Answers to questions submitted to Shooting-Performance.com
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Date
Question
Answer
01-07-2008
I have read so much about competition shooting, and have heard that it does not offer any training value, and will cause me to build bad habits. Is this true? What type of competitions should I attend? S.L. Atlanta, GA
Greetings from Shooting-Performance! Your question is a valid one, and is one that I get alot. The simple answer is that anyone who believes that shooting in competitive events will not offer training value, simply has not done it much! Competing offers an opportunity to TEST our skills under stress (I have had combat veterans and warriors from various communities tell me that a match stressed them out more than combat!). There are many different types of competitive events, but those offered by USPSA (www.uspsa.org) and IDPA (www.idpa.com) are designed to test some of the elements of "practically" using a handgun (theoretically for self defense). I HIGHLY recommend that those wishing to test their handling skills, and more importantly find out if their mental strategy will hold up under stress attend as many "practical" shooting competitions as they can. Those wishing to enhance "Combative" skills should shoot with the gun and gear set up exactly like they will use on their missions or job. Last, but not least, "bad habits" come from "bad repetitions" during training execution. Please see Training Design and Execution on this site for more!
06-25-2008
In dry fire practice should I push myself? I currently dont use a par time in dry fire because I dont want to feel rushed just to make the time. I dry fire about 5 times a week and usally only work on one thing each session.(transitions,reload,draw ect..) I am currently A class in L-10 and B class in Limited. I dont live fire much other than shooting local matches due to time and yes money. Only shot about 4000 rds last year. B.K.
Bruce- To answer your question, YES you should push yourself. Your dry-fire sessions should not be much different than your live fire sessions in that respect that after you have learned how to perform a technique correctly, and you are sure you know the details of the technique, it is time to start pushing the time limits. The only way to do this is to use a timer and set par times that will allow you to measure your success. It is critical that you push yourself only as fast as you can correctly execute the proper technique though, as training with bad repetitions will lead to bad results. So,....go get that timer, make sure you understand correct mechanics of all techniques, and PUSH HARD!!! Thanks for your interest in S-P!
