How Often Do You Actually Practice?

[markm]

How is shooting a local match not practice?

I have never had a practice session where I tell myself to "Standby", wait for the buzzer and have my heart rate increase 20BPM, or have my hands become clammy or sweaty. That is not something I can achieve in practice... O.K. so I have no imigination!

If we could practice shooting with a shot of adrenlin, then I think we would get somewhere.

I understand practicing a "Skill set" at the range or in dry fire practice, but nothing and I feel nothing can compare with the experience or practice of shooting in a match. How many of you guys can dry fire draws sub 1 sec. on a 10yd target, or do sub 1 sec. reloads? Reading these forums there are a lot of you, but in a match I'll bet a dollar to a donut that most of us have never come close. Having these sets of skills, and knowing that there is no bounds to improving your abilities is invaluable, and something that we all need to strive for if we want to improve, but this is only something that you can achieve by "practicing" in a match situation.

In a practice enviroment how many of you can shoot M level El Pres.? But doing it in a match is much harder, at least for me. I have 10 guys snickering at my set up and turning draw, my transitions are for crap, I hit the reload on the edge of the mag well, yall get the picture. I really think that the MENTAL aspect is by far the hardest obstical for most shooters, and I'm not smart enough to figure out how to practice that.

Everybody is different in the way they learn and improve. Everybody has a different level of drive and commitment. So if a shooter thinks that shooting matches is their practice and they are improving, who are we to say that it is not Practice?

Mark

[rhino]

We shot the El Prez as our classifier today. BigDave shot a B-class Limited10 score.

I on the other hand tallied an unimpressive 54 points in 9.04 seconds. That's not very close to my best from last year. I'd like to be moved from C-Class to G-Class (G for Glacier).

I think the three second threshold may be a bit beyond my reach for now.

[Sam]

M-L10 M-Limitied M-CDP M-ESP

I don't know exactly, but alot more often than I bathe.

[RKooi]

Mark,

I think maybe it's just semantics here; I am not saying you don't learn things (a great many things) at local matches. I just mean that since you aren't repeating a similar skill set multiple times without any other interference, it really isn't practice. Practice to me means repetition. Maybe our definitions just differ.

We had 84 shooters at our local match yesterday including Sevigny, Goloski, Lund and several M's and GM's in the various divisions. I think I learned quite a bit along the way....but it wasn't practice.

[hopalong]

SAM,

Time for M - Revolver !!!

Then you and RON ANKENY can have more to talk about....

HOPALONG

[Sam]

Definately, Hoppy! I actually started out with a round gun. It would be cool to go back. Ron would be the great guy to train with if I ever make the jump.

[Sharyn]

LOL! I was having a conversation with Mark while replying to this topic. I agree with his response. I guess the semantics all depend on what you're practicing for...???

Roger, it's sorta hard to take you seriously with that avatar... Do you think shooting your local matches with the added pressure of awesome shooters like Sevigny. Lund and Goloski won't help you better prepare for the 'big' matches? Wouldn't you consider that a form of 'practice'? I agree that it's just semantics... but what is your ultimate goal? I think the answer to that question really defines what 'practice' is.

However... Mark, you need to practice more and quit allowing me to beat you. (maybe if the scorekeeper kept your score correctly???)

[kellyn]

Let me clarify my answer, local matches do help you prepare for larger matches: dealing with audiences, pressure, ROs, being timed by someone but in today's match, I drew the pistol 3X. Those 3 draws did nothing to improve my draw. I did 5 mag changes, those 5 mag changes did nothing to improve my mag change. The draw and mag changes that I performed were the product of my practice sessions, not shooting in matches. So I guess (for ME) matches serve as practice for shooting in matches but they don't really improve my basic shooting skills which are the result of drills and dryfire.

Master Limited

Master Open

[RKooi]

Kelly summed it up better than I could just above. That is what I meant.

Hi Sharyn, I don't think shooting alongside great shooters causes any pressure, but that is another topic. Besides Dave, Julie and Erik all put their pants on one leg at a time just like me! (Well maybe not Erik...that boy is just not right )

If your goal is to improve fundamentals of shooting like the draw, reloads, etc. then a match is a poor place to do that. If your goal is to create match conditions to challenge your resolve, nerves and test your current skills then a match (any match) is a great place to do that. If your goal is to have a great time with super folks then a match is the best place to practice that!

[Tom Freeman]

When I am pushing hard, like getting ready for a big match, my dry fire goes to 20-40 minutes every other day. The other days its 200-250 rounds of live fire.

When just plugging along the off months, its maybe one day a week of live fire and a monthly match.

As others have said, matches are not practice. They are just practice dealing with self imposed stress and using what you have learned.

M Limited

GM Production

[dghboy315]

wow, i thought you all practiced way more than me (2-3 times a wk dry fire and live fire). but it looks like i'm right in the mean.

i always felt bad b/c i could not put more time into practicing b/c of school and work, but seeing this poll makes me feel much better. maybe i can start to become competative this year, even w/ my limited time.

[schmitz]

2 times per week life fire, on Sundays: reloads, draws, picking gun of table mag on belt etc.

Every Wednesday: IPSC-stages: transitions etc. with the members of my Shooting Team "Smoke and Hope".

I would like to train more but I have to run my firm, so that takes the rest of my time. No extra time or energy for dry-fire practise

Kind regards, nice poll btw!

[mcoliver]

Mid of 2001 up until Nov of last year, I dry fired almost every night during weekdays and shot a match or live fire practiced on sunday. A week before a match I normally push my sched to include morning dry fire on top of the evening sessions.

Then something happened. Now, preparing for a match entails opening the gun case and ammo boxes the night before to make sure everything is there.

I think I need a new gun so I can dry fire again.

[Harmon]

match every weekend,

two trips to the range for live fire per week(practice session may only be 50 rounds, but its 50 serious rounds of serious practice.

dryfire 4-5 days of the week.

B class production(went from unclassified production, to C class and then B in 6months)

about to make B in limited and L10.

The Area 4 match is just around the corner, so i will be practicing "like a man possessed"

i can see expenditures exceed 500 rounds a week in the near future.

[short_round]

Each shot you take is the culmination of every shot you have ever taken whether they were in practice or competiton.

If someone made me diffentiate I would say live/dry fire helps train fundamentals and matches train technique. It's like milk and cookies, beer and pretzels, peanuts and chocolate, coffee and donuts. They're okay apart, but together they can't be beat.

Each shot does not know if it was fired in practice or competition. If it cared at all it would care if it hit or missed.

[Kory]

I pretty much quit practicing at the local range after my membership expired. Within a month, my match scores improved noticably. For me, the difference between practice, and a match is so great that they had little to do with one another. About the only thing I was really able to wok on in practice was slowfire accuracy shooting.

I just can't get my mind into the same conditions at practice as I get at a match. No pressure, no adrenaline, not very similar to match conditions.

In the last 3 months, I don't think I have put 250 rounds downrange without somebody holding a timer behind me.

The improvement for me: I no longer get the LAMR jitters. there is no longer a dichotomy between shooting for practice, and shooting in a match.

My fundamentals haven't eroded enough yet to make up that difference, yet.

[redmercury2]

MATCHES ARE DEFINITELY NOT PRACTICE SESSIONS FOR ME,practice is repetitious skills oriented,where matches are practice what you preach.

[AT]

I try to dry fire 2 - 3 times a day. I also use the "dots" that Matt Burkett recommends to work on my eye speed. I do this several times a daywhile I'm talking to customers on the phone.

Also, I try to work on the mental aspects of competing by reading and rereading my notes from my collection of books and DVD's written by various shooters such as Brian Enos, Matt Burkett, Lanny Bassham and Jerry Barnhart.

If you're an office weanie like me, Jerry recommends using the grip exerciser. I have recently purchased one of these and use it as I drive back and forth to work.

[Froz2death]

I try to dry fire 2 - 3 times a day. I also use the "dots" that Matt Burkett recommends to work on my eye speed. I do this several times a daywhile I'm talking to customers on the phone.

Also, I try to work on the mental aspects of competing by reading and rereading my notes from my collection of books and DVD's written by various shooters such as Brian Enos, Matt Burkett, Lanny Bassham and Jerry Barnhart.

If you're an office weanie like me, Jerry recommends using the grip exerciser. I have recently purchased one of these and use it as I drive back and forth to work.

What type of grip exercisor are you using? I'm currently using a gyro exercisor that is awesome....has anyone else tried one of these? Dyna-Flex

[zhunter]

I try to dry fire 2 - 3 times a day. I also use the "dots" that Matt Burkett recommends to work on my eye speed. I do this several times a daywhile I'm talking to customers on the phone.

Also, I try to work on the mental aspects of competing by reading and rereading my notes from my collection of books and DVD's written by various shooters such as Brian Enos, Matt Burkett, Lanny Bassham and Jerry Barnhart.

If you're an office weanie like me, Jerry recommends using the grip exerciser. I have recently purchased one of these and use it as I drive back and forth to work.

What type of grip exercisor are you using? I'm currently using a gyro exercisor that is awesome....has anyone else tried one of these? Dyna-Flex

Been using one of those for years, they are GREAT!!!!! Works fingers, hands, wrists, and forearms!!!!

[Mike_Kerr]

This is a very informative thread. Thanks.

[codyb]

I dry fire about 4 times a week and live fire once, (varies by season) would love to live fire more but time is a premium for me. For me the greatest dividends are paid in dry fire, even when I am able to live fire as much as I like, I see better results from time spent dryfiring. Toss in a little study time mabey an hour 5 times a week(books, dvds, and internet) and you have my routine.

Cody

[gmshtr]

I just practiced last weekend, on Saturday AND Sunday. Shot about 150 rounds per session. Plus, got some practice on Steel afterwards on Sunday.

Of course, flying all the way down to Frostproof, FL just for practice was pretty nuts!

BTW, it's ALL practice until the World Shoot!

For the benefit of Zhunter, much of your practice can be done through dry-firing. To learn mechanics and footwork, it's great. Live fire can be used to apply those learned mechanics towards following the sights WHILE executing them. Since 3/1/01, I've only shot 8,850 rounds in dedicated practice sessions, and 32,750 rounds TOTAL (including practice, locals, and majors). That comes out to about 46 rounds per week of actual live fire practice. The most rounds I've ever fired in one session was 400, and that was about 150 rounds too many. I usually keep my sessions to 200-250 rounds...if they ever happen at all!

Remember, shooting is simply applying techniques you already know how to execute. Your dry fire exercises should be almost the same as your live fire ones.

Now that I've got some ammo to practice with (thanks to Atlanta Arms & Ammo), I've got to find the time to shoot it. Yeah, right!

Take care

[zhunter]

gmshtr

Great post, thanks, that's the type of info I was looking for!!!

[Rocket35]

B class Production

With the information gained from Matt Burkett and Steve Anderson, I have compiled a rather intense dryfire routine. It consists of 340 draws, 170 reloads and 110 transitions. I began this daily routine 1 week before the WIIT in Illinois this Feb. and won the match in B class. I have limited USPSA match experience, so I think it made a tremensous difference. I have since downgraded to running that routine to 3 times a week, so I don't burn myself out. Livefire is hard for me to afford finacially, so I save ammo for matches for the match experience I need! For livefire I shoot 2-3 USPSA league matches and 4 club matches starting in March. Like I said, this routine has just started last Jan. So we will see what I will be able to accomplish this year.