experienced and professional eyes of a good instructor can help you find out what you need to zone in on.

[Sac Law Man]

For the average shooter without instruction and discipline, shooting that much is the best way to ingrain BAD habits that will take far longer to overcome. A guy like Jerry Barnhardt can do it because he is a professional and is idsciplined. Most would be training themselves to miss...

Shooting lots of rounds is no guarantee you will become a good shooter. There comes a time when becoming a good shooter becomes very mental. Then some of it depends on your physical ability...If a guy shoots 60,000 rounds a year and is still a C class shooter, he is most likely wasting lots of ammo. Obviously not getting a lot out of practice.

Now, if you are disciplined and can follow a good practice regimine, shooting a lot WILL pay off, its the quality of your practice that will carry you to the next level.

[mcoliver]

Dang! I'm lucky to even shoot 100 rounds a week.

400 rounds a day seems fun and I could probably break some barriers in my shooting if I did it.

[BSeevers]

Depends on your desire. Its more than just shooting.

Remember practice make permanent, so practice the correct technique. I coach many shooters and see some of them ingrain bad technique(not without me trying to stop them). They usually ask in a couple years "How can I make M, do a sub second draw/reload, do a sub 4 el-prez?" The answer is not fun. Unlearn. That does take 10 times as much effort. Bullets too.

[RTevolution]

You really need to focus on the quality of training in order to build consistency, speed is a bi-product and can not be forced without sacrificing consistency. Besides ballistic masturbation will put hair on your hands.

[Loves2Shoot]

Without proper training it isn't worth much. If you have proper training it can be very valuable. I've seen beginning shooters jump 1 class in 2 days (2K rounds) with very focused instruction.

I've burned 1000's of rounds with little results, and 100's of rounds with great results, it all depends on the focus and training.

If you aren't 100% sure of what you are doing, it would be better to pay someone that does then spend the $$$ on rounds you are using to form bad habits.

[benos]

While it's true that you must practice quite a bit to get really good, that doesn't mean that if you practice a lot you will get good.

Without a teacher, the missing ingredient (in the above) may be found in one's attitude. Shooters that move into Master/GM class, in 1 - 3 years without instruction, tend to have an innate ability to figure out a few things on their own.

What must be done in order to consistently shoot good scores? Is always shooting as fast as possible the answer? Is taking all the time needed to always shoot A's the answer? Or is the answer found somewhere between the two? And how do you find that out? By ceaselessly asking questions till the end of time? By reading everything you can find that may relate - even if it doesn't have anything to do with shooting? By carefully studying and evaluating each practice session and each stage in every match you shoot? By experimenting, experimenting, and experimenting some more until you're without doubt as to the best way to handle each situation a match throws at you? These are just a few questions the serious student will delve into, in addition to practicing and dry-firing until your hands bleed.

be

[carinab]

It's not science till you measure it. Excellent IPSC shooting isn't advanced techniques but advanced application of basic technique. Establish basic drills, establish your average times/scores for those drills, record same and experiment with those drills. Awareness of what is happening as you shoot is also good to record. If you can, video tape a practice session to see what you're doing to identify (and trouble shoot) problem areas. Always think efficiency. At a match, find the "gotcha" on the stage. You should know your skill level well enough that nothing at a match intimidates you. If it does, you have found something new to practice.