Distinguishing Scoring Zones

[JeffJ]

So, I've decided to really focus my shooting on doing better in USPSA - I noticed on my last range session that while I was shootng well on dots and 3x5s that once I put up a USPSA target (metric) that I was a little unsure of the scoring zones - in other words, I was calling my shots accuratatly but was at times unsure if they were an A or a C.

I'm thinking about doing 3 things to try and help this:

1. Get some 1/3 size targets for dryfire practice

2. Outlining the A zone in practice so I know where it is and get used to shooting it

3. Structure my practice and drills so that I am shooting at USPSA targets and not dots, or 3x5s etc - or at least mostly on the USPSA targets

Thoughts? Suggestions?

[ToddG]

Getting used to aiming for the scoring zones is definitely the key. Shooting at the metric target a lot is the best practice. Personally, I've also found that outlining the scoring zones (as you mentioned) a great help. Then I'd back off on the outlines one or two practice sessions before a match.

[bdcheung]

i'm also interested in this. I hit poppers and 3x5 index cards just fine, but when I'm staring at a blank expanse of cardboard, I tend to get shots all over the place (as I'm mostly guessing at where the A-zone is).

This flaw was extremely evident last night on stage 5, where on the 5-shot target I got one shot in the A-Zone and 4 shots....everywhere else on the cardboard.

[jar]

Another good thing to try is a plus sign of tape crossing in the center of the A.

[jthhapkido]

Something you might do is outline (using a sharpie) just the top third of the lower A zone, and make it a little narrower than the real A zone by about an inch.

1) It'll give you a defined area to shoot, 2) it'll make your aiming point a bit smaller than the full huge A zone (using the aim small, miss small idea), and 3) in an actual match, when there are no-shoot targets or hard cover over scoring targets, most of the time (if the lower A-zone is available at all) about the upper third of the A zone is available to shoot. As such, you'll have plenty of practice aiming into and hitting the area most likely to be uncovered.

Something else fun to do (actually, it is really annoying) is to cut out the A zone on a target, reverse it, and put the no-shoot side forward over a regular target. This means that only the A-zone of the target is a viable "shoot" target, and the rest is a no-shoot. Feel free to make your A-zone even smaller, too.

It'll certainly make you focus on the A-zone!