Stick's Training, Range and Match Log Diary

[stick]

23 minutes ago, Brophy-J said:

Results look great. Your Smoke and Hope route seems a bit inefficient. Maybe approach it the same way you do pendulum?

I used to shoot it that way.  It's actually faster the way I shot it.  If you notice where the flag is on that stage, you are indexing directly below #4.  it's actually faster to bring the gun straight up and bang.  no swing or turn to hit the first target.  My times were 2.98, 2.95, 2.93, 2.48 and 2.54.  That was the first time I shot it that way.  for comparison, I shot it the other way the day before and my scores were 3.07, 3.04, 2.98, 2.95 & 2.64.  Looking at the video of both days, I like the new way.  i need to work on faster transitions.

[stick]

Let's see how this week goes as far as training!  I just sent my gun back to the manufacturer for repairs.  I don't know why my gun won't load 33 round mags anymore. I could only get one ETS mag to load without jamming.  I'll be using my daughter's PCC for training.  Her gun is almost 3lbs lighter than mine.

PCC Dry fire Schedule for the week of 2/4/18 -2/11/18

Weekly area of focus:  USPSA Action Steel in two weeks.  Training will be focused on transitions, shooting while on the move and reloads using weighted dummy mags.

Dry fire Drills to complete this week:

1.       3 on 3 (From Refinement and Repetition) Engage the head of T1-T3 with one shot, reload and shoot one shot in reverse order.

a.       5 second par time from low ready

2.       Plate Rack Transitions (From Refinement and Repetition) engage the plates 1, 6, 2, 5, 3, 4

a.       3.5 second par time from low ready

3.       Box to Box Forward (From Refinement and Repetition) Engage T1 with two shots, move forward to Box B and reengage T1 with 2 shots.

a.       No par time (Keep the gun mounted while moving)

[stick]

2/5/18

First off let me say, I'm so used to my gun.  It took me a little bit to figure out the best way to reload her gun.  Our guns are so different.  I have a forged lower with an aluminum magwell.  She has a billet lower with a Taccom magwell.  After 5-6 reps of just reloading, I got it figured out.

1.       3 on 3 (From Refinement and Repetition) Engage the head of T1-T3 with one shot, reload and shoot one shot in reverse order.

a.       5 second par time from low ready  Ok, so I was consistently making the par time, so I dropped the par time to 4.8 seconds.  When I got the reload right, I made the time.  I made a slight change to the drill.  I decided to use targets with only the heads exposed.  the bodies are black hard cover.  I was having trouble last week with 1x6.  I'll definitely put that drill back into the training plan very soon.

2.       Plate Rack Transitions (From Refinement and Repetition) engage the plates 1, 6, 2, 5, 3, 4

a.       3.5 second par time from low ready  This drill kicked my butt!  I didn't realize that i still had the dots from the Hopkins drill up.  Then I noticed that the dots are actually farther apart than a plate rack.  I like the longer transitions, so ill keep the setup as is.  Now i need to find a time that pushes me.  3.5 is not long enough yet.  I'm thinking 3.9 to 4.0 as a starter and drop from there.

3.       Box to Box Forward (From Refinement and Repetition) Engage T1 with two shots, move forward to Box B and reengage T1 with 2 shots.

a.       No par time (Keep the gun mounted while moving)  I think this was more a drill to reinforce something I learned yesterday at Steel challenge than USPSA action Steel.  I worked on keeping the gun mounted with my elbow out (keeps my hand on the gun and the gun firmly on my cheek)  I actually put up another target that I indexed on then i focused on moving with the gun mounted to the other target.  I varied the steps but 3 or more will probably be good.  3 steps!  why 3 steps?  That's how many steps it takes me to go from one box to another on outer limits.

[stick]

2/6/18

Dry fire Drills to complete this week:

1.       3 on 3 (From Refinement and Repetition) Engage the head of T1-T3 with one shot, reload and shoot one shot in reverse order.

a.       4.8 second par time from low ready I did some repetitions at 4.8 seconds with minimal effort.  I then decided to push my time and dropped the time to 4.5 seconds.  I found this challenging.  It was really pushing me to perform fast transitions and a smooth fast reload.  Again Katelyn’s gun has a different mag well and mag funnel.  If I perform the fundamentals, I can get the drill done exactly at 4.5 seconds.  4.5 seconds will be my baseline for the rest of the week.

2.       Plate Rack Transitions (From Refinement and Repetition) engage the plates 1, 6, 2, 5, 3, 4

a.       3.5 second par time from low ready  I set this drill up with 6 dots spaced 18inches apart.  The 3.5 par time is extremely hard for me.  I raised the par time to 3.7 and I was still having trouble hitting the par time.  I like the transitions and distance of the dots.  I will continue to keep my par time at 3.7 seconds.  Hopefully by the end of the week, I’ll be able to hit the par time.

3.       Box to Box Forward (From Refinement and Repetition) Engage T1 with two shots, move forward to Box B and reengage T1 with 2 shots.

a.       No par time (Keep the gun mounted while moving) I setup this drill slightly different tonight.  I put up a target in the living room that I indexed on.  I setup another target on the bedroom door down the hallway.  I started by the wall in the living room where I was unable to see the target down the hallway.  I had to take a minimum of 3 steps to get to the hallway where the second target was visible.  I focused on keeping the gun mounted with my right arm out.  If I kept my right arm out like a chicken wing, I was able to easily keep the gun mounted to my cheek. (Who says you can’t practice steel challenge and USPSA in the same dry fire session). My 14.49 time on outer limits was good (82.82%) but I need 85% to make master.  I’ll be working on drills that will also help me whittle down my time.  Me and a friend, just ordered the Steel Challenge banners from Nimitz (Forum member and GM in Steel Challenge).  After the Steel Challenge match (2/17), It will be time to again focus on steel challenge match on 3/2.

[stick]

2/7/18

Dry fire Drills to complete this week:

1.       3 on 3 (From Refinement and Repetition) Engage the head of T1-T3 with one shot, reload and shoot one shot in reverse order.

a.       4.5 second par time from Port Arms.  I kept the par time at 4.5 seconds.  This is pushing me to perform each action correctly. 

2.       Plate Rack Transitions (From Refinement and Repetition) engage the plates 1, 6, 2, 5, 3, 4

a.       3.7 second par time from low ready.  This is still a challenge even after 3 days of repetitions.  I did snap my eyes faster to the next target which helped with the time.  I think the smaller dots also plays a role in slowing me down.  I tend to over transition to the smaller 1 inch dots.  This will probably help me with transitions on steel challenge targets.

3.       Box to Box Forward (From Refinement and Repetition) Engage T1 with two shots, move forward to Box B and reengage T1 with 2 shots.

a.       No par time (Keep the gun mounted while moving)  I’m calling this drill the “chicken wing”  The focus is small movements with the gun firmly mounted and my eyes on the target.

 

I only had one of my weekend scores from Steel Challenge post to SCSA.  I did move to "A" with a 75.45%  With Sunday's match a whole 10 seconds faster, I solidified my standing in "A".  After the next update, I should be at 77.70%.  Now I need to continue to train and push for master.  I'm not setting a timeline, but if I work hard and continue to dry fire train 5 days a week, I have no doubt I'll get to Master this year.  Dry fire Training 5 days a week for USPSA and Steel challenge for the last month, I moved from B to A.  My daughter got her initial classification after her second match.  She's a "C" in PCCO.

[stick]

2/8/18

Dry fire Drills to complete this week:

1.       3 on 3 (From Refinement and Repetition) Engage the head of T1-T3 with one shot, reload and shoot one shot in reverse order.

a.       4.5 second par time from low ready.  Today, I was a little slow on this drill.  I seemed almost in slow motion on my transitions and reloads.  I ran 10 repetitions and I was only able to get about 3 under the par time.

2.       Plate Rack Transitions (From Refinement and Repetition) engage the plates 1, 6, 2, 5, 3, 4

a.       3.7 second par time from low ready.  I rocked this drill today.  I was really driving the gun fast dot to dot.  I actually beat a couple of the par times near the end.  I feel that the longer transitions between dots is actually a good drill to improve transitions at speed.

3.       Box to Box Forward (From Refinement and Repetition) Engage T1 with two shots, move forward to Box B and reengage T1 with 2 shots.

a.       No par time (Keep the gun mounted while moving) This drill is less about speed and more about mechanics and consistency.  The Chicken Wing is actually feeling better the more time I spend doing on this drill.

[stick]

2/9/18

Dry fire Drills to complete this week:

1.       3 on 3 (From Refinement and Repetition) Engage the head of T1-T3 with one shot, reload and shoot one shot in reverse order.

a.       4.5 second par time from low ready.  I increased the repetitions on this drill tonight.  The first couple of drills I was again slow.  The last few reps, I was performing really well and just beating the par time.  I have seen some improvement on this drill over the week.  I should probably start with the plate rack drill.  I noticed that I was really driving the gun from dot tot dot.

2.       Plate Rack Transitions (From Refinement and Repetition) engage the plates 1, 6, 2, 5, 3, 4

a.       3.7 second par time from low ready.  Ok so this drill has really helped me this week with speeding up my transitions from dot to dot.  I ran one repetition 1-6 and I was waiting on the par time buzzer to go off. 

3.       Box to Box Forward (From Refinement and Repetition) Engage T1 with two shots, move forward to Box B and reengage T1 with 2 shots.

a.       No par time (Keep the gun mounted while moving)

I didn’t perform drill #3 tonight.  I was too lazy to set it up.  I instead worked on 1 second reloads.  I miss my magwell! Katelyn’s Taccom is smaller and I really need to focus on hitting the funnel on the reload.

8 more days until the USPSA Action Steel Match.  I’ll probably work on some type of movement next week to prepare for the match.

[stick]

2/10/18

Dry fire Drills to complete this week:

1.       3 on 3 (From Refinement and Repetition) Engage the head of T1-T3 with one shot, reload and shoot one shot in reverse order.

a.       4.5 second par time from low ready.  .  So I decided to go full Berserk and drop the par time to 4 seconds.  I didn’t make the 4 seconds, but I did make the 4.2 seconds after I practiced the 4 second par time.  This drill has been pretty steady the whole week.  I feel very comfortable reloading Katelyn’s gun now. 

2.       Plate Rack Transitions (From Refinement and Repetition) engage the plates 1, 6, 2, 5, 3, 4

a.       3.7 second par time from low ready.  Similar test with 3.5 second par time.  Initially I had trouble with this drill at the beginning of the week.  I’m almost sad to see this drill end.  I’ll have to evaluate the drills this week to determine what is going to work best for next week’s USPSA Action Steel match.  Movement will be incorporated to next week’s drills. 

3.       Box to Box Forward (From Refinement and Repetition) Engage T1 with two shots, move forward to Box B and reengage T1 with 2 shots.

a.       No par time (Keep the gun mounted while moving)  I actually set up two boxes 6’ apart (Outer Limits) and I determined that I can go from box to box in 2 steps.  I did practice this drill with the rifle, but I’m not comfortable doing it at match speed.  This drill will have to be practiced at my next live fire training.  I’m thinking setup the boxes and work on movement at speed shooting steel plates.  

[stick]

PCC Dry fire Schedule for the week of 2/11/18 -2/17/18

Weekly area of focus:  USPSA Action Steel in one week.  Training will be focused on transitions, shooting while on the move and moving from box to box while keeping the gun mounted.

Dry fire Drills to complete this week:

1.       Plate Rack Transitions (From Refinement and Repetition) engage the plates 1, 6, 2, 5, 3, 4

a.       3.7 second par time from low ready. 

2.       Box to Box sideways (Box is 6’ apart) 

a.       1 second par time moving from box to box with the gun mounted.

3.       Walk the Square (Refinement and repetition) #27

a.       Shoot each of the 3 targets with one shot while moving from corner to corner (2.5 second par time)  Each leg of the square is 8'

 

The idea for this weeks drills are to prepare for the USPSA action steel match on Saturday.  Since I've spent the last two weeks practicing for steel challenge, I felt it necessary to incorporate movement into this weeks training regimen.  As we all know, except for outer limits, steel challenge is a static shooting position.  Movement and movement with the gun will be a welcome change to the static drills I've been doing over the last two weeks.  The box to box movement is going to be a real challenge at 1 second par time.  I can make the other box in two steps.  (This should also help with outer limits)  Walking the square might get adjusted if the time seems too long.  I haven't decided on a distance yet, but I will measure it out and paint the grass so the drill is done consistently throughout the week. 

Edited February 11, 2018 by stick

[stick]

2/12/18

Dry fire Drills to complete this week:

1.       Plate Rack Transitions (From Refinement and Repetition) engage the plates 1, 6, 2, 5, 3, 4

a.       3.7 second par time from low ready.  I dropped the par time to 3.4 seconds.  I can tell that I have got faster with this drill.  For me, the key is the transitions from dot to dot.  I was consistently nailing the par time @3.4 seconds.  My focus was really driving the gun fast from dot to dot on the wider transitions and slightly slower on the closer transitions.

2.       Box to Box sideways (Box is 6’ apart) 

a.       1 second par time moving from box to box with the gun mounted.  I can’t meet or beat the par time on this drill.  I might be going about this all wrong with this drill.  I incorporated it into my practice routine this week for my action steel match this Saturday.  This particular movement and distance is actually the movement for Outer Limits in steel challenge.  I’m not sure If I need to focus on this drill without my steel challenge banners that have the plates on them.  I might to look at the drill in its entirety and set a total par time for the entire stage not a piece of the stage.  I even ran this without the gun focusing on the movement from box to box and driving off and getting to the next shooting position as quickly as possible and I still couldn’t make the par time.  I seriously need to rethink this drill before tomorrow’s practice session.

3.       Walk the Square (Refinement and repetition) #27  Each leg is 8’

a.       Shoot each of the 3 targets with one shot while moving from corner to corner (2.5 second par time) I dropped the par time to 2.0 seconds and used simulated steel poppers for targets.  The par time was really easy to use.  I just used the par time for a baseline.  I actually focused on the movement and keeping the dot from bouncing rather than speed.  As the week goes on, I’ll focus more on getting from position to position faster.  I think this drill is actually is more of a drill to shoot into or out of position because of the leg size used.  Nevertheless, this drill will be helpful and I’ll benefit from it.

[stick]

2/13/18

Dry fire Drills to complete this week:

1.       Plate Rack Transitions (From Refinement and Repetition) engage the plates 1, 6, 2, 5, 3, 4

a.       3.7 second par time from low ready.  I can’t believe that after another couple of days, I have dropped the par time again.  Today I had the par time set at 3.4 seconds.  I even decided to go full berserk and drop the time to 3.0 seconds on a few runs.  I’m thinking that tomorrow I’ll do some 1, 6, 2, 5, 3, 4 and then I’ll switch and do the reverse (6, 1, 5, 2. 4, 3).  For training purposes, I’ll keep the par time @ 3.4 seconds.

2.       Box to Box sideways (Box is 6’ apart) 

a.       1 second par time moving from box to box with the gun mounted.  Boy did I spend some time on this today.  If I actually faced the second box and pushed off with my right foot. I can make the second box in two steps.  I did several without the gun to get the feel of the movement.  I wanted to ensure that I didn’t look down and I just knew that the second box was 2 steps away.  I still need to focus on my speed from box to box.  It’s beginning to feel better day by day.  By the weeks end, I anticipate this will be very fluid and almost second nature.  I guess you can call this drill movement for Action steel even though it’s outer limits movement in steel challenge.

3.       Walk the Square (Refinement and repetition) #27  Each leg is 8’

a.       Shoot each of the 3 targets with one shot while moving from corner to corner (2.5 second par time) Ho hum! There is not really much to this drill except to minimize the dot movement while moving from position to position.  As I stated yesterday, this is really more about position entry and exit while shooting.  I believe that this will also help lower my time on stages if I can shoot into and out of positions.

[stick]

2/14/18  Happy Valentine's Day!

Dry fire Drills to complete this week:

1.       Plate Rack Transitions (From Refinement and Repetition) engage the plates 1, 6, 2, 5, 3, 4

a.       3.4 second par time from low ready.  This drill is getting better by the day.  Consistently making the 3.4 second par time.  I was slightly slower going 6, 1, 5, 2, 4, 3 I don’t practice this as much as the normal way and it showed.  I will need to practice the reverse order so I can keep up with my transitions.

2.       Box to Box sideways (Box is 6’ apart) 

a.       1 second par time moving from box to box with the gun mounted.  This drill is also getting better and beginning to feel fluid.  I can consistently make the box with 2 steps.  I did notice that I have to push off with my right foot (which is standing on the corner of the box) to get me started.  I can’t wait for my steel challenge banners show up.  I need to practice the entire stage.

3.       Walk the Square (Refinement and repetition) #27

a.       Shoot each of the 3 targets with one shot while moving from corner to corner (2.5 second par time) I did limited time on this drill today because of the rain.  I just basically walked in the square without the timer to keep the dot fixed on a target while moving.  I don’t feel a lot of benefit from this drill, but I keep saying that I’m using more for a position entry and exit shoot versus shooting on the move over longer stages.  This week’s match is action steel, so I’m not really worried about accuracy than shooting at speed.  I just need to ding the steel and not get Alpha’s.

[stick]

2/16/18

Dry fire Drills to complete this week:

1.       Plate Rack Transitions (From Refinement and Repetition) engage the plates 1, 6, 2, 5, 3, 4

a.       3.7 second par time from low ready.  Ran this drill at 3 second par time.  I was really snapping my eyes and driving the gun from dot to dot. I’m getting faster transitioning and I can’t wait for the action steel match tomorrow.

2.       Box to Box sideways (Box is 6’ apart) 

a.       1 second par time moving from box to box with the gun mounted. 

3.       Walk the Square (Refinement and repetition) #27

a.       Shoot each of the 3 targets with one shot while moving from corner to corner (2.5 second par time)

These two drills I did half-heartedly today.  I must admit that I really didn’t like the square drill at all.  The box to box drill has its moments, but after a week of practice, I feel it was more of a steel challenge drill.  Tomorrow is the action steel match.  I’m excited to shoot it to gauge my progress with my training plan.  Albeit, I’m shooting the match with my daughter’s PCC since mine is still getting the work over at the manufacturer.  Talking with them, I heard they replaced my barrel with a ramped barrel and they upgraded my mag release to a newer version.  I packed all my gear, charged my camera, and cleaned/oiled the gun.

Steel challenge match in two weeks.  Time to start static drills again.  Next week I’ll be focusing on transitions and gun mounting from low ready to first shot.

[stick]

2/17/18 Action Steel Match

Match Results from today’s match.  First let me make the excuse that I shot my daughter’s gun.  While her gun is functionally the same, the barrel and weight are substantially different.  Her gun has flip recoil whereas my gun is more of a push.  I usually have very tight groups with my double taps.  In the action steel match I had 4 misses on targets which cost me valuable time.  While I can’t blame the gun, I can tell the difference between the two guns in matches.

Division:PCCO
Class:
Stage	Stage Time	String 1			Place
		Raw	Penalty	Bonus	Division	Combined
Stage 1	19.97	21.97	3	5	6 / 13	9 / 46
Stage 2	30.39	29.39	6	5	4 / 13	5 / 46
Stage 3	33.87	33.87	-	-	8 / 13	16 / 46
Stage 4	22.02	24.02	3	5	7 / 13	9 / 46
Stage 5	12.65	17.65	-	5	5 / 13	8 / 46
Overall	118.9				6 / 13	8 / 46

 

WSB-Start on the plate shoot 3 plates from behind the left and right fault lines.  From the forward boxes, shoot 5 plates from each side.

Stage 1 on the third array, I missed the round plate between the large square ones.  Why?  I don’t know.  I like the transitions and the double taps on the targets.  My footwork was ok.  I’m not sure what my thought process as when I missed.  It was a total surprise when I was told that I had a miss.  I could have sworn I hit the plate, but in the video I clearly miss it.

WSB- Step into the box and shoot the three middle targets from the center of the forward and rear shooting boxes.  The blue plates must be shot from the sides.

Stage 2 I totally blow by the blue plates on the front left.  I also had only one shot on two of the plates.  Again, what was I thinking?

 

WSB-seated in the chair shoot the three square plates.  From the left and right boxes shoot the three steel plates.  From the forward box, shoot the three steel plates and the plate rack.

Stage5 REMEMBER each round plate gets one round and the square plates get two!  So why did I shoot the square plate only once?  I even had to make up a couple of shots on the plate rack.  When is my gun coming back?  Not soon enough.

 

I can clearly see my progress with my dry fire routine.  I need to dig into my mental game and stage planning to determine why I had so many stupid errors today.  6^th place in my division sucks!

 

Videos of only three stages.  not only did i not hit all the plates with the correct number of rounds, I forgot to turn on the camera on 2 stages.

 

 

Edited February 17, 2018 by stick

[stick]

PCC Dry fire Schedule for the week of 2/18/18 -2/24/18

Weekly area of focus:  Steel Challenge match March 3rd.  Focus will be static transitions on dots using the Hopkins drill.  If the Steel challenge banners arrive this week, I’ll be utilizing them as well.

Dry fire Drills to complete this week:

1.       .       The Hopkins

a.       Drill 1: Engage dots in the following order: 1, 6 , 2, 5, 3, 4  (4.8 Second Par Time)

b.      Drill 2: Engage dots in the following order: 6, 1, 5, 2, 4, 3  (4.8 Second Par Time)

c.       Drill 3: Engage dots in the following order: 6, 8, 3, 1  (2.8 Second Par Time)

d.      Drill 4: Engage dots in the following order: 1, 7, 4, 6  (2.8 Second Par Time)

2.       Box to Box Transitions (Utilize the shooting boxes to develop a rhythm for moving in Outer Limits)

3.       First shot acquisition

a.       .70 or faster from low ready to first shot on target.

[stick]

2/18/18

Dry fire Drills to complete this week:

1.        The Hopkins

a. Drill 1: Engage dots in the following order: 1, 6, 2, 5, 3, 4 (3.3 second par time)

b. Drill 2: Engage dots in the following order: 6, 1, 5, 2, 4, 3 (3.3 Second Par Time)

c. Drill 3: Engage dots in the following order: 6, 8, 3, 1 (1.9 Second Par Time)

d. Drill 4: Engage dots in the following order: 1, 7, 4, 6 (1.9 Second Par Time)

Initially I had the par time set at 4.8 seconds, I looked back at my noted and noticed that I was dropping the par time.  I was consistently beating the time, so I dropped the time until it was just making the par time.  I’m down to 3.3 seconds for both drill #1 and #2.  Drill #3 & #4 are down to 1.9 seconds.  I’m using 3” dots outside and 1” dots inside.

2.       Box to Box Transitions (Utilize the shooting boxes to develop a rhythm for moving in Outer Limits) this drill is really getting better.  I have determined that the best way for me to step is with my left foot pushing off with my right foot, then my second step is into the box.  I kept the gun mounted and focused on a dot and pulled the trigger as soon as my second foot was in the box.

3.       First shot acquisition (Using Hopkins Drill Dots)

a.       .70 Or faster from low ready to first shot on target.  The .70 was a good starting time.  I was making the shot from low ready.  I decided to push the time and drop the par time to .50.   Here’s a copy of the Hopkins Drill.  I’m standing 15’ away.  The .50 from low ready was a challenge to say the least.  I did repetitions off of each dot.  My thinking is…if I keep the par time at .50 in dry fire, in live fire it will probably be .7 so I’ll keep pushing myself to go faster while keeping proper form.  From low ready, if I didn’t keep my eyes on the target, I had no chance of making the par time.

 

[stick]

2/20/18

Live fire practice today.  My PCC came back in yesterday, since I was off today I decided to go and work on some live fire drills.  The first few shots surprised me since I had been practicing and shot Action Steel with my daughter's PCC.  I was immediately reminded the weight difference between my 7lb 13.1oz gun versus my daughter's 5lb 10oz gun.  My recoil is a push and hers is a flip.  After verifying zero on my gun, I ran some drills in preparation for the Steel Challenge match on March 3rd.  I had been practicing the movement from box to box in preparation for the stage Outer Limits.  In practice, I can get from box to box in three steps.  Wow! was I surprised how screwed up I was the first few runs.  I did run some video for review that I will post after this synopsis.  I still look slow in my movement and target acquisition. (I had a hard time seeing the dot on the C-more).  I know that I will get better with time.  I should focus my time on other stages that I have a lower percentage on. (Currently 82.82% on outer limits).  My feeling is I can get to 100% on this stage with a little more practice to eliminate the unnecessary movement.

 

The second video I'll post was a first shot drill on the plate rack.  From low ready, fire one shot on target.  In dry fire, I can consistently do this drill in .50 to .55.  From the video, I'm getting the shots off in approximately .65.  This is the first time i have actually performed this drill in live fire.  Now I have a baseline to go off of.  I was standing 15 yards away shooting 6 inch plate rack plates.

What I learned from Today...Dry fire is great, but you need to reinforce the skills your developing with live fire to ingrain the habits when under pressure.

[stick]

2/23/18

After working two double shifts at work Wednesday & Thursday, It felt good to practice again.  It doesn't feel like February in Florida.  It was hot tonight (79) I'm getting back to using my heavier gun.  I had a good training session tonight.  I look forward to using the Steel Challenge Banners in training next week.  I went in half with a friend of mine on the banners.  Our plan is to swap out the banners from week to week. Each of us will have 4 banners to utilize for training.  If anyone is interested.  the banners were purchased from Nimitz (forum member) and they can be found here: http://www.steelshootbanners.com/index.html

 

1.        The Hopkins

a. Drill 1: Engage dots in the following order: 1, 6, 2, 5, 3, 4 (3.3 second par time)

b. Drill 2: Engage dots in the following order: 6, 1, 5, 2, 4, 3 (3.3 Second Par Time)

c. Drill 3: Engage dots in the following order: 6, 8, 3, 1 (1.9 Second Par Time)

d. Drill 4: Engage dots in the following order: 1, 7, 4, 6 (1.9 Second Par Time)  I like this drill for transitions in preparation for steel challenge.  I seemed a little slow raising the gun to the first target.  My only concern was looking at the target while keeping the gun mounted at low ready.  I didn't have a problem with that per se it was keeping my shooting glasses high enough up on my face to not hinder my sight at the first target.  The par time is fast enough in dry fire and I might start to push it a little bit more.  The 4" targets make it tougher to drop the par time with the smaller sight picture.  I'll have to work on that over the weekend. 

 

2.       Box to Box Transitions (Utilize the shooting boxes to develop a rhythm for moving in Outer Limits) this drill is feeling even better now that I have worked out some of the kinks during my live fire training session.  I worked both with and without the gun to ensure fluidity in movement.  With the gun, I worked on movement and shooting three shots once I entered the box.  without the gun, I worked on getting more explosive from box to box.  As the week progresses, I anticipate more progress and faster transitions from box to box.

3.       First shot acquisition (Using Hopkins Drill Dots)

a.       .50 from low ready to first shot on target. As I mentioned in an earlier post,  I was averaging .65 for this drill in live fire on a 6" plate rack plate.  I can consistently make the .50 par time in live fire aiming at 4" dots from 15' away.  In time, I'll see if I can drop the time in live fire to match my dry fire time.

[stick]

2/24/18

1.        The Hopkins

a. Drill 1: Engage dots in the following order: 1, 6, 2, 5, 3, 4 (3.3 second par time)

b. Drill 2: Engage dots in the following order: 6, 1, 5, 2, 4, 3 (3.3 Second Par Time)

c. Drill 3: Engage dots in the following order: 6, 8, 3, 1 (1.9 Second Par Time)

d. Drill 4: Engage dots in the following order: 1, 7, 4, 6 (1.9 Second Par Time)  I seemed a little slow raising the gun up tonight.  Maybe I should start with the first shot drill next time.  I also changed up the repetitions slightly tonight.  Instead of doing individual sets, i switched the order running one from drill one and another from drill two.  I normally run 10 repetitions of each drill.  I've been using the dry practice drill app on my phone.  It allows for editing of drills and repetitions.  it also has a voice that says ready and then a beep after a few seconds.  The par time of 3.3 seconds is still a solid time and if I'm to keep the form correct, i really cant drop the par time just yet.

2.       Box to Box Transitions (Utilize the shooting boxes to develop a rhythm for moving in Outer Limits) I added two twists to this drill tonight.  first, I started in one box, raised the gun and shot two dots on my wall.  I then transitioned into the second box and shot three dots.  I tried to simulate the shooting and movement for outer limits.  The second twist, I added a par time of 4 seconds and performed the same drill.  I was beating the par time of 4 seconds.  if i could only shoot outer limits in under 4 seconds, It would help me achieve GM status in Steel Challenge.

3.       First shot acquisition (Using Hopkins Drill Dots)

a.       .50 from low ready to first shot on target. I dropped the par time to .49  I was beating the par time when I was standing directly in front of the dots.  I did several repetitions standing in front of the dots and several repetitions standing in the middle of the dots.  Now if i could only be that fast in live fire!

[stick]

PCC Dry fire Schedule for the week of 2/25/18 -3/3/18

Weekly area of focus:  Steel Challenge match in 6 days.  Focus will be shooting Accelerator, 5 to go, pendulum and roundabout using the Steel challenge banners.  Peak times divided by 4 will be used for par times.  This will give me GM times to compete against.

Dry fire Drills to complete this week:

1.       Accelerator

a.       Peak Time of 9.5 seconds for the stage (2.375 par time for each of the four runs)  

2.        5 To Go

a.       Peak Time of 11 seconds for the stage (2.75 par time for each of the four runs)

3.       Pendulum

a.       Peak Time of 10.5 seconds for the stage (2.625 par time for each of the four runs)

4.       Roundabout

a.       Peak Time of 8.5 for the stage (2.125 par time for each of the four runs)

 

 

 

[stick]

I want to post my current percentages for these stages.  I can them compare them to my match scores to see if they actually help or not.

 

 

1.       Accelerator

a.       My average is 13.47 seconds or 3.37 seconds per run  Current Percentage is 74.45%

2.        5 To Go

a.       My average is 14.92 seconds or 3.73 seconds per run  Current Percentage is 80.23%

3.       Pendulum

a.       My average is 13.84 seconds or 3.46 seconds per run  Current Percentage is 80.71%

4.       Roundabout

a.       My average is 11.34 seconds or 2.84 seconds per run  Current Percentage is 83.99%

 

 

My only complaint with the banners:  I setup Accelerator and performed about 10 runs on it before it got too dark and the mosquitoes tried to carry me away.  I quickly setup 5 to go and the grommets didn't line up.  I will have to improvise and have several positions available to attach to the banners.

[stick]

2/26/18

I used the Steel Challenge Banners.  I have four and my friend has four.  Our plan is to practice with them until we become proficient then we will switch and master the others.  I have Accelerator, 5 To Go, Pendulum and Roundabout.  I practiced with the par times set at the peak time for each stage.  I then divided by four to figure a par time for each run.  On some of the stages, I was slow.  Being the first time using the banners, I felt as is i did ok.  I like the fact that I could also work on parts of the stage (Transitions from plate to plate. or plate to stop plate.)  I'll attach a video of a few of the reps from each stage.  The plates are labeled from left to right as you see them.

 

Dry fire Drills to complete this week:

1.       Accelerator

a.       Peak Time of 9.5 seconds for the stage (2.37 par time for each of the four runs)  I know why this stage is called accelerator.  Accelerate from the first plate through the second while transitioning onto the fifth plate.  Then you accelerate again from 5 to 4 then 3.  I shot this 1, 2, 5, 4, 3.

2.        5 To Go

a.       Peak Time of 11 seconds for the stage (2.75 par time for each of the four runs)  This stage is pretty straight forward.  Shoot the plates 1, 2, 3, 4, 5

3.       Pendulum

a.       Peak Time of 10.5 seconds for the stage (2.63 par time for each of the four runs)  This stage has height changes with the plates.  6' on plates 1 & 5 and 5' on plates 3, 4 & 5.  Shooting it 1, 2, 5, 4, 3

4.       Roundabout

a.       Peak Time of 8.5 for the stage (2.13 par time for each of the four runs)  This stage is my highest percentage in steel challenge at 83.99%  This stage will probably be the first stage I make master in.  Shooting it 1, 2, 5, 4, 3

 

 

[stick]

2/28/18

I actually practiced twice today.  The Steel Challenge banners make it easy to practice the stages.  I also find it easy to breakdown particular points within a stage, or transitions from plate to plate.

Dry fire Drills to complete this week:

1.       Accelerator

a.       Peak Time of 9.5 seconds for the stage (2.37 par time for each of the four runs)  This stage is coming along.  I quickly learned that the large plates are very easy to hit as you swing by to plate #5.  I'm anxious to see where my times come in on Saturday.  Currently, my average run is 3.35.  I'm practicing with the par time at 2.37. so technically my runs need to be almost a second faster than my average time to make GM.

2.        5 To Go

a.       Peak Time of 11 seconds for the stage (2.75 par time for each of the four runs)  This stage is giving me fits.  It's not so much the stage itself but plate #4.  When I got the transitions right, my times were consistent with the timer.  it seemed that one plate was my main issue.  My current average on this stage is 3.73.  My par time is almost a second lower.  I did notice that I could really drive the gun from plate #4 to the stop plate and save some valuable time.  I need to spend more time on this stage tomorrow!

3.       Pendulum

a.       Peak Time of 10.5 seconds for the stage (2.62 par time for each of the four runs)  I really my chances of beating the peak par time set fourth.  I  feel really good when practicing on this stage.  I was consistently beating the peak par time.  I guess we'll see Saturday!

4.       Roundabout

a.       Peak Time of 8.5 for the stage (2.13 par time for each of the four runs) This stage also give me good vibes.  I actually lowered the par time to 2.0 seconds to see what that felt like.  I didn't make the par time, but it wasn't that far off.  2.84 is my current average for this stage.  i need to shave off .51 per run to make GM on this stage.

[stick]

2/28/18

Here are the Steel Challenge Banners I've been using.  All pictures are cropped to fit in this post.  All pictures were taken 10' away.  It's also the practice distance that you need to use when practicing.  Pictured (from top to Bottom) Are Accelerator, 5 to Go, Pendulum and Roundabout.  Practicing with them this week has afforded me the luxury to actually practice the stages for steel challenge.  I'm feeling pretty confident about three of them.  5 To Go is kicking my butt.  The last plate (#4) before the stop plate is giving me fits.   otherwise, I seem to be on track with my training and I feel as though I'm progressing nicely.  This Saturday and Sunday I'll be testing out my dry fire training.  Saturday is steel challenge at my home club of PMRPC and Sunday's steel challenge match is at OK Corral.  I don't know why, but my times thus far are slightly better at OK Corral.  (Maybe because my first two matches were at PMRPC)  I have my phone setup with the App "Dry Practice Drill"  I have the repetitions set at 10 and the reset time between each rep down to 5 seconds.  I'm also utilizing my PACT timer set as the same par time as the phone app.  The PACT Timer allows me to run a string and then break down my movements without having to interrupt the 10 string run of the phone app.

 

 

 

 

[stick]

3/1/18

 

So I'm showing my devotion and dedication to dry fire practicing.  I have to take my daughter to high school orientation tonight and my son is home sick with a 101 fever.  I got up early and waited for the sun to come up so I could hang my banners and do some dry firing since I won't be able to tonight.

 

Dry fire Drills to complete this week:

1.       Accelerator

a.       This stage started out slow.  My transitions were slow and very deliberate.  I just hung the banner and started training.  I was close to the par time on a run or two, but nowhere near beating it consistently.  I have the par time set for GM peak times.  As long as I show improvement in my stage times, I’ll be happy.

2.        5 To Go

a.       This stage is continually giving me fits.  Tomorrow I’ll be spending more time on this individually.  The fourth plate is my nemesis!  I will conquer this stage.  This stage is giving me fits because I have to drop 1 second per run! My average run is 3.73 seconds.  GM peak time is 2.75 seconds.  That’s a big drop!  I will get there.

3.       Pendulum

a.       This is my second favorite stage (That I have right now) In practice, I’m consistently meeting the par time goal of 2.62 seconds. 

4.       Roundabout

a.       This stage will probably be my first 100% score in steel challenge.  For some reason, I just seem to index to the first plate faster than the others and the stage just seems to flow for me.  I’m feeling sub 2 seconds runs are in my future.  I have my par time on my PACT set for 2 seconds.

 

On a side note, I need to check out my dry fire practice app.  The time seems so much faster than my PACT Timer.  The 2.13 second par time I have set on my app for Roundabout seems a lot faster than my 2.0 second par time on my PACT Timer.

 

 

 

 

Edited March 1, 2018 by stick