I believe less is better… I go to the range about every 2 weeks and if I’m on I only shoot 2 to 4 mags 7 shot each…I have found if I dhoot a lot I tend to pick up bad habits… now I do practice outside the range drawing in different senarios sitting , standing, hunkered down front , side and anything I can picture any situation may call for…let’s see what kind of conversations we can get from this …Tim
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@Timothy3 No… kinda the opposite. More drills, 2x week, usually 75-150 rounds a trip (plus lots of dry fire). I’m working to build reliable muscle memory, and that means triggering nerve activity where I want it, a LOT. That repeated activity is one of the things that causes your body to wrap the nerves in myelin… nerve insulation… and that’s how faster, more repeatable movement is made. It’s the nerves with the most myelin that are the ones that will fire under extreme conditions so I want those pathways extremely well laid in.
There are some things that I do to prevent building bad habits though. If I’m clearly off, I call it a day, even if I haven’t shot as much as I planned. If I’m feeling good but I’m performing poorly, or not improving, I slow waaaaay down so I can 1) figure out what the problem is and fix it, and 2) I can practice correctly. If I have to slow to a crawl to get it right, that’s what I do, and when I’m getting it right, I start to speed up again. Finally, if I’m not getting better after a session or two of self-training, I 3) take a lesson with a coach so I can start practicing the right thing.
Practice doesn’t make perfect. Only PERFECT practice makes perfect.
You definitely don’t want to practice wrong… but if you don’t practice right, and enough, it won’t be there when you need it.
The goal isn’t to practice until you get it right, it’s to practice until you can’t get it wrong.
You might be interested in reading this, it has some very interesting and actionable insights into how to grow (yes, GROW) a talent and develop skill the most effective and efficient way possible.
The Talent Code: Greatness Isn’t Born. It’s Grown. Here’s How.
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My old band teacher used to say, “Practice makes permanent. Practice it wrong and you’ll learn
It wrong.”
Regards.
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As far as training goes, one of the most often neglected tools we have today is video (smart phone / go pro et al). If you are drawing and dry firing, video yourself. Then share it with another shooter. Look for inconsistencies, variations in movement etc. You can even do it on the range if you bring a tripod. The important part is to leave the camera in the same place and you remain in the same place so that you have a constant reference point. Incorrect training will produce incorrect results, repeating them compounds the problem.
Cheers,
Craig6
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Great idea. I’ve fo that on the driving range never thought about the shooting range. Thanks … Tim
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My range time is spent trying to make my gun feel natural and comfortable. Depending on the number of guns I bring I try to shoot for an hour or two.
When I near the end of practice I put up new targets for each gun. I then load up two magazines for each gun, or speed loaders for a revolver, and punch one series of rounds at 20 feet trying to get every shot into the 10 ring. I will do the same at 10 feet. If I can score 98 or 99 at each distance with each gun I pack up and go home. I have a note book and make notes on things to work on next time. My biggest problems are sight plain and trigger squeeze vs pull, at least looking at the target. If I have a flyer it is mostly sight alignment. If I am shooting a bit low and left it is trigger pull. In my opinion anyway.
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I will borrow a little Bruce Lee “I do not fear the man who has practiced 10,000 kicks one time. I fear the man who has practiced one kick 10,000 times”
That said I feel your pain, range time is precious and we often times try to cram as much as possible into it. I get it.
Unless you carry a number of different guns (I don’t think I can recommend that but I don’t know your situation) I would consider bringing ONE gun to the range and practice with it. In the beginning concentrate on the “fun” duh “mentals” of front sight, breathing and trigger control while you are shooting. Before you shoot I would consider building your stance. Find a position that you can walk into ANYWHERE and present your weapon that gives you a natural point of aim. Learn that position, and be able to repeat it.
Now can you do it with your eyes closed? or blind folded? or executing a right/left hand turn and a step?
I understand a lot of ranges will not allow significant movement the line but one step from the low ready is usually OK. STEP into position, point and then look at your sights. Hone it, practice it. Any fool can belly up to the bar shuffle around and hit 9’s 10’s and X’s. It takes just a bit more to step back and then step forward in a positive stance and engage.
Food for thought, worth what you paid for it.
Cheers,
Craig6
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"Beware the man who owns only one gun; he surely knows how to use it. "
Very old saying, at least back to before cartridge weapons.
Regards.
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@Craig6
Thanks. I have an ankle gun, summer gun and winter gun. My state requires that I can qualify with all three. I use my range time to keep the edge. I always use the same stance and standard police draw, chest and thrust before shooting. So there is method to my madness.
The only time I get to play with the Fun duh mental is out in the desert with friends. There we can set up swinging targets like water bottles hung on a cross bar and swing like a metronome. That and a dueling tree. Doesn’t happen as often as I would like. But when it does we spend the day trying to see who buys dinner. I am not sure that isn’t where I develop some bad habits though.
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I carry six different semi autos and four different revolvers depending on my mood and activity.
So that I can always maintain consistency all of my semi autos are XD’s or XDm’s and all of my revolvers are Taurus Trackers, all but one of which are five shot Trackers.
If you shoot basically the same platform throughout it doesn’t really matter which one you are practicing with or carrying. Basically all that changes is the weight and the recoil.
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Tim no two people are the same. We all have our way of shooting. I say if you can put lead on target then good for you. If you can’t hit the target you might want to rethink your training. Never be a hero. No one is going to give me an award for stopping a threat. Instead I’m looking at lawsuits and property damages. I can shoot. But there is always some better than you.
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I totally agree with you and I hope the drug head retard that I may have to come up against is in the clear open and toooo stoned to remember how his weapon works…tim
Tim you may want to proofread and edit that. Posting when tired can have bad results for all of us. HA!
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