As we all have heard, practice makes perfect, and that is not necessarily true since perfection is the goal, but hardly possible. Practice in my experience can enhance skills to a great degree, but will only benefit you as much as you let it. Now what does that mean? Well, consider the fact that shooting in competition takes speed, concentration, and quick movements, all in all demanding alot of muscle work and strength. Like working out, you need to know your limit so that you can work to the limit and let your body heal and calibrate to the work you are demanding of it.
I have found that shooting all day everyday, without working up to it, can actually reinforce bad habits. How does that work? Well, the trigger finger is working to overcome resistance in a very specific angle of attack, at whatever speed you are demanding of it. Now when you work out that set of muscles that allows you to independently use this finger, you naturally and probably unconsciously, end up recruiting muscles from the whole hand to perform a “milking” motion, which will end up throwing off your shot. This is something that you may not encounter right away if you are doing concentrated fire all day, but following a few hundred rounds of rapid fire where you are controlling the gun with a firm grip, you will probably notice your groups open up.
Now a way I have helped alleviate this threat is to practice until my groups start opening up, take a ten minute break, and then try again. If you find yourself unable to take well aimed and concentrated shots, you may wanna consider aborting your live fire training, in favor of dry fire training as an afterburner workout. I would recommend using laser training systems to assist you in getting used to rapid fire and training fast, while being able to keep an eye on when you make mistakes, as lasers are unforgiving.
I can not tell you how much this has helped me in advancing my skills as a shooter. All of this is not so much of a concern in gross motor skills like reloads and malfunction corrections and holster draw since you can slow down and concentrate. In pulling a trigger, you are very much fighting your own anatomy to achieve top level dexterity which will help make that perfect shot. This demands alot for the muscles and tendons in the hands, wrists, and forearms. Treat your range time like a workout and you may notice some significant results in your performance.
David served in the USMC for a few years. Deployed twice and got wounded. Retired and moved to Alaska. Has a passion for reviewing and testing guns and gear of all kinds. Enjoys working to dispel myths and show that you can train and practice in a realistic, safe, and practical way.
