New Shooter Practice Advise

[Sporky]

Well........two matches under my belt now. I am not happy with how I did on number two, so i think it is time to seriously look at a practice routine.
I think I move pretty well, I don't get nervous at all, my reloads go well, and I don't think my draw is causing any issues, but my fundamentals and the mental aspect seem to cause me the most trouble. I can't remember the order in which i wanted to shoot the targets in, so i had several that i didn't even engage.

I had some suggestions as to what I should be doing in practice, I just wanted to ask on here what others did to improve their game.

What distances do you practice at?
How many practice sessions a week?
Specific drills?
Take any classes/private instruction?

I am loving this sport so far, but I defiantly would have more fun if I was doing even a little bit better.

HELP!!!!!

 

[rvb]

At a quick glance at the scores from Ft Wayne, you need to work on accuracy. 17 misses, 3 no-shoots, and 8 Ds gives up a LOT of points. Shoot a lot of groups, and do a lot of basic dryfire. The old dime on the FS routine.

taking classes / instruction is a good way to quickly improve. There's a couple IN USPSA guys offering classes.

dryfire 4-5 nights / week to improve. work on things like draws, reloads, transitions. there are good dryfire books out there with drills to try (Anderson, Stoeger).

get a timer. I recommend the CED7000 for training use.

-rvb

 

[cschwanz]

Definitely need to get hits on target. With some very rare exceptions, the old saying of "You can't miss fast enough to win" usually holds pretty true. Work on getting he A hits and not worrying about speed. Shoot as slow as you need to ensure all or mostly A hits. Speed will pick up as you do this more and more.

Something i read awhile back which I really like is the idea of shoot slow and get hits. Do everything else thats not actually shooting fast. Meaning run from spot to spot instead of walking but when you get there, dont just blast two shots and move on. Take your time and make two good shots with 2 good sight pictures. Then move on to the next target/shooting spot.

Im sure we can work in some accuracy drills on a Thursday night soon. Ryan can comment but it might be time for another Dot Drill night

 

[Sporky]

Thanks guys. Yeah I don't think I need to focus on the "game" stuff yet. I think I will spend some more time just doing accuracy drills.

 

[mongo404]

I agree with rvb. Mainly work on your accuracy and keep working on it!! I start every practice with shooting groups and try to end my practice with 20 yard groups.
Shooting matches and practice leagues will help all the other come along. Your new so don't try to run stages the way the more experienced shooters do. Stick to your game. slow down and get the hits

Dryfire Dryfire Dryfire.

Ask tons of Questions

If you live fire and dryfire correctly you will improve fast enough.

 

[rvb]

Definitely need to get hits on target. With some very rare exceptions, the old saying of "You can't miss fast enough to win" usually holds pretty true. Work on getting he A hits and not worrying about speed. Shoot as slow as you need to ensure all or mostly A hits. Speed will pick up as you do this more and more.

Something i read awhile back which I really like is the idea of shoot slow and get hits. Do everything else thats not actually shooting fast. Meaning run from spot to spot instead of walking but when you get there, dont just blast two shots and move on. Take your time and make two good shots with 2 good sight pictures. Then move on to the next target/shooting spot.

Im sure we can work in some accuracy drills on a Thursday night soon. Ryan can comment but it might be time for another Dot Drill night

Yea, we can work in some accuracy drills / games for a Thurs night.

misses happen, and "All As" is usually too far to the other extreme. but you have to at least have enough trigger control that you are capable of making the hits. As Corey said, the speed doesn't come from shooting fast, it comes from moving through the stage efficiently...

timing drills are a great live-fire tool for learning to control the recoil and get the sights back in alignment, call shots, and improve at-speed groups.

-rvb

 

[Sporky]

Yeah looks like I need to skip the matches and just stick to the practice range..........

 

[rvb]

Yeah looks like I need to skip the matches and just stick to the practice range..........

IF you were only shooting matches and a lot of them, then I'd say sure skip some. but shooting matches is it's own skill set that needs to be improved... skills like how to break down a stage and make a plan, dealing with match pressure, how to apply the rules of the game to different scenarios to better your score (aka gaming), how to move efficiently through a long course, and so on.

You need some of both, practice time and match time.

-rvb

 

[cschwanz]

Dont skip matches, just change your focus at the matches. Try to find the efficient ways to get through a stage and try to get more points on each stage (more A his, less misses).

 

[ModernGunner]

Some good information provided, and good ideas to work on.

Don't know ya, but from the sound of it, one of your challenges appears to be the mental aspect: Target order, etc.

One thing you can do at home is take some books (DVD / CD cases, whatever) and set them up as they are at the match (2 left, 1 middle, 2 right, or whatever) and dryfire practice at those. Use something that appears the approximate size of the match target, at distance. So, maybe use 2 large books, a deck of cards, and 2 CD cases, for example.

During that dryfire practice, work out which shooting order works most efficiently for you. Not everyone works best 'left-to-right 1, 2, 3, 4, 5' (for example). You may find 3, 2, 1, 4, 5 works better for you. Do this for every shooting stage you have at the matches.

The concept is to 'internalize' the shooting order so when you're at the match it's 'automatic', and you develop a consistent rhythm. This clears your mind of that 'issue' and allows you to focus on other things, like slowing down a bit and hitting only 'A's'.

Another 'mental drill' that often helps: While you're alone, waiting to fall asleep, etc. run through the matches you've already shot. But THIS time (mentally), do them perfectly. (Mentally) run to the stations, hit those 'A's' you missed previously. Use that shooting order you've now determined. Make it as mentally clear as when you were there: The same clothing you had on, 'park' your car in the same spot(s), the same everything. Did you notice, say, a pop can on a table? Visualize that same pop can in the same spot. Do this for each match that you've been less than happy with.

This not only prepares your mind for future success, it 'erases' those 'bad matches' from your mind. Now, you KNOW you can shoot that exact same match efficiently and perfectly. Because you've done it, right there in your head.

This training "un-confuses" your mind and builds confidence. An 'unconfused' mind is the most efficient tool you can have. When you get to the next 'real match', your mind is now uncluttered. You can focus on the one or two (i.e. sight picture, trigger squeeze, or whatever) factors you need for that real match. It's a LOT easier to shoot well (or anything else) with just one - two thoughts in your head rather than 20.

Move fluidly. Fluid IS efficient, and efficient IS fast. Think fast, shoot slow. You HAVE the time, ya (perhaps) just don't think you do because your mind is currently too cluttered.

Give it a try. Keep what works for you, and disregard the rest.

Best of luck, and keep shooting!

 

[rala]

Best piece of advise I got when starting out was to not use targets in training. Either in Dry fire or Live fire. Focus on the mechanics of that particular move, or draw, or sight alignment. Get to know what it takes, and how it feels to do it right. Components of accuracy are the same regardless of which shooting sport. Sight alignment, sight picture , trigger control , follow thru are always the same. It's all the stuff before the shot that makes each sport different.

 

[CB45]

There's some great info on here, from basic to advanced USPSA stage execution.
This is basically how I practice... KISS
1. Learn how to hit targets with decent tansitions and splits.
2. Learn how to reload.
3. Learn how to setup and leave shooting positions efficiently.
4. Learn how to shoot on the move.
Repeat, but do it faster

Good luck.

 

[Rob377]

What distances do you practice at?

All of them. In this game, you need to know how to shoot close hoser targets and tough shots, and you need to know how much sight/trigger discipline you need for a given shot. When people repeat the "See what you need to see" mantra, this is what they're talking about.

How many practice sessions a week?

Live fire, maybe 1, if I'm lucky. Dry, 4-9 15-20 minute sessions. More live fire is better, but 80-90% of your speed gains at your level are going to come from all the stuff other than shooting that can be worked effectively in dry fire (with live fire confirmations)

Specific drills?

A variety, many of which are found in these books
Ben Stoeger Books DVDs

Then some scenario/mini-stage drills on top of those.

Take any classes/private instruction?

Taking a class with Stoeger really upped my game quite a bit.



As for the mental part and getting your plan ingrained, it comes with practice and with upping your skill level to a point where you don't consciously think about the mechanics of shooting and gun-handling.

 

[partyboy6686]

Im a newbie also. I practice live and dry fire as much as possible. Reloading allows me to practice more live fire since it cuts down the price of ammo. I learned at my first match that speed is what I need to worry the least about. Trying to shoot at a fast speed got me too many mikes, no shoots, and almost a DQ for coming close to breaking the 180 rule. I also shoot steel plate matches to try to improve my accuracy. I also plan on going to any practice session that Chad aka CB45 puts on.