Training "wrong".

[Therealkoop]

This is something I see mentioned often, but never extrapolated upon. As a "self taught" shooter I dont have any real reference for what Im doing aside from match scores. My times have improved drastically over the last year, but Im still curious what some examples of "training wrong" could be and if I might be limiting myself in the long run by having poor technique.

[Hi-Power Jack]

There's another posting right now re: training - you might start by

reading that ...

Consensus is that we mostly spend too much time with the draw,

and not enough time diagnosing the factors that are holding US

back - and working on those skills.

I know I spent years "practicing", but never shot while moving,

as an example.

[Nimitz]

Training 'wrong' refers to 'how' you train more than 'what' you are training. Sure, if you just practice 10 yd draws to an open target every day you are training incorrectly but that's not really it. It's the analytical process you go thru during training. Is this your typical training session?

Show up at the range and decide on a couple of drills to do for the day (maybe you selected them beforehand)

Shoot all the drills (maybe you decided on the number of reps beforehand, maybe not)

Record you times and hits

Go home

That is training incorrectly

A better approach would be:

- First identify you weaknesses and prioritize them based on your shooting goals

- Develop a training plan to address those specific weaknesses (select drills that work on specific things)

- During training you should be setting Par times for a drill and then trying to make those times. Simply shooting and recording the time typically won't help you shoot faster with better points, you need a goal to work towards

- work on shooting accurately at speed all the time. Slowing down to get your hits doesn't work. being accurate is irrelevant if you can't do it fast and you won't learn to shoot fast if you don't try to shoot fast.

- analyze every rep you shoot. if you didn't meet your par time with all alphas, why not? Figure out what you did wrong and try to correct it on the next rep.

- Video you sessions so you can go back and actually see what you are doing. Is you weak hand wrist actually locked at a 45deg angle once you form your grip? Where is the magwell in relation to your vision and weak hand during the reload? Are you moving your entire body while shooting and array of 4 targets or just rotating your upper body?

- take good notes during the session about what you did so when you get home you can analyze the session as prep for the next session, including dry fire

- are you doing a comprehensive dry fire program to complement your live fire training? 5 dry fire trigger pulls for every 1 live round sent down range? Unless you plan to put 100,000 rds/yr down range you'll never shoot enough to improve your gun handling skills without lots and lots of dry fire. I shoot 600 rds/week live fire in 3 sessions, you can do the math on how much dry fire is going on to complement that.

- Finally, get ahold of Ben Stoeger's books and read them, several times if necessary. he goes into great detail about how to train correctly, I've literally just scratched the surface here .... good luck

[Therealkoop]

Thanks Nimitz/hi-po thats what I was looking for. I typically recap every match I shoot and think about at least 1 thing I totally sucked at, and then I go out and figure out why and fix it. Now that its the off season I start to lose direction a little.

It looks like Im doing okay based on that, the only thing I see that I dont usually do is set a specific par time in advance. What I do however is shoot whatever drill or stage I have set up at a good pace with perfect hits, and then record that as a baseline time which I then attempt to reduce. I also dryfire every weeknight to supplement my training.

Ill pick up some extra reading material to help figure out where to go from here.

Thanks

Edited November 11, 2014 by Therealkoop

[wamcei]

Some great info there guys!

[Nimitz]

Lots of people spend lots of time sending lots of bullets down range and don't get any better becuase they were never taught how to train correctly. It is NOT an easy process and requires hard work to improve. THE most important thing for the process to work is to set realistic goals based on your personal situtation, interests and resources.

For example, If you are currently a B class shooter who shoots a couple of times a month and dry fires a few times a month and have set a goal to become a GM within the next 12 months you have a serious wake up call coming. More likely you will just get frustrated with your lack of process and give up.

Mike Seeklander once told me that most people never make A class not because it is difficult but because they get frustrated and quite trying ...

[pcg]

Great thread. Great advice.

[Cobra99]

One thing I would recommend, and I think if you can do it will help a lot.

Find a class with an instructor in the sport and have him diagnose any bad habits you may have.

You only know what you know, but if you can tap what they know you'll make dramatic advancements. Especially if you follow all of Nimitz advice.

Good luck.

Sent from my iPad using Tapatalk

[GMANROD]

Nimitz - I needed to hear your posts! Been competing 5 months. Attempting to focus on certain aspects to improve. Thanks for the direction and advice!

I was invited out last year by a coworker, to shoot a USPSA Match..I got hooked, bought a reloader, Glock 34, Taran Tactical Magwell,etc...You guys know the rest of the story!

I can't get enough of this sport!

Thanks

[AngryFive0]

One thing I did was find a local shooter who was better than me (by a lot, GM) and just asked for help. The main thing I learned was how to train and how to "shoot" USPSA. One thing I have been doing is looking at match video, comparing the stages to the better shooters and coming up with a month of dry fire and live fire drills based on that.

Example: I was loosing alot of time and my actual shooting was just as fast. I was moving fast but extremely inefficient moving in and out of positions. So for a month my main focus was getting into and out of shooting positions. Seems to be helping, won overall at a local match for the first time in November.

[Kali]

If you are practicing a specific technique that might be technically wrong, you are training yourself to do that wrong technique very well. It would be better not to practice. I think it was Saul Kirsch who related it to ruts in a road. If you drive over a path over and over, you create a rut that is hard to get out of. This is great if its the correct rut, but if its the wrong rut.... Or something like that. Its important to burn in good repetitions, thats why everyone suggests taking a class with a good instructor, to set you in the right direction before you start burning it in.

[Kali]

It's the analytical process you go thru during training.

IMO you need the analytical thinking mind to refine your technique and plot your course, but there are points in the training where you are simply burning in good repetition. This is where you are transferring theory and thought into meditative action and "get lost" in the training. To me, this is the most rewarding and why I enjoy the training.

Edited December 8, 2014 by Kali