Lately I have been pondering why some times I shoot fast and accurately, and other times shoot slower and less accurately. Since that variation can be during the same match or practice session, it is not like I magically got better or worse. The explanation that seems most probable to me, is it is how I interact with the rhythm of the gun moving through the recoil cycle. For short, I am referring to this as “ROTD” or rhythm of the dot.
Before discussing ROTD, I want to discuss variation in how the dot moves through recoil. Depending upon the caliber and ammo we are shooting, our strength and our technique, there will be variation in how the dot moves. If you want to get an easy visual on this, shoot doubles with a laser, and watch how the laser dot moves through your recoil cycle. Obviously you want to have the gun move the least possible through the recoil cycle, but perhaps more importantly is you want the gun to move in a consistent motion.
Now, back to ROTD. Rob Leatham says the key to shooting faster is to move the trigger faster. TPC says the key to shooting faster is to be earlier. My objective is a combination of earlier and faster by “getting ahead of the dot.” The technique that I associate with my best shooting, is to see the dot reach the apex of its arc of travel, watch it head back down, visualize its path and speed of return, and then prep the trigger so the shot goes off just as the dot reaches the target zone. Besides being earlier with this method, I find it leads to better trigger control because I am prepping the trigger when the dot is in motion, camouflaging the wiggle of prepping, and the shot breaks naturally as the dot settles, rather than trying to “make it go off right now!”
I drew with a Sharpie on a USPSA target to illustrate where I might see the dot start to come back down, and the steps to making the shot happen.
If you prefer watching to reading, here is a short video describing the method, and demonstrating it, by shooting a 3x5 at 10 and 15 yards.
Next, I took the method to a B8 at 15 yards. It really is low stress, because I am letting the shots break naturally as the dot settles.
At some point, you will need to stop and stabilize the pistol to make a good shot, but I am not sure what that distance is. I tried it on a B8 at 25 yards, and was pleasantly surprised.
As you should be able to see on each of these videos, the shot breaks as the dot reaches the target area. For me, at least with my ability today and a Glock trigger, this method allows me to do some of my best shooting. This might just be a trick of the day, or it might be something that helps you get in sync with the rhythm of a red dot.