Major breakthrough: Not pinning the trigger

[ima45dv8]

Making calling the shot...and knowing your one goal and desire for your shooting.

At first, that might feel like getting stuck in the mud a bit (not worrying about speed, performance, etc.), but what you really are doing is hitching up a powerful team of horses to your wagon.

....if you start from the beginning

But people don't get that and they just want to shoot fast.

You might have to start all over.

Don't try to shoot fast until you know how to shoot.

be

It's 'back to basics' for me.... For some strange reason I've gotten lazy with my visual focus while shooting. I've sort of known what the problem is, but had managed to mozo myself until reading these bits of wisdom.

When I get done pouting, I have a lot of work to do on this.

[wide45]

All due respect Brian, but wanting something is not always the same as doing something. I wanted to call my shots, I was trying to call my shots, but my calling of shots was not working. Ergo, I had to figure out why. Turns out I was hitting the trigger too hard, now I can continue down the path.

H.

Stay on calling the shots. The sights will tell you how to work the trigger.

[benos]

It's 'back to basics' for me.... For some strange reason I've gotten lazy with my visual focus while shooting.

I think the reason is that we are creatures of habit. But that's not all bad, because just realizing that can help keep us on the right path. For instance, when I realized (as an insight, not just thinking about it) that every time the buzzer went off I was going to default to "rush mode," that realization really helped me. It helped keep me out of habit mode by way of giving me a specific place to always be sure to direct my attention to.

It's 'back to basics' I've sort of known what the problem is...

There's a couple good ones there that have been especially highlighted for me lately. "Back to basics" will seldom if ever fail you. Especially when the going gets tough.

"I've sort of known what the problem is." That's a lot better than not knowing there is a problem. Once you've identified the problem, the trick becomes finding the problem's source. When you find the source, the task becomes keeping your attention pointed there. At that point, problems usually fix themselves.

be

Houngan, what Brian was getting at (not that I can speak for him), is that many/most shooters don't have the right goal in their head from the start.

Many shooters think they want to call the shot. But, we find it is not the first and foremost desire in their mind.

Yes, that's it.

Lanny Bassham says that you can only have one thought in your conscious mind at a time. IPSC/USPSA shooters...when they get down to it...find that they have put something ahead of calling the shot (often speed, but it could be other things too).

And again.

For the shooter that might be mashing on the trigger too hard...how is this 'calling the shot' going to help ? Well, the calling...the desire to know...will allow the awareness to open up. Then the shooter can notice what is going on with the gun. This knowing will allow them to see where the sights are going...figure out that is not where they need to be going...and allow the shooter to address that issue. Or, any issue.

And one more time. If you really only want to do the one thing that is fundamental to the job you want to accomplish, and put your mind fully on that, it can be amazing how the body will "sort itself out" to do that.

be

[iweiny]

I think Brian is right about the willingness to call the shot being above all else. I know that when I have shot my best stages I have done so with 1 thought in my mind. "To see every shot". If I could just actually see everything, everytime, I know I could be a GM... I just can't stop blinking...

Anyway, this thread spoke to me so I thought I would offer some of my personal observations. I have had pretty bad tendenitis in my left arm (wrist actually). It was really bad when I shot. So in order to lay off, I started shooting a lot of strong hand only (right handed). This included dry fire. I think this has greatly improved my trigger control. From what you are saying this might be a good exercise to force you to issolate the trigger finger from the rest of the hand. (not to mention it improves your SHO/WHO shooting...)

Just a thought,

Ira

[ima45dv8]

I had a breif moment of clarity last night, and managed a field course with only a few points dropped, but seeing all the shots. The time was very good, too.

The speed shoot was a different matter (first stage, which I always struggle with).

[benos]

I started shooting a lot of strong hand only (right handed). This included dry fire. I think this has greatly improved my trigger control. From what you are saying this might be a good exercise to force you to issolate the trigger finger from the rest of the hand. (not to mention it improves your SHO/WHO shooting...)

Just a thought,

Ira

That's great stuff.

Back in the day there was a guy in our local club who broke his right (strong) arm. So he shot matches for months week-handed. Man, in the end he was unbelievable. A true terror. I never had the discipline to try that (without breaking my arm) strong-handed. But if I would have I'm sure it would have improved every aspect of my shooting.

be

[Sam]

I've been layed off of the pistols for several months while playing with other guns. When I returned to practicing draws and reloads with my pistols last night, I was reminded that the same, or maybe even a bit more, speed happens while I'm paying attention to the fundamentals. The timer doesn't lie. Once speed has become well established in your repertoire, it is what it is. Stealing attention from shot calling and trigger awareness to dwell on visions of quickness doesn't make us any faster. It just makes us miss.

[benos]

Stealing attention from shot calling and trigger awareness to dwell on visions of quickness doesn't make us any faster. It just makes us miss.

That's beautiful.

be

[bountyhunter]

I think, and I need to confirm this, that I was tensing up for the transition, and this was throwing my second shot off. //

Anyone have any thoughts/experiences with this?

H.

I wonder if you could find anybody who has NOT done this....

You get the need to "over control" the trigger which puts tension in the trigger finger and control muscles. By tension, I mean muscles tensed while they are actually doing nothing except waiting for their turn to act.

The key for me was to completely relax the trigger finger after the shot, then apply a light pressure to the trigger (just enough to take up and set it) and then break the trigger when the sights align.

When you feel that finger tensing up, you're screwed.

[Matt Griffin]

After-action report, Targeting Education matches:

After watching the super squad and comparing my times, I believe I'm pretty much done with worrying about speed. The places I'm losing points are almost entirely mental. Methinks I need to check out Kirsch's book, and re-read Brian's.

Interestingly by day 3, when I was getting tired and hadn't eaten that day, I noticed my finger starting to tense and pin. My trigger control seems to be heavily related to the "quality" of my mind at the time; as I start to get dumber, so does my trigger work.

H.

Edited May 21, 2007 by Houngan

[Flexmoney]

...speed happens while I'm paying attention to the fundamentals.

Since Brian already tagged another part of what you siad, I tag this part.

Fantastic post Sam. Spot on.

[Matt Griffin]

Further reinforcement: After a day of layoff, I went to the indoor shoot, and my smooth trigger work was back. There's a lot to be said for being in a general "good place" physically when shooting; fatigue just makes everything dumber, from the mind to the trigger.

H.

[Allgoodhits]

Not controlling the TRIGGER is like an ERASER. No matter how good everything else is, BAD TRIGGER control can ERASE everything else you did right! Control the trigger, control the shot....and the next shot ..... .

MJ

[Overhung]

Shot calling drills are like dummy round drills. They don't initiate the experience, they tell you there is a problem.

A dummy round in the middle of the mag, may lead to a flerk, jerk, push etc. if timing is bad. But if every time that round comes up and the gun moves, you may not know how to fix the problem. Some times we get into habits, drills aren't so effective.

The other day, I was at the range working on shot calling. Some i knew- just knew they were on target, knew they were A's. Some I thought were high right Cs were low left C's. So I question if I really knew those A's.

I think my shot calling will improve as I shoot long distances- fundamentals. See, breathe, squeeze, follow through, follow the sights. I can then use the shot calling drills from Burkett, Kirsch, Enos to see how I am progressing with the fundamentals.

I can shoot a trillion rounds next to a buddy with binoculars, and he can keep telling me my misses, but without some "alone" time just following the sights, I am wasting both our times.

I am having trouble going from shooting groups at distance to firing faster- other than say a par time and pushing that.

I then have to be able to stop my thought process from shooting a target moving on, knowing I made a bad shot. I see the higher classes shoot two and a make up pretty quick- I have to process the feedback first. I want to get better at deciding a make up shot is needed and executing.

[mdstihl]

If I could just actually see everything, everytime, I know I could be a GM... I just can't stop blinking...

LOL That right there is good stuff!