I fear not the man who has practiced 10,000 kicks once, but I fear the man who has practiced one kick 10,000 times.[Bruce Lee]
It is not how many times you hit the target, It is how you hit the target on the first shots.
If you have gone to the range and your first shots were atrocious, this is your level of self-defense. This is where you begin, this is where you improve upon.
What advice do you have that can really change a persons skill level?
Be patient, breathe, and relax. Do not fight the pistol.
Before going to a range practice with dry fire equipment at home. Learn the safety rules first, treat every firearm as if it is loaded, remember that goes for your dry fire equipment also.
Practice your correct grip, trigger finger control, always keep muzzle pointed down range, or if in your house with dry fire find the most safe direction or area. Learn all aspects of your firearm, all parts and how to correct any malfunction that may occur, this includes how to disassemble your firearm, field strip. There is much, much more to do before you attempt live fire at a range so get some help from a certified instructor.
This is for your safety and actually others safety that your around.
Enjoy.
Assuming post implies “first shots ever”, if you’re new, learn from every shot . Blindly mag dumping teaches nothing, yet seems to be a natural reaction of some new shooters.
Second @William377 suggestion of dry fire equipment, specifically laser where you can see your movement, or hopefully lack of movement, as you squeeze the trigger.
Slow is smooth, smooth is fast. Relax, focus…watch videos of those doing it right, and get a friend or instructor to help you out.
I agree, it is just as you know if I wrote everything needed it would turnout to be a book.
Best response is find a person who knows the correct procedure, a certified instructor would be best.
I’ve always had the opposite problem. My first several rounds are usually right on point. The longer I shoot, the worse my groups get. Usually by the time I’m low on ammo, I’m ready to stop just due to embarrassment. 
Often the same here…get tired, get loopy, that’s when for me if pistol, switch to .22 or pack it up, or if rifle,sit down and do some bench rest lol, but think post is for first shots ever.If not it’s an “I’m okay, you’re okay” scenario.
Right. I’m certainly the wrong person to give advice, because my shooting problems usually follow an opposite pattern. I don’t actually know anyone who bolos their initial shots and then improves over time. If I had to guess, I would start with unfamiliarity with the specific firearm or lack of muscle memory. Could it be that they spend the first few shots fumbling around until they remember what they’re doing?
(I remember, many many moons ago, getting through the first few pop-up targets before the farther targets came up, and I realized I hadn’t snapped up my M4’s rear site. Maybe there’s a pistol equivalent to that kind of mistake?)
Beware the man with only one gun. He probably knows how to use it.
I would say, keep your training materials as similar as possible. That’s why there is a boom in .22 caliber rifles that are similar to the center fire counterparts. The feel, trigger, and manual of arms is almost identical. Or, for the wheel gun lovers among us, practice with your carry gun, with cheaper/less powerful Ammo. Don’t neglect practice with your actual carry gun, and carry Ammo as well.
I have this kit for my 2 G17 slided guns, and have really enjoyed it, while shooting the ammo they say not to, the dreaded remington t’bolt. 
…got the t’bolt when it was 3 cents a round, and I think Advantage Arms is mainly concerned about lead buildup in the barrel, but I keep things clean and it runs about 95-99%, the main issue being mag feed on occasion. FTF, pop the mag, and there’s a round giving you the “salute” 
http://www.advantagearms.com/
I was thinking of getting the .22 conversion kit for AR’s, but haven’t. Feel lucky I stocked up on 5.56 at 25 cents/round, but still shoot my 22’s a lot.
Actually, no,
Cold shooting, just like if you were defending yourself in a life threatening situation.
I was told that at your best, in a real life situation you will shoot at 40% of your skill training ability.
That sounds realistic. But wouldn’t “at your best” be the rare person who shoots at or above their normal ability? I think the point is that we should train to a high level on the range so that we can still function at a basic level in real life. But 40% is the expectation, not a limit. Correct?
When I go to the range to shoot I have a drill set up and that is my goal. Then you evaluate what you are doing and how to improve. Did that work? NO! Try something else. Find what works for you to achieve your goals.
Insanity is trying the same thing over and over and expecting different outcomes.
Ahhh,okay. Thinking for most of us however, that first shots at a target and first shots in a defense situation are quite different set up and emotionally.
Closest I can get at my club is to be by myself at the plates range where I have a 2 station shed I shoot from. For those stuck in a 10 lane pay by the hour type setting,it seems quite limiting.
Happily, I shoot pretty darn well practicing some of John Lovell’s (WPS) and Garand Thumbs drills…but, there’s no repurcussion if I miss. Hopefully life will remain that way. Just saved a bee from the pool…I’m that kind of guy. I did kill a horsefly earlier though, after initially mistaking it for a bee. Bad guys, beware!
40% is not a limit. The performance of your shooting will be diminished if you have not trained under stress your performance will digress.
Another piece of advice;
Cold bore shot at the range is no where similar to a self defense shot.
You got to learn to go through the motions smoothly with your brain “off”. Reflexive. Agree, not the same, but betting it would help a lot.
Last thing I learned with my “Sticky” holster was that sometimes it stays on my body, sometimes it comes out with the G43…so I learned to use my off hand to sweep the side as I draw, ensuring the holster is off the gun. The first time it stayed with the gun…well, glad I didn’t really need a quick shot.
Got to totally agree, though…stuck in your lane at most public ranges is good for target practice, but pretty worthless for defense. Better to be able to move/draw/shoot 20 times fairly regularly than to aimlessly pewpew 200 imo. Saves on ammo, too.
I’m really glad to hear that this isn’t just me this happens to! First mag - dead center - goes down from there! I wonder if I’m just overthinking as I go, or if it’s just arm fatigue. I’m pushing 60, so I’m not a spring chicken.
I assume it’s fatigue, in my case. Sometimes it helps if I take a break and come back to it. It could be mental fatigue, too. I have the same problem if I’m bowling or mini-golfing. I start off strong, and by the end I’m just throwing the ball because I’m ready to go home. Either way, I guess I’m not cut out to be an athlete. 