"We don't practice missing!"

I am training a new level three shooter and I think it is a good opportunity to reiterate why we don't practice missing. This shooter has just started one handed shooting and has about 300 rounds into it. He is pretty well finalized when this video was made and the one handed draw is now his preferred draw.

When you practice you should always go as quick as you can, never ever slow down.  Never ever worry about where you are going to hit, the wax will go where ever you are aligned.  You can not practice accuracy, don't try.  Just trust your draw.

I prefer to shoot close so that you see every hit.  If you see every hit your mind and your body will move the hits to the light.  Let your subconscious work for you.  It will.  By shooting close you get those small incremental changes by your subconscious.  Don't worry about where you are going to hit.  If change is needed, it should be only by alignment before the set command.

I actually prefer shooting on card board without the light and close.  This removes the stress of trying to hit the target and the stress of racing the clock, both of which slows down your progress to a finalized draw.

Now for the video:  Notice that his first shot is a .581 at the bottom of the target.  Now he did not have to change his draw or do anything, he just let his subconscious move the next hit up on the target at a respectable .641. His next two shots were essentially at the same area of the target with his fastest time being a .509.  His fifth shot is interesting because his mentor told him he had a new PR so he tried to race the clock and missed.

What did this shooter learn from the five shot set. Well, for the first four shots his subconscious was storing data on how to move the hits to the light.  He learned nothing from the fifth shot. He was just practicing missing.

This new shooter is well on his way to a finalized draw.  My expectation for him is that he will be shooting at 80% without ever trying to be accurate.  He only practices to go as quick as he can. PRs for him will come in spurts as he matures as a gunfighter.  He has already shown signs of mental toughness which is a skill you can practice.

Bring me another shooter!