Timer or not?

[QuickMick]

On my way to improve shooting I bought a timer, using it when doing Billd Drills et al as recommended by a friend as training for IPSC. So far, so good. Does it makes sense at all for a beginner focussing on shooting techniques rather than on speed to use a timer? Based on my match results I know that I'm slow, but I also need to improve my accuracy to get rid of misses and deltas. Is it better not to have time pressure at training? Thanks for your comments.

[okie john]

On my way to improve shooting I bought a timer, using it when doing Billd Drills et al as recommended by a friend as training for IPSC. So far, so good. Does it makes sense at all for a beginner focussing on shooting techniques rather than on speed to use a timer? Based on my match results I know that I'm slow, but I also need to improve my accuracy to get rid of misses and deltas. Is it better not to have time pressure at training? Thanks for your comments.

Not to seem cryptic, but work on the basics until you get really good at them without time pressure. You'll know when it's time to use the timer again.


Okie John

[JHC]

I agree with oikie but I trust you will apply some self control. It will be nice to record your 99% level with good hits now to track progress.

[John Hearne]

Does it makes sense at all for a beginner focusing on shooting techniques rather than on speed to use a timer?

I think you should work on both concurrently but bias it towards technique. As a beginner, you need to develop the requisite motor programs to support your live fire shooting. The most economical way to do this is regular dry fire. For instance, you can work on your draw stroke and reloads (and transitions if you're worried about gun games) at home without expending any ammunition. As you develop these motor programs, I'd focus on perfecting my movements versus raw time. I'd work the motions slowly and deliberately most of the time but also see how quickly you can perform them. Start at a time that you know you can accomplish easily. Slowly reduce the par time and make sure that you are still making a "hit." Reduce your par times until you're no longer "hitting" 100%. At that point, stop or refine a different motor program.

[GJM]

I think a timer, or some other random start signal is helpful in forcing you to react as opposed to initiate your shooting.

Preoccupation with time can lead to all sorts of bad things in your shooting. Failure to focus on time can also lead to bad things if you are interested in practical shooting. Use a timer in moderation, and don't hesitate to put it aside, or only function as a start signal if the timer starts driving your performance instead of just recording your performance.

[JHC]

I think a timer, or some other random start signal is helpful in forcing you to react as opposed to initiate your shooting.

Preoccupation with time can lead to all sorts of bad things in your shooting. Failure to focus on time can also lead to bad things if you are interested in practical shooting. Use a timer in moderation, and don't hesitate to put it aside, or only function as a start signal if the timer starts driving your performance instead of just recording your performance.

True. But video cams are even worse! I know this. Lol

[ToddG]

It shouldn't be an either/or thing.

There are drills that are best shot without time pressure. Improving marksmanship fundamentals would be a great example. Even if you don't want to do NRA-style slow fire you still shouldn't go faster than you feel you're getting your best visual reference and your best trigger manipulation.

There are drills that are best shot with some time pressure. For example, speed-oriented drills. :cool: I know, I'm genius. Even with speed drills, though, you don't necessarily need a timer for every run. Work on pushing yourself to the point where you're almost but not completely in control of what's happening. You're pushing yourself but not running blind.

What you need a timer for the most is measuring speed performance. It's just a complicated stopwatch. So when you want to know how fast you're doing something, you use the timer.

Some people like to use a timer for every single rep. Personally, I don't find that helpful. I find myself getting too focussed on the time and wanting to scrape a few hundredths off each run and not paying enough attention to performing techniques properly. I end up getting a fraction of a second faster but compromising things that are more important to me than raw speed. A lot of those things don't have much to do with USPSA/IPSC/IDPA, though, and might not matter as much to you.

I like using timers on PAR (or a target system that lets you do essentially the same thing) for things like floating PAR drills (http://pistol-forum.com/showthread.php?2274-Week-8-Diminishing-PAR-Reloads). It still has the possibility of tricking me into getting sloppy with my technique priorities, but as soon as something goes wrong it resets the clock and essentially "tells" you to slow down a bit.

[GJM]

Interestingly Robbie Leatham says he uses the timer for starting but almost never uses a timer otherwise in his own practice. Says he is interested in seeing and feeling the gun, doing that right, and that is irrespective of time. Of course, he has already figured out the speed thing.

[ToddG]

Of course, he has already figured out the speed thing.

Which is a critical issue. Robbie probably isn't going to log in here asking for shooting advice.

I've found that the usefulness of a shot timer has gone down for me as I reconfigure what I'm doing. There are some things I push for time but many things that I don't (even though I used to, and will again at some point).

[YVK]

Interestingly Robbie Leatham says he uses the timer for starting...

The more I think about it, the more it makes sense, even if you're not planning to push speed or set any par times at all.

[QuickMick]

There are drills that are best shot with some time pressure. For example, speed-oriented drills. :cool: I know, I'm genius. Even with speed drills, though, you don't necessarily need a timer for every run. Work on pushing yourself to the point where you're almost but not completely in control of what's happening. You're pushing yourself but not running blind.




Understood, I should know how that feels from my motorcycle racing days ;)

Thanks to everyone, will leave the timer at home today and focus on the basics to improve markmanship.

[JHC]

It shouldn't be an either/or thing.

There are drills that are best shot without time pressure. Improving marksmanship fundamentals would be a great example. Even if you don't want to do NRA-style slow fire you still shouldn't go faster than you feel you're getting your best visual reference and your best trigger manipulation.

There are drills that are best shot with some time pressure. For example, speed-oriented drills. :cool: I know, I'm genius. Even with speed drills, though, you don't necessarily need a timer for every run. Work on pushing yourself to the point where you're almost but not completely in control of what's happening. You're pushing yourself but not running blind.

What you need a timer for the most is measuring speed performance. It's just a complicated stopwatch. So when you want to know how fast you're doing something, you use the timer.

Some people like to use a timer for every single rep. Personally, I don't find that helpful. I find myself getting too focussed on the time and wanting to scrape a few hundredths off each run and not paying enough attention to performing techniques properly. I end up getting a fraction of a second faster but compromising things that are more important to me than raw speed. A lot of those things don't have much to do with USPSA/IPSC/IDPA, though, and might not matter as much to you.

I like using timers on PAR (or a target system that lets you do essentially the same thing) for things like floating PAR drills (http://pistol-forum.com/showthread.php?2274-Week-8-Diminishing-PAR-Reloads). It still has the possibility of tricking me into getting sloppy with my technique priorities, but as soon as something goes wrong it resets the clock and essentially "tells" you to slow down a bit.

I shot for decades without a timer and have over compensated these last 5. I need some balance.

[Slavex]

I still use a timer to push myself on specific drills and tests. I probably split my live fire practice 50/50 with one.
I also use them in dryfire a lot, mostly just to stop myself from slowing down my draw, I want to see the gun up in front of me within X amount of time, regardless of what I have for a start position. One of my biggest complaints about my own shooting is slowing down my draw on far or hard targets, I shouldn't. The first shot itself might be slower as I'm taking a more precise shot, but driving the gun through the draw should always be the same. using a timer helps keep me honest on that