When reality doesn’t match expectations
Virtually every student I’ve worked with who’s new to shooting has said the same thing, “This is a lot harder than I expected.”
While very straightforward in principle, shooting a pistol accurately — with consistency at speed and under pressure — does require skill. It’s harder than it looks and often feels overwhelming.
An effective approach to dealing with the cognitive overload that often comes with learning to shoot is to break down complex principles and concepts to their most fundamental and basic steps. Use drills that focus on one thing, and then, using small, manageable steps, ladder up the drills in difficulty by adding complexity. Each drill reinforces what was learned in the previous drill, introduces a new context or concept, and builds skill incrementally.
When introducing the fundamentals to new shooters — stance, grip, vision and trigger press — I use four specific drills to get students on the right path to building a solid foundation. I continue to use these drills myself, always honing the basics in my own practice.
Indexing the gun. Indexing is the foundation for all the shooting that follows, so I start here with new students. This drill not only teaches a student how to build a solid shooting platform and hold a gun and aim, it teaches the value of efficiency. Too often people waste time waiting to aim until after they’ve brought the gun up on target. I want students to learn proper grip structure and pressures, getting their grip set before bringing the gun up. When done properly, eyes are locked on a small focal point on the target, gun is brought up to the eye target line, and sights will appear on that focal point. Shooters are getting accustomed to using their sights to confirm that the gun is aimed in properly, which will allow them to engage a target sooner.
Trigger control at speed. I build on indexing by adding an element of speed. Speed is a training tool I use to help reveal flaws in fundamentals. So, I move students beyond a slow trigger squeeze, and start to get them comfortable with how to press the trigger straight back with no hesitation. For this exercise, we isolate the trigger press, with the gun already aimed in on a small reference point on the target. On the signal, the trigger press should be an uninterrupted, aggressive, rearward press. This will expose any deficiencies in grip and trigger. We work on finding the right grip pressure and isolating the movement of the trigger finger to minimize unnecessary inputs on the gun.
One shot return. Next, I introduce students to the importance of visual discipline and proper grip pressures in recoil management. This isn’t an accuracy drill. On the signal, the student fires one round, while sights lift and return to the original point of aim, eyes must stay locked on the aiming reference. This drill reveals to students unnecessary inputs interfering with the gun returning naturally to the focal point. We then work on exploring grip pressures to find what allows their sights to return to the original spot quickly. We want to reduce the time needed to re-align sights so that the next shot can be taken sooner.
Progressive return. This drill adds longer strings of fire at close and intermediate distances, introducing students to the concept of shooting based on visual cues. This will test a student’s ability to stay focused on a small spot on the target, execute a smooth, crisp trigger press, allow the gun to return consistently to the original spot without any unnecessary inputs, and then react to their sights crossing their point of aim, giving them permission to take the next shot. The more consistent the gun behaves and the more the student can visually process, the sooner they can take the next shot. Distance can hide or magnify weaknesses in grip, vision and trigger press. So we start at five yards and then move to seven yards and beyond so that we can diagnose weaknesses in the fundamentals.
Developing skill is a process. I talk about “moving the peanut,” taking small, incremental steps every day, to achieve goals. Becoming a competent, confident shooter never happens after one introductory class. It doesn’t happen after taking an online lecture on mindset. It won’t happen even after two days in a classroom. And it must be quantified by measuring against recognized benchmarks in shooting.
Part of my learning process includes participating in USPSA competitive shooting. It’s a great way to gain insight into how I stack up against high level shooters and it reveals where I need to put more work to improve.
I structure my classes like this because it’s important for students to understand what they’re doing and why. This helps them to internalize the information and then transforms that knowledge into self-reliance. This builds real confidence and allows them to take charge of their own development.
Confidence and competence are the outcome of shooting thousands of rounds and putting in a lot of dry fire practice. It comes from developing the precise eye, hand and body mechanics needed to hit targets consistently and with full accountability. It comes from the ability to recognize your own strengths and weaknesses and create your own development plan.