It's time to go to work. Up to this point with my shooting I've been working on base fundamentals, and I think that work has paid big dividends - I'm happy with my trigger control, accuracy, shot calling, and reloading, though of course there is always room for improvement in those fundamentals. It comes down to the fact that I'm really proud of the progress I've made since I attended my first IDPA match 13 months ago, and I'm ready to turn yet another page in my shooting career. To that end, it's time to get organized and start doing the things the best guys are doing, because in my mind I'm one of the best shooters, just one that quite learned all the things there are to learn.
So starting today, these are the changes I'm making:
Make Ready Routine and Mantra. From now on at the "load and make ready" command, instead of being just zoning out and going through the motions, I'm going to execute a choreographed set of motions, and repeat a mantra in my mind. Specifically, I'm going to reset the trigger, press out on the first target, and dry fire. Then I'll load my barney mag, chamber, put the barney back in its pouch, and load my full magazine from my pocket. I'll keep my grip after holstering, and as I think to myself, "Aggression. Smooth Aggression." I want to keep it simple, and keep the things top-of-mind that I want to emphasize in my runs. This is also just a start. I'll probably change it from time to time.
Stage Clustering. Until now the way I have approached stages has been to think about the stage as a whole. Shoot these targets then reload while moving over here then shoot these other targets, etc. From now on I'm going to "cluster" stages and think of them as individual drills that I'll then link together. For example, I'll say to myself, "Drill one is to draw shoot these four targets as fast as I can. The key to this drill is transition speed. The next drill is to reload and get into this position fast and smooth with the gun up indexed on this spot. The next drill is to shoot these four targets, with the key being trigger control (for tight shots, for example). And so on. I figure most 32 round stages can be broken down into 5 or 6 clusters.
Skill baselining. At every range session, I'm going to start by baselining a few skills like the draw, turning draw, speed reload, and a few others. I'll do five reps each, record the times, and chart them in excel over time.
Very focused practice sessions of 300 to 400 rounds. From now on I'm going to go to the range to practice one or two specific things. I'll plan the things that I want to work on in advance and record everything so that I can see what works and what doesn't.
Daily practice routine. I'll focus on daily practice, both dry fire and cardio/strength training. I'll improve something every day.
Match diary. I'll keep a diary of match performance every time I compete. I'll record impressions, things I did well, and things I learned about the way I shoot and the kinds of challenges I encounter.
Goal setting. I'm going to set a goal and work toward it. This will give me motivation, and also allow me to chart my progress more effectively. My immediate goal is to make A class. I only need one or two good classifier runs to do it, and the work starts now.
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