Do any of you notice that some activities that take concentration and technique can make it harder to detect bad habits? Golf, archery, shooting are like that for me.
I have been shooting more with ammo back on the shelves and all in all I have been pretty pleased with my progress. I had finally moved off of a plateau and have started to tighten my troops at different ranges.
I went to the range with my grandson for some bonding and practice. Both my son and grandson are military qualified so they are reasonable shots. As the morning wore on my groups were pretty tight and I only had maybe two or three flyers outside of the 10 ring. For the first hour our groups were about the same and we moved the targets out to 30 feet. Still hitting center mass but by grandson seemed to be getting better as it was all I could do to stay on target. My groups werenât that bad but I was low and to the left in the 9 ring and sometimes the 8.
As I prepared for my last two magazines I stoped to think. I am getting tired from the heat. I am shooting when the sights arenât absolutely steady. I am not squeezing I am pulling. I am not controlling my breathing.
To me that meant my natural tendency was to forget technique when tired or in a hurry. So I guess it was still a good learning day.
Noticing the same as well. I work out a lot, and notice how I get tired fairly quickly shooting pistol lately, got to concentrate on getting the arms up to the eyes instead of the eyes down to the arms. Not happy unless a bit sore, and it shows up after 40-50 rounds or so. My last outing had me thinking I need to go back to the laser trainer for a bit, as well as "thank God for bench rests and a precision rifleâ
Declining performance with fatigue is natural. Increasing fatigue with age is also natural. Though keeping fit can mitigate that somewhat.
Maybe the only good thing about self defense situations is that they almost always donât last very long and adrenaline can probably overcome whatever fatigue you were feeling before the event. The trick is learning to deal with the effects of the adrenaline dump on your accuracy.
@Robert5 I wouldnât say you have bad habits if your coming out of the gate in the center and then fall off at the end of the session. That will happen to all of us and with the heat being what it was today it can be down right brutal. I had to take temp readings today and it was 103*F at 87% humidity, that will suck the life out of you no matter how fit you are. When I shoot pistol I generally go in with all the mags loaded and get right into the go fast stuff. I will do some muscle memory drills first but the first round is at full speed. After th getting through all the loaded mags I take to loading âDrill +1â So if the drill I am doing takes 3 rounds I load 4 in the mag seat and chamber, then load 3 there after. I also stop after each drill and load 3 in the next mag. This practice gives me a break between strings and lets me rotate through all the mags so I am sure the mag is capable of a âtacticalâ reload. If Iâm doing mag changes itâs âDrill & Drillâ or 3 & 3 to end up slide locked open twice. I submit you get your full mag business out of the way first and then concentrate on the very specific rounds you wish to train for. Hanging a gun no matter how small out in front of you for 5 or 10 mags is taxing.
But the proper explanation was given by @Shamrock :
You may fight this off with frequent practice. Once your technique becomes your second nature you wonât need to think about it when you get tired or in a hurry.
And remember - Slow down⊠always !
I often finish with .22. Converted Glock 17 clone or a 19/17. Slide and mag so much lighter, back on target, phewâŠ
Like working out, giving things a break sometimes pays dividends, but Iâm generally running 4 miles and doing 150 pushups and some dumbbell work before the rangeâŠ62, thinking Iâm 20 âŠheck, beats not doing it.
I have to remind myself to slow down as much as to squeeze. If I have a flyer it is most times the first shot after a magazine change.
What I have learned is I almost instantly know what I did if my grouping spreads out. Have a way to go to get my groups into the size of a navel orange. But they used to be the size of a cantaloupe.
Missing the first shot after mag change is a common thing. You have to just slow it down, once you put fresh mag in, do not rush. Fast mags change, slow shot.
Size of the cantaloupe is still good defensive accuracy.
I know⊠orange is better⊠you will get it, just keep practicing.
Start slow, if you find great accuracy - speed it up until you lose accuracy. Take one step back with your speed and practice again. Speed it up ONLY if you are satisfied with results.
You will see difference within few sessions. Trust me, it works.
I think âbad habitsâ might be better calledâshooting under increased stress and not realizing it. I think itâs really, really important to train through times like that. I remember many of my coaches telling me that the training and work done when your tired is the work that can really pay off and improve your skills.
We arenât guaranteed to be at our physical/mental best if we need to defend ourself. We might be (like you were) getting tired, hot, or maybe even groggy from just waking up. Training during those conditionsâpaying attention to the fundamentalsâwill help build your confidence and ability. Great insight in recognizing the situation.
Not sure who said it (maybe Wyatt Earp?). When asked how to survive a gun fight, he supposedly said âshoot slow, fast.â After 45 years as a welder, I have taught many new guys how to do it. My mantra was âConcentrate on doing it correctly. Speed will come.â
Are you holding too tight? Are you anticipating recoil? Are you bothered by the muzzle blast? Is the gun heavy? Do you start out ok but then degenerate into the shake?
To answer both of your suggestions there is a possibility I guess I am holding my grip too tight. I donât notice it with the P22q hardly ever. I will check on playing with my grip a bit. I do use a high hold with my left thumb just below the slide. I guess I maybe am applying too much support with my right thumb?
I donât have the problem during dry fire practice or using a bow. No I havenât thought to ask my doctor yet.
Instead of holding tight you use leverage of your hands.
Imagine that your fingers and joints, that meet at the front of trigger guard are a hinge and your palms sitting on pistol grip are the jaws. Once you extend your arms for shooting position your palms automatically make pressure on the grip.
No squeezing required and no shaking handsâŠ
This method makes muzzle flip almost nonexistent.
If I am at a place where I can draw and fire, I like it to be OWB, I clear, pull to the chest, thrust forward forming the triangle, acquire target while exhaling, fire, recover, fire again. Sometimes I shoot threes. Reholster.
But I admit I am counting like a drum beat doing the steps.
I do this till I have gone through three magazines. I then check my target and make notes if necessary.
âŠheck, beats not doing it.
