"off Season" Training

[Micah]

With Circleville and Oxford being the last two local matches of the season, this years competition is coming to a close. This was my first year of USPSA, and it is my goal (remember, goals are written down, pipe dreams are simply spoken) to make master next year.

I dryfire a la SA's fantastical book, and with snow upon us, will not be able to sharpen the saw with livefire at the local Fish & Game. My question is how do you top shooters stay sharp and keep your skills honed and on demand during the off season. Although Saul talks about taking some time off of shooting, I am driven to the point of obsession. Burnout is a non issue with me.

Thanks to all in advance

Edited October 23, 2006 by Pharaoh Bender

[Viggen]

Move to Arizona or Texas or Florida - shoot all year.

Edited October 23, 2006 by Viggen

[eric nielsen]

Mesa, AZ

Edited October 23, 2006 by eric nielsen

[ChuckS]

Move to Arizona or Texas or Florida - shoot all year.

Yup, warm weather is nice but unless Al Gore gets off his butt and warms up Ohio , you will probably be indoors. I know some guys in Illinois who are putting together some indoor AirSoft matches with reduced size targets. I assume the indoor ranges in Dayton do not allow holsters/rapid fire so the Air Soft would help you keep stage skills sharp while shooting real guns at the indoor ranges could keep your trigger skills up. Combine that with endless hours of dry fire and you should be able to satisfy your obsession.

Or move somewhere warm. It looks like we will have 4 matches during the last 2 weeks of the year!

[davidball]

With Circleville and Oxford being the last two local matches of the season, this years competition is coming to a close. This was my first year of USPSA, and it is my goal (remember, goals are written down, pipe dreams are simply spoken) to make master next year.

I dryfire a la SA's fantastical book, and with snow upon us, will not be able to sharpen the saw with livefire at the local Fish & Game. My question is how do you top shooters stay sharp and keep your skills honed and on demand during the off season. Although Saul talks about taking some time off of shooting, I am driven to the point of obsession. Burnout is a non issue with me.

Thanks to all in advance

I am not a "top shooter", but I will offer this. Time off is not necessarily strictly to avoid burnout. Time off will also improve overall performance by giving the mind a break and time to refresh.

[BigDave]

Other things you might consider doing during these "off" months include:

• Send the blaster to the 'smith for a tune up, part changes or a new finish
  
• Loading/testing ammo for next year's season
  
• Reviewing major match videos
  

The way I see it, if you do that, along with enough dry fire so that your chops don't get stale, the only thing you should need to worry about when the season rolls around is practice (live fire) and match performance.

Just my $0.02

[38superman]

+1 to what the others said.

Spend the winter working on fitness.

Indoors at the gym during the winter is sure to help your game.

There's more to this sport than just shooting.

I hope you haven't set your goals unrealistically high.

Not many make master in their second year.

Good luck with it.

Just don't make the rest of us look too bad

Tls

[Micah]

Thanks for the great input so far! The club that I used to belong to switched their rules to that one may only shoot factory, cleanfire ammo. That's simply not going to happen!

Trust me, I certainly wish that I lived in AZ. Hot and dry are two of my favorite climates

I certainly plan on getting more fit. I've practiced with hard weight training, but found that I could actually build too much muscle, and it got in the way of my sight picture stability and range of motion. Cardio will be the law of the land with my fitness plan.

My blaster is a Glock 34, and I've already replaced all of the springs/sights and such, so there really is no need for taking a gunsmith vacation.

And as for setting my goals high, I firmly believe that I have the ability to make master next year. Will I be able to beat Moneypenny and Keen....not now, but I know what opportunities that I need to focus on to make that happen

Edited October 23, 2006 by Pharaoh Bender

[lcs]

You can shoot every Monday night at Miamisburg Sportsman Club. We start about 530 and last shooter has to be finished by 10PM. Cost is 6$ plus a one time minor fee. Reshoots are $3.

We also have a league you can join--prizes awarded by drawing in June.

See ya there.

[Flexmoney]

Master ..with a Glock ????

Remember when people thought that was crazy?

(I think I'll make GM in Open with a Glock. )

Shooting matches is fine and dandy, but it really isn't training. How is Miamisburg for training outdoors?

[lcs]

Master ..with a Glock ????

Remember when people thought that was crazy?

(I think I make GM in Open with a Glock. )

Shooting matches is fine and dandy, but it really isn\'t training. How is Miamisburg for training outdoors?

New ranges are being completed soon. The ranges will be excellent; however, membership only. ---\"not the same as training\"---agreed, but atleast you get to shoot something similar to a match every week.

[shred]

See if there's a rock gym nearby. A few sessions a week in there and you'll have heinous grip strength.

[BSeevers]

Master ..with a Glock ????

Remember when people thought that was crazy?

Some of us still do.

[Jake Di Vita]

I am actually in the process of totally rethinking my method of training and probably won't be touching a gun at all for about 6 months.

The way I am starting to see it is that you absolutely cannot be a champion without being in top shape. Physically, mentally, and spiritually....across the board. So those are what I'm working on improving until next spring.

[Chris Keen]

And then again, some of you are just plain crazy no matter what gun you shoot!

I have no doubt PB will make Master next year. All it takes is shooting every match you can ... week after week .... month after month ... and after shooting 10,000 rounds you should know what you are lacking in skills. Then go shoot another 10,000 rounds and you should have accomplished your goal or at least be damn close.

Dry fire is great, but there is no substitute for live fire.

[TEricksen]

I used to spend my hour lunches at the range during the winter. If I was getting ready for an important match, I'd take my vacation 1 hour at a time and spend 2 hours at the range in the middle of the day.

[Micah]

Remember when people thought that was crazy?

(I think I make GM in Open with a Glock. )

Ahh Flex, if only we could show the light to more shooters

New ranges are being completed soon. The ranges will be excellent; however, membership only. ---\"not the same as training\"---agreed, but atleast you get to shoot something similar to a match every week.

Fullrace, I sent you a PM on that topic.

The way I am starting to see it is that you absolutely cannot be a champion without being in top shape. Physically, mentally, and spiritually....across the board. So those are what I'm working on improving until next spring.

Jake, I completely agree with you that it takes balance to become the best. This sport make me kick the smoking habit and hit the gym more! I'm just not good enough to run 10 yards and hit a plate from 40 feet away WHILE sucking wind

I have no doubt PB will make Master next year....

I really appreciate that Chris! It's all thanks to the training from you and Uncle Bill that's made be want to push myself.

I really like the way this thread is developing

Edited October 23, 2006 by Pharaoh Bender

[uscbigdawg]

I'm with Jake and others. Look at this as an opportunity to do a couple of things. First and foremost, get the gear happy. Send your pistol in to your gunsmith for a tune up, new springs, etc. If it needs a new barrel, slide/frame re-fit, whatever. That'll take a month or two. Reloading equipment. What you're not spending on match fees and ammo fired, spend it on reloading supplies.

Training:

A - Develop a plan for working on your dry firing, shooting schedule once the weather starts to turn to where you can go to a firing line and also when you can start runnin' and gunnin'.

B - Project out your schedule of matches that you want to hit. Both locally and nationally (and even internationally) and budget/plan hotels, cars, flights, etc. accordingly. Can't hurt to make reservations early.

C - Get with a trainer and workout a regimine for physical fitness. Push it hard as this is the time when you're not going to tax the body too much, when combined with shooting and practice.

D - Mental fitness. Big, big, big. Like others, I tend to process things visually. Review any past match footage, training tapes/tips from the top shooters and read books/analyze how YOU can improve, not just how you can improve your shooting. There will be reciprocal benefits.

That's my plan for while I'm in Afghanistan. I get out of the Army in October 2008. I will make Master by August 2009.

Rich

[Micah]

I'm with Jake and others. Look at this as an opportunity to do a couple of things. First and foremost, get the gear happy. Send your pistol in to your gunsmith for a tune up, new springs, etc. If it needs a new barrel, slide/frame re-fit, whatever. That'll take a month or two. Reloading equipment. What you're not spending on match fees and ammo fired, spend it on reloading supplies.

Training:

A - Develop a plan for working on your dry firing, shooting schedule once the weather starts to turn to where you can go to a firing line and also when you can start runnin' and gunnin'.

B - Project out your schedule of matches that you want to hit. Both locally and nationally (and even internationally) and budget/plan hotels, cars, flights, etc. accordingly. Can't hurt to make reservations early.

C - Get with a trainer and workout a regimine for physical fitness. Push it hard as this is the time when you're not going to tax the body too much, when combined with shooting and practice.

D - Mental fitness. Big, big, big. Like others, I tend to process things visually. Review any past match footage, training tapes/tips from the top shooters and read books/analyze how YOU can improve, not just how you can improve your shooting. There will be reciprocal benefits.

That's my plan for while I'm in Afghanistan. I get out of the Army in October 2008. I will make Master by August 2009.

Rich

Rich, thank you for your input, and thank you again for your service to our country! I look forward to shooting in your squad one day when you return

[Shooter Grrl]

There are still plenty of matches - if you're serious about continuing shooting during the winter months I dry fire (and remember we'll have Refinement and Repetition II to keep us company this winter) and I attend at least one match a month, even if it's just the bowling pin match at Miami. Do a search, I bemoaned the lack of shooting during winter here last year and got back a ton of feedback on where to shoot.

[hitman]

Uh stop shooting because its cold?

I am sorry I dont understand that concept.

Do you stop shooting when it rains?

Put on your long johns get off the couch and venture into the darkness.

There is lots of EVIL fun to be had in the arctic darkness.

[uscbigdawg]

"Neither rain, nor sleet, nor snow will keep me from my appointed starting position, ready to answer the call of 'Are you ready?' (that is unless the match director will give us a refund due to the crappy weather and/or we haven't started shooting yet! Where's the nearest Starbuck's?)"

Rich

[Micah]

Uh stop shooting because its cold?

I am sorry I dont understand that concept.

Do you stop shooting when it rains?

Put on your long johns get off the couch and venture into the darkness.

There is lots of EVIL fun to be had in the arctic darkness.

Don't get me wrong, I'm the kinda guy that walks in the rain.

It's when it gets cold enough that even with hand warmers, I lose dexterity in my fingers.

Flex, I've been chewing on your statement that matches are not really practice. Although there is much that can be learned from shooting a match, I completely agree. It is during practice that you refine your technique and build up your opportunity skills. I'm going to carry that thought with me all winter. Once next season kicks off, I will be ready

Edited October 28, 2006 by Pharaoh Bender

[Jake Di Vita]

Practice, by definition, is something you do many times over and over to get better.

At a match you have 1 shot per stage. Definetely not practice....it's game time.

[XD Niner]

I must respectfully disagree in part with Flex and Jake about matches not being training. I agree from the standpoint of the actual firing of the pistol. Consistently good physical repetition is the best means of honing your pistolero skills.

However, I think a match is practice when you consider stage strategy and tactics and mental toughness. You see a variety of situations and must learn to assess how best to shoot a COF given your division, shooting skills and physical capabilities. Learning how others who are more experienced and more capable than you run the stage is also invaluable.

You also get a chance to exercise you mental powers by keeping your concentration despite spending 95% of your time doing other things than actually shooting the stage.

Of course that's easy to say when I could shoot a match almost every weekend of the year. I knew there was a good reason for moving to Florida from Wisconsin!

Edited October 28, 2006 by XD Niner