Daily dry practice.
Daily dry practice.
That's what I meant. For true cold performance in a real dgu the only thing you can do is increase your overall skill level.
Evil requires the sanction of the victim. - Ayn Rand
Fantastic advice on this thread. Daily dry fire (or live fire) practice means you're less cold when it counts, and it raises your overall skill level. It's win win in this case.
Totally. Also, I would submit this: doing 2 15 minute sessions AM and PM instead of, for instance, 1 30 minute session. If logistically feasible.Originally Posted by John Hearne
This will double your reps "starting cold".
All I know is that I know nothing. - Socrates
Totally agree.
I try to dry fire 2-3 times a day for shorter periods like Donovan mentioned, I find that this keeps me more warmed up, it gives me more time cold, makes each session more productive, and keeps me mentally fresh. I can shoot for hours on end, but dry firing for even 60 minutes straight is so mentally taxing to me.
Other than the dry fire thing mentioned above, you can shoot more often (even if the sessions are shorter) so you are always more fresh and you have more time cold. You can build your overall skill level (duh). I think that at a certain level, cold performance becomes less mental and much more of a physical issue. As Todd said, your joints and trigger finger actually needs time to warm up, and I also believe that your eyes also require some time to adjust to picking up the front sight at hyper speed (at least in my experience).
Last edited by GOP; 06-08-2012 at 01:08 AM.
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I very much agree with what's been said so far.
My feeling is that frequency of practice is a key way of keeping your 'cold' condition from being as 'cold' as it otherwise might be.
I realize that I have opportunities to safely dry practice with a frequency that many do not. But, by practicing as often as I can, even if it's only for five minutes, or even one minute or one repetition, and by concentrating on draw to first shot, it's never been very long since I last rehearsed drawing, aiming, and pressing the trigger on my pistol. Ask me when I last practiced, I'll ask you what time it is...
The downside of this is that anytime I take even one day off from practicing, I feel like my edge is dulling.
Over time, as I get better overall, I think that I have noticed an increase in my ability to just jump right in cold at full speed without the wheels coming off.
For example, lately I have been working on pushing my pace again, but with the increased care for precision that I've been trying to develop since I started participating on pistol-forum. So, in my recent dry fire sessions, I'll start out drawing to a 7, 10, 15, or 25 yard upper A, 3x5, lower 1/2 A, or 8" circle with a .7 PAR time. I certainly don't beat that all the time, especially on the smaller or more distant targets where I almost never beat it, but pushing the pace like that while maintaining mental and visual patience and physical precision seems like a worthwhile thing to work on, whether I do or don't beat the PAR. I also do that as an attempt to use the timer, but not be so wrapped up in the results on the timer, and instead be wrapped up in the quality of hits on target, or the quality of what I saw in the sights.
I've been applying this same idea with my dry slidelock reloads too - starting cold with a distant target and 2.0 second PAR, working the descending-PAR, descending-distance drill I detailed in my training journal. My slidelock reloads aren't nearly as developed as my draw, but it seems to be working well to try things this way at least some of the time.
Surely, there must be a lot of wisdom in doing slower, more controlled dry fire. I also do that, though I am sure not as much as I should. But, I've found value in experimenting with jumping in full speed with a tough PAR, cold, just to see what happens.
What really slows me down, is mental stress and tension, like I have felt on the first stage of the two USPSA matches I've attended so far, or when it's otherwise a pressure situation or I really care a lot about the outcome. Then I get the slow hands of stress.
I've shot well in a couple of GSSF matches where I did actually warm up on another range and it seemed to help esp on the plates. But that's not really the point of the thread. I assume the best competition shooters would all do that as a matter of routine.
My sense is that precison ie 25 yds slowfire suffers the most ice cold whereas my cold fast drills upon arrival don't seem to suffer as much. But I get amped for those when I start there. If I bung one up it's like Todd noted, snagging on the reload mag retrieval.
I have a half assed theory that if I can get a little pissed or more accurately "visualize" being pissed and of malevolent intent - I can start off stronger cold on a closer range speed drill. I've seen that enough times to believe its a factor but not enough times to prove it.
Last edited by JHC; 06-08-2012 at 03:32 PM. Reason: typo
“Remember, being healthy is basically just dying as slowly as possible,” Ricky Gervais
I have the same theory! For me, it has to be visualized, and it has to be like a worst-case scenario kind of threat. Like Sumdood himself is charging my wife, knife in hand, naked and on bath salts. (I used to think that was a really far-fetched scenario...) Anyway, it felt kind of stupid and I haven't done it in a while. But in the context of the cold/warm performance gap, it seems reasonable enough to try to measure it.
I was planning on running the FAST cold next time I'm at the range - I think I'll try this technique then. Thanks for the idea!
The answer, it seems to me, is wrath. The mind cannot foresee its own advance. --FA Hayek Specialization is for insects.
[on second thought, might be a story better left untoldI have the same theory! For me, it has to be visualized, and it has to be like a worst-case scenario kind of threat. Like Sumdood himself is charging my wife, knife in hand, naked and on bath salts. (I used to think that was a really far-fetched scenario...) Anyway, it felt kind of stupid and I haven't done it in a while. But in the context of the cold/warm performance gap, it seems reasonable enough to try to measure it.
I was planning on running the FAST cold next time I'm at the range - I think I'll try this technique then. Thanks for the idea!]
“Remember, being healthy is basically just dying as slowly as possible,” Ricky Gervais
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