We talked about cross training in the last post and emphasized the benefits to the subconscious by using cross training. It is probably beneficial to think a little about right/left alignment. This is easiest adjustment to make.
Some mentors will tell their students to move in the direction that they are missing. This does seem to work even though it seems to be contrary to logic. Likewise sometimes we think that if we are missing right, for example, we should move over to the left only to find that we miss further right. The reason it usually works to move in the direction of the miss is that by moving in the direction of the miss our natural and visual tendency is to turn our bodies in the opposite direction. Likewise, if we simple move over away from the miss our tendency is to turn our bodies and miss further in the direction of the miss.
To make easy right/left adjustments you need to understand that you are standing in the center of a big circle. The center of the circle is the heel of your shooting foot. My foot is about 12 inches so the circle has a diameter of 44 feet( 21+1 times 2). The tip of my shooting toe makes a smaller circle with the diameter of 2 feet or 24 inches. If I rotate my shooting toe 1 degree, and my body, hips and holster follow, I will move my point of impact 4.6 inches on the circumference of the larger circle. This is calculated using simple math.
If you understand and practice moving your point of impact by rotating your alignment, right and left adjustments become easy to do. For example, if I am missing the target 3 inches to the right, I know I need to move the point of impact about 15 inches to the left. 15 inches is about 3 degrees of rotation, for me that is about .6 of an inch movement of my shooting toe. For me each degree of rotation is .2 of an inch movement of the toe, not very much.
Now in practice, we don't do calculation during a match, but if you understand that is how to move the point of impact right or left, we can practice making these adjustments. They are very small adjustment in your alignment.
Now some shooters will try to make adjustments right or left by changing their draw or by changing where they "aim". If you do that you are hopelessly lost and will be relegated to boot hill because once you start changing your draw, it is never ending struggle with accuracy.
Try in your practices to walk the hits to the light. You need to learn to make these small adjustments in your alignment so that you can walk any miss onto the plate and then continue with your trek to the light.
Monday, July 11, 2016
Monday, July 4, 2016
Cross Training
On Shady Mtn yesterday we had a chance to do a little cross training. We were working a little on stance alignment and Dirty Dan and Hi Strung shot cross target with a little skepticism. Dirty Dan hit four of his first five shots for 80%. I think he was a little shocked at the results. In addition to the percentage, he had walked the hits to the light. I think he was a little surprised at his ability to hit cross target. In discussing it with him, he said he was so focus on the other target that he never thought about his stance or his draw. Hi-Strung hit 3 on the left side of the target. He started out on the left side of target for 4 shots, then moved to the right side for the next 6 shots. When I asked him about it, he said he had adjusted his stance to the right.
Cross target shooting is good training to learn how to adjust your stance. Since you will miss, you learn to adjust the stance right or left to bring the hits onto the target. You are chunking data. A most useful store of information for those matches where you have to bring the hits to the plate. But a more important lesson to learn is to learn to shoot from the subconscious part of the brain. As Dan said it was so new to him, so novel, he was only focused on the target. Never thought of his stance, never thought of his grip, never thought of his draw. I didn't see it, but I bet he was close to shooting his dry fire draw which is the draw he has finalized.
ON THE LINE: When you come to the line your attitude needs to be "I ain't missing, bring me the next shooter!" It is a statement of confidence. Only thing that matters is you and the target. Next shooter is irrelevant, does not matter who it is, you are putting three on the plate. "Bring me the next shooter."
When you come to the line on that first shot you are guessing as to your alignment and balance. After that first shot you got something to work with. You evaluate that first shot. You first adjust your alignment, shooting right, slight movement of shooting toe to left, next you adjust your balance for elevation, now you are ready for your waggle, which is a meaningless movement to tell yourself you are ready to go. No thinking after that. You are a coiled spring waiting for the light. Notice there is no thought of the draw, no thought of the thumb, no thought of the speed of the draw, nothing, that is all automatic, like taking your next breath. Second shot on the plate, light high, 6 inches to the right, slight adjustment to shooting toe, balance perfect, waggle, coiled spring. Third shot in the light. Bring me the next shooter!
Cross target training is good for chunking data. We need to learn how to walk the hits onto the plate.
But if it is novel enough, you will learn how good you really are. We are all better than we know. We need to just find some training technique that will let us get out of own way, and shoot from the subconscious. Way to go Dirty Dan and Hi Strung! You were better than Shady and I at it yesterday, but we have done it before so we think too much.
Cross target shooting is good training to learn how to adjust your stance. Since you will miss, you learn to adjust the stance right or left to bring the hits onto the target. You are chunking data. A most useful store of information for those matches where you have to bring the hits to the plate. But a more important lesson to learn is to learn to shoot from the subconscious part of the brain. As Dan said it was so new to him, so novel, he was only focused on the target. Never thought of his stance, never thought of his grip, never thought of his draw. I didn't see it, but I bet he was close to shooting his dry fire draw which is the draw he has finalized.
ON THE LINE: When you come to the line your attitude needs to be "I ain't missing, bring me the next shooter!" It is a statement of confidence. Only thing that matters is you and the target. Next shooter is irrelevant, does not matter who it is, you are putting three on the plate. "Bring me the next shooter."
When you come to the line on that first shot you are guessing as to your alignment and balance. After that first shot you got something to work with. You evaluate that first shot. You first adjust your alignment, shooting right, slight movement of shooting toe to left, next you adjust your balance for elevation, now you are ready for your waggle, which is a meaningless movement to tell yourself you are ready to go. No thinking after that. You are a coiled spring waiting for the light. Notice there is no thought of the draw, no thought of the thumb, no thought of the speed of the draw, nothing, that is all automatic, like taking your next breath. Second shot on the plate, light high, 6 inches to the right, slight adjustment to shooting toe, balance perfect, waggle, coiled spring. Third shot in the light. Bring me the next shooter!
Cross target training is good for chunking data. We need to learn how to walk the hits onto the plate.
But if it is novel enough, you will learn how good you really are. We are all better than we know. We need to just find some training technique that will let us get out of own way, and shoot from the subconscious. Way to go Dirty Dan and Hi Strung! You were better than Shady and I at it yesterday, but we have done it before so we think too much.
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