What did you do to train, today?

[dcfranzen]

Yikes, I think Hateful 8 is a good name for that challenging drill.

What I did to train today was work on grip strength conditioning, because a solid shooting grip is important. Aging has a way of robbing us of grip strength, hearing, sight...

Every day, often while browsing gun forums, I exercise my fingers, hands, wrists, and forearms with a LUXON strengthener and one of the balls from my VIVE hand therapy ball kit. Also, this morning, I worked through my home fitness program and took the dog out for our morning mile.

 

[Cerberus Group]

Grip is paramount for rapid firing, and find that a good percentage of shooters it's either grip strength or grip position or a combination of both.

I recommend two strength tools that I use.

I use a Grip Master, which allows individual finger exercise. The other is a gyro ball. It helps with overall hand strength, as well as wrist and forearm.

 

[tac]

 

[Lesliet]

On that grip strength thing... Yeah. I work as a mechanic ( or mech-a-neck, if you will) so between that, guns, and playing bass guitar, my hands and wrists tend to take a beating. Shooting regularly has started to improve that, I think, at least I don't have near the pain I used to. I expect it's from the muscles being developed to have a good grip, especially on the support side. Ibuprofen, a vitamin with a lot of b-complex stuff, and soaking hands/wrists/arms in Dit da jow ( a martial arts liniment made from herbs soaked in alcohol) seems to help a lot.

 

[Lesliet]

Hey @tac! is that locomotive using live steam? Pretty freakin cool, man!

 

[tac]

Hey @tac! is that locomotive using live steam? Pretty freakin cool, man!

Sure is!!! AND it's radio-controlled, too! Gas-fired, but I also have some that are meth/alcohol-fired, as well as four that are butane like this one. See my Youtube channel - tac's trains, and for guns, tac's guns

Apologies for thread drift.

Normal service is now resumed.

 

[Lesliet]

I wonder how many calories are burned pulling the handle on my favourite exercise machine?
@Cerberus Group , are reloads ok to use in your training classes? I keep thinking about the joy of spending a couple of days focused on shooting, with no distractions, and it's sounding better and better. Especially if you don't have cottonwood fluff in the area.

 

[P7M13]

Sprinted hills.

Especially if you don't have cottonwood fluff in the area.

The worst when you inhale them!

 

[Cerberus Group]

Yes, I allow reloads...but then my ammo company mostly does reloads.

SBRs, suppressors, AR pistols are all welcome as well.

 

[rdtompki]

Wife and I practiced on 7 of the 8 Steel Challenge stages. Ups and downs were experienced.

 

[Lesliet]

Kind of an "off" day yesterday. Burned up about 700 rounds shooting steels, did the "Hateful Eight" drill for a bit. Hands were already pretty wiped out when I started from this grip exerciser:


1000 reps, begin.

 

[Unicykle]

I set a goal of bieng able to walk 50 miles a week, i started small at about 3 miles a day about a month ago quickly worked to 5-6 miles and im now up to a goal of 12 miles a day which kicks my butt, my feet hurt and its usualy after 9 by the time i get done walking after work but its making a huge difference rapidly.Yesterday was almost 15 miles today included my big pack with about 30lb of hiking/camping gear and i made 12.7 miles.

 

[Red Rain]

I watched hickok 45 a hoot at target and I have yo say I think im a better man for it .lol . Nothing today im trying to get into a range so i can hopefully learn 3 gun .i wanna be like john wick . But i think i have to wait for America open back up . Soon i hope .

 

[Lesliet]

Burned about 500 rounds today of 9mm. Did the classic transition drill with three USPSA silhouette targets at 6 yards, spaced a yard apart, draw and shoot 1-2-3, 1-2-3, 1-2-3. Any hits not in the "A" box add .5 seconds to your time. Feeling kind of slow on this one at high fives and low sixes. Spent a while on this, then moved to steels at ~ 15 yards. I keep telling myself, nobody starts out at GM speeds, you have to work from where you're at right now, to get to where you want to be. Practice and dedication will get you there.

 

[Lesliet]

Spent 400 rounds today on the same transition drill. Wanted to write down some observations before I go clean brass, while it's still fresh in my mind, as today was a good learning day. Previously, I hadn't been able to do the thing where you snap your eyes to the next target and then the gun follows, I've always been faster at keeping a sight picture, and moving everything to the next target. On this drill, I found that if I do that, I tend to get hits outside the "A" box, to the outside on both of the outer targets. Moving my eyes first didn't initially make me faster, but it DID make me more accurate, by a lot. Towards the end of the session, times were coming down into consistent high fives, with about 4-5 runs in a row before an A box miss. Relaxing, standing up straight, good grip all helped. Definitely going to keep working on this. Also need to get a cloth painters tarp I can put down for mag change drills, at least until it quits being muddy at the range.

 

[Red Rain]

So i just got these super cheap and next weekend ima take em out and see how my new cz 75 does and im waiting on my J4M tactical holster to come so I can practice my draw and reholstering it seems like everytime i go shooting with friends it just that . Ima pratice my double taps to the chest and face get the rest technique. Its a pps m1 single stack so holds only 6 .just put tru glow sights on so excited to see how fast i can pick up my front dot .

 

[Cerberus Group]

Spent 400 rounds today on the same transition drill. Wanted to write down some observations before I go clean brass, while it's still fresh in my mind, as today was a good learning day. Previously, I hadn't been able to do the thing where you snap your eyes to the next target and then the gun follows, I've always been faster at keeping a sight picture, and moving everything to the next target. On this drill, I found that if I do that, I tend to get hits outside the "A" box, to the outside on both of the outer targets. Moving my eyes first didn't initially make me faster, but it DID make me more accurate, by a lot. Towards the end of the session, times were coming down into consistent high fives, with about 4-5 runs in a row before an A box miss. Relaxing, standing up straight, good grip all helped. Definitely going to keep working on this. Also need to get a cloth painters tarp I can put down for mag change drills, at least until it quits being muddy at the range.

Great post!

The problem with "leading with the gun", one gets a form of tunnel vision and you lose a bit of peripheral. Leading with the eyes, especially in a combat shoot situation...you'll be able to assess the area better as you move your eyes, as the firearm moves smoothly behind following the eyes.

Wherever you drill your eyes...like a sidewinder missile...locked-on and got tone, your shots will follow being more accurate. The mantra to think...Watch it to keep it. In other words wherever your eyes go, your sights will center on it. This also works much better for shooting while moving. Watch the target, not the sights as much...look through, and your sights have more of a propensity to come back where your eyes are drilled.

Do this test. If right handed...with the your trigger hand, hold a pen horizontally with the tip pointed to the left. Find a small object about 9-10 feet away. Hold the pen at arms length, so you have eye, pen tip, object....like a front sight...but focus on the object.
You won't be able to hold the pen steady, as you're fighting heart beat and breathing...but the pen tip will always come back to center of the object or on anything where your eyes are drilled into.

 

[Lesliet]

Went to the range, and saw more cars there than I've seen in months! Turned out USPSA was on for today, although they limited it to 72 (ish?) people. Good to see competition starting back up. I went back after they were done, and the rain stopped, chronoed some new loads, and spent about 300 rounds on reinforcing leading with the eyes. Set up a steel course with 8" to 12" plates, about 12 yards out, with ridiculously wide transitions. Best times were around 4.69, but my main focus was more on reinforcing the leading with the eyes, rather than pushing speed. It made a huge difference in accuracy and time. I feel like I need to practice this skill about a million more times, so I do it without thinking about it. Definitely a keeper.

 

[iBlueVirus]

MantisX every night between my CZ P10F and S&W MP9. I am seriously thinking of picking up a Ruger SR22 and/or Walther PPQ 22LR to train at the range for shorter sight radius and cheaper ammo. Still would run through my 9mm handguns to train my muscle memory with the recoil, but fewer rounds. I have a lot of "other stuff" to work on and hope to accomplish with the 22LR.

 

[Lesliet]

The .22's are fun for competition, too, like rimfire challenge, and speed steel. I have a 1911 clone that's all raced out, in .22, and a Kel-tec CP33 that is super fast. I keep an eye out for those " free shipping" deals at Midway, to order 5k rounds at a time.