How often do you really train? What do you consider to be training? When I’m at the range trying to make the most of my session I work the things that I’m not good at. Nothing like a big slice of humble pie to bring you back to terra firma! No one can be good at everything, some things we just have to work on until we’re competent.
Every time I am able to get in a range session I see someone either blasting away with no purpose or standing in one place in a rigid stance shooting the smallest groups they possibly can. Shooting tiny groups is real cool if that’s the only thing you’re trying to accomplish. If you think shooting tiny groups will make you a gunfighter your lying to yourself and it could cost you as much as your life. Blasting away with no real purpose is wasteful and has little entertainment value for me. There is always time for a little plinking, but I reserve that for after my training session.
What makes a training session? Having a plan and taking the steps necessary to enact the plan is what makes a training session. For example; I’m going to spend 30 minutes today working on my draw stroke. Break your draw stroke down into the 5 count draw and work on every step. Remember, nice and slow until it becomes smooth. Slow is smooth, smooth is fast.
When is the last time you’ve heard that? Some tend to think - Slow is smooth and smooth is fast- is ridiculous. Those people aren’t thinking the statement through. What it means is work the technique until it’s smooth, the smoother it gets the speed will increase. Don’t try and go 90 to nothing without mastering the details of the movement
Another goal of a training session can be making the perfect shot. Through training we realize the importance of our fundamentals. To make the perfect shot we need to practice our stance, grip, sight alignment, sight picture, breath control, and trigger press. As you build muscle memory, things begin to look and feel a certain way. You’re building the foundations of skills that will last a lifetime. I’ve included the draw and perfect shot, but there are a multitude of other goals you can work towards.
Try keeping track of your progress and a log of what you’ve worked on. A shooting journal doesn’t have to be real fancy, keep it simple in the beginning. A training journal helps keep you focused on what the training goal is for that day. You can't just go to the range and shoot; you have to have a plan that includes drills, techniques, number of rounds that session, etc. You can also see your progress from month to month, and record how your skills are improving and where you need to put more work in.
You can spend a great deal of time training without shooting live ammo! Again, mentioning the draw stroke – you need no ammo for practicing that. You don’t need ammo to work clearing your cover garment. You don’t need ammo to work your sight picture and trigger press. You can train your reloading – proactive and reactive with no live ammo (I do suggest you buy some dummy rounds for this). Ever see someone real smooth with their weapon handling? I’ll wager some dry practice helped get them there.
There is so much more to training than just sending lead down range. My good friend and fellow Suarez International Staff Instructor, Don Robison made the following comment about dry practice, “I dry fire every day for 20-30 minutes in the morning and 20-30 minutes in the evening. I got into my hotel here in Prescott about 40 minutes ago, tired from traveling all day to get here, but the first thing I did was 20 minutes of proactive and reactive reloads. IMO, that 20 minutes was the most useful thing I've done all day”. I’ve talked about having a training plan, goals, shooting journal, and dry practice. There is another addition to your training that can push you past what you thought was possible and make training much more enjoyable.
It is much easier for me to train and train hard with a training partner. You have to be very careful in your selection of a training partner- I dare say as careful as you would select a best friend. You need to have a good rapport with this partner and realize they are not always going to tell you what you want to hear. They are there to improve your skills and see things you cannot see. You must have faith in your partner and they should have the same faith in you. Having a training partner also helps you cut the costs of training. My training partner happens to also be my best friend. We have split the costs of travel by car pooling and splitting the gas. We have shared the cost of hotel rooms or stayed with family. We have also saved money on ammo by buying in bulk for additional savings. There are more things you can do to maximize your training, such as DVDs.
I am not advocating you can get your “black belt” by purchasing and training off DVDs. What I am saying is good training DVDs are a supplement to your training. In my case, one of the courses I teach is Defensive Pistol Skills. The information I cover in class is included in Gabe Suarez's Combative Pistol Marksmanship DVD. You can buy the DVD and see the material before attending my class and use the DVD as a reference after you have completed the course to keep your individual training on track.
If you take all the points I’ve addressed and put them to use you can improve your skills by leaps and bounds. I firmly believe you have a responsibility to protect yourself and your loved ones. Train smart, train hard, and make yourself dangerous to the enemy.
Every time I am able to get in a range session I see someone either blasting away with no purpose or standing in one place in a rigid stance shooting the smallest groups they possibly can. Shooting tiny groups is real cool if that’s the only thing you’re trying to accomplish. If you think shooting tiny groups will make you a gunfighter your lying to yourself and it could cost you as much as your life. Blasting away with no real purpose is wasteful and has little entertainment value for me. There is always time for a little plinking, but I reserve that for after my training session.
What makes a training session? Having a plan and taking the steps necessary to enact the plan is what makes a training session. For example; I’m going to spend 30 minutes today working on my draw stroke. Break your draw stroke down into the 5 count draw and work on every step. Remember, nice and slow until it becomes smooth. Slow is smooth, smooth is fast.
When is the last time you’ve heard that? Some tend to think - Slow is smooth and smooth is fast- is ridiculous. Those people aren’t thinking the statement through. What it means is work the technique until it’s smooth, the smoother it gets the speed will increase. Don’t try and go 90 to nothing without mastering the details of the movement
Another goal of a training session can be making the perfect shot. Through training we realize the importance of our fundamentals. To make the perfect shot we need to practice our stance, grip, sight alignment, sight picture, breath control, and trigger press. As you build muscle memory, things begin to look and feel a certain way. You’re building the foundations of skills that will last a lifetime. I’ve included the draw and perfect shot, but there are a multitude of other goals you can work towards.
Try keeping track of your progress and a log of what you’ve worked on. A shooting journal doesn’t have to be real fancy, keep it simple in the beginning. A training journal helps keep you focused on what the training goal is for that day. You can't just go to the range and shoot; you have to have a plan that includes drills, techniques, number of rounds that session, etc. You can also see your progress from month to month, and record how your skills are improving and where you need to put more work in.
You can spend a great deal of time training without shooting live ammo! Again, mentioning the draw stroke – you need no ammo for practicing that. You don’t need ammo to work clearing your cover garment. You don’t need ammo to work your sight picture and trigger press. You can train your reloading – proactive and reactive with no live ammo (I do suggest you buy some dummy rounds for this). Ever see someone real smooth with their weapon handling? I’ll wager some dry practice helped get them there.
There is so much more to training than just sending lead down range. My good friend and fellow Suarez International Staff Instructor, Don Robison made the following comment about dry practice, “I dry fire every day for 20-30 minutes in the morning and 20-30 minutes in the evening. I got into my hotel here in Prescott about 40 minutes ago, tired from traveling all day to get here, but the first thing I did was 20 minutes of proactive and reactive reloads. IMO, that 20 minutes was the most useful thing I've done all day”. I’ve talked about having a training plan, goals, shooting journal, and dry practice. There is another addition to your training that can push you past what you thought was possible and make training much more enjoyable.
It is much easier for me to train and train hard with a training partner. You have to be very careful in your selection of a training partner- I dare say as careful as you would select a best friend. You need to have a good rapport with this partner and realize they are not always going to tell you what you want to hear. They are there to improve your skills and see things you cannot see. You must have faith in your partner and they should have the same faith in you. Having a training partner also helps you cut the costs of training. My training partner happens to also be my best friend. We have split the costs of travel by car pooling and splitting the gas. We have shared the cost of hotel rooms or stayed with family. We have also saved money on ammo by buying in bulk for additional savings. There are more things you can do to maximize your training, such as DVDs.
I am not advocating you can get your “black belt” by purchasing and training off DVDs. What I am saying is good training DVDs are a supplement to your training. In my case, one of the courses I teach is Defensive Pistol Skills. The information I cover in class is included in Gabe Suarez's Combative Pistol Marksmanship DVD. You can buy the DVD and see the material before attending my class and use the DVD as a reference after you have completed the course to keep your individual training on track.
If you take all the points I’ve addressed and put them to use you can improve your skills by leaps and bounds. I firmly believe you have a responsibility to protect yourself and your loved ones. Train smart, train hard, and make yourself dangerous to the enemy.
