Technical Pistol Guide Complete

Target Shooting Canada Technical Pistol Guide

Indice The Basics ................................................................................................................. 3 Technical Exercises ................................................................................................... 3 Developing a Pistol Stance ........................................................................................ 5 Adopting a Natural Pistol Position .............................................................................. 5 Gripping the Pistol...................................................................................................... 6 Sighting (Pistol).......................................................................................................... 8 Targets and how they should look.............................................................................. 8 Sight and Sight Pictures ............................................................................................. 9 General Considerations............................................................................................ 10 Minimum Arc of Movement....................................................................................... 10 Raising the Pistol in Timed and Rapid Fire Events ................................................... 11 Breath Control: Pistol ............................................................................................... 12 Trigger Control: Pistol .............................................................................................. 13 Follow Through: Pistol.............................................................................................. 14 Stance/Hold Exercises ............................................................................................. 16 Dry Firing Exercises ................................................................................................. 17 Live Fire Exercises................................................................................................... 18 Slow Fire Firing Procedure....................................................................................... 19 Timed Fire Firing Procedure..................................................................................... 19 Rapid Fire Firing Procedure ..................................................................................... 20 Free Pistol Match Exercises..................................................................................... 21 Match Final Trainings............................................................................................... 23

2

The Basics We all have to start somewhere and this is the place. We'll look at a few of the components that are used to place a shot on a target. Initially, you'll need to put alot of energy into thinking about how to perform each task. As time passes and you work hard, you'll move from the conscious act to sub-conscious delivery. That's when you'll really start to shine as a shooter.

The basics include: •

Stance: How to stand steady and support the pistol.

•

Position: How to point the pistol at the target.

•

Grip: How to hold the pistol consistently.

•

Sighting: Where to look, what are the different sight patterns, etc. for pistol.

•

Minimum Arc of Movement: How to shoot on the move.

•

Raising the Pistol: Where to look and how to raise in Timed and Rapid Fire Events.

•

Breath Control: Suggestions on Breathing when firing your pistol.

•

Trigger Control: Making your pistol move smoothly.

•

Follow Through: Keeping your pistol on target as the shot leaves the barrel.

Technical Exercises I've broken down the technical training section to highlight various exercises. These exercises should be used one at a time for a specific training session. That is to say, depending upon the shooter's individual training needs, take one and perform it (possibly in conjunction with another, at most.) Don't take 3 or more and have a session that incorporates them all. Training relies upon specificity: focus on one aspect of shooting and improve that area. By doing too much at one time, you dilute its value. Similarly, you should repeat the chosen exercise more than once. If you do something once a month, it doesn't make much of an impact on you. To get the most of an exercise, do it 3-5 times within a short period of time, perhaps a week. If you then choose to repeat the task the following week, or perform another task which builds on that exercise, all the better. You're reinforcing what you performed and imprinting the new technique.

3

The exercises are as follows: •

Generic Training Exercises: Stance, Dry Firing, Live Firing, originally for Air Pistol, but applicable to all bullseye disciplines.

•

Standard Pistol Match Training: Taken from SFC Pistol Shooting Technical Coaching Level 1 Manual, plus MP3s for developing proper rapid fire rhythm.

•

Free Pistol Match Training: Taken from SFC Pistol Shooting Technical Coaching Level 2 Manual.

•

Match Finals Training: Train for the Finals of an ISSF match. Read the commands or download the MP3!

Training Related Documents: •

Shooter Fault Terms and Definitions Document (Defines and Describes Common Shooter Errors)

•

Pistol Shot Error Analysis Document (An aid determine what you may be doing wrong)

•

Blank Annual Training Plan Chart (Chart for developing Annual Training Plan)

4

Developing a Pistol Stance Stance defines how you should stand to provide a stable and consistent support for shooting. You must be able to duplicate this naturally, or you'll have difficulty producing good groups (getting your shots to land together in one area.) Furthermore, your stance must be comfortable. Some matches can last up to almost 2 hours - you must be able to hold that stance during it. Follow these instructions to develop a basic stance: 1. Stand comfortably and naturally with your feet about shoulder width apart. 2. Weight distribution should be equal on each foot (50/50) and slightly forward (about 55% on the ball of the foot, and 45% on the heels.) Furthermore, the feet should be turned slightly outward for sway control. 3. Knees should not be locked backward, nor should the thighs or calves be flexed. Relax the legs such that you feel a little bit of muscular tension. 4. Back and neck should be aligned straight. The shoulders should be relaxed. Keep your head up and stand tall. 5. Your non-shooting hand must be anchored; otherwise, it will swing (moving while shooting is 'bad') and throw off your stance. Place it either in your pant's front pocket or tuck it into your pants or belt. Don't stick it in the back pocket or in the back of your pants as I believe that this induces a twist in your spine, throwing off its natural alignment. 6. The elbow and wrist of your shooting arm should be locked during the lift and until you have completed your follow-through after the shot is released. A relaxed wrist will move about 5 degrees to the right or left during a shot; whereas, a locked wrist reduces the movement to only 2 degrees. 7. Keep both of your eyes open, looking as straight ahead as possible. Aim with your dominant eye which is usually the same eye as your shooting hand (not always so.) You may wish to put a translucent blinder in front of your non-aiming eye to help you focus on your front sight. Remember to allow equal light into your non-aiming eye. Clear tape on your lens takes care of this. In a pinch, place a piece of paper in between your lens and your non-shooting eye.

Adopting a Natural Pistol Position Once you're in your stance, you need to know how to adopt your position. That is to say, you need to learn how to put yourself in front of a target and naturally point at it. Once again, consistency and comfort is the rule, so you can do this again and again over the course of many long shooting sessions. Follow these instructions to adopt your position: 1. You should be turned about 45 to 90 degrees to the target.

5

2. Close your eyes, raise your shooting hand and point with your index finger. Don't think about trying to point at the target: just focus on finding the position that feels comfortable. This is the natural point of aim and you need to find it sub-consciously (hence: don't think about the target.) 3. With your eyes closed, comfortably turn your head toward your shooting hand and open your eyes. Ideally, your eyes and hand would align with the centre of the target. 4. If you are pointing elsewhere, move your rear foot in the direction of the error. (For instance, if I was pointing to the left of the target, then I would move my rear foot to the left, which in turn rotates my point of aim to the right.) 5. Once on target, repeat the process to ensure that your natural point of aim is truly on target, and adjust as necessary. 6. Finally, place your pistol in your hand and test that after the raise that the sights are on target. Adjust as needed. Remember not to lower your head during the raise: find your sights by lowering your eyes.

Gripping the Pistol If you over-grip or under-grip the pistol, your shots won't land consistently on target. Here's a brief overview on how to grip the pistol: 1. Pick up the pistol with your non-shooting hand and place it firmly in your shooting hand. 2. The pistol is seated deep into the web of the hand (that fleshy area between the base of the thumb and the base of the index finger.) You're trying to make the pistol barrel a natural straight-line extension of your arm. 3. The thumb is loose and relaxed along the thumbrest. 4. The primary gripping pressure is produced by middle finger. 5. Secondary pressure is provided by third finger (the one beside the little finger.) Also this finger can produce tiny changes in front sight elevation by increasing/decreasing its pressure. 6. The little finger (or pinkie) is loose and not exerting any noticeable pressure. Essentially, it is just along for the ride. 7. The fingertips do not exert pressure on the pistol grip. Imagine that your fingers are tri-sectional: they are essentially 3 bones with two joints connecting them, attaching them to the hand with a third joint. Your fingers should be in contact with the pistol, gripping it with the second or middle section of the fingers. This ensures that you are pulling the grip straight back into the web of your hand, not pushing or pulling the pistol to the right or left. 8. The trigger finger must not be in contact with the grip at all.

6

9. Lastly, the finger must be able to flex at the middle knuckle without moving the pistol OR varying the pressure of any other fingers. This is important and demands lots of practise. You must be able to pull the trigger without moving the other fingers. Unfortunately, the hand is made to work this way: you must train to overcome it.

Comments on Grip Pressure: •

Make sure the grip is firm but not to the point where your hand starts to shake (that is bad.) A firm grip and locked wrist tend to have about 2 degrees of movement right and left from the point of aim; whereas, a loose wrist has about 5 degrees of play. Obviously, a firm grip and wrist is better.

•

If your fingertips or nails whiten, you are gripping too tight. Back it off until colour returns to them.

•

Similarly, you can look at your hand after gripping the pistol: areas on the hand where the skin is flushed may indicate that you’re gripping too tight.

•

When you find a good grip (pressure), consistently maintain it.

•

Lastly, spend some time just working on your grip, learning how to easily and consistently seat the pistol in your hand and grip it. Learn how it "feels", so you can duplicate it that much easier.

An inconsistent grip is really bad for shooters. If you lack some strength, then overgripping will cause your hand to tire and your pressure may become inconsistent. It may also lead to tremours in your hold. When your grip is too loose, you won't be able to hold it on target. With practise, you can master this fundamental and essential skill.

7

Sighting (Pistol) Sighting is terribly important in shooting and you need to devote alot of energy into coordinating your sights and the target. If you can't consistently aim your firearm at the target, you'll never be satisfied with your results. Here's a brief overview of sighting considerations.

Targets and how they should look What's wrong with this target? Easy: its crisp and the bull is defined and black. To see the target this way, you must be looking at it, which you should NEVER do when you're actually shooting. When you're aligning your body on the target, looking over your pistol hand, you can look at the target. Make sure that you are pointing directly at your aiming point. Once you're on target, and you've tested that your pistol is settling in wherever you aim, then stop looking at the target!

This is much better. The centre is grayed out and its not as sharp, preferably being nothing more than a gray blob down range. Why should it look this way? The answer is that you're not supposed to be looking directly at the target. Your primary attention should be focussed on the front sight and its relative position to the target. If you believe that you can see both the target and the front sight in sharp focus simultaneously, then you're mistaken. The eye cannot physically perform the act of focussing on 2 objects, one being close to you (the sight) and one far away (a target 10-50 metres downrange.) When it appears that both are in focus, your eye is actually focussing on one object, breaking back to the other object and re-focussing very quickly, and then back again. In other words, half the time you are not looking at your front sight and your shots will be all over the place. Focus on one thing: your front sight. Let's look at sight alignment. This image is not the conventional view presented in manuals. Of course, the front blade is crisp and black. This is our primary point of focus. But, looking at your front sight doesn't guarantee a great shot. You also have to make sure that it is properly aligned in the rear sight; hence, the upper corners of the rear sight notch are black and sharp as well. (Unlike the target and the sights, your eyes are able to keep these two objects almost equally focussed because they are very close to each other.) Make sure that the top of the front sight is even with the top of the rear sight. Also, make sure that there are equal bars of light on either side of the front sight. If the light is too thin to accurately gauge its thickness, you may want to consider making your rear side notch wider, or decreasing the width of your front sight, if your pistol has these options available. BTW: the reason that the whole rear sight isn't black, is that you are looking through the rear notch to the front sight and you pay attention only to the upper corners of the notch. From these reference points, you determine that the tops are flush and that the blade is centered.

8

Now we finally get to put our sights in front of a target, so we can discuss sight pictures. A sight picture encompasses the sight alignment from above and establishes a relationship with the target. Essentially, when you point at the target, what you see is your sight picture. There are three generally recognized points of aim on a pistol target: center-of-mass, 6 o'clock and sub-6. I haven't seen anything out there that definitively proves that one style is better than another, so try them out and see what works best for you. Make sure during your trial phase that you mark the results down in your shooting diary, so you can review and choose wisely.

Sight and Sight Pictures

Center hold, or center-of-mass, places the top of the front blade in the center of the target. If you shoot different courses of fire on different size targets, and possibly at different range distances, then this style may be best for you. Visually, you'll always be shooting at roughly the same "image". Some people feel that they lose some clarity on the front sight because they are looking at a black front sight in a dark background.

A 6 o'clock hold places the top of the front sight at the bottom of the black bullseye of the target. The belief here is that this gives the shooter a very tight point of reference which they can lock on to visually and shoot at. Some argue against this saying that the top of the sight blends into the target and causes them to shoot high. Other shooters say they jerk the trigger when the front sight finally crosses the bottom of the bull, causing shots to drop low. (This is a trigger fault and not a fault of the sight picture.)

A sub-6 hold places a bit of white space between the bottom of the bull and the top of the front sight. This allows the shooter to see the sight absolutely crisp and clear in higher contrast then in the center of the target. One concern that was raised is about developing a consist aiming point on the target: how do you consistently shoot on a blank area, off-center on a piece of paper? One solution is to aim such that the bars of light on either side of your front sight are the same distance (visually) as the distance between the top of the sight and the bottom of the bull. As kids (or as parents), we probably saw the children's puppet show that had the game and song "One of these things are not like the other." This highlights that people are trained to notice differences and similarities. The goal of sub-6 sighting is to make all light bars (sides and top) look the same for consistency.

9

General Considerations •

Everyone has their preferences and nobody has the definitive choice in what the best sight picture is. Try them all out over several weeks and see what feels right for you. Measure your results and mark it all down in your shooting diary. Finally, when it comes down to making a decision, refer to your diary and make a choice.

•

Try to shoot with both eyes open - place a blinder over your non-dominant eye.

•

Lighting conditions vary from range to range and even between bays at the same range. This should be taken into consideration when choosing your sight picture and how you respond to variations at a match.

•

Always allow your sights to float in your area of aim, regardless of what sight picture you choose. If you don't float, you may not have the smooth, fluid trigger control that you desire.

Minimum Arc of Movement Movement I have some good news and I have some bad news. Good news first: you're alive and well, getting involved in the great sport of pistol shooting. Now the bad news: since you're living, you will never be able to stand absolutely still. More to the point: you cannot stand still and hold your pistol motionless. Why? Well to name just a few reasons, your heart is pumping, you're breathing (or wanting to breath), and your body is responding to a myriad of nerves firing throughout your body. Suffice it to say, there are alot of important things happening inside of you and you can't switch them off. As a result, when you look at your sights, you'll see them moving in front of your target. This is known as the arc of movement. Your goal is to minimise this movement and adapt your shooting to it. Here are some things to remember about minimum arc of movement: •

You cannot force yourself to be motionless. Odds are that you will have the opposite effect. Accept the movement and shoot through it.

•

Minimum movement is usually achieved shortly after raising the pistol and lasts less than 6 seconds. As such, you should train yourself to get the shot to break within 6 seconds of your raise (that is, once you've raised the pistol into the firing position, not from when you start your raise.) Holding longer and trying to become motionless is counter-productive. Once you lose the minimum arc of movement, it does not come back. As such, abort and try again.

•

The movement that you see at the tip of your barrel isn't all that much. In most cases, its range of movement would be within the black, and could possibly be within the 10 ring. While you should learn to reduce the arc of movement, having an arc of movement isn't the worst thing. In this case, you'll probably deliver a good shot, if you adhere to all of the other basics.

•

More important than initially reducing your arc of movement is controlling how you respond to it. First, you must learn to keep the sights aligned as they float in front of the target. If you lose sight alignment, that error is multiplied many times over and

10

you'll get wild shots. If your sights are aligned, you'll shoot within your arc of movement. If your sight alignment is poor, who knows where the shot will land! •

Similarly, knowing that your sight is floating, some people think "Pull the trigger as it crosses the area of aim." Well, in theory that sounds good; but, in practice, it is very wrong. Pulling fast on the trigger as the sights move through the area of aim tends to destroy trigger control (resulting in pushing, pulling, snatching, jerking you've heard them all) and disturb the alignment of the sights (here comes the error multiplier.) As a result, the shot tends not to land within your group. Accept that your pistol will move, let it float and shoot in an area. Squeeze the trigger while the sights are in that area and maintain sight alignment. Your shots will group very nicely.

•

You may perceive that the sight is moving alot because your attention is on the target and not on the front sight. Look at the sights! Your concentration must always be on the front sight which will, in turn, make the target look like nothing more than a grey blob down range. This will reduce the perception of your sights moving all over the place.

•

We know that you can't force yourself to stand motionless. However, you can work on your stance to reduce body sway and you can look into ways to enhance your core stability. Furthermore, you can look into footwear and balance (equilibrium) training.

Achieving a minimum arc of movement takes work and confidence in yourself and your hold. You must accept that a little bit of movement is inevitable and okay. Don't overreact to this movement and forget the critical basics of sight alignment and trigger control. You'll be surprised at how well you can shoot!

Raising the Pistol in Timed and Rapid Fire Events The vertical raise in timed and rapid fire events is a critical skill to learn. The key lies in your stance and grip, such that even with your eyes closed, you would raise on target. Nobody expects you to do this (yet *s*) but top champions in rapid fire report being able to do this after extensive training. Here's a process to get you started: 1. Start with your stance and grip. You align your body such that your natural point of aim brings the gun on target with the sights aligned at your aiming point (center of mass, 6 o'clock or sub-6.) To test, close your eyes and bring the gun up: if the gun points to the left of your target, move your rear foot in the direction of the error (in this case, to the left.) Settle and try again: adjust as needed. Finally, raise the pistol and watch the sights during the lift: if you have to adjust, this will show the need. This gets your gun on target and roughly aligned on each raise. 2. The position: what I do in timed and rapid fire is stand with my arm at the 45 degree angle, head up straight and in position to look at my sights when the gun is raised. I lower my eyes only (not moving my head) and look at the mid-distance to the floor. Don't focus on the floor - look at the empty space between it and you, so you can see the target peripherally. 3. The raise: The target turns or the whistle blows or whatever happens to indicate the start of the timed stage. You keep your head motionless and lift the pistol smoothly and steadily at a constant speed. Don't move your eyes to the gun. As

11

the pistol is raised through that midpoint and the floor where you're looking, your eyes catch the sight. I repeat: as the sights pass before your vision, you catch the sights and hold them. (The sights come to your eyes, not your eyes go to the sights, and your head doesn't move.) As the pistol raises, your eyes follow it and you make rough to fine adjustments to the sight alignment. As you settle on the target, you should have perfect alignment. Then its time to shoot. With practice, the process becomes pretty easy (yeah, right, like trigger control and concentration *s*) Don't worry: you'll get it. Just remember to build a proper stance and don't move your head. After that, its just a matter of dedicated training and practice.

Breath Control: Pistol Breathing is an integral part of your life. If you are unable to breathe for a short period of time, then you'll lose consciousness. Any time longer and you can run into some very serious problems (i.e. brain damage or death.) As such, your body is tuned to monitor your breathing and maintain the breathing cycle. Here's some thoughts on breathing while you shoot pistol: •

Breathing causes movement. As such, your minimum arc of movement will be exaggerated while you're breathing. Consequently, you cannot shoot and breathe simultaneously.

•

Your eyes need oxygen to see the target properly. Your body will fight for air as it uses up its supply. The symptoms of oxygen deprivation adversely affect your control over your hold and your sight alignment and picture. You need to have oxygen in your system to shoot well.

•

Since the two statements are at odds with each other, you need to reach a compromise between shooting and breathing. You need to make sure that you have lots of oxygen in your system; such that, you can pause breathing long enough to get your shot to break within your minimum arc of movement. Here's one method for slow-fire shooting: 1. Once you are in position and ready to fire, take two or three slow, deep breaths. (This makes sure that your system is fully oxygenated.) Make sure that you do not hyperventilate by breathing fast and deep. 2. As you raise the pistol, breath slowly in (inhale). 3. As you settle on the target, exhale completely, but don't force the last bit of air out of your lungs. Just breathe out naturally. At this point, you're at a natural point between breathing in and out. Your body is accustomed to a pause at this stage. 4. During this pause (lasting 6 - 10 seconds) don't breathe. Finish obtaining the perfect sight picture and squeeze the trigger. 5. Complete your followthrough after the shot, and then inhale as you lower your pistol. 6. After the shot, ensure normal breathing takes place.

12

7. Note: As an alternative to exhaling as you settle into your shooting position, you could exhale half a breath. This keeps some oxygen in your lungs. At this half breath point, you pause and fire. After following through, exhale completely as you lower your gun. This forces an unnatural pause in your breathing cycle, but some people feel more comfortable with this method. •

Rapid Fire events would use the above sequence, as five shots are being delivered in under 10 seconds.

•

In Timed Phases (five shots in 20 seconds), I would recommend a short, shallow breath between the second and third shot, or between the third and fourth shot. Holding your breath for a full 20 seconds is not how people breath and I suspect that your body will start signaling you to breathe. This will undoubtedly affect your shooting.

•

Take time to ensure that you have deep breaths during the match. Over the course of a 60 shot air or free pistol match, you will have held your breath alot. This will affect your system as the match progresses. Good aerobic capacity will reduce the impact and making sure to breathe will help too.

•

Taking three deep breaths prior to shooting can also work effectively as a "calming" or relaxing technique. Incorporate this into your mental training.

Breathing is important to shooting. It must not interfere with your minimum arc of movement. Develop a routine, follow the pattern faithfully and this will become natural when you shoot.

Trigger Control: Pistol Trigger control refers to how we activate the firearm; such that, the pistol fires without disturbing the sight alignment and the sight picture. Essentially, when you pull the trigger, the sights stay aligned and your point of aim doesn’t change. Developing good trigger control is critical to your success as a shooter. If a problem exists here, improvements can produce great leaps forward in your ability and shrink your group size. So, if you are struggling with your shooting, your trigger control is one of the best places to start working on! Here’s some information that you should keep in mind when you shoot: • The trigger should be moved straight back, towards your rear sight. Some people describe the action as "Draw the front sight straight back through the rear notch." The pressure that you exert must be 100% straight to the rear. You cannot place sideways pressure (to the right or left, called "pulling" or "pushing") on the trigger, as this action will move your pistol out of your aiming area. Pressure straight rearward will keep the pistol on your point of aim. •

The trigger must be activated slowly. By quickly activating the trigger, you may "snatch" or "jerk" the trigger, which does two very bad things: disturbs your sight alignment and moves you off your point of aim. Take your time, accept the minimum arc of movement and S_L_O_W_L_Y squeeze your trigger. No rushed movements. No thoughts of "It’s in the black now: PULL!" Slow it down.

13

•

The trigger must be activated smoothly and progressively. When you decide to fire the shot and activate the trigger, the action should be very fluid from start to finish. That is to say, when you start, increase pressure on the trigger at a steady rate. Draw it back in one motion, not start and stop, start and stop. There is an old Jedi saying that applies here: "Do or do not. Trying there is not." (Okay, I'm showing my immaturity; but, Yoda had a few good things to say.) Either pull the trigger or don’t pull the trigger. Anything in between will either cause problems or indicate that a problem exists (i.e. lack of concentration or looking at the target.)

•

When you draw on the trigger, only your trigger finger moves. The hand is made to squeeze the fingers in unison. You have to work beyond your hand’s physical design. Isolate the movement such that you only move the trigger finger at the second finger joint. The remainder of the trigger finger must stay motionless and not come in contact with the pistol grip or frame. In addition, the other fingers must maintain the same pressure as before. Its tricky, but with practice, you will do it well.

•

Take up the trigger slack and a tiny portion of the trigger pressure during the raise to the target. Be aware of the weight and be careful not to discharge the pistol during this raise. Note: If you are new to shooting or have concerns with control, do not apply pressure to the trigger until you have settled on to the target.

•

The trigger should be activated when you have achieved your minimum arc of movement, usually in less than 10 seconds after the raise.

•

Work towards unconsciously activating the trigger, such that the shot becomes a surprise break. Your sub-conscious mind will become trained to recognise when to take the shot and will activate the trigger finger. As such, your conscious mind will be surprised, subsequently avoiding numerous trigger problems like flinching or anticipating recoil. This is difficult to master, but it will come with time and lots of practice.

As I mentioned earlier, trigger control is a critical skill to develop. It takes time and hard work, but the rewards are huge. (Note: Dryfiring is one of the best exercises to hone this skill. Check out the Training Exercises section for more information.)

Follow Through: Pistol Follow through is the completion of all your efforts in delivering the shot, as you maintain stance, grip, and alignment well after the shot has left the barrel. When the shot breaks, you must hold your position briefly. Allow the pistol to settle after recoil, before you lower the handgun. Similarly, you must maintain your concentration as part of your follow through. The rationale behind follow through is multifold. First, you want to reinforce holding your position through the entire shot. People who have either poor follow through or no follow through, may anticipate the shot breaking and actually lower the pistol prior to the shot leaving the barrel. (Ever drop a shot at the bottom of your target, or well below your group? This could be a problem with follow through.) Second, for shot analysis, you need to be able to look at your sights and call your shots (prior to looking through your spotting scope, review your shot process and sight picture, in order to state where your shot landed.) If

14

you’ve lowered your gun, you can’t review your sight alignment and sight picture. Third, from the review, determine what you did right, and consider areas for improvement. So, here’s what follow through consists of: 1. The shot breaks. 2. Maintain your hold, sight alignment and sight picture for a count of 1 or 2 seconds. 3. Allow the pistol to recover from the recoil, and settle back into your natural point of aim. 4. Review the following items: o

What did the sight alignment look like?

o

What did the sight picture look like?

o

Did your natural point of aim return to your aiming point on the target?

o

How did the grip feel?

o

How did your trigger action feel?

5. From the above review, call where the shot landed on the target (i.e. 7 ring/high right, or 10 ring at 9 o’clock.) 6. Lower the pistol. 7. Confirm your shot call with a spotting scope. If there is a difference between what you called and where it actually landed, try to figure out why this took place. (Calling shots is a learned skill. It takes time and repetition. Don’t give up if you’re having difficulty.) 8. Analyze what went right and congratulate yourself. If the shot could be improved, decide what element needs to be worked on, and develop a positive action plan to work from. Follow through is often overlooked, especially when one becomes overly concerned with scores. Instead of allowing the shot to leave the barrel, they're rushing to the scope to see how they did. As a result, they undo all of their hard work. Take the shot and follow through. Your groups will get smaller and you'll learn alot about your shooting.

15

Stance/Hold Exercises Task Description

Goal

SH1 Hold pistol, arm extended, without point of aim, without shooting. During this training, one works on the shooter's outside position attempting to stabilize it. The shooter must also try to keep the firearm still.

Develop kinestetic feel of consistent stable stance.

SH2 Hold pistol, arm extended, with point of aim, without shooting.

Develop consistent stable stance, holding on a point.

SH3 Hold pistol, arm extended, with point of aim, without Testing stability of stance shooting. Close eyes then open after 2 seconds: point of and ability to maintain it aim should not deviate if stance is correct. without visual cues. SH4 As SH2, but break out of position (lower, step back) and Develop adoption of re-adopt stance. consistent stable stance. SH5 As SH4, except adopt stance in front of a different point Develop ability to get into of aim (1 of a possible 5). Break and repeat on another consistent stable stance, point. quickly and intuitively. (Task imprinting)

16

Dry Firing Exercises Task Description

Goal

DF1 Dry firing, hand supported - without looking at sights (preferably eyes closed), practice squeezing trigger. Focus is solely on squeeze, free of all other distractions.

Develop conditioned smooth trigger squeeze.

DF2 Dry firing, arm supported at elbow (resting on pillow, armrest) - without looking at sights (preferably eyes closed), practice squeezing trigger. Focus is solely on squeeze, free of all other distractions.

Develop conditioned smooth trigger squeeze

DF3 Dry firing in dark/dim-lit room

Developing kinesthetic feel of grip/stance

DF4 Dry firing against a blank wall

Develop sight alignment

DF5 Dry firing against a dot on the wall

Develop hold

DF6 Dry firing against a target

Focus shot delivery without the shot

DF7 Dry firing, finals

Focus on process/delivery, shot in 75 seconds

17

Live Fire Exercises Task Description

Goal

LF1

Live fire, shooting against a blank target

Grouping, reducing diameter of group.

LF2

Live fire, shooting against a ring-less target

Grouping in the black

LF3

Live fire, shooting against a reduced ring target Grouping in a small area in the black

LF4

Live fire, shooting against a "paster" target (target is roughly half diameter of regular target).

LF5

Live fire, finals shooting against a blank target Delivering single shot in 75 seconds

LF6

Live fire, finals shooting against a faced target Delivering single shot in 75 seconds

LF7

Live fire, "rushed" shooting, shooting every 60 Contingency planning - staying seconds calm and catching up in match when running out of time or delivering shot in finals after aborting shot - reduce to 40 seconds if not changing targets.

18

Grouping on a significantly reduced target. Change tone/pace of training.

Slow Fire Firing Procedure Task Description STD1 Load and fire two 5-shot strings without regard to time. STD2 Load and fire two 5-shot strings under match conditions and commands.

Timed Fire Firing Procedure In timed fire matches, the shooter must adopt a meticulous routine. Magazines must be checked and carefully positioned. Sights must be verified, and stance, position and grip carefully adopted. During slow fire, the shooter has time to correct the above points between shots. However in timed and rapid fire matches, there is only time to concentrate on the delivery of five well-placed shots. Task

Description

STD3

A one shot exercise: deliver one shot within three seconds and then return to the ready position. Repeat for 10 shots.

STD4

Fire two five-shot strings at a blank target under timed fire conditions.

STD5

Fire two five-shot strings under match conditions and commands.

20 sec Download and practice with this MP3: 20sec_timed.mp3 Timing Right click and "Save Target As..." Exercise Set up your equipment to DRYFIRE beside your computer or download this to an MP3 player and take it down to the range. Here's what you do: You receive the "attention" command, followed by 7 seconds of silence. At the beginning of the first tone, raise your pistol and settle into your sight picture. Make sure that your sights are aligned perfectly within your area of aim. Use all of the time to do this. At the beginning of each 5 subsequent tones, fire your pistol while maintaining perfect sight alignment. Your shots should be all fired before the beginning of the final tone. Each tone is equally spaced, allowing you to learn even pacing for your shots. This is similar to how a novice pianist uses a metronome. Practice will enable you to shoot without rushing or running out of time. Note: use all of the time between tones before you fire. During this period of silence you would be recovering from recoil, and it wouldn't be realistic to fire then. Putting this into practice: I put my 5-shot dryfire trigger in my Walther GSP and get set up. Similarly, I could use my Morini 162EI air pistol, which has multishot dryfire capability. I then load the file into Winamp and set it to repeat the file. This way, I can do a 5-shot series, and then repeat without getting out of stance. After repeating the series 10 times, I'm ready to call it quits. Do this everyday for a week, and your timing should improve dramatically.

19

Rapid Fire Firing Procedure The beginner will have a mental block when faced with the ideal of delivering five shots within 10 seconds. As such, overcoming this barrier is vital. Review the importance of grip, position and sight alignment, as these are the main factors that help the shooter move from the ready position to an accurate aiming position with a minimum loss of time and motion. Establish a strict rhythm for aiming and firing, in order to incorporate allowable malfunctions without completing their string in six seconds or less. Task

Description

STD6

Fire a two-shot strings in three seconds at a blank target. Repeat this exercise five times .

STD7

Fire two five-shot strings within the period allowed to demonstrate an understanding of rhythm.

STD8

Fire two five-shot strings under match conditions and commands.

10 sec Download and practice with this MP3: 10sec_rapid.mp3 Timing Right click and "Save Target As..." Exercise Set up your equipment to DRYFIRE beside your computer or download this to an MP3 player and take it down to the range. Here's what you do: You receive the "attention" command, followed by 7 seconds of silence. At the beginning of the first tone, raise your pistol and settle into your sight picture. Make sure that your sights are aligned perfectly within your area of aim. Use all of the time to do this. At the beginning of each 5 subsequent tones, fire your pistol while maintaining perfect sight alignment. Your shots should be all fired before the beginning of the final tone. Each tone is equally spaced, allowing you to learn even pacing for your shots. This is similar to how a novice pianist uses a metronome. Practice will enable you to shoot without rushing or running out of time. Note: use all of the time between tones before you fire. During this period of silence you would be recovering from recoil, and it wouldn't be realistic to fire then. Putting this into practice: I put my 5-shot dryfire trigger in my Walther GSP and get set up. Similarly, I could use my Morini 162EI air pistol, which has multishot dryfire capability. I then load the file into Winamp and set it to repeat the file. This way, I can do a 5-shot series, and then repeat without getting out of stance. After repeating the series 10 times, I'm ready to call it quits. Do this everyday for a week, and your timing should improve dramatically.

20

Free Pistol Match Exercises Task Description FP1

Hold firearm in the correct position This is a very important aspect of handgun shooting and may be practiced without a point of aim. During this training, one works on the shooter's outside position attempting to stabilize it. The shooter must also try to keep the firearm still.

FP2

Same as FP1 The shooter's wrist must have a 300-500 gram weight attached. The weight must not hang down or stiffen the wrist. By training in this way, the athlete can improve the special requirements of the shooting arm.

FP3

Hold the firearm in position and fire The important point is trigger control. No shot should be fired until the pistol is stable and the aim accurate. For this training, the shooter has no point of aim but takes up a position in front of a large blank surface. This training may also be conducted in the dark. The shooters does not see the pistol's movement and therefore does not lose concentration on the trigger. Another point is to achieve perfect coordination between holding and firing.

FP4

Hold firearm in position On a blank target, draw a large black circle which will be point of aim. The circle must be large enough that from where you are standing, the front sight is one-half its diameter.

FP5

Perfect aiming During holding, the pistol must not move from the point of aim (which may be larger for beginners.) After successful training, it may be reduced. For this exercise, close the eyes for one to two seconds during holding. Even with the eyes closed, you should be able to maintain good aim and remain on point of aim. For this exercise, do not shoot.

FP6

Same as FP4, but now you may shoot In this way, you will have the opportunity to refine your firing. If you had trouble staying on the point of aim in FP4, then you will have the same problem here. Trigger movement should not affect the pistol's stability. If it does, repeat the FP3 exercise.

FP7

Live firing at a blank target This aspect of training is especially important, as it marks the passage from winter training in dry firing to spring training in live firing. Do not try to score immediately, but rather, become accustomed to the problems associated with live firing. You must get used to a distance of 50 metres. You trained in dry firing, so that for you, the distance from 3 to 50 metres is deceptive.

FP8

Firing at a target and keeping score Shoot without observation. In this way, you will not change the position of your point of aim. Make no aim correction and shoot without problem. After 20-50 shots,

21

get the target and count the score. You must set up an individual training plan to correct the faults you observe in the next few days. Often, some shooters are discouraged by their scores. For this reason, they are often advised to cut out the 9 and 10, so they see only the faults. This method is very popular among shooters before competitions. You see only your faults and will not be disturbed by a particular score. FP9

Control of results During the training, you must shoot with the desire to win. You must set a goal within your capabilities and attempt to attain it. You may also use a variety of methods; this diversity will help make the training more successful.

Note: As you see, the series of movements leading up to firing are divided into basic elements. Moving from one exercise to another enables the shooter, as in any other sport, to advance from the simple to the more complex. Through this gradual training, the shooter will immediately notice where weaknesses lie. The shooter has a training system, as well as a way to vary the training.

22

Match Final Trainings Task Description 1

Shooters are called to the line, in the order they finished the match. You set up.

2

Command: Your preparation time begins now. (3 minutes prep time during which you my dry fire.) Command: STOP

3

Command: Your seven minute sighter time begins now. (You have 4 sighter target on which to shoot unlimited sighters. A 30 sec. warning is given. Command: STOP (After this your gun must be open, but not cocked between each shot.)

4

Command: For your first shot LOAD (You load one shot, cocking it & keep it benched.)

5

Command: Attention. 3-2-1-START (These are about 1sec.apart. You have 75 sec. to fire the shot. When all competitors have shot, or 75sec. has elapsed...)

6

Command: STOP

7

Command: Change targets (You return your target, put it on the seat behind you or hand it off, then send down next target.)

8

Command: For you next competition shot, Load (Note they don't count out the shots)

9

Repeat until all shots have been delivered.

MP3

Practice with this MP3: finals_10-50m.mp3 Right click and "Save Target As..." Set up your equipment to DRYFIRE beside your computer or download this to an MP3 player and take it down to the range. It essentially duplicates commands 4-7, with the "For your next shot LOAD" until "Change targets".

Note

After each shot, the scoring jury will call out the scores for each position. This is when it can get a little unnerving because you're hearing everyone's score. There's cheering, clapping, groans etc. So this is where and when you let the sound wash over you. Keep your focus very strongly in your own world: talk, chant to yourself. Remember: it ain't over until it's over. As I like to think of it, this is the thrill we don't get from our sport. This is the adrenaline rush (controlled of course), our down-hill ski race! The added nerves make your eye-sight sharper, your sense of touch more sensitive, your mind more focussed (flight or fight). And it truly is that. So practice the process. Practice the isolation. Practice shutting the mind off, or chanting your mantra, in between each shot. Practice the routine of the event. That's Finals!

23

Shooter Fault Terms and Definitions Term

Error

Result (for Right Handed Shooters)

Snatching Jerking

Sudden movement applying pressure by the finger to the outside of the trigger. Sudden movement applying pressure by the finger to the inside of the trigger.

Shot lands to the right and low. Shot lands to the left and low.

Anticipating

Tensing the muscles of the arm and shoulders fractions of a second before or during the trigger release/discharge. Relaxing the wrist prematurely fractions of a second before or during the trigger release/discharge.

Shot lands to the right and high. Shot lands to the right and high.

Relaxing the elbow prematurely fractions of a second before or during the trigger release/discharge

Shot lands to the left and high.

Too much finger is applied to the trigger, as the second joint of the finger pushes the trigger and subsequently the pistol off of the target. Too little finger is applied to the trigger, as the second joint of the finger pulls the trigger and subsequently the pistol off of the target.

Shot lands to the left and (often) high.

Under-Gripping Heeling Thumbing Fingertipping

Lack of firmness in grip (loose grip) allows gun to fall towards open side of hand (away from palm). Gripping too tightly causing the heel of the palm to force the pistol off of target. Too much pressure applied with the thumb. Too much pressure applied with the fingertips and little finger.

Shot lands to the left and low. Shot lands to the right and high. Shot lands to the right and low. Shot lands to the left and low.

Parallel Error

The in-focus relationship and alignment are absolutely correct; but, the shot is released when the point of aim is incorrect on the target. The sights are out of alignment with each other, even though they may be correctly positioned in the aiming area.

Shot may be left/right/high/low, but usually in the black, causing the least amount of error. Shot can land anywhere and cause the maximum amount of error.

Holding the firearm in position beyond the optimal range of time required to release the shot, causing minor physiological changes (i.e. eye fatigue, loss of fine motor control) which undermine the ability to shoot well. By overholding, the shooter may perform any number of faults either singly or in conjunction with other problems. Examples include snatching or jerking the trigger as the sights dance across the target or or producing an angular error as the fatigued eye momentarily loses its ability to

Depends upon the resultant error.

Lacking Followthrough (a) Lacking Followthrough (b) Pushing Pulling

Angular Error

Overholding

Shot lands to the right and (often) low.

For a shot to land consistently and accurately, you must: 1. Have a consistent stance and grip; 2. Maintain absolute focus on the front sight and its relation to the rear sight (not on the target); 3. Squeeze the trigger smoothly and slowly with all force moving straight back towards your hand; 4. Concentrate on Performance Delivery (i.e. stance, grip, sights, breathing, smooth trigger, followthrough) not on Performance Outcome (i.e. shoot a "10".) Please Note: while there are numerous faults which may creep into your technique, disciplined Dryfiring and Wallholding will eliminate or reduce their occurrence. Layout Copyright by Patrick Haynes, 2001

Available from www.TargetShooting.ca

Target Pistol Shot Analysis Group One (“pie” slice and location identified numerically) Shot 1 - high angular Shot 2 - low angular: pulling down on your trigger Shot 3 - right angular Shot 4 - left angular Group Two (“pie” slice and location identified numerically) Shot 5 - high parallel: heeling Shot 6 - low parallel: pulling down on trigger; too much thumb Shot 7 - right parallel Shot 8 - left parallel Group Three (“pie” slice and location identified numerically) Shot 9 - heeling; slack grip; anticipating Shot 10 - trigger pushing Shot 11 - pulling on trigger; snatching; anticipating Shot 12 - snatching; pushing down on trigger; too much little finger and/or thumb

5

10

9

4 G 8

7

A - Breaking Wrist Up B - Heeling: Anticipating Recoil C - Thumbing D - Tightening Grip while Pulling up on Trigger E - Breaking Wrist Down or Drooping Head F - Jerking (F1) or Tightening Fingers (F2) G - Trigger Finger not placed Correctly on Trigger H - Pushing: Anticipating Recoil

Parallel Errors: These occur when the in-focus sight relationship and alignment is absolutely correct; but, the shot is released when the point of area aim is incorrect on the target. These “High”, “Low”, “Left” and “Right” errors usually place the shot in the black and cause the least amount of error.

1 A H

Octant Error Analysis (anywhere within the “pie” slice identified by a letter)

B

C 3

Angular Errors: These cause the maximum amount of error, and when related to another control factor fault, lead to every major error imaginable. Simply put, the sights are out of alignment with each other, even they may be correctly positioned in the aiming area. Heeling: Pushing with the heel of the hand.

F2

D 12 F1

6 E

11

2

Jerking/Snatching: The sight alignment in the aiming area looks good, so you quickly and aggressively pull on the trigger, instead of building positive pressure until the shot breaks. Thumbing: applying too much or inconsistent pressure with the thumb. Little finger / “Pinkie”: applying any pressure with the “pinkie”.

This diagram represents a pistol target for a right-handed shooter. For left handed shooters, reverse. Please remember that for shot analysis to be meaningful, you must be grouping your shots to some extent. These pointers are only in relation to your flyers. By finding out why you have an occasional flyer, and by learning more about shooting technique, you can eliminate these problems.

Taken from The UIT Pistol Book by John Chandler and the United States Army Marksmanship Training Unit Manual. Layout copyright of Patrick Haynes and is available at www.TargetShooting.ca

Remember, it is impossible to shoot correctly unless: 1. Intense concentration is channeled on to the alignment of sights and their in-focus relationship. 2. No distraction is allowed from the aiming mark. 3. The arc of movement in the aiming area is ignored. 4. The head is kept erect; look out of the eyes; no movement is allowed. 5. Trigger release is positive: directly rearward; involuntary. Once initiated, there is no letting off. Remember: shot control is directly proportional to concentration on sight alignment and in-focus relationship.

Name: Nom: Month: Mois:

Jan/Janv

Feb/Fev

Gen. Pre-season

Gen. Pre-season

Jan/Janv Gen. Pre

Discipline: Mar/Mars

Date Submitted: Presente le: Sept

Apr/Avril

May/Mai

Jun/Juin

July/Juillet

Aug/Aout

Spec. Pre-season

Spec. Pre-season

Pre-Comp.

Pre-Comp.

Comp.

Post-Comp.(Pre)

Feb/Fev

Mar/Mars

Apr/Avril

May/Mai

Jun/Juin

July/Juillet

Aug/Aout

Sept

Oct

Nov

Dec

Gen. Pre

Spec. Pre

Spec. Pre

Pre-Comp.

Pre-Comp.

Comp.

Comp.

Comp.

Trans.

Trans.

Trans.

Post-Comp.(Pre)

Oct

Nov

Dec

Trans.

Trans.

Trans.

Saturdays/Samedis Dates Competitions: Competitions: International

National

Provincial

Others/Autres Training Camps: Camps d'Entrainement:

Names and Locations Noms et Endroits

Goals & Objectives: Buts et Objectifs:

Month: Mois: Training Schedule: Cedule D'Entrainement: Physical - Strength Physique - Force Physical - Aerobic Physique - Aerobie Mental - Tactical Mental - Tactique Performance Steps Technical - Shooting Technique - Tir Test or Evaluation Dates: Dates de Tests ou Evaluations: AR-Aerobic MN-Mental TS-Tech. Score Deadline for Submission: Date Limite pour les Soumissions

Please Submit to your Team Head Coach S.V.P. Soumettre a Votre Entrainer en Chef de l'Eqipe Nationale

Reviewed by Coach: Revise par l'Entrainer:

Pre-season – Build foundation of skills and abilities General Pre-season – provides groundwork through a high volume of training at lower levels of intensity. Physical training is the main focus. Specific Pre-season – transition to competition by blending various types of training. Physical training maintains its high volume, but the exercises become more specific. In-season – Stabilize performance Pre-competitive In-season – take skills and abilities developed and incorporate them into performance. The focus to obtain in this phase is to fine tune the skills and determine where the athlete truly stands (performance-wise.) Inconsistent performance is natural in this phase as the athlete must constantly adapt to rationalize training with performance. Competitive In-season – Results is the focus of this phase. The athlete pursues maximum performance. There is a high intensity of training coupled with the high stress of competition. Consequently, training volumes decrease. You must incorporate active rest to aid in recovery. Post-Season - Recuperation Use general physical activity to maintain levels of fitness. Rehabilitate any injuries. Athletes may participate in similar sports, but they must avoid specialization in them. Remember to keep training intensity and volume low, as this is the athletes’ recovery phase.

Layout Copyright of Patrick Haynes. Available at www.TargetShooting.ca