Tips and tricks

[HICKMAN]

So, following the other thread.

What do you experienced shooters recommend for rookies when it comes to books, videos, podcasts, etc.

I always hear people talking about dryfire exercises and such, but don't know who/what are considered good sources of info.

 

[bwframe]

Guess I was lying in the other thread.
Preditor Tactical's Knowledgebase has been updated. Dry fire drills and some documents are there. I still can't find the podcasts though.

Knowledgebase

Never heard anyone speak poorly of Steve Anderson's dry fire book;

Practical Shooting Book and CD Reviews

 

[HICKMAN]

thanks Burl, good stuff!

 

[Coach]

Guess I was lying in the other thread.
Preditor Tactical's Knowledgebase has been updated. Dry fire drills and some documents are there. I still can't find the podcasts though.

Knowledgebase

Never heard anyone speak poorly of Steve Anderson's dry fire book;

Practical Shooting Book and CD Reviews

Steve Anderson's dryfire book works bottom line. If you are wanting to move up in class his manual will do it. I would never be critical of the book. But any numbnuts who ties their dog up in the way of the registration line at a major match stands to be bad mouthed for it. Ask me about it Sunday and I will tell you.

The dry fire book will help you with basic and essential skills especially but not just for classifiers. There are other skills like shooting on the move among the bag of tricks in the book.

In addition to the dryfire I think there are two other skills to be mastered and they are shot calling and stage break down. Shot calling is easy to define but tough to do consistently. Stage break down is more complcated and can involve many things.

Another thing is to be consistent throughout the match. To win C Class or D class shoot the match clean. Teddy Llaso's may be one of the greatest sand baggers of all time. USPSA finally got wise and bumped him from C Class to A class directly. "Just shoot it clean" was his mantra and he won C Class in matches all over the United States doing it taking loot off the prize table in large quantities.

Double Alpha Academy's GM DVD's are good. Get the DVD's of nationals and watch the Super Squad do things. It is good viewing and if you are observant there is plenty to be learned.

Trust Saul Kirsch, Max Michel is good as well. If you are a fat guy Angus Hobdell is one of us. If he can do it most people can.

 

[HICKMAN]

heh, they were giving Teddy a little crap during the classifier on Sunday. Was a blast to watch him and Max shoot.

 

[slow1911s]

Brian Enos' book Practical Shooting - Beyond Fundamentals is very much worth the read, especially if the mental aspect of the game attracts you. It may seem a bit dated, but fundamentals are just that.

Watch a lot of video and a lot with the sound off. Watch how the better shooters transition from target to target and get into and out of positions. Time is a big factor in this game and that's where it's won and lost. Shooting fast won't get you anywhere. Shooting A's fast will.

Burkett's podcasts are pretty good - mostly entertainment and product sales. But they're worth the listen. I happen to like his videos, too. The base content is good.

 

[rvb]

So far all of the source suggestions have been good ones. You're going to be hard pressed to get better.

Go to the enos forums and search for "drill" and "dryfire", etc. I'm currently working some live-fire drills I found there recently. Of course now there is youtube, too (but like all public info sights you have to be careful to get good info). If there is something you need help with specifically, search! be proactive. You can make up you own drills, too. Honestly, you could probably go over to Enos' store and click "buy all" in his books and dvd sections, and get a ton of great info. but there's more to it than that...

*** Identify your weaknesses and make them your strengths. This is a continually evolving process. Practice what you are not good at. Find drills in those sources above that focus on those weaknesses.

*** Learning the drills from books/dvds/etc won't do any good if you don't put in the hours. Make a schedule, whatever you can budget, and do it.

*** You have to set goals. And just saying "I want to move to X class" doesn't cut it. You have to give yourself a reasonable yet challenging deadline. You have to have a plan. You have to believe you can accomplish it. A good goal should have milestones. (eg In order to help me make X class I will perform a surrender draw in x.xx seconds and a reload in y.yy seconds and shoot zz.z% of match points). You should have an "outlook" goal you want to accomplish once you have achieved your current goal.

I'm not one to put quotes and such in a signature block, but over on Enos' forum I have the following in my signature:

"A goal properly set is halfway reached."
- Abraham Lincoln

*** Don't sabatage your goals. I see this one all the time. If your goal is to move up in class, don't switch divisions or sandbag classifiers before a major match, or change divisions at the match based on who else is competing.

Several times over the years I've gotten bumped right before a major. I don't have very many trophies on the wall either. But that's not my goal. But some of those matches were my best and more memorable. It's a great challenge, being at the bottom of a class...

*** Finally [you're thinking "about time!"], practice with intensity. Dryfire (well, and livefire) is more than going through the motions and doing repititions. Push your limits. Move your comfort zone.

-rvb

 

[slow1911s]

One other thing...make your practice count and make it short.

Along with rvb, you should have a goal for any practice session. Don't just go shoot - have a point. Like, I'm going to transitions from full to partial targets, or vice versa. or I'm going to work on Bill Drills., etc. If you don't own a timer, go buy one (if you can't measure it, you can't improve it).

Keep your practice to 200 rounds or 2 hours or less. Anything more and you're not going to do well retaining what you've tried to learn. Use dryfire to build gun handling skills and muscle memory for things like draws, mag changes, footwork. Don't waste range time and ammo on skills you can build cheaply at home.

One last tip - get a coach or pony up for lessons. I did it within the first year of shooting, and it was the best money I've ever spent.

 

[rvb]

make your practice count ... you should have a goal for any practice session. Don't just go shoot - have a point.

Yes! Absolutely!

Keep your practice to 200 rounds or 2 hours or less.

I agree with your intent, but I'd caution against that as a "rule." For instance, yesterday I was on the range and shot ~140 round in timing drills alone and that was done in the first 15 minutes...

You have to base your sessions on your own physical/mental limits. [However, There's something to be said about pushing your limits, too... big match day may be 300+ rounds and 10 hours, including stage resetting... can you keep your head in the practice? You'll have to keep it in the match.]

-rvb

 

[HICKMAN]

Was looking over Enos site, figure I might order a couple of books, Enos and the Dry-fire book to start with.

Any comments on the DVD's?

How to Shoot Fast & Accurately
IPSC Secrets
Pistol Masters

Wasn't gonna spend $90 on the set if they weren't worth it or if someone might have them to loan out for a couple of days.

 

[slow1911s]

Was looking over Enos site, figure I might order a couple of books, Enos and the Dry-fire book to start with.

Any comments on the DVD's?

How to Shoot Fast & Accurately
IPSC Secrets
Pistol Masters

Wasn't gonna spend $90 on the set if they weren't worth it or if someone might have them to loan out for a couple of days.

Those DVDs are a bit dated. You'd do better to pick up this: DVD 3GM-Techniques of the Grand Masters DVD, IPSC DVD

 

[HICKMAN]

Those DVDs are a bit dated. You'd do better to pick up this: DVD 3GM-Techniques of the Grand Masters DVD, IPSC DVD

Thanks Dude!

Ah, I found the American outlet

http://www.ceddaa.com

 

[HICKMAN]

interesting vid for us noobs

[ame=http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=w1RKgJiQAtU]YouTube - Shooting Tips for USPSA Matches[/ame]