Jeremiah's Ladder

[JeremiahD]

3/30 - Three Big Points:

 

1- DRYFIRE: "all stop" on the training for review.  I read all of Stoegers "dryfire reloaded" cover to cover last night. It appears while my current "white wall" drills and draw and reload stuff every 3 days or so is fine but if I really want to be at all competetitive I need to do DF daily starting slowly (15-20 min) with the basics all over again until its drilled in, then maybe following one of his recommended plans.  I am currently preparing my garage as a dedicated DF area.

 

2- PT & CONDITIONING: Adding another 30-45 (including setup) task to my daily workout isnt going to fly, I'm already on the border of doing too much. I see no reason to continue with marathon training as I have no intention of entering another this year so running will move to mornings (egads..) and be limited to an hour or less on weekdays.  Weight training must continue, I turned into a skinny mofo and I need that weight and strength back. Cycling will remain my cross days because I love it, but will be reduced to Wednesdays and off weekends. Will return to having 2 rest days. 

 

3- STFU:  This isnt a "blog" its a range log.  I should not editorialize, its not adding anything. will be condensing posts down to dryfire details, live fire application of DF skills, and condensed PT logging (ie- "5k, 29:12, sprints. Lift#2. Feel strong today" ). Posting relevant assesments of matches is fine but should be minimalist.  This is the last wordy post.

 

3/30 DF- :15 slow fire trigger control drill.

        PT- :15 warmup run, Lift#2. Taking it easy

Edited March 31, 2017 by JeremiahD

[JeremiahD]

3/31- built 2 3'x3' boxes out of 2x2, started on 3 target stands. Painted garage wall. Ordered 1/6, 1/3 size targets, planned dryfire "boot camp".

4/1 DF- :15 Slow Fire Trigger Control drill, :10 Reload drill (Both per Stoegers book)

 

Tomorrow, first outdoor, non-classifier, "real" match.  Starting monday, daily DF covering the Elements drills until I have them down, then will begin a 4-week "new shooter" regimin per the Stoeger book.  Review and revise at that time.  

Proper holster, belt, mag pouches on the way. 

Edited April 3, 2017 by JeremiahD

[JeremiahD]

4/2- Oxford match, 4 stages + classifier, conditions started cold, ground was a muddy mess. Was not conducive to moving but thats ok, it was probably good that was out of the equation for me.  Stunk up the first stage, still have problems with needing to calm down and focus on the basics when excited/nervous. did reasonably well on the remaining stages & classifier, probably a solid "beginner/C" performance. Met lots of good folks.

Lessons learned: I need a mental game, I need better shoes, and I now have a solid idea of where to concentrate my DF drills. 

This is a lot of fun...

[JeremiahD]

4/3- Mburg indoor Showing improvement, good focus on targets, shot for the "center of brown", did a very through walkthrough and talked myself through each step. 56 A, 12 C, 3 D, 1 M. Accuracy improving. Slower time as I tried to process the stage walkthrough as I shot.  Learned to take the walkthrough seriously this weekend and the lesson stuck for today.

[JeremiahD]

4/4 - PT- AM run, :30, PM lift#1

DF - :45 min, split evenly between 'draw' and 'reload' elements. Worked with new belt/pouches/holster, went well, video helped.  slow (~1sec) but accurate and consistent on draws and reloads both. will work on par times after the 'boot camp' weeks

[JeremiahD]

4/5 PT- :30 cross

DF- :45 min split between ' target transition'  and 'movement' elements. 

 

[JeremiahD]

4/6- PT, no run, lift #3

DF, :45min review of draw, reload, target transition. (:15 each)  

 

static range friday, match saturday, review and build next weeks DF sunday, indoor match monday.

Trying to get as much accomplished as possible before the end of May so I'm solid going into the buckeye blast.

 

need to get a range membership, preferably to miamisburg.

[JeremiahD]

4/7 - live fire, static range, just 100 rounds. concentrated on picking up the front sight faster on second shot. two, strong, offhand at 30 yards. Had a tough time concentrating.

 

[JeremiahD]

4/8 - Wilmington match, 6 classifier stages. Picked a squad that I assumed was close to my level of shooting to maybe remove some of the "audience intimidation" factor, ended up with a number of folks with a negative mindset. Would have been better off squadding with folks above my current abilities both for attitude, and for learning purposes.  Match and squad had some other major issues not appropriate to address here, just noting for my personal log. I suspect these issues were exceptions in an otherwise fine match. Volunteered as the scorekeeper, they seemed to be shorthanded. Shooting order wasn't logical and I spent more time worrying about that than I did shooting for myself. 

Shot acceptably well once I relaxed, focused on shooting, not running the score sheet or dealing with other tasks. Still have first stage jitters. Called most of my shots on the second half of the stages, occasionally would lose focus and would pay for it with a D or a miss (which were thankfully few) First few stages were a wash I think but I'll wait for the scoring to see.

Someone took several videos of me and I have been able to identify where I can make up speed: a slow draw I seem to do in stages, and an inconsistent reload technique.  I will focus specifically on these in DF until the motion is consistent and fluid.

 

Lessons Learned:  Learned squadding is just as important as every other factor you can control. Learned a few other things match related I will remember.  Learned I need to work on focus and limit distractions. Learned I need a game plan, but not obsess over the first stage and just relax and treat it like the last stage. Thinking I should get up early and do some dryfire or go for a run or something to blow off steam before matches. Need a pre match ritual or something to get a game face on. Need to focus DF on draw and reload.

 

Videos:

https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B_uWnFNXk60KWTEtaVl5cDMyVFk/view?usp=sharing
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B_uWnFNXk60KekF3Q05NMzNySDg/view?usp=sharing
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B_uWnFNXk60KNnVSeElCOUVvZE0/view?usp=sharing
https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B_uWnFNXk60KOHdTZjJQQ201UjA/view?usp=sharing

 

Edited April 10, 2017 by JeremiahD
new links

[JeremiahD]

4/9- took the day off with family, skipped PT/DF. Planned DF for the next 2 weeks focusing on draw and reload (separately)

 

4/10- Mburg indoor match, Shot well (53A, 2B, 15C, 2D, no penalties). Still slow, but better getting back on the sights, a little faster transitioning. Technique still sucks, but got some good tips from another (better) SS shooter.  I still move like a guy in size 14 shoes and as noted from Saturdays match, I draw like a robot. Both can be fixed. My draw seems completely different from DF to match mode.  Will begin working on smoothness today, adding speed as I go, and by next week trying to beat the timer provided my technique is worked out by then.

[JeremiahD]

the 4/8 match scores finally got posted and I'm actually satisfied with the result: 67A, 16C, 1D, 1M/NS.  I know exactly what I did to earn the M/NS (lost the front sight by rushing) and the D (yanked the trigger) as soon as it happened, so I'm ok with that. Being as it was a classifier, movement was a non-issue. Still working on Draw this week and its progressing ok.

 

DF will continue daily for Draw, will add Reload element as a separate :30 DF next week.  Will focus runs almost exclusively on sprints and direction changes starting next Monday.  Speed is whats holding me back now, need to build up without losing accuracy/fundamentals...

[JeremiahD]

lots of obligations and time commitments this past weekend, was only able to work in  :15 draw, :15 reload on sunday. Indoor match tonight, will focus on getting my times in live fire faster.

[JeremiahD]

4/18 - all that DF and yesterday was a table start lol

did ok given the intentionally convoluted stage they set up, I managed to shoot well, just... slow.  *sigh*

2 penalties NS, M/NS but they were darn close on the perf.  again given the number and placement of ports, walls and NS's I'm ok with it.

Learned: don't turn your brain off, keep tabs on everything and trust your walkthrough.

[JeremiahD]

4/18 addendum... busted up my left hand up doing reloading drills by jamming the mags with the top of my palm and not the heel.  cant quite figure a good grip on that last mag around back to get it to "palm" right.  On the upside, speed continues to improve on draw and reload.  Mildly annoyed I'm not improving faster, want it all and want it NOW 

[JeremiahD]

4/19- DF changed things up in DF to combat boredom, target transitions on partly obscured targets last night.  added :10 draw and :10 reload to keep it fresh in mind. will continue to work hard at draw regardless of what else I'm DF'ing.

 

Skipping the Miami match this weekend to get caught up on household stuff, car repair, reloading etc and be able to focus entirely on shooting next two weeks as I start drills and small stages in the yard/garage to hit field skills hard before a string of matches. 

Upcoming schedule is miamisburg Monday 4/24, Tues/Wed/fri trail runs, range Thurs 4/27,

Then starting the "slow but accurate" schedule in Stoegers book starting 4/29 along with 4 matches the first week of may:  Miamisburg indoor 5/1, Circleville on 5/6, Oxford 5/7, Miamisburg indoor 5/8. I am pushing for noticeable improvement in field courses by the Ohio state match.

 

pt note, Switching to trail running for awhile, did Germantown yesterday and it did more for my agility than 10 days of sprints.  Lifting is progressing, like everything else, slowly. Hope my shoes arrive soon.

[JeremiahD]

Wrapped up DF basics, started program today. Time requirements for DF dont seem as demanding anymore, enjoy doing it. Generally annoyed with lifting progress. Getting better at controlling my launches and landings running around the backyard but dang thats hard. Knees and thighs are feeling it  No live fire this past week unfortunately. Looking forward to establishing some standards in live fire so I can improve the quality of DF.  New shoes are flippin' amazing.

Need a shot timer (finally to that point)

[JeremiahD]

4/30- DF- Elements day, covered all elements for 5 min each, covered movement drills and moving while reloading for :15

5/1- afternoon: quickie at the static range mostly to test two loads I ran off for fun.  4.0grn Bullseye is easy shooting, nearly no sight lift, and accurate as heck. No idea if it makes major, need a chrono.  Also ran 40 rounds of loose ammo I needed to burn off, noticeable improvement in grip and gun control, much faster follow up shots.  

5/1- evening: Miamisburg indoor. Was a pretty straightforward layout, felt faster, shot ok.  Pushed for speed up close and missed a few, still had enough time to make the shots up. Disappointed I let the sights go.. when the buzzer went off apparently so did my brain.... but again I was trying to push my time down and see what happens. I really need to call my shots at all times.  Will see when the scores come out in a day or so.  A47, B2, C20 D3, no mikes or NS (thank you Memphis, Sarge, and IHAVEGAS, the advice continues to pay off.) 5.1135 HF, 64:34 time.  Lesson learned- effectively make up misses & dont turn off yer brain.

[JeremiahD]

I'm now 2 months into taking this seriously and I feel I have all the wheels on the ground finally..

[JeremiahD]

14 hours ago, JeremiahD said:

 

5/1- evening: Miamisburg indoor. Was a pretty straightforward layout, felt faster, shot ok.  Pushed for speed up close and missed a few, still had enough time to make the shots up. Disappointed I let the sights go.. when the buzzer went off apparently so did my brain.... but again I was trying to push my time down and see what happens. I really need to call my shots at all times.  Will see when the scores come out in a day or so.  A47, B2, C20 D3, no mikes or NS (thank you Memphis, Sarge, and IHAVEGAS, the advice continues to pay off.) 5.1135 HF, 64:34 time.  Lesson learned- effectively make up misses & dont turn off yer brain.

 

results are in, 10th (out of 22..) place, 329pts, 0 penalties, 64.34sec, 5.1135HF 204.2087 points, 56.72% (of a class B open shooter)

Taking a hard look at that I see I have the most points with 0 penalties out of the field (good) but my time is still on my average for this short indoor course (55-75 sec).  I was hoping to see improvement in time and I think I flubbed it in two places: Losing track of the front sight while attempting to go fast, and making up those shots which cost me seconds.  I suspect I could have eaten two misses, saved the time, and moves up two places with a HF around 5.8.  I know it took me a full second to process the math in my head for a makeup shot, another for each transition or remain on target and make the shot, and another two for going to slide lock 3 times. Probably more. 

 

The obvious solution is don't do stupid things like lose the sights and buy a  miss. Problem solved.

The secondary solution is hang a spreadsheet in my head to I know immediately how much time a makeup shot is worth and build that possibility into the plan on the fly.

Will continue to focus on speed during all DF.  Crush the gun, go fast, done.

[JeremiahD]

5/4-5 got into a car accident, took the days off from training.

 

5/5 - was able to chrono a range of my loads (thanks again!) and found even my 4.7's don't make major (161pf). All loaded ammo has been relegated to the practice bin, switched to the factory PPU I've been running on Monday indoor matches (%100 recoverable brass for the foreseeable future. I'll go with a straight 5.0 military ball load which I KNOW makes major once I crank up the press again.

 

5/6 - Circleville match. Alot to say here.  Overall I'm trying not to be really disapointed.  Need to focus on what I did well and learn from the rest. Unreasonable to think I'm going to be Rob Leatham on my second field course but 49/70th and low C sucks. Goal for next match is not to be Tail End Charlie.   

 

Brought a notebook, took good notes immediately after each stage. What worked, what didn't etc.  will use those to guide training, but will be sticking with the DF plan for consistancy for now.  The entire course had stuff new to me and was broken up well so I had to think hard on a stage plan for each.  Heres a summary:

 

-First stage (3)- had a pull-cord actuated target which was no issue. table start, all mags on table, no good way to break down the stage into 8's until I realized if I took the first two targets plus the pull, reload, step back and sweep four targets at each corner at nearly 170deg (yikes..), I was then positioned within arms reach of a reload, and the remaining targets were broken up into 2 neat groups of 8 with only 2 runs and a mag-grab reload on the way. I'm pretty proud of that.  Gun malf (fte/double feed) cost me nearly 10 sec and a mag (Arrg), otherwise this was a solid run. 20A, 1B, 8C, 1D with 0 pen.
Lesson learned- Keep walking the stage in your head until you shoot. Theres a good plan there someplace!

-Second stage (4)- Lots of low, bent, or kneeling shots.  Again, came up with a very solid stage plan.  Again had a fte/double that cost me time, and worse, I had drilled the stage plan so well I followed it... and dropped a nearly full mag right after the malf.  Shorted myself ammo on last target. Took the gun out to safe area and swapped the extractor with a good used one I carry, problem solved for the rest of the match.  21A, 4B, 5C, 1D, 1M (last target.)
Lesson learned- The ability to adapt a plan on the fly is just as important as making a plan to begin with.  Bring spare parts/tools.  Consider two more mag pouches (6 total)

-3rd (5)- first time with a texas star, first time on a swinging bridge.  This stage went suprisingly well, considering the variables.  Had the option of shooting it twice due to a range equipment malfunction (I did, just for the experiance). Missed the star a few times, but cleared it properly (head, shoulders, knees and toes..lol), went low and spread my feet for a good position on the bridge and it was a nonissue. Shot while moving for most of the rest of the stage, pushed the gun around aggressively, ran from point to point. happy with this one, despite the low score simply because my time was within 5 sec of everyone else.  22A, 1B, 7C, 1D, 1M (yanked trigger)
Lesson learned- Clean up your speed work, otherwise its just fine to push hard if you stay on the sights.

-4th (1) Classifier 03-03 (take em down).  Just shot this at wilmington with a respectable score, figured I'd push the speed and see what happens.  lost the sights, sent 3rd round just into a NS.  As soon as I did that I knew it was a wash so I slowed down and got hits and didnt worry about score or time. not a huge loss, but irritating
Lesson learned- Its NOT fine to push hard if you ignore your sights...

-5th (2) first time with popper-actuated targets and corresponding no shoots.  Tough to think around the course with 8 rounds, and I took my time to come up with a good plan.  Unfortunately I tried to get cute with the plan and since the stage brief read "engage targets as they become visible" I did exactly that. Since the steel actuated targets were reasonably visable on the ground I took them there, then took the steel. Got dinged with two procedurals.
Lesson learned- ask the RO if there may be ANY discrepancy between your stage plan and the rules.

one last observation, the painted steel sights were pretty dingy halfway through and very dificult to pick up.  I need to remember to clean and retouch them after every shoot until I move on to a dedicated comp gun.

5/7 - match cancelled due to conditions, rested up, cleaned gear etc, got caught up on domestic stuff.

[JeremiahD]

5/8- Miamisburg indoor- . Table starts no longer phase me, partials no longer psych me out so this was pretty much a go-fast stage.  Tried to stay on the sights and only shoot as fast as I'm able to hit, keep on the speed on everything else. Had a lot of fun, brought the time down, got my hits.  This has been really beneficial for applying lessons learned, too bad its a winter league and ending in a week or so.

[JeremiahD]

Keeping up on DF, improvement happening but slowly.  Moving better, working on staying low during movement and "landing" smoothly.

The stoeger schedule I'm following is working out, although I miss the occasional day due to time.  Need to carve out a set time.

Getting burned out on PT with no real goal (ie, race to run or trip to do etc) kind of let it slide the last couple weeks. getting back into the schedule/habit.  Need a decent goal.

 

 

[JeremiahD]

5/15- Open Range!  Landed a membership at the local club so I can FINALLY live fire practice from a draw, some movement, etc.  Did some basic DF elements drills live and realized the reason I have two modes (match vs practice, match being slower..) is that I'm confident during DF that theres no live ammo, no potential for an accident etc and go all out.  I naturally back off during live fire (and matches).  Was a revelation, and am looking forward to fixing the issue with regular live fire supporting the DF drills.  I can be fast and safe, just need to get over the mental block.

 

5/15 - last full indoor match of the season.  Doing better with my movement, draws, mag changes, and transitions.  One NS, and just barely nicked it..  Asked someone to video so I can see what I'm doing and I've already identified more to work on/smooth out. 

46A, 1B, 21C, 4D, 1NS, 54:36 5.8131HF   Not bad, probably still middle of the pack, but I'm applying lessons learned and that works for me.  I'm taking too long on longer shots, but I'll work on that once I have draw/mag change/movement down pat.

 

 Where I'm at now compared to where I was in December when I first started this trip is night and day.  I'll be working hard on field skills this summer.

Edited May 16, 2017 by JeremiahD

[JeremiahD]

update on the5/15 indoor match, I placed 8/29 overall and second in my division (of 5).  Managed to beat all of Production and half of Limited, go figure.  I know the local indoor match is a relatively limited talent pool, but I'm pretty ok with those results  

 

String 1:  https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B5qCNf6Yn9axMDQ1SGszMGprdlE

String 2: https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B5qCNf6Yn9axX3Qycm1JZ2RYWU0

String 3: https://drive.google.com/open?id=0B5qCNf6Yn9axYlByLTRIUE5XcTQ

Edited May 16, 2017 by JeremiahD

[JeremiahD]

 

5/21 - Miamisburg match, 6 stages (5 +1 classifier).  Well put together, great stage layouts. Reasonble turnout and good RO'ing kept things moving well. Wet ground, dry weather.  The shoes continue to pay off- dry feet and good traction throughout. 

   Without doing a stage by stage breakdown, it went like this:  I'm showing progress, but still have a habit of breaking concentration, getting off the sights, or not gripping well. (7 D's, 7 Mikes, 0 NS)  That’s all just laziness and bad habit and can be fixed.  Will continue to work to eliminate. Speed is the biggest thing keeping me under the local SS B shooter. I'm consistently with him points and penalties.  I am at least %15 (3sec) and at most %30 (11sec) slower than he was on each stage. 6 mags not seated hurt me here as well (see below). Continue to build fundamental gun handling (draw, transition, reload, etc)  and work hard on fast movement and landing well in a solid shooting position to reduce time getting on target.  Got tired on last stage, did a couple of stupid things. will have to address before next weekends all-day L2. Bad draw killed the classifier for me (bad grip on the initial movement caught the beavertail in the web of my hand and had to rebuild the grip costing at least a second in a stage of 5-9 seconds, and my mental game. Unacceptable.)

 

Things I learned:
-I've been practing mag reloads with empty (1 snap cap) mags.  I have trained myself to not use the required force to seat a full mag with a strong spring.  I immediately went home and made up 24 dummy rounds set to an obviously too-short OAL for identification and will use those to practice REALISTIC reloads.  Will be hitting those hard daily until I erase the bad habit.

-I'm eating, drinking/hydrating etc. but need to take a good look at combating fatigue later in the day. Cost me at least 2 mikes and a brainless move that could have gotten me dq'd

-DF works.  Continuing training and PT as planned.  More practice and experience in field courses is needed but I'm gunning for B (at least..) by the end of the year.

Other notes..
Got a chance to try out a proper SS gun.  I need to upgrade as soon as is financially practical.

Got to chrono my final 230grn load, and it does make major (whew..)

Good squadding makes all the difference at times.  A lot of good feedback, positive attitude, chances to learn yesterday. Great experience before next week.