TennJeep's Training Journal

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  • TennJeep1618

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    I recently decided that I want to actively train to become a better competitive shooter. Up to this point, my training has consisted of shooting local matches and the occasional simplistic live- and dry-fire session. I've become a lot better shooter since I shot my first IDPA match just over a year ago, but I feel like I've come to the point where I have to make a concentrated effort if I want to get better to the degree and at the pace I desire.

    I want a place to track my progress and keep a running journal of the things I do help (or even hinder) my progress. This is mainly for my own benefit, but everyone is free to jump in and question/comment/critique/etc, as long as it doesn’t get too far off topic.

    Currently I'm an Expert IDPA shooter in ESP (and probably SSP, but I haven't classified in a while), and I'm unclassified in USPSA. If I had to guess, I'm probably a "B" class shooter.

    So let's start:

    Wed, July 29th

    I did about 30 minutes of "speed mode" dry-fire with my Tanfo Limited. It points better than the STI Edge I had recently, but the reloads aren't as smooth. I believe that's because of the narrowish frame and the grip angle. After a few minutes of practicing reloads, they became much smoother and I suspect that's due to me getting more used to the grip angle after not handling the gun in a while.

    I was really pushing my speed, so mags occasionally flew out of my hand and across the room and I managed to smash the hell out of my thumb between the basepad and the magwell. About the only changed I noticed by the end of the session was my reloads were smoother. As I mentioned before, I believe that was just due to me getting back used to the way the gun sits in my hand. Since I was working on speed, I set aggressive par times. Although I rarely hit them, I could do it on occasion when everything went right. I can be plenty accurate when I want to be, so I’ll continue focusing a lot of my training on speed.

    Thurs, July 30th

    I picked up my new SVI after work and I couldn’t resist doing a little dry-fire with it once I got home. I was amazed at how well it pointed from the first draw! I know the platform is the same as the STI Edge, but it feels different. It actually points better than my Tanfo and reloads smoother as well. Not to say that I don’t need to practice with it, but it just felt… right… from the moment I picked it up. Obviously it’s a new gun that I’m excited about, but I’m trying to be as objective as possible when I describe it this way.

    I spent a little time practicing my draws and reloads with it. Everything went pretty smoothly, but I’ve got to work on my trigger control at speed. I tend to jerk the trigger when I shoot fast, and it seems to be especially bad with 1911/2011’s. I found out about a live-fire drill to help with this, and I plan on going to the range this weekend to give it a try.

    I need to make up some .40 dummy rounds to I can practice with full mags, so I’ll probably do that tonight. I may spend a few minutes dry-firing as well.

    That’s all, for now. Stay tuned for more updates!
     
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    Mozella

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    I'm relieved. From the title of your thread I feared this would be some kind of rant about physical training with the conclusion that being in good physical shape helps your shooting.

    Of course, we all know that to be true, but it gets tiresome hearing about it. I'm glad you're sticking to technique.

    For those who don't have a good physical training program in place, I will offer this short bit of advice. There are only three things to remember about being in good physical shape.
    1. Lay off the cheap whiskey. If you're willing to spend a lot of money for a nice gun, you should be able to buy good whiskey............. and plenty of it.
    2. If you smoke unfiltered cigarettes STOP IT. We all know the dangers of smoking unfiltered cigarettes. Switch to a good brand of filtered cigarettes. Your lungs will thank you.
    3. Your heart is just like any other pump; i.e. eventually it will wear out. If it's only good for so many beats, don't waste them, especially on unnecessary exercise. Stay on the couch and conserve your remaining heart beats.

    This plan has worked perfectly for me and has helped keep my weight within 100 pounds of the ideal.
     

    Dan1612

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    Good plan, Jeep. Since you're a terrible shot, and all. You should come slum it with us sometime at idpa. Or maybe September's 2 gun in Baker?
    I do agree on the dummy rounds. They're fantastic for reload practice. I set out 5 or 6 mags with 1 one dummy round each. Pull the trigger at a dot in the wall, manually cycle (where it goes to slide lock), drop the mag, reload and pull the slide stop, then dry fire, manually cycle, and so on. It's also fun to practice on a gun without a magwell, and do the reload part with my eyes closed.
     

    TennJeep1618

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    Good plan, Jeep. Since you're a terrible shot, and all. You should come slum it with us sometime at idpa. Or maybe September's 2 gun in Baker?
    I do agree on the dummy rounds. They're fantastic for reload practice. I set out 5 or 6 mags with 1 one dummy round each. Pull the trigger at a dot in the wall, manually cycle (where is goes to slide lock), drop the mag, reload and pull the slide stop, then dry fire, manually cycle, and so on. It's also fun to practice on a gun without a magwell, and do the reload part with my eyes closed.

    I think I'll be at the IDPA match on the 22nd. I've got a buddy that wants to come check it out.
     

    oneshot

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    Look at getting a air soft this will help with the trigger control, drawing, and presentation , and you don't have to go to the range, pull up air soft comp. jj
     

    pcolagunner

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    Great post, looking forward to reading your training regiment and how you progress. I am new to IDPA as in I've never shot IDPA lol. Finally got all my gear together, i.e.; belt, holster and mag holsters and cant wait for the next shoot. Could you give me some advice on how to train at home? Is getting a timer worth it to train? How do you go about dry fire drills? Any advice you guys could give me would be much appreciated.
     

    TennJeep1618

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    Great post, looking forward to reading your training regiment and how you progress. I am new to IDPA as in I've never shot IDPA lol. Finally got all my gear together, i.e.; belt, holster and mag holsters and cant wait for the next shoot. Could you give me some advice on how to train at home? Is getting a timer worth it to train? How do you go about dry fire drills? Any advice you guys could give me would be much appreciated.

    To put it simply, the more trigger time the better and that includes both live fire and dry fire.

    Dry fire is a great tool and something that most guns will let you do extensively. A quick google search for "Dry fire drills" should give you lots of ideas. For starters, practice drawing, trigger control, and reloads (especially those pesky tac reloads in IDPA). For a little different take on Dan1612's comment above, I practice slide-lock reloads the following way: slide locked back on an empty mag, finger on the trigger, pointing at the target. On the beep, drop the empty mag, reload with a fresh one (with at least 1 dummy round in it), drop the slide and dry-fire at the target. I would recommend against pulling the slide back during the middle of the drill as it could cause some bad habits that transfer over into a match (I'm not saying it will, but I've seen stranger things happen).

    As far as timers go, I like my shot timer. It's a little overly complicated, but it can do practically anything I desire. For dry fire, you can download a shot timer app on your phone and as long as you can set par times, it should serve you well.

    You can get scaled dry fire targets here (http://www.benstoegerproshop.com/SearchResults.asp?Search=dryfire&Submit=), or you can make your own out of cardboard, paper, whatever. I started out using push pins, door knobs, etc. to aim at, but I've found the the scaled targets help you get an idea of what kind of sight picture you can have and still hit the desired zone. Of course, this needs to be backed up in live-fire, but you can learn a lot at home.

    If I get a wild hair tonight, I may setup my camera and film some of the simple drills I've been working on.
     

    Dan1612

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    I would like to see your handgun drills.
    We'd all like to see Jeep's drills!
    I've been planning on filming my reload drills for YouTube. I'm not the fastest or best shooter, but my reload drills are simple and have gotten my reloads solid. I know my snap caps are in a box... Somewhere...
     

    Jeb21

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    We'd all like to see Jeep's drills!
    I've been planning on filming my reload drills for YouTube. I'm not the fastest or best shooter, but my reload drills are simple and have gotten my reloads solid. I know my snap caps are in a box... Somewhere...

    Your reloads these last few matches have been excellent. I would like to see how you got so proficient.
     

    Dan1612

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    Looks like I need to buy some snap caps. Oh well. I got more than they're worth in use out of them.

    Anyone interested in my reload drill can also purchase some in the meantime so they can follow along at home. Lol.
     
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    DSPLCD1

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    Look at getting a air soft this will help with the trigger control, drawing, and presentation , and you don't have to go to the range, pull up air soft comp. jj

    This is what I normally do, air soft and daisy. Cats being the moving target and you can tell when you plink them, granted the recoil cannot be compared to any large caliber round. But the all together actions help me feel confident when I go one my monthly shoots.
     

    Pompnewbie

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    Saw this and couldn't help but think of Jeep in his garage..
    Now I need to find a Airsoft gun to mimic my carry gun


     

    Pompnewbie

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    And when your ready to quit playing in your garage and join the big boys.. check this out... you must train hard young Jedi
    Focus you must.. yesss front sight you seek

     

    TennJeep1618

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    I'll be honest, I don't like the idea of dry fire training using airsoft guns. They are never going to have the same balance and trigger pull as your actual gun, so why not practice with the actual gun you're going to be shooting? I honestly don't see much advantage to using one, other than for fun.

    I shot a video tonight, I'm working on editing it together and I'll be uploading it to YouTube before I go to bed. I'm not happy with it, but it'll have to do.
     

    Dan1612

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    I tried airsoft. It got me ready for my first match, but the trigger and accuracy are atrocious. I wish I could find my darned snap caps!!!
     

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