Purposeful Practice
Posted: Fri Jan 13, 2017 5:11 pm
Here's a suggestion that everyone here knows, but I have a knack for stating the obvious, so here goes.
When practicing with your firearm, have a specific purpose in mind for that practice session. Plan ahead to know what you want to achieve today. Are you trying to improve some action, like a quicker draw stroke or more consistent grip from draw to draw? Are you trying to overcome some bad habit, like focusing on the target rather than the front sight? Whatever it is that you're trying to achieve, keep that goal in mind throughout the entire session and continually monitor the results. As you monitor yourself, be on guard that you not only improve at what you predetermined that you wanted to work on, but also that you don't pick up any bad habits in the process.
For example, I've decided that I need to get my shot groupings tighter (something that I'll always have to work on, shooting a .45ACP with a 3 inch barrel
). So to achieve that goal, I decided that I just need to slow down a little and concentrate more on the fundamentals until I get the tight groupings that I'm looking for, then gradually bring the speed back up. So in practicing with that goal in mind yesterday, I was pleased with the results I was achieving. But after a while of doing that I noticed I had unconsciously picked up a bad habit. In shooting strings of 2 to 4 shots, I caught myself breaking focus on the front sight to look at the target just for a split second after each individual shot to see how I was doing with each individual shot in the string! 
Dang it! So then I had to work longer in order to retrain myself to not take my focus off the front sight in between individual shots of multi-shot strings.
One other thing that I have learned about practice sessions is that by the time you've finished a practice session, and have made progress toward the goal that you set for yourself, if you've been paying attention, you should already by then know what it is that you need to work on in your next practice session.
So just a couple of reminders on practicing with a purpose. Always make it fun (not difficult when you're talking about shooting!
) but always have a pre-planned goal of what you want to work on or what you want to achieve from that shooting session.
Just my opinion. YMMV
When practicing with your firearm, have a specific purpose in mind for that practice session. Plan ahead to know what you want to achieve today. Are you trying to improve some action, like a quicker draw stroke or more consistent grip from draw to draw? Are you trying to overcome some bad habit, like focusing on the target rather than the front sight? Whatever it is that you're trying to achieve, keep that goal in mind throughout the entire session and continually monitor the results. As you monitor yourself, be on guard that you not only improve at what you predetermined that you wanted to work on, but also that you don't pick up any bad habits in the process.
For example, I've decided that I need to get my shot groupings tighter (something that I'll always have to work on, shooting a .45ACP with a 3 inch barrel
). So to achieve that goal, I decided that I just need to slow down a little and concentrate more on the fundamentals until I get the tight groupings that I'm looking for, then gradually bring the speed back up. So in practicing with that goal in mind yesterday, I was pleased with the results I was achieving. But after a while of doing that I noticed I had unconsciously picked up a bad habit. In shooting strings of 2 to 4 shots, I caught myself breaking focus on the front sight to look at the target just for a split second after each individual shot to see how I was doing with each individual shot in the string! Dang it! So then I had to work longer in order to retrain myself to not take my focus off the front sight in between individual shots of multi-shot strings.One other thing that I have learned about practice sessions is that by the time you've finished a practice session, and have made progress toward the goal that you set for yourself, if you've been paying attention, you should already by then know what it is that you need to work on in your next practice session.
So just a couple of reminders on practicing with a purpose. Always make it fun (not difficult when you're talking about shooting!
) but always have a pre-planned goal of what you want to work on or what you want to achieve from that shooting session.Just my opinion. YMMV
