Trigger press speed and target size

[P30]

If you want to hit a target of a given size as fast as possible, then it's important to use the right trigger press speed. Not to fast, because then you'll probably miss. Not to slow, because then you don't hit it as fast as possible.

How do you estimate and apply the right speed for the target size? Just intuitively or do you use some clues?

Until today, I did it just intuitively. But today I've thought, how important it is to apply the right speed for the target size.

I suppose it could help to divide targets in size classes. For example: Bigger than rear sight, smaller than rear sight, smaller than the notch in the rear sight. Before you shoot, you estimate the size class. When you shoot, you just apply the corresponding trigger press speed (fast, medium, slow).

What's a good drill for learning the right speed for different target sizes?

[JHC]

There are many. TLG documented a lot of them at this link but this specific linked on is the first that came to mind. Designed by PF member JodyH I am pretty sure.

http://pistol-training.com/drills/99-drill

[spinmove_]

Your sights will tell you how fast you should run the trigger at any distance.


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[snow white]

Recently I've been focusing on slowing my DA trigger pull. I found slowing down just a touch and really "rolling through" the DA made an enormous difference in the quality of my shot. I also found it was easier to begin the shot process during my press out, actually resulting in a faster first shot. I've been doing this in dry fire but once the beep of the shot timmer goes off in competition its hit or miss still.

[CCT125US]

40595

Put this together awhile back. Pretty straight forward, working your way up will help with speed and accuracy. The gray box is a vertical 3x5 for folks who may find that useful.

[P30]

pistol-training.com/drills/99-drill

40595
Thank you very much! I will do these drills.

[CraigS]

Recently I've been focusing on slowing my DA trigger pull. I found slowing down just a touch and really "rolling through" the DA made an enormous difference in the quality of my shot. I also found it was easier to begin the shot process during my press out, actually resulting in a faster first shot. I've been doing this in dry fire but once the beep of the shot timmer goes off in competition its hit or miss still.
If you watch some Of Ernest Langdon's videos you will discover this is the technique he champions. He has to be careful not to worry the safety of the 'no trigger pull before the sights are aligned' people's recommendations. Hey me too. I usually wonder what happened to all that dry fire or BB pistol practice when I get to the next match.

[Cory]

Your sights will tell you how fast you should run the trigger at any distance.


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I'm no expert, but I think this is right. Trigger speed doesn't need to vary with target difficulty, the acceptable sight picture does. The more difficult, the more attention (not focus, but awareness) I need to pay to my sight picture.

Someone used to say the sights are the gas pedal. I've heard it attributed to both Ernest Langdon and Jerry Miculek. I'm not in a position to disagree with either one about shooting.

-Cory

[RJ]

Good thread.

Only thing I wanted to add was something that resonated in my head from taking Mr. Tom Givens Combative Pistol Class June 2017 in Everett WA:

“Shoot close targets quickly, mid-range targets carefully, and small targets precisely.”

At least that’s what I think I heard, and put in my AAR. It made sense to me, without being overly complicated.

[RJ]

The gray box is a vertical 3x5 for folks who may find that useful.

Ha! I never realized that. I’ve printed and shot this dozens of times lol. Thanks. :)

[CCT125US]

Ha! I never realized that. I’ve printed and shot this dozens of times lol. Thanks. :)

You may have an old version, this was a fairly recent mod. Figured I could squeeze one more target on there.

[GJM]

To paraphrase what JJ teaches, you need to press the trigger on difficult shots without thinking about speed.

[Poconnor]

I always found that by concentrating on my front sight my trigger finger always found the right speed. The smaller the target; the more precise my trigger press was. It was not distance related; it was target related. I have practice targets that I got from Ron Avery about twenty years ago that teach this. The target sheets are all sized at 8.5x11 to be photocopied and each sheet has different sizes and shape of targets for speed or precision drills. I will dig them out

[P30]

Some humble thoughts:

Fact 1:
In Germany, we have this shooting sport discipline: 5 shots at 25 m in 20 s (target: ISSF 25 meter rapid fire pistol)
In our last club championship, my friend shot 190 rings (best result in our club).
This is like hitting a 2 inch circle at 7 yards (5 times in 20 seconds).
I asked him for tips. One tip that I did not already implement was: rhythm.

Fact 2:
I trained with a long-time IPSC shooter.
5 targets in a row (don't know the exact target size and distance).
He shot them with a pretty constant frequency.
I copied him in that I shot with a constant rhythm and it helped me.

Conclusion 1: Increasing the pressure on the trigger with the right speed for the target size is important.

Fact 3:
I shot at the FAST target at 7 yards.
If I have a "good" sight picture at the 3x5" box and increase the trigger pressure as fast as I do it for the 8" circle, then I miss the box.
If I have a "mediocre" sight picture at the 3x5" box and take my time for the trigger press, then I hit it.

Conclusion 2: Trigger press is more important than aiming.

This is a quote I remember from Jerry Miculek (https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ChSazF41q-s). I hope, I quote him correctly.

Fact 4: If I dry-fire in my living room at a small target, then I don't flinch even if I shoot fast after I give myself a "go!" command (totally wrong according to Jeff Cooper).

Conclusion 3: Coolness is helpful for hitting a target.

Jeff Cooper has written that long before (it's one of his principles of personal defense (https://archive.org/details/JeffCooperPrinciplesOfPersonalDefense)). It's psychological.

Conclusion 4: Precision is a function of
- sight picture (of course)
- trigger press speed and
- coolness

The cooler you are, the faster you can press the trigger and still hit the target.

[P30]

To paraphrase what JJ teaches, you need to press the trigger on difficult shots without thinking about speed.
So that you don't become nervous and stay cool. Could this be the psychological reasoning behind it?

PS:
I like the pictures for the principles in Col. Cooper's book:

40724

This is a Rocky Mountain goat, isn't it? This dude really has to be pretty cool when he steps where he steps.

[P30]

Coolness in the sense of a calm and focused mind comes from:


confidence in your abilities which comes from
- a lot of training, i.e. ingraining of useful techniques (drills)
- successful application of your abilities in the past

the right mindset which comes from
- right before it gets serious, remember the one or two most important techniques and intend to apply them
- purpose: I remember this quote: "Courage is not necessarily the absence of fear, but the conviction that something else is more important than your fear."

slow and deep breathing (into the belly)


Do you have more tips on how to get a calm and focused mind? How to become cool?

Remembering the one or two most important techniques right before it gets serious helped me right before I rode my motorbike on racetracks and before flying with my paraglider/paramotor. Both activities may take some courage but I'm just a software developer, so I don't have much courage training in daily life. My uncle, who was a paratrooper, agreed to the usefulness of this little trick.