JTMaddox
Well-Known Fanatic
For an intermediate level shooter looking to improve their performance are you better off spending money to attend matches or using that money on ammo for training at the range?
best bang for the buck
- Thread starter JTMaddox
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jtischauser
I'm addicted to kicking ass
Shooting local matches is just as important as shooting all by yourself at the range while practicing IMHO. Most newbies don't know what to practice until they get out and shoot a match to see what they are going to be required to do.
Plus I have yet to find a drill during practice that gets me as excited or nervous as the one run and your done nerves that hit you in a match. The more matches I shoot the less excited I get before those runs.
Shooting matches won't improve your skill set like a good training session will but shooting more matches will make you a more confident shooter.
Heck chambers never practices he just shoots matches every weekend and he's the top semi pro in the country. Maybe he's onto something?
Plus I have yet to find a drill during practice that gets me as excited or nervous as the one run and your done nerves that hit you in a match. The more matches I shoot the less excited I get before those runs.
Shooting matches won't improve your skill set like a good training session will but shooting more matches will make you a more confident shooter.
Heck chambers never practices he just shoots matches every weekend and he's the top semi pro in the country. Maybe he's onto something?
Iggie
Well-Known Fanatic
I shoot matches, find where I'm lacking and try to correct/improve in dryfire then range time, most recently tracking my front sight.
wchandler
Well-Known Fanatic
Shoot the matches. Squad with shooters who are better than you. Learn your weak points. Practice until they are strong points. Take a class if you can.
Jeremy Haynes
Well-Known Fanatic
Shoot as much as possible!!! As everyone above has said, shoot with ppl that are better than you and ASK QUESTIONS!! Once you get to the point where you feel you have the fundamentals down, and are comfortable at local level matches, then i think its time to take a class or two from the pros.
Read Brian Enos's book, its pretty amazing considering how old it is. Its not so much about technique, just the mental side.
Read Brian Enos's book, its pretty amazing considering how old it is. Its not so much about technique, just the mental side.
dennishoddy
Moderator
I HATE dry fire drills.
I've done them, and still do but the boredom after a few overcomes me.
Some can do an hour a night and be satisfied. Thats why they are better than me.
I've done them, and still do but the boredom after a few overcomes me.
Some can do an hour a night and be satisfied. Thats why they are better than me.
Iggie
Well-Known Fanatic
I can usually manage 20-30 minutes at a time. It helps to have targets (and a timer which I dont) so I made some 1/3 scale targets that I painted some as no shoots and others with different amounts of hard cover, leaving a few plain. Now I can set up whole stages in my living room lol. I do the draw to first shot for a bit then add reloads then target transitions, and when I'm staerting to get bored I run the stage.
Jeremy Haynes
Well-Known Fanatic
For those with Iphones, there is a pretty decent free shot timer app on the app store you can download. Setting par timer for draw and reloading drills really does help.
mike cyrwus
.223
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there are lots of things you can learn at a match, but actually training/practicing firearm specific skills isnt one of them.
OUshooter
Well-Known Fanatic
Nothing beats match experience. Also getting a platform and sticking with it helps. Suck it up get the best gun for the game u play and have fun.
OkPatriotSupply
Well-Known Fanatic
When Mike C first brought IPSC matches to my attention I went to a few local matches and tried my hand at it, decided I enjoyed them. Did some practice at home but nothing compairs to the actual match experiance to show you what you need to work on. I started filming myself and a few of the other really good shooters who would let me and compaired my movements and actions to theirs. I quickly discovered some areas to work on to improve myself in practice.
I havent had the chance to go shoot a match in so long now that when I set up a stage at home and tried to run it on my range I discovered my times were WAY down from what they were the last time I shot a match. Even tho I have still mantianed my shooting practice and drills for work quals, the mental part of a match needs to be maintained. So imo you cant beat doing both for the best all around improvments.I hope to be able to actually take a class or two with the pros once I get back into the game.
I havent had the chance to go shoot a match in so long now that when I set up a stage at home and tried to run it on my range I discovered my times were WAY down from what they were the last time I shot a match. Even tho I have still mantianed my shooting practice and drills for work quals, the mental part of a match needs to be maintained. So imo you cant beat doing both for the best all around improvments.I hope to be able to actually take a class or two with the pros once I get back into the game.
Wildcat
Well-Known Fanatic
I want to go to TDSA for their advanced pistol course. I was thinking about signing up for the one in November. If the weather now is any indication it's still going to be hot the first week of September.
45recoil
likes to party
I'm with you at that class if I can get the funds saved. What's the update on the range tdsa uses?
I am pretty certain that they are training at another location not far from there...contact Marshall through their website for details...
November would be awesome compared to now
I went in May and it was still in the 90's and not bad...WELL worth it and an excellent base to build on before you learn a bunch of bad stuff to correct later imo
Even if you're well versed with a gun...I think there were about 7 out of our class of 24 that were repeat visitors to AP1 if that tells you anything...great course!
November would be awesome compared to now
I went in May and it was still in the 90's and not bad...WELL worth it and an excellent base to build on before you learn a bunch of bad stuff to correct later imoEven if you're well versed with a gun...I think there were about 7 out of our class of 24 that were repeat visitors to AP1 if that tells you anything...great course!
