Self Defense

Practice Update — The Same Thing, The Correct Way, Every Time

Practice Update — The Same Thing, The Correct Way, Every Time


This
is an update to a post I published in 2018 that reflects some of the techniques and lessons I
have learned in the last few years. The journey continues. 

The Same
Thing, The Correct Way, Every Time.
My students tell me that my mantra is often the one thing that
really sticks in their mind. I tend to repeat it over and over during the
course of a class. To shoot well you must do the same thing, the correct way,
every time.

So
what does that mean? Particularly for beginners, you must have an acceptable
foundation upon which to build your shooting stance. 
The next time you are at the range, take a moment and look
at how most untrained pistol shooters are standing — you will see every
variation imaginable; most are not optimal.

The correct shooting stance is an aggressive
stance with feet approximately shoulder width apart, while your knees are
flexed (bent). If you’re doing it correctly, you’ll feel tension in your calf muscles.
One foot may be in front of the other as in a slight karate-style front stance.
A stance that’s too wide will inhibit your ability to swing to shoot multiple
targets and your ability to move.

A common problem I often see is beginners
literally standing with their heels in a line perpendicular to the waist. While
this gives the illusion of a stable stance, there is no lateral stability. A
too-narrow stance can cause you to lose your balance as the pistol recoils.

Bend your upper body slightly
forward with shoulders slightly in front of the waist, ears in front of
shoulders. Your spine should be relatively straight. This posture puts the
majority of the body weight slightly forward and uses the body’s mechanics to
help control recoil.

Grip the gun as high on the frame as
possible with the shooting hand indexing against the beavertail and making full
contact with the rear of the frame. If your hand size permits, extend both
thumbs toward the target along the slide or frame while exerting inward pressure with the palms of both hands.

The shooting hand squeezes the gun from front to rear; the support hand
squeezes the shooting hand from side to side. This creates a clam-shell effect
that generates four-way, equal pressure on the pistol. Having the proper
pressure balance on every side allows the gun to track more consistently in
recoil and then return to the target quickly and consistently. 

 

Use 100% of your grip strength. Some instructors advise using 60-40 or some other percentage–I do not.  If you are using 100% of your grip strength (what ever that might be), by definition you cannot increase your grip pressure when you press the trigger. This helps prevent you from moving the pistol out of alignment when you press the trigger.

Aim–Align in the Middle. Ensure
you have a proper sight alignment and sight picture.  Sight alignment and sight picture are often
confused, but they are not the same. Alignment refers to the relationship
between the front and rear sight; the sight picture is the relationship between
the aligned sights and the target — what you see the instant the pistol fires.

Alignment is correct when the top of the front sight is the same height as the
top of the rear sight blade, and there is an equal amount of light showing on
either side of the front sight. With optical sights, alignment consists of
seeing the dot in the window — regardless of where it appears.

You
must focus on the front sight (or dot, etc.) to fire an accurate shot. The
human eye’s physical characteristics preclude simultaneously focusing on
objects at multiple distances. Focus on the front sight, not the rear sight and
not the target. If you are using a dot, focus on the target and super impose the dot on the spot on the target where you want the bullet to hit.

Finally, you must simultaneously do
all the above while pressing the trigger to the rear.  You can have the perfect sight alignment and
picture, but if you move the pistol out of alignment when you press the trigger it does not matter how you press the trigger. The shot will not hit where you want it to.

I did not do
this as I was shooting the lower target in the picture 5×5 drill picture. My friend Steve and I were shooting the standard
version of Gila Hayes’ 5×5 drill (not the IDPA version). I was using my P320
with an RMR. I had a great group going until I moved the pistol as I pressed the trigger on
the last two shots. I failed to grip the pistol and THEN press the press the trigger correctly two times.

The group on the upper target was the same pistol with the RMR turned off and
using the iron sights. A bit of a drift to the lower left (I’m right handed) indicating
that I did not have a perfect 100% grip every time on this run either.

The Same
Thing, The Correct Way, Every Time. 
Back to the range for more deliberate practice!


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