How to get faster?

[Alaskapopo]

Ok I am slowly improving but I need to get faster. I am a C class shooter in USPSA. When I started I was in the 45% range and I have worked up to the 53% range in limited and limited 10. But some of my friends have passed me by getting their B class. I am accurate and usually shoot 95% A's on any given courses of fire. But my times are slower than I want. Most of my training has been as a leo. What schools do you guys recommend for competition shooting to get faster while maintaining good accuracy. I want to get to B class sometime.
Pat

[Misc Ex-Member]

http://pistol-training.com/

T_K, thanks for the plug.

Pat -- Getting faster is something that you need to do in stages. There isn't a single thing that makes you fast, and certain lessons need to be learned and ingrained before you can move on to the next effectively.

• Right off the bat, to be accurate when going fast you have to be accurate when going slow. It sounds like you've got that covered.
• You can't go fast if the gun is out of control. Grip (and to a small extent stance) play a major role in keeping the gun in control. Note that "in control" doesn't mean unmoving. Recoil happens. Recoil is not bad. Recoil does not make you slow. Lack of control makes you slow.
• You can't shoot faster than you can pull the trigger. Learn to reset and prep during the recoil of the gun. By the time the gun is back down on target, you should be at the breaking point with the trigger.
• You can't get good hits faster than you can see your sights. No matter how fast you can yank the trigger, it's nothing but making noise unless you are controlling where the bullets fly. Your front sight is like a traffic light. Learn when it's showing red, and learn when it's showing green. Learn to track the front sight as it leaves the rear notch, follow it up, follow it back down, and break your next shot as soon as the green light comes on.
• You can't determine how fast you're going just by how it feels or how it sounds. You need a shot timer. Better yet, get a shot timer and a video camera. Watch yourself, analyze where you're adding wasted motion or pauses in your technique. This is where the old mantra of smooth is fast really proves itself. You'll quickly find that your fastest runs on a drill are the ones that feel slow and relaxed, while the ones that felt fast & tense are always slower.
• At a certain point, the only way to get faster is to go faster. That means pushing yourself, accepting that you'll have misses, and forcing your eyes/finger to speed up to meet your pace. "It's OK to miss sometimes" is a hard lesson for a lot of shooters to learn, but it's a necessity if you're going to make major gains in speed. The problem is that it's also a siren song, and soon people start compromising their marksmanship fundamentals in the name of speed. Your bullseye accuracy should never suffer because of your speed training. If you find that suddenly you can't shoot as accurately as you used to even when slowing down, it's time to put fast on hold and work on those fundamentals more.
• Along the same lines, always work on basic accuracy/marksmanship every time you go to the range. You don't have to make your eyes bleed, but shoot some groups or some walkback drills or similar slow-paced accuracy-intensive drills. Your marksmanship should always be improving, regardless of whether you're also working on improving your speed.
• Finally, learn when to be fast and when to be slow. There is no one speed for shooting. Hitting a 12" circle at 10yd can be accomplished very fast with little or no aiming and little or no trigger control. Hitting a 1" circle at that same distance is a whole different story. Speed up when you can, slow down when you must.
• IPSC is a game that rewards speed at the cost of accuracy; if you want to excel at it, you've got to accept that Alpha-Charlies win matches at the C/B level more than Two-Alphas do. It's messed up, but it's the way the scoring system works.

There are specific drills you can use for each of these steps, but neat drills are easy to come by. Understanding what you're trying to accomplish, setting realistic goals, and pushing yourself to achieve them are what take real effort.

Of course, the above only addresses shooting faster. Winning in IPSC is more about foot speed, game tactics, set-ups, etc. than shooting speed. People who move fast and shoot slow will always win over people who shoot fast but move slow.

[gringop]

The only thing that I can add to the excellent advice above is to learn how to relax at the start of the stage. Any excitement/peer pressure/performance anxiety that you have will negatively affect your performance.

You should understand that all preparation and speed increases are accomplished in your practice sessions. At the match, forget any worries/expectations and just shoot. I find that autogenic breathing at the LAMR helps me out tremendously.

Not to be too zen/yoda/mystic but this really does work.

Gringop

[Alaskapopo]

Thanks guys. I do need to work on target transitions and some of the other things you mentioned.
Pat

[Bryan W]

Originally Posted by ToddG

[*] IPSC is a game that rewards speed at the cost of accuracy; if you want to excel at it, you've got to accept that Alpha-Charlies win matches at the C/B level more than Two-Alphas do. It's messed up, but it's the way the scoring system works.[/list]

Todd's post overall had some very nice pointers. Good work Todd. But, a concern I have is with the last bullet point about accepting the alpha/charlie hit more than 2 Alpha. I think at a club level match you might slip by in the OK category using this thinking, but at a major USPSA event that one just won't cut it...

No matter what the opinion is about USPSA/IPSC awarding wins to sloppy fast shooting, it just is not correct. At the upper ends of this sport, you have to be fast and accurate. What this means is that overall in a major match you had better be shooting over 90% of the available points on paper - 95% is even better. At a club match, you might get away with it but you won't at a major. It's just that simple. Want proof? Go check out the major match results on USPSA.org and take a look at the top 10 results from any major match.

Lastly, shooting max points at speed is even more important if you're shooting production. With minor scoring, even at low end matches, you had better be shooting lots of A's.

BW -- I don't disagree that, to quote you, "at the upper ends of the sport" you need to be hitting Alphas. My comment, which you quoted, spoke to C/B-class shooters. In my experience, speed trumps accuracy fairly often in those classes.

[Wayne Dobbs]

Patrick(popo),

If you haven't read Brian Enos' book Practical Shooting: Beyond Fundamentals, you should. I will tell you up front that it's a pretty tough read at times, but while I'm no Grand Master, this book helped me learn more in less time about high level shooting performance than has anything else out there. You might also try to find a copy of Mike Plaxco's Shooting From Within if you can locate a copy (out of print).

Finally, if you're on the GM card quest, you probably should pony up the money and time for a really solid trainer (or three) to work with you in formal training sessions. You've already come a long way!

[Alaskapopo]

Originally Posted by Wayne Dobbs

Patrick(popo),

If you haven't read Brian Enos' book Practical Shooting: Beyond Fundamentals, you should. I will tell you up front that it's a pretty tough read at times, but while I'm no Grand Master, this book helped me learn more in less time about high level shooting performance than has anything else out there. You might also try to find a copy of Mike Plaxco's Shooting From Within if you can locate a copy (out of print).

Finally, if you're on the GM card quest, you probably should pony up the money and time for a really solid trainer (or three) to work with you in formal training sessions. You've already come a long way!

Thanks Wayne. I will look into those books. Which trainers do you recommend. I would love to spend some vacation time learning from a pro.
Pat

[Bryan W]

Todd,

I don't discount your points at all - you made some very good ones. At the club level matches you can get away with that level of accuracy in B/C - even M/GM to some degree. At the major matches you are much less likely to finish strong even in C class if you're shooting that many C's. No biggie - we can agree to disagree on this point.

Alaska,

Ron Avery - Practical Shooting Academy is as good as they get out there. He will come to your location if you host. Max Michael, US Army Marksmanship Unit is great if you can get him, and Manny Bragg does a great course. I'm partial to Avery, though.

[Alaskapopo]

Originally Posted by Bryan W

Todd,

I don't discount your points at all - you made some very good ones. At the club level matches you can get away with that level of accuracy in B/C - even M/GM to some degree. At the major matches you are much less likely to finish strong even in C class if you're shooting that many C's. No biggie - we can agree to disagree on this point.

Alaska,

Ron Avery - Practical Shooting Academy is as good as they get out there. He will come to your location if you host. Max Michael, US Army Marksmanship Unit is great if you can get him, and Manny Bragg does a great course. I'm partial to Avery, though.

My first formal instruction about 10 years ago was a 3 day practical handgun class with Avery. He is a very good shooter. But if I can be honest he is a bit of an ass. Is there someone else you recommend.
Pat

BW -- I'll happily bow to your superior experience in this matter. The biggest USPSA match I've ever attended has been the VA/MD Sectional.

[Bryan W]

Nothing to bow down to Todd - You made excellent points. Nothing is a given on either side of this discussion, I guess.

Alaska, I can see where some might have that impression of Ron. Experiences vary obviously. I've known Ron for many years.

There are several GM's that teach - Manny is good. Also you can set up a training trip to USSA - and take a class with either Phil Strader or Mike Seeklander. Both are solid instructors and both are high performing GM's in the IPSC world. USSA-United States Shooting Academy, Tulsa OK. They are on the web.

[uscbigdawg]

Like others, speed is a process. If you're getting your points, that's great 'cause most newbies don't do that. They just start sprayin' and prayin'.

Reading Brian's book is a great idea. For books here are some great ones to add:

- Shooting From Within by J. Michael Plaxco
- Practical Shooting Manual by Matt Burkett
- Everything by Saul Kirsch

For training aids, I would suggest the dry fire books from Steve Anderson. You will definitely crank up your trigger and gun speed after doing them habitually. Too, given your locale, dry fire is probably a requirement.

Videos aren't a bad idea as they give visual input to everything you're reading.

Finally, quality instruction is key. I have taken classes from Matt Burkett, Mike Voigt and Bennie Cooley. Of course shooting with folks in CA and AZ doesn't hurt either. Any of these guys would be happy to work with you, but don't rule out like my buddy gotm4 suggested and that's attending the USSA.

Rich

[drawson]

You have a great shooter trainer up there in Alaska, I think he's in Fairbanks. He lived down here in Utah and got me on my path the Master, while he was here. His Name is Bill Filiaga. He has a gun store up the call something like Protec Guns. All I have is his E-mail address... protec@acsalaska.net

Write him and tell him Dee Rawson told you to get ahold of him, he'll help you ramp up your speed...

[Alaskapopo]

Originally Posted by drawson

You have a great shooter trainer up there in Alaska, I think he's in Fairbanks. He lived down here in Utah and got me on my path the Master, while he was here. His Name is Bill Filiaga. He has a gun store up the call something like Protec Guns. All I have is his E-mail address... protec@acsalaska.net

Write him and tell him Dee Rawson told you to get ahold of him, he'll help you ramp up your speed...

I shot with Bill today at a USPSA match. He is very very good but he does not teach he has no time.
Pat

[RWK]

Originally Posted by Alaskapopo

Ok I am slowly improving but I need to get faster. ... I am accurate and usually shoot 95% A's on any given courses of fire. But my times are slower than I want.

My first question is: get faster at what? I think you'd be best served by first identifying some specific areas for improvement. What's slowing you down? Presentations? Reloads? Multiple targets? Moving between shooting points?

Are you shooting too slowly for the sake of accuracy? Don't be afraid to shoot 90% A's instead of 95%. Hell, let it all hang out on occasion and be happy with 80% A's / 20% B's. You'll learn what you can get away with and what you can't. If you're straining for that 95%, perhaps you're spending too much time on the sights. The only way to get fast is to go fast.

Have you tried having someone video record your performance during matches? You might be surprised by what you see.

Originally Posted by Alaskapopo

What schools do you guys recommend for competition shooting to get faster while maintaining good accuracy. I want to get to B class sometime.

Want a good "go fast" school? http://rogers-shooting-school.com/

[drawson]

Originally Posted by Alaskapopo

I shot with Bill today at a USPSA match. He is very very good but he does not teach he has no time.
Pat

I didn't know he was so busy Tell him Hi when you see him again...

[rob_s]

Originally Posted by RWK

My first question is: get faster at what? I think you'd be best served by first identifying some specific areas for improvement. What's slowing you down? Presentations? Reloads? Multiple targets? Moving between shooting points?

Excellent points.

Having video of yourself shooting will help you to weed out inefficiency in your motions. I thought I had a decent pistol speed-load until I watched video of myself and saw that the ejected magazine was on the deck before I even had my off hand halfway to the spare mag.

[Bryan W]

Originally Posted by RWK

My first question is: get faster at what? I think you'd be best served by first identifying some specific areas for improvement. What's slowing you down? Presentations? Reloads? Multiple targets? Moving between shooting points?

Are you shooting too slowly for the sake of accuracy? Don't be afraid to shoot 90% A's instead of 95%. Hell, let it all hang out on occasion and be happy with 80% A's / 20% B's. You'll learn what you can get away with and what you can't. If you're straining for that 95%, perhaps you're spending too much time on the sights. The only way to get fast is to go fast.

Have you tried having someone video record your performance during matches? You might be surprised by what you see.



Want a good "go fast" school? http://rogers-shooting-school.com/

I think this is a good approach to trying to figure out where your biggest gaps are Alaska - This is made easier by video but also by watching video of the top shooters. Shooting a match with these guys can be where real learning comes in if you can watch them shoot the exact stages you shot. If you video them shooting the stage, even better.

It seems like you know how to fire an accurate shot on demand. Increasing your speed means teaching yourself how to see faster - You don't have to sacrifice accuracy to shoot faster but you do have to see only what's necessary for a given shot. Much of the overall time on stage comes from movement - leaving fast and shooting fast once you arrive to the next set up position. Add in faster transitions, no make ups on steel, and you're on your way to seeing a real difference.

I will say though that your stated goal is to make B class, moving up a from C.

This is actually pretty easy in that the way to accomplish this is to shoot classifiers better. Take a look at several classifiers and isolate the skills that are being tested.

Making B class through classifier performance and winning B class at a major match are two different things in my view but you have to start somewhere - and everyone does. I'm not suggesting setting up and practicing classifiers so much as just practicing the various shooting set ups that are common to classifier stages.

Beyond some of these thoughts an absolute that is necessary is productive dry fire training. If you're not spending time in dry fire almost everyday, then you're not wanting to move up bad enough, yet..