training tips

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Practice Tips From Jim “Long Hunter” Finch

December 12, 2013 by 3 Comments

In one of the latest videos from the National Shooting Sports Foundation, Jim “Long Hunter” Finch talks about how he goes about practicing for a match. While not everything about Cowboy Action Shooting or, for that matter, competition is applicable to daily life, some of the practice tips he suggests are.

I really like his suggestion that you practice not what you are with comfortable with but what makes you uncomfortable. In his case, as a natural right-hander, he’s more comfortable drawing from his right side as well as with moving left to right. In his practice sessions, he reverses that so that he is practicing what doesn’t come natural to him.

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Trigger Finger Discipline

November 22, 2013 by 1 Comment

The National Shooting Sports Foundation has released another of their training tips videos. This one is with Adam Painchaud of the Sig Sauer Academy. In this video, Adam demonstrates a training technique for working on your trigger finger discipline so that you will press and not jerk the trigger.

He is using a single action pistol but it would work with any pistol that doesn’t have a magazine disconnect. Adam starts by loading a round in the chamber and then removing the magazine. He then takes an aimed shot and then lets the trigger reset. The shooter follows this up with a dry fire aimed shot. If your front sight wobbles on the dry fire shot, you have found your accuracy problem.

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Bullet Trace

September 20, 2013 by 2 Comments

In the latest training tips video from the National Shooting Sports Foundation, NSSF’s Dave Miles discusses long range shooting with Rod Ryan of Storm Mountain Training. In particular, they discuss trace or the wake of a bullet as it pushes through the air. If you watch the video below carefully, you can see the actual trace or path of the bullet. Having a spotter watch the trace will allow you to make the necessary corrections for long range shooting.

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Distance

September 20, 2013 by 1 Comment

In the latest NRA video from Il Ling New of Gunsite, she talks about the importance of creating and maintaining distance. While this series of short videos is aimed at women and is sponsored by NRAWomen.tv, her advice applies for both men and women. Distance from a potential threat is good, more distance is better.

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Good Advice From Doug Koenig On New Shooters

August 28, 2013 by 1 Comment

The National Shooting Sports Foundation released another of their training videos featuring Doug Koenig. Unlike the others which dealt with improving your shooting, this one was dedicated to the proper ways to introduce new shooters to the sport. The video features both Doug and his son Trevor.

Doug suggests starting out with air rifles for absolute new comers and with rimfire for those slightly more experienced. Above all else, you don’t want to overwhelm the new shooter with a “hand cannon”. He makes good points about the use of reactive targets as a way to keep things interesting.

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Athena Lee On An Alternate Method Of Mag Changes

August 10, 2013 by 5 Comments

Normally when one makes a mag change, you shift the pistol in your hand so that your strong hand thumb can push the mag release. Champion shooter Athena Lee, by contrast, maintains her grip of the pistol with her strong hand and uses her weak hand thumb to push the mag release.

In the video below produced by Armscor, she notes that she has smaller hands. After viewing the video, I’d have to say her method of mag changes seems just as fast as the traditional method. I may have to give it a try as I, too, have smaller hands.

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Not Just For Women

August 7, 2013 by 2 Comments

The NRA has been featuring a series of training videos featuring Kim Heath. They are called Tips and Tactics and come under the NRA Women TV label. Just because they are labeled “women” doesn’t mean men can’t get a lot from them.

I know for a fact that I’m not in the same physical condition I was in my 20s and 30s. I think one of my docs has referred to it as “deconditioned”. What it means is that I don’t have the same strength and stamina that I had earlier in my life. Kim’s videos show different ways to compensate for our body’s limitations.

The latest is on managing rifle weight. As a day of shooting goes on the rifles tend to get heavier. Kim shows a way to take some of that weight off your arm and transfer it to your body.

I also really like the Counter Supination Grip that she shows in the video below. I might not use it all the time but it does allow you to transfer the weight of your AR from your arm to more of your body.

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Stage Planning For Steel Challenge With Doug Koenig

May 24, 2013 by

The National Shooting Sports Foundation has released another of its pistol training videos featuring champion shooter Doug Koenig. In this video, Koenig discusses how he approaches shooting a five-plate set-up. He also discusses alternatives to his way of shooting including one that is used successively by Max Michel. As Koenig makes clear, you need to take the approach that you feel most comfortable with shooting.

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Building Speed By Pushing Your Limits

April 18, 2013 by

In the latest training tips video from the National Shooting Sports Foundation, Doug Koenig discusses how to build your speed as a competitive shooter. He suggests having a timer and then begin to push your limits. When your performance starts to suffer – larger groups, missed targets, etc. – back off a bit and start to work at that speed. Eventually, your groups will tighten and your speed will increase.

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Doug Koenig – The Hands Will Follow The Eyes

March 18, 2013 by 2 Comments

In the next installment of pistol training tips from the National Shooting Sports Foundation, Doug Koenig discusses transitioning from one target to another. The key is to switch your eyes to the new target and your hands and body will follow suit.

I learned this technique in a training class with Brian Searcy of TigerSwan. It works. If you move your pistol to the new target before your eyes, you will overshoot the target and have to come back. If you just move your eyes first, your hands and the pistol will lock on to the target and not overshoot it.