I don't want to be a Tactical Tammy, so what you're saying here is that instead of doing a 3 (or 4) Step Draw, I should instead just Get a firing grip on the gun, Lift it clear of the holster, Rotate the muzzle downrange, Get both hands on the gun, and Drive the gun onto the target, but really fast?
Will it go faster if done smoothly? Asking for a friend.
I chuckled at my desk.Originally Posted by Tamara
Reading this thread has been helpful. I modified my drawstroke slightly, and mostly eliminated the almost-high ready I'd pause at to get a full two-handed grip -- moving instead towards the "move it in as direct a line to the target as possible" idea that caleb suggested.
I'm at a point where, dry firing, I can consistently (95% of the time) clear the holster and press out to full extension with a 1.6 par time (10 feet, 8.5x11" paper folded in half as the "target"). The trigger (DA) is prepped during the press out, always at least to 50%, and I'm trying for more (if I push too hard, the shot breaks prematurely). I can usually break the shot within 1.75, but that slow-down seems to be magnified in live fire. There is consistently a pause at the end of my press out.
I have a tendency to want to clean up the sights before finishing the trigger pull, and I think right now that's the biggest impediment to a faster shot. It happens maybe 50-60% of the time, and the front sight won't be where I want it to be -- usually off to one side or another. But even where there's a good/acceptable sight picture, I'll still pause. I don't know if it's a mental block, with me not wanting to break the shot too soon or what. I know that when I try to speed through it I almost always end up with a sloppy trigger pull and what would be a thrown shot. As it stands, this feels like the biggest impediment to my overall draw-to-shot speed. Any ideas?
This is what I believe is the fundamental difference between a press out and present/pause. With the press out, you are trying to acquire the sights as soon as possible, and the price you pay for that is a circutitous path with the muzzle. With present/pause, you rely on your index to get the pistol out, generally in the most direct path possible, then you confirm the sights, making any adjustment that is required.
The motion of moving the pistol in a press out is almost infinitely variable, depending upon the target. Present/pause should be the same presentation regardless of target, with the variability being only in the refinement of the sights and the trigger speed based on target difficulty.
An often reported benefit of the press out is you have the sights on the target before touching the trigger. Some folks start working the trigger as the pistol is presented with present/pause, creating a debate on the advisability of that. As of late, I have started getting on the trigger later, working the whole press in one motion, rather than prepping the trigger on the way out with present/pause. The primary shooting advantage is this one motion method reduces anticipation. A secondary benefit is that getting on the trigger later is "safer" in terms of sights on the target before manipulating the trigger. I suspect this method is even "safer"than the press out as you are only working the trigger after you are extended and locked-up. I think another small benefit of the present/pause method is the gun is more reliable, because you are firing with it locked up as opposed to possibly while moving.
Josh, as to some video from last spring, how I shoot today may well be different than yesterday, and hopefully different than last month or last year. I see it as an ongoing process, subject to continuous revision.
Likes pretty much everything in every caliber.
I have a few draw strokes depending on carry type, target size, distance, time or needed accuracy / precision. But primarily I have a press out and a 45* to the target.
Up close in a perceived retentive situation I default to a higher draw and press out if possible. Longer distance with time on my side and good accuracy I tend to have a high draw and a press where I am touching trigger (setting my trigger finger) early but sights on target. This allows me to focus, pick up sights and I exhale on the press, so everything is set when I hit extension. Very much a mental routine as a mechanical process. This is a deliberate type of draw / presentation.
Up close, speed on paper, 45* towards target.
Is that a different book than the 15 minutes to success dry fire book he does with Jay Hirshberg? I don't see those micro draw drills in there.
Likes pretty much everything in every caliber.
Thanks for the reply. I just ordered it. Amazon Prime and one click ordering can be great things.
I think this discussion sometimes gets missed when people talk past each other. In fact, it could easily be it's whole own thread.
Several years ago, I heard Mike Panone lecture. When discussing draw stroke, he related that he had run some "experiments" when he was training the FAMs. Shooters would be blind folded and have to solve whatever problem they confronted. When the target was placed extremely close, the shooters would automatically keep the gun back and use a spontaneous retention position. Based on these observations, Panone was advocated a more traditional 45 degree draw since the dedicated retention positions weren't necessary in his experience.
- It's not the odds, it's the stakes.
- If you aren't dry practicing every week, you're not serious.....
- "Tache-Psyche Effect - a polite way of saying 'You suck.' " - GG
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