Training to improve sight acquisition?

[Macca]

Guys,

Im currently implementing a new dry fire routine just to develop my speed of sight acquisition.

This year my shooting has kind of gone downhill (to the point I'm slipping a grade in almost every type of match i shoot)

Having had a close look at what Im doing one of the problems is my sight acquisition speed and coordination with the trigger squeeze. My shooting in accuracy matches where I have lots of time has risen though.

If anyone has any suggestions that might be useful I'd welcome them. at this point all i can think of is to stop scoring my matches and just focus on sheer repetition of acquiring the sights and coordinating my trigger squeeze under time pressure...particularly series like 2 shots per target etc.

Thanks...

[Duane Thomas]

Probably the most efficient way to ramp up your ability to see the sights I can think of would be to get, and then shoot the hell out of, an Airsoft.

It fairly well-known among serious shooters that the Steel Challenge has been won several times by Japanese shooters who spend all year shooting Airsoft then, a few weeks before the match, come over to the U.S. (where, I only assume, they have their real gun stored) and spend the next few weeks getting grooved-in on its blast and recoil. Then they go out and smoke the rest of the best in the world, I'm talking some of the best competition speed shooters on the planet who have spent all year firing tens of thousands of rounds through real guns.

People examining this phenomenon eventually figured out there are great advantages to doing most of your training with Airsoft. A lot of that has to do with the ability to see the sights, even during rapid fire and transitions. When you fire the Airsoft, there is, actually, a bit of muzzle flip and thus up-and-down sight movement. Not a lot, but it's there. Thus it's really easy to track the sights in recoil. This seems to transition over to an enhanced ability to see the sights once you switch over to a real gun. It's a common statement among shooters who, for whatever reason, cannot make it to the range for weeks on end, so they shoot an Airsoft in practice, that when they finally make it back out the range to live fire they find that not only has their speed improved, so has their accuracy and ability to see the sights.

[sfpmb]

Duane was reading my mind on this one. I remember puting up three pretty close range reduced size targets in my garage. On a start beep I drew and shot at them while moving (parallel) as fast as I could. I looked at the targets, I did not have all A's and it hit me. If with little or no recoil I can not get the A's, how could I ever do it with a real pistol (that fast). I repeated this many times, turning it down a notch each time until I could get the A's, I tried to remember this clarity of vision. I went to a match after a period of time and found that I could not shoot that same type array as fast as with airsoft but what I was seeing was clearer. I was training with airsoft and had learned to go faster than I could go with a real pistol. So when I shot the pistol with recoil, I could see the sights better because it was happening slower in front of me, whereas I was used to seeing it faster. I felt more in control because I was not at my sight limit to where I stop seeing. Now I was only limited to how fast I can return the sights in recoil. Sorry if its hard to get my point but it sticks with me as most light bulb moments do.

[Duane Thomas]

Duane was reading my mind on this one.

It's a gift. However you will be relieved to know that I have sworn a solemn oath to use these immense psychic powers only for the good of mankind.

[sfpmb]

Macca

This is what helps me. I get to work multiple skills and it is objective rather than subjective. The targets are at a distance that I have to pull the front sight into focus and not just rely on a good index to it. The coordination all has to come together. But the learning for me does not come in the movement but in the missing. I dry fire for mag changes, draws, table starts, but rarely do I focus on sight and pulls. I do my sight work with airsoft. I can never go faster than what I can hit. In dry fire I can go fast and I don't really know what I hit because there is not that type of feedback given. Some will read and say your getting feedback (by calling sights), but for us lower folks, I cannot completely call every shot (yet). The objective feedback of airsoft keeps me at doable speed that I can try to repeat from at a match.

christmas IPSC - HO HO HO

Oh, the reason I was out in my gargae on christmas anyway is my son and I were knocking down the targets with his new super awesome (his words, he's 6) nerf rifle, he went inside to play with other stuff and I got 15 minutes in, what a great christmas.

[lugnut]

I think this is the 2nd most important thing to work on in USPA/IDPA next to efficiency in movement... while in essence... acquiring sight is...well movement.

Here's what I'm working on. I recently saw a video of Robert Vogel.. he menitoned that for most of his shots his indexing is so well tuned, he's basically just using his front sight to validate something is not off. I'm working on making sure that when my eyes acquire the target the front sight is right behind. It's amazing that after practicing this for a while how quickly your sights just automatcally follow your eyes.

The other thing to work on, and this has been a big help for me- I heard this from Dave Olhasso- always be driving your gun. This means that when your shot breaks- you need to move your eyes, and your gun to the next target! That target may be another hole in the same target, a piece of steel 10 feet away, or another array of paper 20 feet away. Call your shot and immediately move your eyes to the next target! Seems so simple right? I wish.

[benos]

Macca,

Dry-draw, forever.

One good method... Just before drawing (on a blank wall), close your eyes. Then after the draw open your eyes and note the sight alignment, or where the sights are if they are not aligned. Don't think about changing anything physically, just repeat, over and over. The goal being drawing to a perfect sight alignment every time with your eyes closed.

After you can do that, do the same thing but draw to a target (maybe a light switch on the wall). The goal being to draw to a perfect sight alignment right on the target every time.

be

[Macca]

Macca,

Dry-draw, forever.

One good method... Just before drawing (on a blank wall), close your eyes. Then after the draw open your eyes and note the sight alignment, or where the sights are if they are not aligned. Don't think about changing anything physically, just repeat, over and over. The goal being drawing to a perfect sight alignment every time with your eyes closed.

After you can do that, do the same thing but draw to a target (maybe a light switch on the wall). The goal being to draw to a perfect sight alignment right on the target every time.

be

Thanks,

thats what I am now doing.....I think its the best thing, helps with my draw speed too!