Shooting is about controlling variables. The more experienced you become, the better you are able to eliminate those that negatively impact your shooting. This is true of any shooting sport: three gun, IPSC, skeet, long range shooting, etc. Each sport has a different set of variables that are more important, and will have more of an impact on shooting outcomes. This article will cover the most important variables for the tactical shooter, with particular emphasis on pistol shooting. Keep reading to find out which variables you need to control to improve your shooting game.
Before we get into the details of pistol shooting, we need to first discuss what we are trying to achieve. For the tactical pistol shooter, which is most of the Tier Three readership, we must be able to place rounds precisely on target in a time compressed environment. That is the only goal. Everything else is secondary. With this in mind, we must look at variables that will affect our desired outcome.
Tremor
The first variable we will discuss is called tremor. Tremor is generally defined in the literature as the physiological movements of the body, caused by the muscles, that make the body move involuntarily when it is held still. Most of the time these small movements are not an an issue, but they can become an issue when shooting, as half a degree of hand movement can be the difference between a head shoot and a miss at 25yds. So what can we do about them?
Research has shown that there are natural and consistent movements of the hand when held still. These movements are minute, but they are frequently recorded in the 7-11hz range. This means that if you hold you hand out at arms length it is moving 7-11 times per second around the set point that you wish it to remain. Check out his graph for a better depiction.
The question then becomes what can we do to reduce these tremors. Like any physical skill, the more you practice the better you become. Simply holding your gun out in your shooting position will allow you to reduce the amount of natural tremor you exhibit. In fact, expert shooter’s hands move about half as much as non experts. Check this graph out.
Furthermore, researches have also noticed that medial lateral tremor, or tremor side to side, is reduced with a slightly bent arm vs. locked elbows. So if you are locking your elbows…knock that shit off.
Signal Noise
Another important aspect of pistol shooting is the concept of signal noise. Now this is a very nerdy way of saying that inconsistencies in your shooting style will cause you to suck at shooting. If correct technique is a pure signal, then inconsistency is interference.
Shooting is a skill and if you want to get better at a skill you must refine your technique. This must be done to eliminate the basic beginner errors such as: poor grip, trigger jerking, and poor front sight focus.
Once these basics are mastered to an acceptable level you must then refine each part of your shooting style. You must practice every aspect the exact same way every time. Acquiring expertise is simply the ability to make finer and finer distinctions. This is what is separating you from a master shooter.
I prefer to use a checklist for this when I am practicing. First I set my feet and legs, then present the weapon. I ensure my hand is gripping exactly the same, and my finger is making contact with the trigger at the correct spot. Likewise, the trigger press must be made with the absolute precision while maintaining focus on your front sight. We should strive to be mechanically accurate. Think of shooting like a machine. You start the machine and with enough practice the same outcome happens every time.
None of this is anything I haven’t said before, but if you want to keep progressing, you need to focus on smaller and smaller details of your shooting style. If they are different shot to shot, then how can you ever hope to improve?
Danjeon Breathing and Visualization
Researchers at the University of Florida conducted some interesting research on the effects of Danjeon breathing and visualization. Danjeon breathing is simply a yoga name for deep belly breaths. They wanted to find out what effects deep breathing, and visualization had on pistol shooting accuracy.
The subjects were put into a control group that just shot their targets normally, a breathing group, a visualization group, and a breathing and visualization group. For those in the visualization group they were told to imagine the bullseye expanding, and them having success hitting the target. The breathing group was told to breath for 10min with deep belly breaths.
Amazingly the group that did the visualization and the breathing was 52% more accurate than the control group. I can’t highlight how amazing that is. They literally told them to breath deeply, and do a simple visualization drill, with no other changes in technique and halved the control groups shot size. We should all be doing this from now on.
Takeaway’s
Let’s highlight some of the key pieces of information that will allow you to become a better shooter. One, visualization of shooting success is an easy and free way to increase your accuracy. Likewise, deep breathing and relaxation techniques will allow you to increase your accuracy as well.
Second, you must practice and refine your style so that you reduce the amount of fluctuations in your technique. The closer each variable is to your ideal style, the more proficient you become. So practice with a purpose, and focus on the details of what you are doing.
Lastly, simply spending time in practice will reduce your natural tremor and allow you to become a more stable shooter. None of this requires fancy gear or expensive training sessions. It just requires you to practice with great consistency, and be mindful of the details.
