Breathing is a topic that is discussed in great detail in the Bullseye community. A quick look at the US Army Marksmanship Training Guide indicates just how much emphasis is placed on breathing (section D).
In the practical shooting world breathing is not discussed in much detail. The most I’ve heard is people recommending that you just breathe. Continue reading »
People will often bench rest a firearm in order to get a view of it’s inherent mechanical accuracy or to regulate the sights in order to establish a zero for the pistol.
It is important to understand the implications of this on a handgun. Continue reading »
Bruce Gray, wrote the following in his article – Zen And The Art Of Hitting Stuff
It’s true the good Lord didn’t design us to well tolerate an explosion 18 inches in front of our eyes. Guns were our idea.
This statement led me down the path of analyzing the reasons for a flinch, at least for me. How did I perceive the event of the gun going off in front of me at a conscious and subconscious level.
Looking at the second order details, what actually causes the flinch ? Continue reading »
The primary goal in pro-active shooting is the development of the ability to execute a task at a subconscious level.
This is very different from muscle memory where the objective is to “burn” the path of execution into the muscles through repetition until it becomes second nature.
The critical difference between the two from my understanding is the use of inputs during the execution of the task. Continue reading »
The topic of grip pressure has been discussed ad infinitum.
I’ve seen everything from the “death grip” proposed by some people to discussions around a softer grip.
It is important to note that the amount of absolute grip pressure has very little to do with neutrality. Neutrality can be impacted by the proportion of pressure exerted based on the capability of the person, e.g., you will have much more control if you are exerting 50% of the pressure you are capable of exerting, compared to if you’re exerting 90% pressure.
The typical analogy used for the softer style takes the form of “hold the pistol, as tightly as you would hold a hammer”. The objective being the removal of tension from the body while shooting. Just as you can’t swing a hammer effectively while tense, shooting at speed requires you not to be tense.
My personal shooting style evolved from a very firm grip to a softer grip, however Continue reading »