BBunin Posted November 12, 2006 Share Posted November 12, 2006 OK, there's gotta be some sort of trick to this that I haven't figured out yet. No matter how hard I've tried, I cannot aquire and hold a sight picture while moving, long enough to get off a shot. I absolutely have to stop moving, in order to hit the target at farther than 3 yards. What's the training technique to work on this? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
John Dunn Posted November 12, 2006 Share Posted November 12, 2006 Sam always calls it the "Groucho" walk. It helps to have your knees flexed, and roll heel to toe, small steps. Matt Burkett has a good drill for this in his Volume 1-3 set. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Rocket35 Posted November 12, 2006 Share Posted November 12, 2006 Many have used the 'ol water bottle training technique of walking around with a partially filled bottle of water. The focus is on keeping the water level still, and with out sloshing it around. Or if you have a treadmil, I have even heard of people dryfiring while walking on a treadmil! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yoshidaex Posted November 12, 2006 Share Posted November 12, 2006 Wow! The treadmill technique sounds pretty interesting. I'll have to try that. I have a elliptical machine but I'm sure the training won't be the same as a standard treadmill. I wonder if the local gym would let me dry fire while using their treadmill Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
uscbigdawg Posted November 12, 2006 Share Posted November 12, 2006 Matt Burkett Water Bottle Technique is flawless. Half filled water bottle, upside down, held like your pistol out in front of you. Water line at eye level. Pick up his DVD's and you'll learn it and many more valuable techniques. Rich Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Jake Di Vita Posted November 12, 2006 Share Posted November 12, 2006 There is something you can practice next time you are at the range...it requires a certain degree of balance though. Place a target at 15 or so yards. Walk towards the target with your gun out. Every step you take...pause and take a shot with your foot in the air. What this does is basically make you stationary but in the position you would be in if you were moving. Do that continuously, then when it starts getting easier speed up. Eventually you will get to the point where you are no longer pausing, but just shooting as your foot is in the air taking a step. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
yoshidaex Posted November 12, 2006 Share Posted November 12, 2006 good tip Jake! I'll have to include that in my practice regimen. At what point should you stop and start over from the 15 yard mark again? Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
George Posted November 13, 2006 Share Posted November 13, 2006 Dryfiring while walking on my treadmill has taught me to shoot on the move so much better than I used to. You can do huge amounts of practice at home and validate it with just a little live fire at the range. I believe in it thoroughly. You don't get to work on the ability to change directions and do wider transitions while walking a treadmill, but it darned sure teaches you to walk smooth and shoot the sights AS they become aligned. It's all about combining a smooth gait with some visual patience. The great thing about a treadmill is that you never get closer to the targets so you get to keep dryfiring without backing up and starting over, over and over ;-) Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
Mad Kaw Posted November 13, 2006 Share Posted November 13, 2006 Sam always calls it the "Groucho" walk. It helps to have your knees flexed, and roll heel to toe, small steps. Matt Burkett has a good drill for this in his Volume 1-3 set. This idea is very close to what you learn in Wing Chun kung fu to allow you to be mobile yet balanced while moving. Basically keep your upper body still while your lower body does the work. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BBunin Posted November 13, 2006 Author Share Posted November 13, 2006 Thanks guys! I will try the water drill and the Groucho bit. Matt's videos are on my short list. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
EricW Posted November 13, 2006 Share Posted November 13, 2006 What's the training technique to work on this? First off. Make sure your freestyle platform is squared away with your static shooting. That's the basis of everything you'll do. If you can't maintain your freestyle platform, adding movement will seem absolutely ridiculous. And if you get the impression that my freestyle platform is totally squared away, it's not. It's something I continually fight. Shooting becomes exponentially tougher the minute I stop doing the basics: knees bent, rotate from the hips down, leading with the eyes, etc. I'm not saying that you have to have that perfect, but have it down well enough that you're able to diagnose what you're not doing when things start falling apart. Then you can take a deep breath, go back to the fundamentals and all will be right with the world again. Get that straight, *then* add movement. Shooting on the move successfully involves moving in such a manner that your freestyle platform still remains effective. All of the previous advice applies, but I think you can practice just as well with your match heater as a water bottle. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
half inch groups Posted November 13, 2006 Share Posted November 13, 2006 think I'll go down to the gym in the hotel I'm stayin at to the treadmill with a half bottle of water! I was watching the USPSA intro video and I was stoked to see people quickly walkin and shootin. cool tips! gotta get me some vids! Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
wide45 Posted November 13, 2006 Share Posted November 13, 2006 (edited) Shooting on the moove, and calling your shots go hand in hand. You won't get away with trying to hold the gun still. You have got to continually read the sights. Bend your knees, get low when you walk. The lower you get, the smoother you will be. Let your sights tell you when you are low enough. Edited November 13, 2006 by wide45 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CDRODA396 Posted November 22, 2006 Share Posted November 22, 2006 (edited) Hey everyone, I am fairly new to USPSA and this site, and loving both. I have spent some time in the service of Uncle Sam, and there they teach to "Think like a Tank." If you can picture an Abrams Tank, the turret and hull are connected, but move independently if you will...imagine your torso above your waist is the turret, and below your waist the hull...as you walk, with knees "soft" you try (and with practice can) isolote the movement to below your waist with a little "imagination." Then imagine your feet are the "track pads." When you walk with your "soft knees," place your feet down heel to toe, rolling forward from your heel...like the track pads rolling off the drive sproket....heel to toe, heel to toe, that minimizes the bounce of your steps ...add that "mental picuture" to your water bottle drill and I think it'll help. Edited to add....I did hear of a unit that at one time used laser grips and tried to follow the seams in cinder block walls with the laser as they moved up and down corridors to practice holding steady while moving...just another tool in the tool box... Edited November 22, 2006 by CDRODA396 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kevin c Posted November 22, 2006 Share Posted November 22, 2006 Good advice from all. Just a small, obvious but important point that I finally realized - the whole idea is to keep your upper shooting platform moving smoothly in the same plane as the target's A zone. The target's A zone is not moving up and down, but if your gun does so with each step, the temptation is to adjust your sight picture to compensate, and at least I can't do that very well. Float the gun, along with your upper body, above the ground at the same level as your aiming point. With no vertical bounce, the shot while moving becomes more like a lateral transition from one target to the next, or, if you're moving directly towards or away from the target, it's almost equivalent to a stationary target. For practice, try fixing on an object at relatively distant target range while moving over uneven ground. Try to not have your vision "bounce" with each step. Then try it with extended arms. Then the water bottle. One other thing I find helps (and I still have a long way to go): I pull the gun in some. At full extension there's a much greater tendency to bounce. You have 3# object out at the end of a 2' fulcrum - there's more force to deal with out there than if you pull in the stance a few inches. You may lose some shot precision, though. Just my .02 worth. Kevin C. Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
BBunin Posted November 22, 2006 Author Share Posted November 22, 2006 (edited) One other thing I find helps (and I still have a long way to go): I pull the gun in some. At full extension there's a much greater tendency to bounce. You have 3# object out at the end of a 2' fulcrum - there's more force to deal with out there than if you pull in the stance a few inches. You may lose some shot precision, though. I'd noticed that. I've been debating trying it, but the part that bothers me is that I have this vision of me drawing it too far back, and catching the slide in the forehead! I think I'm going to do my movement practicing with the gun drawn about 1/3 of the way in. Eric, Think you could work with me a bit on it at the Dec match? We've got at least two stages that call for shooting on the move. Heck, you designed one of them (Silent Running II)! Edited November 22, 2006 by BBunin Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
kevin c Posted November 22, 2006 Share Posted November 22, 2006 I've been debating trying it, but the part that bothers me is that I have this vision of me drawing it too far back, and catching the slide in the forehead! Total slide travel on my Para's, which shouldn't be much different from any 1911/2011 pattern gun, is less than two and a quarter inches, so unless you're really close, or really break up and back in recoil, you shouldn't get whacked. 'Course, really pulling the gun in tight by bending the elbows more may tend to break the wrists upwards in recoil some, so do be a little careful... Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
walangkatapat Posted November 23, 2006 Share Posted November 23, 2006 OK, there's gotta be some sort of trick to this that I haven't figured out yet.No matter how hard I've tried, I cannot aquire and hold a sight picture while moving, long enough to get off a shot. I absolutely have to stop moving, in order to hit the target at farther than 3 yards. What's the training technique to work on this? Shooting USA just had a segment on shooting on the move by Todd Jarrett this week: Todd Jarrett Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
CDRODA396 Posted November 27, 2006 Share Posted November 27, 2006 (edited) Shooting USA just had a segment on shooting on the move by Todd Jarrett this week: Todd Jarrett Did anyone else check out the link and notice the analogy with the tank..."Now let’s do a 45 angle off right and left. When you’re going in that direction make sure your feet are going to the box and your gun is pointed at the target. Just like a tank tracking down. The turret moves aim at the target while the tank tracks go in the direction you want to move. Let’s give it a try." Ole Uncle Sam's smarter than I thought! Good link, thanks for posting it. Edited November 27, 2006 by CDRODA396 Link to comment Share on other sites More sharing options...
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