How Often Do You Actually Practice?

[zhunter]

Being a newbie, I am interested in knowing the truth of the various classification levels of our forum members.

So, please, if you reply to this thread, also list your classification with the reply.

This should be interestion to see how practice truly correlates to classification levels.

Looking forward to your thoughts.

[diehli]

How 'bout once or twice every 6 months?

I shoot local matches. Is that practice?

[JFD]

B class L-10.

I work 75 hours a week and manage to get 4 hours of live fire per week. I do think about it a lot though.

Steve's book mocks me almost daily.

I've GOT to start dry firing.

[Fireant]

I'm a B class limited shooter. I only get to live fire at matches. I went from U to B in well under a year, but have been stuck there since. I think you can get to B class with minimal practice, but you cannot get out without lots of practice.

[shred]

Mod Note: I added a couple more options for the non-practicers among us

[Loves2Shoot]

Master - Limited, L10

It depends, everyday I touch a gun for about the last 4 years. Live fire varies. Before a big match I'll shoot every day 50-250 rounds for 2-3 weeks before the match.

I shot 40-50K rounds a year for 3 years, (in 03 I sent over 75+K rounds into the dirt) now I think I'm at a point I don't think I "need" to shot as many rounds, or I just don't see the return so I don't spend the $$$.

Religious dry fire has been much more helpful then even shooting every day. I did do that for 4 months straight once. It really helped me shoot more relaxed, but I noticed I got lazy with sending rounds downrange, and that's not good. What you do in practice you will do in a match

[kellyn]

Matches aint practice. You cannot focus on a skill and build upon it. Matches are the chance to show off the skills you've developed in practice.

For me it depends on the time of the year, for the next few months I'll probably be burning 500+ rounds a week but come June it will slow down.

[Bill Schwab]

Depends a lot on the time of year for me. In the winter maybe 1-4 times a week (combo of dry-fire and live fire), but in the summer I live fire 3-4 times a week and dry fire almost every day.

[hopalong]

A-class Limited

A-class Revolver

for the last year I have been shooting Revolver, when I first started on it I shot live fire once a week and dry fire 3 times a week.

During the winter time I lay off to clear my head, think about the past year and refocus on the coming year, not just shooting but the job, relationships ect.

Now I am getting ready for the Florida Open and the year in general and am getting 3 - 4 dry fires and 2 live fire practice in a week(depending on the weather)

and try to get 2 or 3 matches in a month to see how to incorporate the skill advances into an actuall match.

Kelly N has it correct. Matches are not supposed to be practice, practice is to work on a certain skill or skill sets or learning how it works with other skills, matches are where you put them together (or at least try to in my case).

Hope that helps in any way.

Hopalong

[Shooter Grrl]

Matches aint practice. You cannot focus on a skill and build upon it. Matches are the chance to show off the skills you've developed in practice.

I disagree Kelly. I use local matches to practice for larger matches. And I do focus on a skill at each local match

[rhino]

Matches are my "practice" too.

C Limited, Limited-10, D Open

I did dry fire practice maybe twice last year. This year, none so far!

[RKooi]

A Open. I don't live fire practice even though I live just 20 minutes from my home club. I can count on one hand the number of times I busted some rounds there outside of a monthly match last year. Dry fire; not really. I get the gun out, point it at the TV, light switches etc. Find my sight picture with it in the strong hand and weak hand even! I own Steve's book; I just have no discipline

I shoot 2-3 monthly matches and a two stage indoor match maybe twice a month. I have to agree with Kelly though, that really doesn't constitute practice as you are not ingraining a skill during a match. Oh well. I said it. I think I need a 12 step program to break the addiction to laziness.

Frostproof here I come

[SiG Lady]

I tend to agree that matches ARE a form of practice... like, practicing how NOT to rush or how NOT to get nervous. But it IS much different than a private practice session where you have time to focus way down on very specific things.

If I could afford to practice 'live' more than once a week I most certainly would! It's a money thing. Dammit.

[TriggerT]

A Class L-10

I try for 4-5 times a week dryfire, and 1-3 times a week live fire about 200-300 rounds. It really depends on what work is like, and if I have other things going on where I just can't find time.

[carinab]

To get to A class, it took three days a week of live fire, daily dry fire, and two matches each weekend for a couple of years (okay, maybe I'm a slow learner). During my compulsatory down time away from the range, I could only do visualizations with the occasional dry fire and local match. I managed to keep in the hunt just by thinking about it. Do not underestimate the value of practicing mentally. When sitting in the dentist chair, I try to see how long I can keep a perfect sight picture visualized. Now that I get to shoot more often, I still visualize a "perfect" stage every night before I fall asleep.

Budo!

[Tom Mainus]

Revolver-B class.

After working my day job(40-50 a week), running my own business in my free time(usually 30 a week in the summer time), Running two IPSC programs at two different gun clubs, Riding my Harley, and what was the other thing.... oh ya spending time with my wife. Practice, no chance.

[Ron Ankeny]

In the winter I dry fire 3-5 times a week and live fire 3 or 4 times a month. In the summer my personal finances determine my live fire regime. June-August I dry fire 5 times a week, live fire 4-5 times a week and shoot a club match each weekend. M class shooter.

[j1b]

GM open

M limited

[Tangram]

Got no class but practice nearly, just about daily, anyhow. Live fire once somtimes twice a week the rest dryfire.

[Sac Law Man]

I get to the Range 2 times a week..usually shoot 300-400 rounds in a practice session...I'll dry fire 3 times a week. I shoot one, match per month, somtimes two. I started this routine last summer, has really helped me..Positive practice

[Jake Di Vita]

I treat every match I go to like Nationals now. A local match is not practice because you can only run through the stage once.

I dry fire every day, and will soon be live firing about twice a week with a match normally on the weekends.

[MoNsTeR]

C Lim,Lim10; B Prod

Before I started USPSA, I was live fire practicing pretty reliably once a week, and dry firing basically never. Once I got into shooting matches, that changed to a match every week, no live fire, little dry fire. During my recent "broke grad student" phase, that changed to no matches, no live fired, dry fire as often as I can stand it.

I'm hoping once I settle in to my new job, I can get a routine of 3-4 matches a month, one serious live fire practice a month, and serious dry fire at least twice weekly.

[Sharyn]

B Open

I've been shooting USPSA for exactly a year, yesterday. I practice 2-3 x/week live fire. I think I've dry fired 2 times since I started shooting. I'm a very visual learner and I "practice perfectly" in my mind about 15 hours daily. This has gotten me where I am, but to advance further, I'm sure I'll need to kick it up a few notches.

I think that matches are a form of practice. I always pick at least one thing in particular to 'practice' at a match... for example, I've downloaded my mags to 10 rounds to practice reloads (under pressure, in a match environment). I've recently started travelling to matches within 4 hours drive so I can 'practice' getting over my shyness and timidness when shooting around people I don't know and/or in a new environment.

I think anything you want to constitute as practice, is practice. It can be a specific skill or it can be a set of skills, mental or physical. Anything you do to become a better shooter, is practice... to become a better shooter.

[kevin c]

B class L/L10/Production.

I've been B class for an obscenely long time, mostly because I've been too busy/lazy to do much other than shoot matches twice a month, and occasionally do some undirected draw and reload practice once a week.

I used to think that shooting matches was a form of practice. Now I believe the reason I didn't shoot badly back then was that I wasn't worrying about applying the latest technique that I'd been drilling on so much (no pressure). That only got me so far.

Refinement of technique, and breakthroughs in technique, I now believe take actual time at the range and at dry firing. I also think that the opinion expressed here on these forums by a lot of very advanced shooters applies to me - live fire (and dry fire, for that matter) practice should be directed, not haphazard. I need to pick a skill I want to develop, and work on it, and not just blow 300 to 500 rounds downrange, which might be fun, but won't make me better.

Slight drift - I've taken courses from some of the best (Jarrett, Burkett, Cooley). What they taught/pointed out/coached was great, but if you don't take the lessons to heart, and actually practice what they preach, the tuition becomes just so much wasted money. What has actually been very helpful for me recently is the advice of one of our local Master class shooters, who sees me shoot almost every match and practice session, and quietly takes me aside to say, "Y'know, Kevin, you really don't want to do it that way - you might want to try..."

[wide45]

B Lim

B Open

Been in B way long. Close to A, but it will take more live fire to get there.

Very little dry fire about once/month. Live fire at the range about 3 times last year.

Shoot a 2 stage pseudomatch once a week, but it makes for very poor practice.

1-3 club matches per month, 3-4 larger matches per year.