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View Full Version : Shooting Skill Improvement - Range Session Qty



RobG
02-22-2012, 08:52 AM
[This is a thread split from: How long before shooting skills degrade? (http://pistol-forum.com/showthread.php?3204-How-long-before-shooting-skills-degrade) -JV]


So the follow on question would be, how often do you need to shoot to truly improve? Right now I get to the range about 2 times a month for 250 round training sessions and seem to have reached a plateau. Is this enough training consistency? Should I sprint for a year and strive for 250 rounds once a week? Should I divide my ammo and shoot 125 rounds once a week? Should I pool my resources and take a 1000 round class every quarter? The answer always seems to be shooting more rounds, more often. Where is that optimal training zone?

JV_
02-22-2012, 09:02 AM
So the follow on question would be, how often do need to shoot to truly improve? Right now I get to the range about 2 times a month for 250 round training sessions and seem to have reached a plateau.It's also about how you're practicing, not just how much you're practicing.

I find that shooting with clueful people, who can help me refine my technique, helps me break through plateaus.

ToddG
02-22-2012, 09:11 AM
I'll echo my own comments in the initial thread: there is no pat answer for every shooter at every skill level.

For me to improve, I need to practice a lot. For my wife to improve, she'd need to go to the range four times a year and dry fire twice that often. We're at different ends of the spectrum (not counting people who literally never shoot and have never taken any professional training).

It's like asking a personal trainer, "How often do I need to go to the gym to get more fit?"

JHC
02-22-2012, 09:53 AM
Although I feel like I've plateaued lately since the uptick in volume over the past 3 years when I saw significant improvement (at a consistent 200 rds/week) level it wasn't just the volume. I think the 3x5 card was instrumental. We killed a rainforest worth of 3x5 cards these last years. Fast and close or far and slower.

I'm not sure what's next however. I haven't shot a 95 on "The Test" yet so that's the next goal.

JV_
02-22-2012, 10:05 AM
Relevant older post: http://pistol-forum.com/showthread.php?1113-Range-Session-Volume

jetfire
02-22-2012, 11:04 AM
The better you get at task x, the more you have to practice if you want to improve. If I want to just kind of maintain my skill I can slack off, but if I genuinely want to improve I'm looking at a lot of reps and a lot of time spent practicing a given skill.

beltjones
02-22-2012, 12:40 PM
I think the bi-weekly range trips are sufficient for most shooters, provided you have worthwhile things to practice.

Instead of worrying about shooting more rounds, getting to the range more often, etc, I would suggest you get into a steady dryfire routine. If you can do 15 minutes per day you will make meaningful improvement, regardless of your current skill level (with the caveat that you need to be practicing proper technique).