Alignment

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.