I Need Some Realistic Training Goals

[sturmruger]

I just hit my 1 year anniversary of shooting USPSA competitions. I started out with a stock Springfield XD40, and now am using a custom XD9 5 inch. I have been doing a lot of training with my new gun and would like to find some realistic goals for my shooting. I am shooting my XD in the Production division.

The two areas that I am really trying to work at is my draw time, and reload time. This last weekend I spent 4 hours shooting nothing but an El Presidente stage that I setup in my back yard. I used a CED 8000 timer set to random to record my times. Each string that I shot I would score and write down my times. I kept track of all of my draw times and time between shots while I was reloading. My best hit factor of the day was 7.60 and my average was 6.10. In looking at my splits I don’t think there is a lot of time to trim while I am pulling the trigger, but I think there is a lot of time to trim in my draw and reloads. I am using a Fobus holster and Uncle Mikes double mag carriers.

Here is my average of 35 strings

Draw time 1.76

Reload time 2.21

So the question I have right now is what kind of numbers should I expect to see for these two areas? I am classified D right now, but this new gun and all of the practice has really improved my shooting so I think I should be able to hit C, or B this summer.

What are some realistic goals?

What would be some good training?

[BigDave]

If it were me, I would work, in terms of the draw, on getting a consistant 1st-shot A-hit in 1.4-1.5. When I say consistant, I mean also on-demand; you could do it cold.

Splits - consistant .20

Transitions - consistant .25

Reloads - consistant 1.75

Where would that land you?

1st shot: 1.5

split: .20

trans .25

split .20

trans .25

split .20

reload 1.75

split .20

trans .25

split .20

trans .25

split .20

Total: 5.45 seconds - If you could do that consistantly, on demand, with 56 points (avg) you'd be pushing A-class or higher.

Fast draws and reloads are great, but consider spending time focusing on scoring points quickly. If you think about it, it doesn't matter much if you smoke a .80 draw or reload if after that you shoot sloppy with C and D hits everywhere.

The El Prez is a great drill for dryfire. I would also recommend a book by a member here, Steve Anderson, that has many, many dryfire drills that could really help you improve if you choose to invest the time.

[Kimberkid]

Sturm, dont worry so much about fast, worry about smooth. If it is smooth, it WILL be fast. Pay attention to how you feel. If you are trying to go fast, you wont. Relax yourself and just shoot. If you are smooth and relaxed the times will surprise you.

as an aside, I would love to see how many people below GM level actually shoot .20-.25 splits/transitions in matches. I have a feeling that it is not nearly as high as those that claim it.

Dave is right on about consistancy. The ultra smoking fast stuff is cool, but a flubbed 1 second reload quickly becomes 2.5. Smoking fast MIGHT win stages, constistantly quick and smooth wins matches.

[BSeevers]

I think reading information and making Your own goals is the only way. We have a shooter locally that is probably going to come out a A Open. He shot his 4th classifier Sun and also has a 90% + on file. He will be M real soon. We have many shooters that have been a D for 10 years. It is all their choice.

[dirtypool40]

Welcome aboard. Hope we can help.

Having an array of 3 targets you can do a lot, it's what most of us set up almost every practice session.Work on drills where you can identify the areas needing work. Shoot as fast as you can but still get at least 90% of the points.

I would not focus on a "rare" draw like the surrender turn and draw. Others may have a different opinion, but I think good training for the "average" draw at a match is a hands relaxed facing targets. And practice truly relaxed, not "IPSC monkey".

Here's some drills I use to check skills and see what needs work.

10y VP (facing hands relaxed, 2 each, reload, 2 each).

15y VP

25y VP.

“Shifting gears”: Usually at 25y, but 15y can be very instructive too.

T1 six Alphas in whatever time it takes you. MUST BE ALL A’s.

T2 six rounds no worse than 3A/3C shooting at YOUR match speed.

T3 six rounds at YOUR WARP SPEED. As fast as you can go and get six HITS on targets.

That’s a good drill to teach you what you need to see at each different distance to get a certain result.

Some notes:

You time for going across the three targets at match speed, 2 rounds each like the first 6 of a "VP", should be pretty close to the time it takes you to fire six rounds into one target (like T2 above).

Your splits and transitions should be pretty close, within .05 or so. Browsing through the timer it should be easy to lose track of which was which. For now look for something around .30-.35. If the times are not similar, you just found something to work on. Are you hammering the split? Are you lingering on the target after you fire the second shot? There should be a nice rythym, and shooting like that actually gives you more time to shoot the second shot.

Following the logic that your draw and reload and should be pretty similar, and that a bill drill at match speed should be close to running across the three targets, you can come up with a rough time for a complete “VP” by doubling your bill drill. You’ve just added a reload and six more shots. IE: A 2.0 second bill drill should yield a 4.0 second VP if your transitions and reload are up to snuff.

Along those lines, keep an eye on draw and reload. Flat footed, hands relaxed, draw and reload should be pretty close, within maybe a tenth. The times you posted look like there’s about .50 second difference between your draw and reload. Work on both, but they should come together. If you could bring both down to AVERAGE 1.50 you’d have good, solid improvement. A 1.50 Draw, 1.50 reload and 10 splits of .30 would give you a 6.0 VP, approaching a "ten factor" and that's not too shabby. Seems do-able when you break it down, huh?

For the draw, lock your eye where you want to see the sights and hit the front edge of the beep. Always working the surrender turn and draw makes the initial focus impossible and complicates things. You can work on that later, for now just clean and smooth, not hurried, but get moving. Too many folks wait until the beep is over to even move.

For the reload; just guessing, but quit watching for the hole in the target. Fire the gun, reload and get back to work. The round went where the sights were, looking for the hole won’t change anything. The rest is picking a style of reload, and dry firing to make it smooth.

And by the way…..if you do get to that 5.45 mentioned above with the points, you’ll be shooting high Master level scores at least. The 100% HF for EL PREZ is about 5.55 all A’s, or something like 4.97 A/C. The one that got me an “M” card two years ago was only a 5.79. <= Those #'s are for Limited / Major.

[sturmruger]

Guys this is exactly what I was looking for. I am going to print all of this out and take it to the range with me. I am not trying to get to A this year but I sure would like to in a couple of years. It sounds like I could be doing more dryfire practice then I am.

Thanks so much

Norm W

[dirtypool40]

glad to help, let us know how it goes...

[XRe]

Having an array of 3 targets you can do a lot, it's what most of us set up almost every practice session.Work on drills where you can identify the areas needing work. Shoot as fast as you can but still get at least 90% of the points. 

This is a really good point - you don't have to set up complicated field courses in practice. Just break them down into indivudal skills.

I would not focus on a "rare" draw like the surrender turn and draw.  Others may have a different opinion, but I think good training for the "average" draw at a match is a hands relaxed facing targets.  And practice truly relaxed, not "IPSC monkey".

"IPSC monkey" - ROTFLMAO!!!! That's great. I'm going to design a stage where the start position is IPSC Monkey, and the shooter must start the course by yelling "No, really, this is how I stand naturally!"

I agree here, but I find it useful to occasionally practice draws from strange positions - draw to kneeling, draw to prone, table starts, etc. It helps my confidence level to have "been there / done that". But, I don't practice those all that time...

“Shifting gears”: Usually at 25y, but 15y can be very instructive too. 

I find this sort of drill useful at 5-7 yards, too. I never really knew how to go warp at close range, until I practiced it. However, this is not something I needed until I was pushing Master, so....

For the draw, lock your eye where you want to see the sights and hit the front edge of the beep.

<{POST_SNAPBACK}>

And dirtypool's just shaved .3 seconds off your draw w/ that tip