Ok, so I've got my draw times, split times, and reload times. Now what?

[Justin]

Ok, finally got around to playing with a shot timer at the range. This is something I should have done months ago. Being able to put a number to a particular action really seems to demystify it somewhat.

From beep to first shot was typically around 2 seconds.
Reload times varied, but were generally between 3.5-4 seconds.
Split times averaged at about .5 seconds.

Yeah. Slow.

So, what do I do to start speeding things up?

 

[Flexmoney]

Eliminate excess motion.

 

[HSMITH]

Justin, go over to Enos forum and look at some of the videos from the best shooters in the world. Watch what they do, no need to re-invent the wheel.

Once you know what the motion should be buy the book by Steve Anderson from Enos store, and use it. It will give structure to dry-fire practice, something most of us can't seem to manage on our own. It works.

 

[Zak Smith]

I know you're into bullseye, where you want to hit the X each time. Part of this is learning to pull the trigger faster. Put an IPSC target at like 3-5 yards, and do a bill drill on it (draw to 6 shots to body), not really concerned with accuracy. It should be pretty easy to improve your raw split times by pulling the trigger as fast as you can.. however this is an exercise to get the gun running faster, not to really address speed & accuracy together. Part of action shooting is knowing how to "dial" the amount of accuracy you need vs. speed.

 

[pax]

Justin ~

Smooth is fast.

Here's what I do:

Use the timer at the beginning of the range session to get a baseline time. Then put the timer away and work on doing everything as smoothly as possible, with no wasted motion. Don't worry about the time per se. Smooth will be fast, so worry about finding the smoothest and most economical ways to do what you want to do.

After working on smooth motions for awhile, get the timer back out. Do not try to "beat" the timer yet. At this point, it's a measurement device, not a challenge. As much as possible, continue doing the exact same practice and speed you were doing without the timer, but measure your times and see where you're at. Keep those same economical motions with the timer that you were doing without the timer.

Once you believe you have your motions as smooth as you can possibly make them, then and only then should you try to race the timer a little. Speed up only until you start to fumble or miss -- then put the timer away and again work on smooth for awhile. When you believe you've gotten smoothed back out, get the timer out and use it to measure exactly how you've been doing.

Now spend some significant practice time working on smooth motions with the timer to record the pace and help you push it just a little.

Push it a little, find the fumble point, then slow down just enough to smooth it out and practice that smoothness for awhile. Push it to the fumble point, smooth it out, practice that speed. Push it, smooth it, practice it. Over and over ...

Spend the majority of your practice time in the smooth/practice phase, mostly using the timer to record rather than to push. And when you finish off, try to finish off on a smooth section, not on a push-it-to-the-limit section. You want to leave the range with the memory of the timer creating no added stress, just measuring your smooth, efficient work.

Basically, what you want to do is to habituate yourself not to begin fumbling/racing when you hear the timer. It's just your cue to do the job in front of you as efficiently as you are able. Most people who foul up in competition do so because they've either never worked with the timer outside of competition, or because they have trained themselves to jump straight past the smooth-is-fast zone into fumble territory when they hear the beep.

pax

 

[3 gun]

Oh boy what a can of worms you've just opened All of these need to be worked on alone, before you try to "put it all together" and shoot fast in a match. I can tell you you don't need to spend a lot of cash on holsters, magwells or guns. With a stock CZ75b from a $20 Galco Matrix holster and using an Uncle Mikes mag carrier I was able to do an IDPA El Prez in 7.98sec. I was told that's a Master level time. I've made it to "A" in USPSA LTD with a stock Para 16-40 and Uncle Mikes belt gear.

The first thing I'd work on is your reloads. A fast draw is nice but you only do it once, if even on a stage. Fast splits are cool but not at the cost of good hits. A blown reload will kill your times and depending on the class/game you're in you'll get 3 or 4 chances to blow it every stage.

Get a good mag case and wear it the same place every time, 95% or more of this is muscle memory. Fit and tune your gear so mags drop free and releases move without to much effort. Put the mags in rounds facing forward. When you pull the mag from the case you want your index finger along the front of the mag to help guide it home. Decided if you want to reload at slide lock or not. Try to plan your stages accordingly. Some mag/pistol combos don't do well with fully loaded mags and a closed slide, find out before the match.

Finish your last shot before you start your reload. Use a small shoot-n-see as a reference. Keep the gun and your head up. Don't lower the gun and look at your belt. Do be sure you are keeping the pistol down range!! Turning the gun in your hand could cause you to be DQ'ed for breaking the 180. Keep your finger away from the trigger. At most shoots you'll be warned once then DQ'ed. Try to keep your body square to your next shot or moving in a straight line while doing the reload. Look the mag into the pistol using whatever level of vision you need to do it cleanly. Seat it firmly!! You'd be surprise how often that is forgotten Get the sights back on target before you fire your next shot. Again you'd be surprised how often this does not happen.

With practice you'll cut 2 or more seconds off your base reload times. Nice thing about it is it doesn't cost a cent or need any travel time. It can be done in your own home at any time day or night

 

[Justin]

I noticed that when I started to shoot faster, I tended to jerk the trigger and throw my shots low by about three-four inches. This was with the split times at around .35-.45.

After poking around BE's forum, I'm starting to wonder if I would be better off working on reloads and presentations.

I was honestly quite surprised at how slow those went when checking them with the timer.

 

[Chris Rhines]

The first thing I'd work on is your reloads. A fast draw is nice but you only do it once, if even on a stage.

I don't completely agree with this. True, you only draw once on a given stage, but the quality of the draw will set the tone for the rest of the stage. I wouldn't worry about a super-fast draw (1.0s will win anything short of the Steel Challenge) so much as a smooth, fumble-free draw with no wasted motion and total awareness. Do whatever it takes to get two perfect As out of the holster.

A couple other tips:

- Practice draws and reloads in a full-length mirror. Check yourself for extra motion. Are you ducking your head? Tensing your shoulders? Fumbling for the grip? What are you doing with your weak hand?

- Timing the gun. Fire into the berm, no target. Watch for the sights to lift. Observe the sights for the entire recoil cycle. See how long it takes for the sights to recover. Useful for training your grip pressure, stance, etc. Eventually, your subconcious will adjust your technique and your split times will start to drop.

- Burkett reloads. This is my very favorite reloading drill, stolen shamelessly from Steve Anderson's book (who in turn stole it from one of Matt Burkett's videos.) This is a dry practice drill - start with an empty gun, normal freestyle grip. On the beep, hit the magazine release and reload just to the point where the magazine is about to enter the magwell. Your visual focus at that point should be on the magwell. You can do hundereds of these reloads in a few minutes. I'd do a couple dozen real slow in the mirror, checking for excess movement. Then use the timer. If you can't do one in 0.8s, you're not trying.

- Chris

 

[Justin]

Ok, went out yesterday and shot again.

Did much better. Ran some drills of just drawing and firing a single shot, and if I was on, I could do it in 1.5 seconds. I'm still a little unsure of what to be looking to minimize in the drawstroke, other than keeping my head and shoulders from moving. I've also changed the placement of my hands as well.

Curiously, when running some Bill Drills, my time from drawing to first shot tended to be between 1.6-1.7 seconds. I set a par time of 3.5 for running the Bill Drill, and pushed how quickly I was firing.

Suffice it to say, my target stand has a couple of new holes in it, but for the most part I could keep them on the paper. (Not in the A-Zone.)

Where I'm having trouble is sticking on the front sight during recoil. I'm having a hard time being aware of the movement of the gun during the recoil cycle.

I still fired low, for the most part, but that may be due to my reloads, as well as technique.

 

[lycanthrope]

Learning to see the front sight stroke took me a while. At first, I had to train myself to keep focus on that distance and wait for the front sight to reappear in the notch. It seemed like the front sight recoiled out of my vision........ In reality, it didn't, but my focuse was narrow. After several thousand rounds, I was able to relax and maintain a level where I could observe a wide area and be aware of what was going on in my peripheral vision. I can see the front sight in it's arc, but everything else seems in focus as well now. I'm sure that's not entirely the case, but being able to change focus rapidly and effortlessly is a skill that needs developed over time. As it does, allow your vision to dictate your shooting speed.

Yes, you can hammer faster with one sight picture on close targets, but on any challenging array or where points are paramount allowing your vision to guide you will pay off.

 

[Justin]

Ok, here's the weird thing I observed last night when dry-firing in the basement.

I'm picking up the front sight before the pistol has settled into position.

If I pull the trigger as I first see the sight (which is what I did when practicing last Sunday) my groups are outside the A-zone, but I can get a shot off in 1.3-1.4 seconds.

But If I take another .1-.2 seconds to let the pistol settle in, then I can put the shots in an acceptable group.

The eye is quicker than the hand, evidently.

 

[Justin]

Oh, and did I mention that I loves me Shot Timer?

 

[lycanthrope]

As it does, allow your vision to dictate your shooting speed.

What you're describing isn't weird. You're just learning rapidly how to see. I think you're going to do very well at this game.

 

[MrChicken]

"I'm picking up the front sight before the pistol has settled into position.

If I pull the trigger as I first see the sight (which is what I did when practicing last Sunday) my groups are outside the A-zone, but I can get a shot off in 1.3-1.4 seconds.

But If I take another .1-.2 seconds to let the pistol settle in, then I can put the shots in an acceptable group."

Without seeing it, that says to me that you are inducing unwanted movement into the gun as your present it.

For most people starting out I find that presenting the gun straight out toward the target works best. To explain, the gun clears the holster straight up until it is high along your side (most people index thumb to pectoral), rotates towards the target and moves in straight line towards the target.

With this presentation style you acquire the sights early and you avoid having the weight of the gun swinging the muzzle past the POA as can happen if you have a bowling or casting motion.

The other thing can cause that undue movement is smacking the gunhand into the support hand. If your gun hand is traveling fast and your meet it with your support hand, you will likely get a wobble at the muzzle. If they meet close to your chest the gun can presented "smoooooothly" to the target with steady sight alignment.

As has been said, the proper grip on presentation is key. What you gain on the presentation by not getting the proper grip is quicly lost in split times.
Part of following the front sight through recoil is having the gun recoil consistently so that the front sight is where you are looking for it. A bad grip will have the gun and front sight moving around costing you time. You save a tenth on the presentation but lose a tenth on every shot....

A little practice should cut a second off your reloads, it's worth doing.

 

[Justin]

For most people starting out I find that presenting the gun straight out toward the target works best. To explain, the gun clears the holster straight up until it is high along your side (most people index thumb to pectoral), rotates towards the target and moves in straight line towards the target.

With this presentation style you acquire the sights early and you avoid having the weight of the gun swinging the muzzle past the POA as can happen if you have a bowling or casting motion.

This is probably what's happening. Will do some practice presentations tonight and pay attention to that part of the drawstroke. Thinking back on it, I would see the target, then the front dot of the pistol sight, a wobble where I don't lose the dot, but it isn't aligned properly, and then a good sight picture.

A little practice should cut a second off your reloads, it's worth doing.

I've been practicing the Burkett reloads, and, when I'm on, can do them in .9 seconds. (The disadvantage of no flared mag well has made itself quite apparent.)

 

[HSMITH]

Justin, go over to Enos forum and look in the video sub forum for some REALLY good draws, economy of motion is where the speed will come from and that is a 45* line from the holster to the point where the sight picture is confirmed. It takes a little practice, that's all.

Also, now that you have a timer stop by the Store at Enos and get a copy of Steve Anderson's dryfire book. Structured practice in just the area's where you want to improve is what you will find in the book. You can make BIG strides in your ability in short order with his routine.