Originally Posted by
98z28
That is a fantastic video with good advice. Thank you far posting it.
Interesting how people respond differently to different things. I have always struggled with "the flinchies" as Pressburg calls them. He mentioned that prepping the trigger helps him, that short and light single action triggers are easier to shoot, and that DA/SA guns exasperate the problem. My experience is the opposite. A smooth, long trigger press is much easier to roll through without flinching than a short single action trigger with a wall. The longer trigger press helps me do exactly what he described in the video: press through the trigger without my brain screaming "It's going off NOW! Dip the muzzle!"
Ball and dummy drills help, but you have to be switched on and know where the dip is coming from. While illuminating, it can be mentally tiring and frustrating. I have found that switching trigger types for a few rounds can also help. That is, if you're shooting a Glock, switch to a revolver or DA/SA for a run or two and then go back to the Glock.
My flinch returns every time I take more than two weeks off of live fire. It is massively frustrating. I watch the dot dip low and left and then rise in recoil, and I didn't give my hands and wrists the command to flinch. Using a ball and dummy mix or switching trigger types will reduce the flinch within a given range session, and I find that I can re-wire my brain to stop the flinch after two live fire sessions. Then I just have to consistently engage in live fire (at least once every two weeks) to keep the flinchies at bay. If you struggle with a flinch, regular live fire can be the ticket to keeping under control. It is a mental issue, so be sure to address it immediately when you notice it. I suspect that continuing to shoot with the flinch can ingrain it deeper and make it harder to overcome. If I notice a filching issue, I will put my plan on hold and address it before continuing with whatever I planned to do that day.
Interestingly, I don't think it is the explosion in front of my face that leads to the flinch. It's the consequence of an actual projectile hitting the target that screws with me mentally. If I haven't shot in a while, I'll see the flinch when I shoot a BB gun or a .22. If I can't get to the range, then spending time with a BB or air soft gun will help keep the flinch at bay. Brains are weird.