Corey's road to success

[Corey]

Maybe it was the thoughts of all the "New Years Resolution" crap going on around me or just my inner shooter wanting to come out (im going with option 2 there). Anyway, I recently received Steve Anderson's dryfire book and read through the introduction a day or two ago. Re-read it again today and read through the first dozen drills or so. I then proceeded to change clothes, strap on my belt, holster, mag holsters and grab my gun and some dummy rounds(yes, Im positive they are dummy rounds-dif case, no primer/powder, kept seperate from everything else in my reloading room).

Maybe just bc it was first my time doing structured dry-fire, maybe it was a lack of a real timer and me having to use Matt Burkett's flash files on my laptop as a make-shift timer, maybe it was bc every drill i re-read a third time to verify what i was supposed to do, maybe it was bc i dont have a "par time" for the drills yet, but it took me over an hour to get through the first 8 drills in the book. I had nothing better to do anyway, but i was hoping to get more accomplished today. Maybe the days to come, i will be able to get more accomplished faster.

On the plus side, I could feel myself becoming a lil more comfortable with the drills and was easily getting all A's with my basline par times i had set (altho they were kinda high from the references in the book). Im looking forward to this being an every day routine for me...

[BillD]

I hear ya. I've started doing some drills myself and it seems like it takes a while to get everything pat.

Can't believe how many reloads I fumbled.

[Corey]

my plan is to get the fumbles out of my system by spring for my first match...

looking forward to getting more for my time as i get familiar with these drills and get a real timer

[BillD]

I got a nice timer for Christmas. I still prefer the Matt Burkett timer for dry firing in the garage. The random start, ability to set par times and the friendly, "shooter ready, stand by" is match-like and it just keeps going.

I hope to get rid of the fumbles too BUT if you watch the bloopers on TGO's website, he blows one once in a while. He recovers darn quick though...lol

[Corey]

Just ordered my airsoft package and it should be here in a couple days. Really looking forward to adding this to my dryfire routines. Also ordering a CED7000 today so I can get used to the sound of a "real" buzzer.

[Corey]

been doing my dryfire on a regular basis and am getting more familiar with them and feeling like they are becoming more smooth. I've started to reduce my par time slowly and seeing some improvement. Also got my new airsoft from Manny and its is exceptional. getting ready to order some targets and set up a small training area in one of my spare rooms:)

Looks like ill be doing a couple of indoor matches in the near future so that will give me some good ideas of specific areas where I may be lacking and ill be able to set up specific drills for myself.

Looking forward to updating this (whether anyone reads it or not,lol).

[Corey]

Update 1/13/10:

I received my airsoft package and have some targets on order. Cant wait to begin my training there. Also received my CED7000. i like using this better than the internet program i had been. Its easier to restart the timer and I can get in more reps in a shorter amount of time.

Still doing just the basics, draw, index, simple transitions and reloads. I am starting to see some improvement on my par times. i lowered my par times for drills 1 and 2 in Steve's book down to 1.2 already. the final few at an "under par time" seem like im cutting it close, but im working on getting it on target with out a lot of wasted movement.

I think im going to cut back on the draw drills a little bit and kick up the reload ones more. Im going to be doing a lot of reloads in Single Stack ( and possibly production) so i think that is where I stand to gain and/or lose the most time when it comes time to shoot matches. Note to self-buy a magwell sooner rather than later. Even a small one that i think i want (S&A) will help me here a little bit. The factory hole is tough to hit. I think I need to slow it down a bit for now and work on smoothness. I think im rushing the speed and having fumble troubles on Burkett reloads. When I do a 6-reload-6, i seem to hit them a lot better, im guessing because im not worrying about a time on the reload but on hitting the A's and get all 6 shots on A-zone. Hmmm.....light bulb flickering slightly?

Speaking of matches, week and a half until my first match. its a small indoor match but im looking forward to seeing a real test and actually seeing where I am truly lacking. i think it will be an eye opener for me for sure.

[JohnGaultsGun]

Update 1/13/10:

I received my airsoft package and have some targets on order. Cant wait to begin my training there. Also received my CED7000. i like using this better than the internet program i had been. Its easier to restart the timer and I can get in more reps in a shorter amount of time.

Still doing just the basics, draw, index, simple transitions and reloads. I am starting to see some improvement on my par times. i lowered my par times for drills 1 and 2 in Steve's book down to 1.2 already. the final few at an "under par time" seem like im cutting it close, but im working on getting it on target with out a lot of wasted movement.

I think im going to cut back on the draw drills a little bit and kick up the reload ones more. Im going to be doing a lot of reloads in Single Stack ( and possibly production) so i think that is where I stand to gain and/or lose the most time when it comes time to shoot matches. Note to self-buy a magwell sooner rather than later. Even a small one that i think i want (S&A) will help me here a little bit. The factory hole is tough to hit. I think I need to slow it down a bit for now and work on smoothness. I think im rushing the speed and having fumble troubles on Burkett reloads. When I do a 6-reload-6, i seem to hit them a lot better, im guessing because im not worrying about a time on the reload but on hitting the A's and get all 6 shots on A-zone. Hmmm.....light bulb flickering slightly?

Speaking of matches, week and a half until my first match. its a small indoor match but im looking forward to seeing a real test and actually seeing where I am truly lacking. i think it will be an eye opener for me for sure.

Corey, Keep your drills short. It's too easy to get tired and not realize it. 1 hour is too long. Break it up during the course of a day. 20 minutes (max) in the morning and then again in the evening. Make your drills perfect. If you go past this time period, you will not realize your arms are getting tired and will do sloppy work. What you do in practice is what you do at match time and if you're fumbling in practice, you will fumble at matches. HIGHLY recommend getting a magwell for the single stack. Try PowerCustomUSA (use 2alpha for discount) or wherever you get your supplies :rolleyes:

I used to do the 1.5 - 2 hour practice times (3-5 times a week) and wondered why I fumbled every match. Then a top level guy recommend I focus on quality rather than quantity and almost immediately the fumbles when away. Less is definitely more here. This will also give you an opportunity to try different dry fire drills. I've used Andersons repetition book for a long time and it's a great starting point. DONT burn out by doing too much.

Good luck.

Edited January 14, 2010 by JohnGaultsGun

[CocoBolo]

Update 1/13/10:

I think im going to cut back on the draw drills a little bit and kick up the reload ones more. Im going to be doing a lot of reloads in Single Stack ( and possibly production) so i think that is where I stand to gain and/or lose the most time when it comes time to shoot matches.

Reloads are very important in Single Stack. For single stack I practice with full mags because that is the way you do them in a match. I made up 48 dummy rounds (painted them red with Dykem). I do both static and moving practice, in the moving I try to get it done in 3 steps. I have the largest TecWell and I think that I will step down to a little smaller one sooner or later but it sure makes hitting the slot easy just like a limited gun or open gun. I use the Wilson 47DE mags they have a little space in them with 8 and are easier to seat than the chip mccormicks.

The reload plan is the big guy, have one stick to it, and if you get off it get back on it before getting to the next target array or it will follow you all the way thru the stage.

[Corey]

ive got about 30 dummy rounds i made up as well and use a full mag in the gun for draws and a full mag for reloads. I think i will try to break up my sessions as i have only been doing drills after work. Thanks for the tips guys! got word my airsoft targets shipped today as well. Ill post pics once i get my training area set up its gonna be really good for me i think!

[Corey]

1/17

Had a live fire day today. did some small drills, simple movement and target transition drills to get ready for my first match next week. I think i did fairly well and am looking forward to next weekend. i need to tell myself to slow down and make sure to watch the sights. I caught myself a few times, pointing and shooting, but not really "seeing". after a mental note to myself mid string, i got back on track and instantly saw improvment. Im just too worried about rushing the timer and need to focus on my hits first.

[jkatz44]

Update 1/13/10:

I think im going to cut back on the draw drills a little bit and kick up the reload ones more. Im going to be doing a lot of reloads in Single Stack ( and possibly production) so i think that is where I stand to gain and/or lose the most time when it comes time to shoot matches.

Reloads are very important in Single Stack. For single stack I practice with full mags because that is the way you do them in a match. I made up 48 dummy rounds (painted them red with Dykem). I do both static and moving practice, in the moving I try to get it done in 3 steps. I have the largest TecWell and I think that I will step down to a little smaller one sooner or later but it sure makes hitting the slot easy just like a limited gun or open gun. I use the Wilson 47DE mags they have a little space in them with 8 and are easier to seat than the chip mccormicks.

The reload plan is the big guy, have one stick to it, and if you get off it get back on it before getting to the next target array or it will follow you all the way thru the stage.

I would like to get some dummy rounds too but I can't make them myself since I don't have a press. Is there any place to get them?

[Corey]

Update 1/13/10:

I think im going to cut back on the draw drills a little bit and kick up the reload ones more. Im going to be doing a lot of reloads in Single Stack ( and possibly production) so i think that is where I stand to gain and/or lose the most time when it comes time to shoot matches.

Reloads are very important in Single Stack. For single stack I practice with full mags because that is the way you do them in a match. I made up 48 dummy rounds (painted them red with Dykem). I do both static and moving practice, in the moving I try to get it done in 3 steps. I have the largest TecWell and I think that I will step down to a little smaller one sooner or later but it sure makes hitting the slot easy just like a limited gun or open gun. I use the Wilson 47DE mags they have a little space in them with 8 and are easier to seat than the chip mccormicks.

The reload plan is the big guy, have one stick to it, and if you get off it get back on it before getting to the next target array or it will follow you all the way thru the stage.

I would like to get some dummy rounds too but I can't make them myself since I don't have a press. Is there any place to get them?

im sure there are, i just dont know where. I made mine with my press when i was settin it up for seating depth. killed tow birds with one stone.

1/18

too some advice from others and shortened up my drills. Just did some draws, both hands at sides and surrender, along with turning draws. Then i moved to some burkett reloads and 2-reload-2 drills. I quit after about 20 minutes and while i didnt do a lot of drills, i felt like i had accomplished quite a bit more than previous nights. I think im just gong to make a list of everything i want to do and plan on 2-4 drills a night. The rest of my airsoft training setup should be here this week so that will add another option for me as well.

[Corey]

1/22 Finally got my airsoft setup complete and used it for my drills tonight. Warmed up with some draws then got the timer out and did some draws on the timer and shot a single target. was getting consistant 1.3s on my simulated steel targets. Still need to find a way to get my shrunken paper target mounted to get practice there as well. ran a few runs on my texas star as well, ran it clean in 3.68 and decided it was a good stopping point, haha.

In the next few days im going to start using Steve Anderson's dryfire drills with my airsoft setup until i can get to the range for some true live fire with them.

[Corey]

1/23 Short live fire day getting ready for match tomorrow. Some simple draws and transitions. Surprised myself with constant 1.3s on draw to first A hit. Pleasantly surprised. I felt like I could have gone faster, but was trying to get the A hit, not just go for speed. Turning draws were close to the same speed which I was very surprised at. Ground was very muddy so our practice options were limited and we weren't able to do a lot of reloads or movement drills. Just going to take those slow and smooth tomorrow. Cant wait for a REAL review of skills and areas that need work. Should be both fun and informative. We are going to try to video tape the match as well for some feedback. We got some video footage today, not sure how it turned out yet. Ill post it if possible.

[Corey]

1/24 First Match!

Had my first official match today, small indoor setup, 2 stages plus a classifier. Overall I think I did ok for a new guy, only a couple C's on stage 1. Stage 2 I had a mag hiccup and then got flustered towards the end of the stage. Couple of Mike's later, I was done there. There were a lot of barricades to shoot around, which I havent been exposed to yet. Classifier was "quickie" something. 2 strings: 6 reload 6 strong, then 6 reload 6 weak hand....guess who needs to practice more weak hand shooting, haha. Not sure how I did yet, but overall for the day I had a great time and think i did pretty well. I definitely have a good idea of ways I can up my training now and work on a few specific skills. Looks like my next match is a month away, so Ive got plenty of time to get to it!

[Corey]

Did some airsoft training tonight after work. Was working on draw to first shot time. Was starting to get consistant 1.2-1.3s and decided to step on the gas a little bit. I got my first shot draw time down to almost one second but needed a follow up shot to hit the target. Was still in the 1.2 range. Also worked on simple transitions between 2 targets about 8 feet apart. Went thru two mags of weakhand(my match last sunday showed me how bad that was. I was able to hit 6 out of 7 shots. I think I was trying to go to fast last sunday and that screwed me up W.H.O. Im going to try to go a bit faster with the airsoft then get to the range for some live fire W.H.O. shooting. I need more time feeling the recoil impulse with just one hand. Im going to try to figure out a way to have some makeshift barricades as that also hurt me a bit last week. Tomorrow will be a light day, then Im off work sunday, so I plan on putting in some serious effort and time.

[Corey]

I recently installed an S&A Magwell and a new upsweep beavertail grip safety. I feel like I can get a lot better grip in the pistol as I draw, and its seemingly easier to get the exact same grip each time now. Ive been doing mainly reload drills, 2-reload-2, 6-reload-6, el pres, etc with the real gun and basic target transistions and small movement drills with the airsoft. I have a way to shoot into my airsoft room from the ajoining living room, then move up and lean around the wall to simulate a barricade to shoot the remaining targets(something I had more trouble than I thought I would at my first match). Ive also been shooting one handed, both strong and weak with the airsoft, mainly trying to find my trigger control. I can surely tell a difference when going to weak hand-i seem to pull the sights off targets, I think by tightening my grip. Definitely something I am going to work on.

[Corey]

Did more reload drills tonight after work. Did a few simple reloads to get warmed up a bit, then incorporated some movement. Only about 4 or 5 steps between boxes. Im getting the reloads done before I get into the 2nd shooting position which is good in my mind. I then tried something new: Started in the kitchen (i can see my dry fire targets in the loving from there) and drew, shot my A's, then reloaded as I went around the counter into the living room area. 'Shot' the A's again and then reloaded and moved behind the couch-actually need to run "uprange" with this one. I want to practice this a little bit before I see it in a match. One more reload then a move to the final position. 4 positions, 3 reloads in one "drill". Gives me something to do more than a plain simple standing reload.

Airsoft and weak hand to come tomorrow...

[Corey]

2/4 Weakhand Airsoft

Spent the afternoon doing some weakhand shooting with my arisoft pistol and BAM airsoft steel targets. I tried a fwe different grips and while the consensus seems to be that having a thumb up on the thumb safety (something i do with my right when shooting two-handed), I seemed to be able to manipulat the trigger easier with the thumb down on the grip panel. i had many more misses with my thumb up and seemed to be pulling the gun a little bit with this method. Its something i am for sure going to try when I get back to a live fire range in the near future. Overall I was much more accurate than I had been in the past, and while i realize the recoil of my 45 will be greatly different, Im sure the trigger control will help me get the A's, however slow they may be, haha. I even shot my BAM-star weakhanded, 7 shots-didnt think it was horrible. Just pray to God I NEVER have to do that in a match, haha.

[Corey]

Couldnt do any training with my work schedule and after hours activities on friday or saturday but was able to do some draw/rreload drills sunday before the big game. After some insight from another member, I had put a small white mark on the "back-right" corner of my magwell. the idea was that if there is something to draw my attention to it, my hand would foloow my eyes. I think it does work b/c after the reload i think back and can remember visually seeing the white line right before mag insertion. I think I am starting to look the mags in a little more now, altho i still have the occasional mindless reload-trying to avoid those. I have been doing a lot of "shoot a target, reload to anotehr box, shoot again" drills. I need to work on getting the reload done earlier as i feel like im reloading for 3 or 4 steps and it could possibly be slowing me down. Maybe ill put a stopwatch on me and if reloading then moving will help me on time or not. Im still a bit of a slower shooter if i try to hit all A's so i want to make up time somewhere and i figure im young enough to do it with my feet from position to position. 2.5 weeks til match #2....gotta keep the grind on...

[Corey]

Did some brain storming and copying of ideas (thanks Phil, even though you probably didnt know you helped me-found some more youtube videos and copied some ideas). I have a BAM Star that I McGuyver'd into a swinging target. I also have a variety of target stands setup with simulated steel targets and figure out a way to set up 1/3 paper targets. I have 3 tall stands and now can practice a lot of qualifier stages (El Pres, Quicky II, etc-anything with 3 evenly spaced target downrange )

I can also work on draw-to-first hit time and see if I really hitting the A-zones I think I am. I have seen a few 'bad hits' and been able to call them as "not-A's" before walking over to the targets and checking them. Progress in my book.

I also made a wall with some ports in it to practice shooting thru ports or around barricades-something that gave me some trouble last match.

I think with my new setup, I can take my airsoft training a little more serious and create some real match-like scenarios.

[Corey]

set up a couple mini-stages in my airsoft training room mix of steel, paper targets, and barricades/ports. was trying to work on acquiring sights after each shot and making sure I was seeing the sights and shots. also set up an El Prez and ran it 3 or 4 times with the airsofts with a friend of mine. I just hope I shoot it that well in real life, lol (according to my time and shots (1 C and 1 D) it looks like it would have been an A classifier). I felt myself rushing the first shot after the draw and the first shot after the reload, but the rest were very relaxed and i feel a lot more comfortable with it. I need to print out some targets on white paper (the ones i have are on card-stock brown) and tape them up as no shoots for additional practice. next match is two weeks from today! really excited to see if I can improve myself and also find my next flaw-still working weakhand a lot from the last match.

[Corey]

Match #2 in the books!

Another indoor match with 3 stages, 1 classifier.

Stage 1: 3 arrays of 3 targets each, each array to be engaged through a different port. Simple enough to plan out, 6 shots, move and reload, 6 more, move and reload. Had some nervous jitters and pulled some shots in the first array. Was able to calm myself down on the first reload and finished it up pretty strong.

Stage 2: El Presidente... no explanation needed here, just straightforward. Slowed myself down after the reload and made sure to get some As. Ended with high C score, ~55.5%.

Stage 3: 3 targets on each side a 6' barricade, some painted for cover. Shot this fairly well til the last target. I thought I had a good sight picture and the shot felt good...but there wasn't a hole in the target ( i know i know, don' t look for bullet holes-it was about 6 yds away so figured I should be able to see my .45 holes in it if they were.). Not knowing where my shots went, I cranked off 2 more for good measure. Went to score and there were 3 holes in the center of the Azone and 1 c about a 1/2 inch to the side, haha. Didn't need the extra shots, but it felt good to make sure.

Lessons learned from match #2: Learn to trust my shots more. I lost a little time (although it shouldnt be enough to hurt a lot - I'll know later tonight when scores are posted) on that third stage. Same thing happened on first stage, but I kinda thought it felt like the gun was off to the left when I shot so I followed with a quick 3rd. Sure enough, 1 C to the left, but my makeup A took care of it. I guess that's a step in the right direction for me.

I didnt find any MAJOR flaws like the last match with the WHO shooting. I need to learn to calm myself down a little bit and just focus on the A's. It seems like i need to make a couple bad shots and see them in order to straighten myself out, then Im good to go for the rest of the day. I'm not sure if I need more range time or what. I didnt get much live fire between the last match and this one.

ETA: Scores posted. Finished 5th out of 12 in SS division, better than my previous 9/10. Up is the way to go

Didnt drop as many points as last time (its amazing what happens when you hit the brown ones and not the white ones). I can still improve that though. there were still a few D's and a dreaded M.

Next match will most likely be the Battle in the Bluegrass in 3 weeks. BIG match = BIG preparation

Edited February 28, 2010 by Corey

[Corey]

So its been awhile, thought Id post an update.

I havent been able to do as much airsoft shooting as Id want to recently-been stupid busy with work. Ive tried to at least do some draw and reloads a few times a week. things will be calming down a bit so Im hoping to get back to a daily routine of short sessions.

Just had my 3rd match this past weekend-The Battle in the Bluegrass. Tanked a couple stages but did pretty well on others. Overall a very fun day, but lots to work on. First-stop dropping points with penalties. I lost more points than Id care to admit . Had a particular problem with a certain headshot. it was close range which pissed me off even more. item #1 on the next range day's agenda will be to find exact POA/POI for about every distance imaginable-yes I know, i cant believe I havent done this already. After i realized i needed to hold a tad higher, i cranked 2 into the A zone w/out issue. Item #2 to start working on-I had more problems than I would have liked with steel, especially the plates. Poppers werent much of an issue. I think some of this had to do with A.) problem 1 listed above B.) not near enough practice on steel plates, real or airsoft.

My reloads seemed to go off without issue-ill know for sure when i watch some of the video we took from Saturday's match. Ill try to post it here as well if I can.

Something Im doing is finding something positive to build off of every match too. On one stage in the match, i actually finished higher than 2 of the 3 M-class single stack shooters. I know one stage mean nothing and it was the smallest stage of the match, but I feel good knowing the ability to perform is inside me somewhere. Just need to find a way to get it to show itself earlier in the match and then hang around for awhile