The road to United States Practical Shooting Association (USPSA) Nationals

[parkerj112]

Yesterday: live fired head boxes at 5 yards. Every time you get 2 hits move back 5 yards. Previous best was 30 yards. New record is 35 yards! Goal is 50 yards. Every time you get a miss start over at 5 yards.

Next set of drills was move into position from 6 yards out and fire two shots on a half hard cover target at 13 yards. Best time to first shot was 2.81. Best total run was 3.1. Coolest part was shot calling was the best I've ever done. The distance precision work at the start showed me exactly what I needed to see and then I was able to work on what I could get away with. Cool stuff give it a try.

 

[parkerj112]

Went to range last night and live fired. Lots of MM and never ran the same drill / run twice. Want to work on bringing average points up to 90 95%. Currently running 80 to 90%. Didn't help that I had a friend at the range and I likely was not completely in MM. Speed mode creeps in...

 

[parkerj112]

https://youtu.be/oYdANQW0FdE

4 aces cold.

 

[parkerj112]

New match video. Won production overall. Even beat a limited gm!

https://youtu.be/K0EU70tDJXM

https://practiscore.com/results/new/02394973-2ed3-429a-a60c-ecaaee1aabf0

 

[parkerj112]

https://www.instructables.com/id/PVC-Target-Stand-10/

Check out how to build your own stands like I use.

 

[parkerj112]

Ok so keeping up with tons of work OT, family, church commitments, training, and talking about training online does not work well. Gonna try doing a weekly update on the weekends to talk about the weeks training.

Dryfired all week in the evening as had to be to work by 0545. Working movement into position from all directions and start positions.

Also worked gear change drill. Draw 2 on open T trans two on head box aim for As, trans open T 2 shots. All at sim 12 yards .

Progress: took about .5 sec off gear change drill in a week, took .7 off position entry.

Plan to live fire train tomorrow. Did however do a really cool movement drill just about anyone with a yard could do.

Secure a 2x4 fault line to a position in your yard. Next put up a target such that only the head is open 10 to 15 feet from end of fault line. The target should be perpendicular to the fault line to allow lateral movement to the fault line from left or right. Next pace off 5 big steps left or right. On beep, draw (vary positions) and move to fault line, shoot 2 head shots on entry as early as possible dryfire. I used my weighted blue guns so as to not cause neighbors to call the cops.

Key to reducing par time once baseline time each direction is established is to think earlier not faster. Rolling in like a freight train leads to waiting to setup on the head shot. Faster to be slowing down and aiming before getting there. Note that to stop sooner on target use the fault line to press into and stop with the lead foot. This will shut down your momentum more consistently and allow sooner shots.

Variations:
+work on crossing the fault line and then shooting (all directions)
+move in shoot 2 and burst out another 5 step the opposite direction you started from
+same as above but put something to go around (coffee can, soccer cone, etc.) at the 5 step distance out of position. Move around this and then back for 2 more shots (setting up from opposite direction)

I really enjoyed the workout and the pressure to see good head shots when blood pressure and heart rate were that high. Also funny to see neighbors out mowing try to figure what the crap I was doing.

 

[parkerj112]

This week.

Match win: https://youtu.be/z5SZr40RhPY

Score: https://practiscore.com/results/new/65203?q_division=6

Weekdays: DF 30-60 minutes all match mode before the SCGC match.

LF 200-300 rounds all match mode. Really enjoying bringing some fault lines and running stages for score. No reference HF, goal is to leave only acceptable shots on target.
Still working on seeing this in the match results. I want the scores to be 90-95% of the points on the stages. Still working up to that.

Keep training INGO the state championship is right around the corner then its NATIONALS!

 

[Coach]

I have a couple of questions. I glimpsed the scores from the link. I watched the video. You seem like you are under control and not running on the ragged edge of control while shooting. You are talking about points as an emphasis.

Why do you have 4 mikes? Is it pulling off? Is it something else? I do not mean to be mean spirited but the cadence and pace to me do not seem to be the cause. Do you know what the cause is? Is stage one of the match the first stage of the video or not? If not which one is stage one on the video?

 

[Bosshoss]

Stage 1 starts at 1:30 in his video.

 

[parkerj112]

I have a couple of questions. I glimpsed the scores from the link. I watched the video. You seem like you are under control and not running on the ragged edge of control while shooting. You are talking about points as an emphasis.

Why do you have 4 mikes? Is it pulling off? Is it something else? I do not mean to be mean spirited but the cadence and pace to me do not seem to be the cause. Do you know what the cause is? Is stage one of the match the first stage of the video or not? If not which one is stage one on the video?

The videos are shown in order I shot them. I started on stage 4. What the video fails to show is the level of target difficulty. Max did a nice job of setting up a technical match.

Stage 4, my first stage, 15 yards three target array. Center target was a half hard cover. I did not lend it the respect I should have and landed a nice A hit 1/2" into the black... It should be the first 6 shots fired. Three and four should have been a little more deliberate pase but video shows I wacked all three at the same cadence.

Stage 1, my fourth stage. I was moving on a tuxedo target and landed 2 very close Cs. Then the second to last target of the stage, I think, was a partial HC at 10 maybe 12 yards. Again within 1in of the edge... So guess what I'm drilling for the next three weeks before state match? Answer, partial HC targets close in moving and correct aiming location on more distant HC.

Not really proud of my match performance. But there was a lot of things i have been working on that are becoming normal so victories there.

Constructive feed back is always welcome. We all need to learn to get better.

Thanks Coach.
Parker

 

[Coach]

Like I said the cadence seems to be very under control. Obviously not running the ragged edge of control like one might expect. I think that is a good thing. The stage for 1:06 to 1:28 has me curious. I cannot see all of the targets and the very first time I saw it I was curious why you shot it that way. I just watched it three times trying to figure out the arrays of targets that I cannot see. I cannot see enough to say anything with any degree of certainty let alone make some arbitrary criticism.

You shoot 8 rounds from the first position, and reload going into the second position and make a sharp turn to the right hand side for four rounds and then pivot around to shoot the remaining 6 rounds in the mag. Then move forward to shoot another mag, and then run to the right for six rounds.

The hard turn back to the right might have been the jerkiest shooting and moving you did in the match. Because it is a tough turn. My point/question is why take the four rounds to the right from that position. You had to go over there anyway and it did not save you a reload or a position from what I can see. Taking ten shots from the last position would seem to be fester because you are closer to most of the targets and do not have to make that big turn.

I may not have enough information from the video but that jumps out at me.

 

[parkerj112]

Your correct that was not "as planned". The plan was to move forward while shooting as much from each position as possible. In hind sight it would have been faster to take the shots as you said. The crazy jerky motion was due to the exact location I needed to hit to see everything. You can see in the video I am looking at the fault line until the last moment then snapped over to the right to continue the burned in plan.

Analzing the stage, the plan, and the execution afterwards I realize that the plan called for a very specific spot to see all five targets and that necessetated looking into the position or dedicating to the marker point way too much. I had planned that I would locate the spot after the first array then while moving into that position I would snap eyes to the far right target as I moved into the position. If I had done that I would have avoided the jerky snap. Also as I said your point on the far right position is very valid. I will add that to the toolbox for next time.

New tool: to look for each postion required, then maximize the number of rounds from each in priority by the distance to the targets.

Something positive that I saw out of that stage was the work I have been putting into transititions seems to be paying off. Some of the fastest wide transitions I've seen in one of my videos was one that stage.

Thanks for the constructive feedback I appreciate it and the new tool for the match toolbox.

Parker

 

[parkerj112]

Ran dot drill tonight. Matched my record at 5 yards 32/36 but at 6yds. Look up the drill it's a good one to try out. I'll be continuing to work this drill for the next couple weeks. Goal is 36 out of 36 at 7 yards.

Parker

 

[parkerj112]

Sorry for the hiatus been training and pulling ot at work.

Recent match results, won A class at the sns Indiana sectional. Not really happy with how I shot the match. I know I could have been better. Learned some cool stuff though. I don't really practice hoser stuff, so when I was railing on some close range targets I had an epiphany! It was like the gun was not there I was moving my finger and holes where just appearing on the target. Pretty cool. Another focus to learn and refine.

Results:
https://practiscore.com/results/new/63e5a672-a509-4a73-a3e6-a956f34943e8?q_division=6&q_individual=0

Congrats to mags for pulling down another top 3 indiana sectional finish! Way to go bro!

 

[Good on paper]

Parker, I loosely followed your thread and admired the effort and discipline you put into preparing for the match. You achieved the result you trained for. Unfortunately I did too, 41st overall in limited:/.
Anyway great job and thanks for outlining the effort you made to place where you did!

 

[parkerj112]

Parker, I loosely followed your thread and admired the effort and discipline you put into preparing for the match. You achieved the result you trained for. Unfortunately I did too, 41st overall in limited:/.
Anyway great job and thanks for outlining the effort you made to place where you did!

Thanks for the post. Helps me feel like posting here is worth something to someone else. I like to help others and want to help folks achieve their goals.

I fully believe that anyone can achieve anything if willing to work hard enough.

 

[parkerj112]

Today I've worked on post match analysis. I'm looking for what I need to do between now and the nats in three weeks. I'd like to find low hanging fruit to improve between now and then. But looking harder I'm not going to make a large gain in any one skill or skills in 2 weeks, 1 week required for match mode practice.

So what my plan is for nationals is to learn more visual patience. I need to live fire more and learn to trust I have the speed. I know I have the speed. I need to see what is needed to leave only acceptable shots on each target.

I need to fully engrain that an Alpha is worth 0.05 more seconds to see what is needed. A Charlie is 60% of an Alpha hit. So in theory we can achieve a 20% better HF by taking 20% longer to get the hit.

Just imagine what we could do if we shoot to the level of sight and only needed 3% more time. Net result would be per Charlie switched to an alpha 37% better HF!

Nerd soap box put away. Time to get to work. DF here I come.

Parker out.

 

[patience0830]

Go get 'em, John. Rooting for you.

 

[M0244]

Parker I read this thread while back and never put 2 and 2 together, nice shooting with you. Wish I didn't have to pull out of nationals, maybe next year.

 

[parkerj112]

Match vid from the Indiana sectional championship.

https://youtu.be/nOOs6wcUMhw

A class production win. And 10th overall in production.

Parker