6870940 the hithhikers of shooting

8/14/2019 6870940 the Hithhikers of Shooting

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ndiceThe Importance of a Match Plan........................................................................................................................ 4

Preparation..................................................................................................................................................... 4Whats the Plan, Stan? .................................................................................................................................. 4Forewarned is forearmed............................................................................................................................... 5

Training for International 10 Meter Air Pistol...................................................................................................... 6General Fitness.............................................................................................................................................. 6Special Exercises........................................................................................................................................... 6Training Techniques ...................................................................................................................................... 6Developing a Sequence................................................................................................................................. 6Dry Firing........................................................................................................................................................ 6Shooting Diary ............................................................................................................................................... 7Just a Few Tips.............................................................................................................................................. 7

Dry Fire Training................................................................................................................................................. 8The Basic Necessities.................................................................................................................................... 8What Do We Hope To Achieve?.................................................................................................................... 8

Now For The Tricky Bit .................................................................................................................................. 8Rapid Fire....................................................................................................................................................... 9Conclusion ..................................................................................................................................................... 9

Sight Watching ................................................................................................................................................. 10

Don't Bee A Cheeken!...................................................................................................................................... 12

The Power of Positive Thinking........................................................................................................................ 15Step One A Positive Outlook on Life ........................................................................................................ 15Step Two - A Positive Outlook on Shooting................................................................................................. 15Step Three Creating a Calm..................................................................................................................... 15Step 4 Protecting the Calm....................................................................................................................... 16

It Ain't Over....................................................................................................................................................... 18

Making the Most of Electronic Trainers - Part 1............................................................................................... 20Why Use an Electronic Trainer? .................................................................................................................. 20How to Approach an ET Session................................................................................................................. 20Maximizing Your ET Settings....................................................................................................................... 21

Making the Most of Electronic Trainers - Part 2............................................................................................... 22Lies, Damn Lies and Statistics..................................................................................................................... 22Repetition Mode........................................................................................................................................... 22Average Placement and Holding for Series................................................................................................. 22Single Shot Analysis .................................................................................................................................... 23Possible Score by Time Transference......................................................................................................... 23Time Charts.................................................................................................................................................. 23Cant.............................................................................................................................................................. 23Series Overview........................................................................................................................................... 23Percentage Calculations .............................................................................................................................. 24Score/Hold Time .......................................................................................................................................... 24Suffering For Your Art .................................................................................................................................. 24

How To Make Your New Pistol User-Friendly.................................................................................................. 25The Grip ....................................................................................................................................................... 25Trigger Position and Adjustment.................................................................................................................. 25Sights ........................................................................................................................................................... 26Balance ........................................................................................................................................................ 26Velocity......................................................................................................................................................... 26


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Rapid Fire Overview......................................................................................................................................... 27Hardware...................................................................................................................................................... 27Major brands are as follows, roughly in order of popularity: ........................................................................ 27Fodder.......................................................................................................................................................... 27Maintenance................................................................................................................................................. 28Shooting the Match ...................................................................................................................................... 28

Stand and Deliver............................................................................................................................................. 31Physical Stance ........................................................................................................................................... 31The Feet....................................................................................................................................................... 31The Platform................................................................................................................................................. 31Inner Stance - Using the Mind ..................................................................................................................... 31Just a Word on Balance............................................................................................................................... 32Being Flexible............................................................................................................................................... 32How Well Can We Hold? ............................................................................................................................. 32

The Hitchhikers Guide to ISSF 25m Standard Pistol ....................................................................................... 33Tactics.......................................................................................................................................................... 33Training ........................................................................................................................................................ 34NPA.............................................................................................................................................................. 34

Trigger Release ........................................................................................................................................... 34Things to Remember ................................................................................................................................... 35

Do You Need a Coach? ................................................................................................................................... 36What Do You Need? .................................................................................................................................... 36Motivation..................................................................................................................................................... 37Finding a Coach........................................................................................................................................... 37What If You Don't Find One? ....................................................................................................................... 37What Do You Not Need? ............................................................................................................................. 38Back to the Real World ................................................................................................................................ 38

A Do-It-Yourself Guide to your First Air Pistol Session................................................................................... 39Safety ........................................................................................................................................................... 39

What do you need?...................................................................................................................................... 39How to hold the pistol................................................................................................................................... 39How to Stand................................................................................................................................................ 40How to breathe............................................................................................................................................. 40What to look at. ............................................................................................................................................ 40How to correct your sights. .......................................................................................................................... 41How to score your targets. ........................................................................................................................... 41Why is this so hard?..................................................................................................................................... 41

A Site For Sore Eyes........................................................................................................................................ 42The Far Sighted ........................................................................................................................................... 42Magoos ........................................................................................................................................................ 42Other Sufferers ............................................................................................................................................ 42What Can Corrective Lenses Offer? ............................................................................................................ 42What Do Shooting Glasses Offer?............................................................................................................... 43Colored Lenses and Filters .......................................................................................................................... 43The Adjustable Iris ....................................................................................................................................... 43A Few Final Thoughts.................................................................................................................................. 44

The Subconscious Shot - Hit or Myth?............................................................................................................. 45Linking Physical Tasks................................................................................................................................. 45The Slippery Slope....................................................................................................................................... 45

Free Pistol ........................................................................................................................................................ 47Beginner Pistols ........................................................................................................................................... 47Competitive Pistols ...................................................................................................................................... 47Tactics for Shooting Free Pistol ................................................................................................................... 49


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The Importance of a Match PlanIn match shooting failing to have a plan is like planning to fail. There is no way to set a plan to suitevery shooter, but below are a few guidelines for being prepared for the unpredictable rigors ofcompetition.

PreparationCarry a check list with you at all times. Keep it in your gun box, or somewhere where it cannot be mislaid, suchas in your wallet or purse. On the morning of the match BEFORE you leave your hotel or lodgings, ensure thateverything you will need to compete is in your gun box or your range bag. Even go to the extent of physicallychecking each item is where you remember leaving it. Many a shooter has opened his shooting box on the lineat the start of Preparation Time to discover his glasses are still on the bedside table at his hotel where he hadbeen dry firing the night before.

Bring more ammunition than you are likely to need for the match. In the event of a range breakdown or othernatural disaster (not under your control) there may be a requirement to reshoot a portion of the match. Youdont need the distraction of trying to beg, borrow or steal a few rounds from your neighbors, and they willprobably not appreciate the interruption either.

Take a bottle of water to the line, even if the weather is not extremely hot. This way, if the shooter next to youannoys you in any way, you can squirt a quart of rust enhancer into his shooting bag when hes not looking.Okay, so Im kidding on that part. But keep your fluids up and you are less likely to have vision problems. If youfeel thirsty you are probably already dehydrated, so make a habit of taking a sip regularly.

Whats the Plan, Stan?The overwhelming bulk of shooters I have met seem to suffer the same tactics for shooting a match. If andwhen the wheels fall off their little wagon and performance lags, they vary their technique throughout the rest ofthe match in the hope that fortune will smile on them and they will discover a great new way to shoot tens. If thissounds like you, at least youre being honest about it. Those who maintain they dont experiment either have amatch plan, are outright liars or are in the fortunate minority of people with good self discipline. Its humannature to improvise when things get rough, but in these circumstances youre making life even tougher onyourself.

The fact is, even if you dont get nervous on the line you cant expect to shoot as if you were at home. There aretoo many distractions. A strange range, strange faces, a shooting bench thats a different height to what youreused to, targets in shade, targets in direct sunlight, poor lighting for your sights, smelly armpits to the left, achatterbox to the right - good grief, before youve fired a shot youre mentally cataloging a woeful bunch ofexcuses to draw from!

Below is a list of common excuses used at big matches, followed by the translation into English:

I couldnt see my sights. I wasnt watching my sights.

There was too much light on the target. I wasnt watching my sights.Did you see that mirage? I wasnt watching my sights.

I havent shot in six months. I wasnt watching my sights.

Ive been too busy at work to practice. I wasnt watching my sights.

I mustve moved eighteen clicks. I wasnt watching my sights.

Did you see that brunette down on 26? I wasnt watching my sights.

I must have a dud batch of ammo. I didnt squeeze the trigger OR watch the sights.

Fact is, any number of potentially damaging factors are present every time we go to the range to shoot. Why isit they only come into play when were anxious to shoot well? Do circumstances conspire to make us look bad?

Is God really that cruel? Not likely.


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But heres the good news. Shooting is a laughably simple sport. Sure, we love to complicate it, but if you thinkabout it the technique needed to fire a good shot is not difficult. So wheres the problem? We allow ourselves tobecome distracted. We cease to think logically. We need a simple set of instructions to follow, and for the firsttime in our lives we need to consult them BEFORE we make an utter hash of things. In this way we can make apre-emptive strike by having our minds on the job at hand rather than be confounded by strange surroundings.Create a feeling of familiarity by reacquainting ourselves with the important facets of our technique, and in thisway leave no room for extraneous distractions.

So the secret to it all? Its simply to make up a written plan of action that covers every possible scenario within amatch. It should be drawn from your shooting diary (gasp!*) including all of the little things you do to complete asuccessful shot. By all means it should have a detailed description of your shot process, and also a descriptionof how your shooting position should feel, how you maintain balance, how you find the sweet spot for yourtrigger finger on the trigger shoe, any little thing that is an integral part of your technique. Read and digest thisbefore going to the line and youll be ready to perform like you never have before.

The second part of the plan should include contingencies should things not be running as smoothly as theymight. This includes poor performance. If the wheels start to fall off, it should be stressed that the best way toget back on track is to simply focus on good technique. Shots falling outside an acceptable area are 99% of thetime a dead giveaway that your mind is not where it should be. Be honest with yourself and trust your notes and

you will recover. This is where the unprepared shooter will panic, abandon the old technique because it isntworking and fish around for the rest of the match trying to hit on a new way to find the ten ring. Or merely hold,and hold, and hold, in the hope that the shot will break all by itself and miraculously go through the center of thetarget.

Other contingency plans should be included for circumstances beyond your personal control. Should there bean enforced delay, say a range is shut down by a target malfunction, you should have instructions to reinforcethe importance of being prepared to restart the match whenever you are sent back to the line. Be prepared andyou will not feel inconvenienced. It will bother other shooters, but it will not bother you. When they come to youafter the match and say, Man, I was going just great until we had that stoppage! you can smile to yourself andtranslate what he really said: I wasnt watching my sights.

Try to foresee any possible disaster. You might crossfire. Somebody else might crossfire on your target. Not

only would you know how to handle it within your head, youll be able to quote the relevant rule and pagenumber from your match plan if the range staff are clueless (it does sometimes happen).

Forewarned is forearmed.If all of this seems like too much work, I guess you could take the option of not bothering with a match plan.After all, with experience all of these things will become second nature. Your mistakes will make you wiser. Ican tell you it will take roughly twenty years. Maybe a little less for those not as dense as myself. But havingspent so many years repeating history I can tell you I wish somebody had beaten me about the ears when I wasmuch younger and made me do it.

Its all a part of working smarter, not harder.

And doggone it, I just wasnt watching my sights...

*You do keep a shooting diary, dont you???


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1. Don't overdo it. There's no future in putting in hour-long sessions that bore you senseless. I dry fire for15-20 minutes, a couple of times a day if I'm keen.

2. Do exactly the same things you would do to live fire. Same clothing, footwear, glasses and tempo.3. Use an aiming mark. Anything will do, I use a black patch on the wall. Not so much to aim at, but it's

great practice for teaching the body to retain a constant line to the target. Try not looking for the targetuntil you lower the pistol into your aiming mark. With a little practice you will find you are instinctivelygoing back to the same point every time.

Shooting DiaryI hate paperwork and as a result resisted keeping a diary for more than 20 years. Largely because of this Icontinually made the same mistakes, often realising halfway through a match that I had solved this particularproblem before but forgotten. We are all human. We make mistakes. But if we can refresh our memories wemay not feel such gumbies after an unsuccessful match.

It is also handy for assessing changes in technique. If you change something, write it down. When somethingworks well, highlight it. If you shot a PB after dry firing for ten minutes half an hour before your match, make anote of it. You can learn a lot from what you would normally forget.

On the other hand, try not to get bogged down in recording endless patterns of shots and figures. By all means

comment on a tendency (such as flinging shots high right). You can then plan to work on this particular problemat your next training session. But page after page of numbers and dots on targets will not encourage futurereading. Keep it relevant and interesting.

Just a Few TipsIf you're having trouble holding focus or attention on your sights, try not looking at them until you settle in theaiming area and are ready to shoot. Focus on the hairs on the end of your arm, the woodwork on the grip,anything close. We have only a limited attention span - like it or not - and you must coincide the breaking of theshot with your undivided attention.

Use your ten minutes preparation time to dry fire. You'll settle yourself down, establish a rhythm, and shouldonly need three to six sighters before you're ready to start the match.

Be very aware of your trigger finger position on the trigger shoe. Not only laterally, but vertically. Many shoeshave a slot machined halfway down for trigger testing; this makes for an easily felt familiar landmark.

Learn to call your shots. Your scope is a useful tool, but can make you score-crazy if all you do is quickly checkto see if you have shot a ten. Take some thought about the shot, mark it on a card if you can, then checkthrough the scope - to confirm your call.

Set goals. Whether it be achieving a score, holding the black, sticking to a training programme, it doesn't matter.Make them realistic and set new goals as soon as you achieve them.


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Dry Fire TrainingDry firing is the shooters equivalent to health food. We know it's good for us but the very thought of itleaves a bad taste in the mouth. Plus we're afraid our friends will consider us pussies, in the same waynerds were despised in the school yard for swatting for exams. Lose the baggage, guys, if you spend alittle time building your skills before your next match, chances are your scores will improve. Extra effort

does pay off, and the best part is you need never admit to your friends that you're a closet clicker.

The Basic Necessities1. A quiet room. Preferably with good lighting. Ideally with a wall at least three metres away (ten feet).2. 15-30 minutes when you know you won't be interrupted. Best not immediately after you've woken up in the

morning, nor when you're over-tired.3. A pistol. Many modern air pistols have dry fire mechanisms built in, which are obviously the ideal. If you are

using a rimfire or centrefire be sure to use some form of snap cap that protects the firing pin and breecharea.

4. An aiming mark. This is a contentious issue, as many coaches recommend dry firing on a blank backdrop.We will discuss the means of setting up aiming marks and the reasons for doing so later.

What Do We Hope To Achieve?Dry fire is an excellent means of reinforcing the good technical execution of a shot without fear of gettingdistracted. By concentrating on all of the technical aspects we can more fully appreciate subtle differences wewould not necessarily notice on the range. Above all else, we are not distracted by bullet holes in scoring ringsthat lead us to an unhealthy preoccupation with scores. When dry firing is performed correctly it takes on anextremely satisfying quality, almost spiritual. It can feel like a solid achievement, which may sound very Zen,Grasshopper, but you will be amazed at how much more you will perceive after just a few sessions. When youdo it right, so right you just know that shot would have gone dead centre through the x-ring, the timing was right,the sight picture was crisp, the shot broke as if by magic just after settling in the aiming area - I've been temptedto go whooping about the house it felt that good. This is the time to let the feeling of the technique, the vibe ofthe whole performance sink in, because this is what you want to reproduce time and time again.

Think back to the last time you asked somebody how they had just shot. What was their response? I bet they

shook their head and mentioned a six or seven that murdered their score. Just what exactly are they focusedon? What are their lingering thoughts going to be from a whole day's shooting? Just a handful of bad shots.They'll berate themselves, gnash their teeth, beat their breasts and when the time comes to front the line againthey'll make the same mistakes because they've reinforced or relived those bad shots so many times, you'dthink they just can't wait to do it again.

Dry fire is part of a process where you mentally reinforce good technique. If your technique sucks when you firststart, work on it until it improves. Focus on the positives. Cancel out the bad shots, revel in the good shots.There is no pressure to perform, no cruel bullet holes, just a clean slate to chalk up pluses and erase theminuses. Whew. And you thought it was just point and click!

Now For The Tricky Bit

Here is where you will need the help of a friend to set your dry fire range so that it will maximise the benefits. Imust thank the input from Herman Sailor for this section. Herman was a top Rapid Fire shooter for Austria a fewyears ago, and until recently ran the Military Shooting Academy at Innsbruck. I'd give his son Rudi's training CDa plug about now, only being in German it is of little use to most of us. Word on the street is he's working on anEnglish version (due out late 2000).

Your home dry fire range must reproduce the layout of the live fire range where you do most of your shooting. Infact, everything must be the same. You must wear the same shoes, clothing and glasses. I draw the line at earmuffs, mainly for comfort's sake, but they may be a good idea if they help you concentrate.

The floor where you stand should be hard, like the range. Dry firing on carpet, especially thick pile, will make itespecially difficult to attain the same balance. Mark a point where you shoot from on the floor. Next, you mustmeasure the relative position of your aiming mark or marks, and here you will need a friend to take the

measurements.


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First, have your friend measure the distance from the floor to your arm when you are aiming at a target on therange. When in your dry fire room, set your arm at the same distance from the floor, and then place your aimingmark at the relative height on the wall. Obviously distance from the pistol does not matter much.

The next step is to make the aiming mark (black target center) a relative size. To do this, take a piece ofcardboard and cut the lower part to fit snugly over your pistol roughly where the front sight is situated. Then,holding the pistol in the shooting position, get your friend to mark with a pen both sides of the apparent size of

the black. You can then reproduce the corresponding size disc on your wall with the help of the template.

Rapid Fire shooters should note that this is how you reproduce exactly the spacing for your five targets. A widerpiece of card is needed, and a little patience, but if you are going to practise motor skills it is pointless doing sounless you do it right.

The point of going to all of this trouble? If you do a lot of dry fire, and it can be addictive, you will build up motormemory in your muscles. The difference is critical in speed matches such as Rapid Fire, or even the Rapidsection of Centre Fire. Perhaps it is not so important in slow fire matches, but just a few degrees difference canchange your whole body position to the stage where it will feel unfamiliar. This would be a pity, when a fewminutes' work could have made it right.

Rapid FireIn order to train for the timed fire matches you should make a recording of the specific range commands foreach series and insert beeps for the turning target sequences. This is where Herr Sailor's CD would have beenideal, as many CD players being programmable to repeat tracks it is possible to run a long series of Rapid runswithout playing with stop/go buttons.

ConclusionDry firing does not have to be a chore. It doesn't have to go on for ages, a successful session can be as shortas 10 minutes. My best sessions are short, I generally only stay longer when I'm having difficulty getting it right.Try to have a specific goal in mind when you start a session. If your follow through is abysmal, try toconcentrate on that. And try to never finish on a negative. Remember, we're trying to reinforce the positives, sostick with it until something feels good, even on a bad day.

But most of all, have fun!


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Sight WatchingIn which our intrepid seeker of the easy ten explores the most basic of shooting basics. Or is it?

What exactly do they mean when they tell you to watch your sights? This has always been one of the twogolden rules for pistol shooting, the other being to squeeze the trigger. Maybe Im a little slow, but for severalyears I did just like I was told. I focused on those sights and watched them bounce all over the target. I was ajunior at the time, very young for the sport, but my scores just never seemed to progress. But one day I musthave got tired of peppering the entire target and I tried what seemed to me to be a unique concept. What if Itried to hold those little black blighters together by force of will, instead of praying that the shot would break asthe front sight wobbled somewhere near the middle of the notch of the rear sight?

Thus I discovered the difference between being a spectator and a participant.

Duh!, I hear you saying. Well maybe I am slow on the uptake, but I wonder how many others who are trying tolearn the fundamentals of pistol marksmanship take the advice too literally. I also wonder just how manyshooters out there have strings of shots that widen from time to time because they forget the importance ofcontrolling rather than watching their sights.

Before we get any further into this let me clarify what I mean by control. I hasten to stress that I dont meanyou should try to pin your sights to a point on the target. My sights remain moving about the area of aim underthe black, and that movement is quite normal and acceptable. What is NOT acceptable is movement of the frontsight within the rear. When the pistol moves around the area of aim the sights must move as a matched set.Together. As if they were one. This requires most of my attention and a rigidly locked wrist. It then only requiresthe release of the trigger within a reasonable time frame without upsetting that sight formation. Sounds simple?It is.... but with our human failings such as limited attention span and a tendency to think of other things wesometimes overlook the easy way. If not wed all be shooting Master scores.

So these days when I feel my tenuous grip on self control slipping I try to tell myself to stop being a spectator. Imight as well be sitting in the stands watching a tennis match if all Im going to do is watch my sights wave

about in the breeze. Take control of your life! Dont be a chicken!

The second part of controlling the shot comes with trigger control. Some days I hold those sights so tightly I justcant help but admire them. Take the shot? No way! Look at that sight picture, aint it purty? Partly from fear ofupsetting the sights and partly from a physical difficulty in operating the trigger finger with the wrist locked solid Ifind I have to play mind games to smoothly release the shot.

The first important thing to remember is not to let your hand get cast into the grip. Let the blood circulate byreleasing the grip every four or five shots - shake it a little if you have to. If you dont do this you will find itincreasingly difficult to independently operate your trigger finger.

Of course you must release the trigger with a positive gradual movement of your trigger finger, but this positivemovement must NOT cause a conscious release. In other words, if the shot does not take you by surprise it

probably wont be a good shot. Some shooters assure me that they can make the shot by holding near the pointof release and tweak the final few grams when the sights look good. All well and good when youre shooting onyour home turf. This is not so easy under big match pressure when your fine motor skills desert you and thetrigger suddenly feels like its ten pounds.

You must find a repeatable method of controlling your shot release that suits you. It may be that you will notknow whether it will work until you find yourself shooting a Final for the first time. If your heart rate is up (anddistinctly audible inside your ear muffs), if your hands are trembling, if your breathing is short and shallow, if youcant think clearly - in short, if youre as nervous as a skinny dipper in a piranha pond - then, and only then willyou know if your technique will give you adequate control of your shooting.

The secret is to combine the focus on a tight sight formation with a positive finger movement pulling straight

back on the trigger so that the shot breaks within a reasonable time frame. I find it helpful to have a mentalimage of using the trigger shoe as a means of steering the front sight, and guiding it as I pull it straight backthrough the goal posts of the rear sight. I know other shooters use similar mind games. Whatever works. The


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point being they make a positive decision to produce the shot. They become part of the action, they participate,instead of sitting back in the bleachers hoping the home team will do well.

So dont ever tell yourself to watch the sights. Watching is for passive poodles. Limp wristed wimps. Grabthose sights by the scruff of the neck and make them look like a fixture. Enforce your will on them. Be themaster of your own destiny and youll swear off spectating forever.


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Don't Bee A Cheeken!Trigger control is the most difficult part of shooting to execute in a truly detached manner. Its such anemotive subject. I expect a good deal of mail on this one

Imagine this. A bright blue sky. Just a hint of a breeze to keep the summer heat somewhere between pleasantand delightful. A spotless row of new targets set up on the 50 meter line. You raise your pistol, breathe in,settle onto the target as you slowly exhale and sit the crystal clear sights below the wonderfully fuzzy black. Thesights sit in perfect alignment. They still sit there. Nothings moving. What an awesome hold! Sometime soon itsgoing to break just nicely. Sometime soon. Its going. To break. Some. Time. Soon Dang!

The dreaded chicken finger has struck again.

Later, in that same match. Youre a little tired now. Much of it because you wasted so much energy whileadmiring your sights early on. Your hold has deteriorated somewhat. Now, on arriving in the area of aim, youwait for a favorable picture before applying that last pressure on the trigger to make it break. Yes, yes, no, no.Yes, no, yes, no, YES! Oh, NO!

Does this sound awfully familiar? The good news is, youre not Robinson Crusoe, my old sputnik. Repent nowand you may yet be saved. Like all good reformed drinkers will tell you, the first important step is admitting youhave a problem. Those who have no idea of what Im talking about, you might was well stop reading this rightnow and go back to polishing the bulging contents of your trophy cabinet. Leave us jerkaholics anonymous toour own devices.

Now I have your attention as fellow sufferers of, shall we say, trigger control that has room for improvement,lets see if we can understand the cause instead of wailing over the symptoms.

Were too darn fussy. We want to shoot a ten with EVERY shot we put down range. Theres something aboutWestern civilization that fosters control freaks. This encourages us to do two things. First, we take far too muchnotice of the position of the sights on the target. This makes our shooting eye tend not to want to stay so rigidly

with the sights, sneaking more and more to the target. After all, our subconscious WANTS to see a shot in thecenter of the target and hasnt ever been really convinced that it can magically happen by IGNORING it!(Remember how much we inwardly scoffed when Obie Wan told Skywalker to turn off his ballistic computer andTrust in the Force, Luke!)

But our mortal sin is that we really dont want the pistol to go off without having a perfect sight picture. So weteeter on the brink of firing as we jockey our bucking colts for better position, never really happy unless weveattained the happy coincidence of aligned sights on THAT spot as the shot broke. While were being honesthere, does it ever occur to you (like it often does to me) that there was a certain element of LUCK in that shot?Sure, we still feel smug that weve just shot a ten, but are you listening to that other voice in your head whobutts at your ego by chiming in Tin arse! My inner voice has an annoying nasal quality about it, kind of like anoff key kazoo. For this reason I tended never to listen too much. But that was a mistake. He was right.

Tennis commentators on television never tire of berating players for making a low percentage shot. Instead ofkeeping a rally going, a player might lose patience or lack confidence in his ability to win a long point, resultingin him trying a backhand looping passing shot that has little chance of coming off.

In the same way we, as shooters, lose our patience and hold for a little longer in the hope of a miraculous orlucky shot, when we should cancel out and start again. When was the last time you ran out of time in a match?We also lose confidence in the basics when we feel things arent going our way. We convince ourselves that wecan over-control the shot and force a ten by sheer willpower.

Because shooting in a match is worlds away from shooting on our home turf. When no sheep stations are atstake trigger control is not such a big issue. Nervousness and heightened tension rob us of our fine motor skillsand all of a sudden what was so easy in the basement of our house becomes so difficult that we believe there is

something wrong with our equipment. Im here to tell you something you may already suspect. Do you knowwhat the variable is that's most responsible for your poor performance? Take a look in the mirror. Youre lookingat him.


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The point to my story so far is I believe we approach the act of breaking the shot in a negative manner thatsdoomed to provide us with low percentage shots especially in the heat of a big match.

Typically the first thing we seem to do when raising our pistol to the target is take up the first stage of thetrigger. By doing so we are seemingly convinced that if we take away the first stage we will end up having lesstrigger weight to complete the shot. Lighter trigger equals better shooting, right?

How does that explain that High Master Bullseye pistol shooters shoot equally high scores with their three and ahalf pound triggered forty fives as their twenty twos with two pound triggers? And shouldnt Free Pistol scoresbe at least comparable with Air Pistol since there is no trigger weight restriction?

What I believe we achieve is a defensive approach to taking the shot. We only half commit, always leaving thedoor open to abort when the hold wanders a little, then coming back as it drifts to the center again. This is howwe convince ourselves that we are working hard to fire a good shot. From a practical sense its amazing we getthe scores we do sometimes, since there is a much easier method that East Europeans have been using formany years with great success. Easier in a physical sense; but mentally so much harder for us control freakssince it involves taking an immense leap of faith with each and every shot.

Imagine if you were not to take any trigger pressure at all until two to four seconds before the shot breaks.

Imagine if you could then be fully focused on your sight formation before your poor human mind had a chanceto become distracted by some irrelevant stray thought. Imagine if you could be firing within the window whenyour actual focus was at its height, before the sharp edges of the front sight had started to blur. Imagine if all ofthis happens when you have a good supply of oxygen to your bloodstream and your hold is tight within theaiming area. You may say Im a dreamer. But Im not the only one

Thirty years ago the Russians used an electronic training device that gave a beeping sound in a set ofheadphones whenever the pistol was aimed at the ten ring PLUS the diameter of the bullet. It was purely a dryfire device, but it taught shooters that the sight picture need not look perfect to still score a ten. In this manner awhole generation of Eastern Bloc shooters had sufficient confidence in their hold to produce a shot in a positivemanner soon after coming into the aiming area.

Obviously every shot will not be a ten. But just as obviously the technique is far more sound than the lowpercentage efforts detailed above.

It was not until I was being taught (by a coach from Belarus) how to cycle the trigger in Standard Pistol that Iunderstood their whole philosophy of trigger control. He was most annoyed at my habit of flicking my triggerfinger to take the first stage for the next shot while I was still under recoil from the previous shot. He made memaintain trigger pressure while under recoil (and therefore in follow through), and I was not to release thetrigger and start on the next shot until I had regained the aiming area. This was HARD as it broke habits offifteen years or more. But what I started to achieve was a POSITIVE release for each shot as it was so mucheasier not to freeze on the trigger. Far from causing me to panic about wasting time it provided the basis for asmooth rhythm and deliberate shot-by-shot control.

In the same way precision shooting should be a positive and rhythmic action. In my first major Air Pistol Final I

psyched myself up to follow this method. I was so nervous I wanted to crawl out of the building and hide. Myheart was racing and I was shaking so badly I had serious doubts Id hold the black. Contrary to what manypeople say, it did not go away after two or three shots. To be honest I was in seventh place, so I was in nopotential winning position. But having a noisy gallery of perhaps two hundred people crammed behind us onlyadded to my already acute anxiety.

My plan was to start my trigger squeeze with the Range Officers count of one, just before Start. Under nocircumstances would I stop squeezing until the shot broke. In every case I was first to fire, and on the sixth shotI was in danger of taking an early shot, as I fired before the echo of Start had died out. That was a ten, by theway. I ended with a 100.6 for the Final, the highest on the day. It took courage that was akin to desperation tohave the faith in my hold and simply produce a good technical release. Since that day I have often tried butnever succeeded in regaining that magic for more than a few shots at a time.

But I remain convinced that here lies the path to success.


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There really is nothing difficult about shooting a ten. Our own fear of failure is our greatest enemy. It makes usfreeze on the trigger and overhold. If we can overcome our own human frailty and have faith in what we know tobe true, there is no limit to what we can achieve.

Do you know what the best piece of advice was from my friend the coach from Belarus? I cherish it to this dayand repeat it to myself at critical times on the firing line: Dont bee a cheeken!

I dedicate this column to my former coach Vladimir Galiabovitch, who suffered the incomparable culture shockof leaving conformist Eastern Europe for apathetic Australia. I dont know to this day if he understood the shellbe right attitude that drove him to despair of ever teaching our shooters how to behave (and perform) like worldclass athletes. He knew what he was talking about; the tragedy was few of them wanted to accept that theywere indeed big fish in a tiny pond and they had a lot to learn. He no longer coaches professionally, leavingmany shooters in the care of more comforting minders who tell them what they really want to hear.


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The Power of Positive ThinkingDont worry, were not about to tell you how you too can change your life simply by reading OUR bookor selling OUR product, which really sells itself, as youll be doing all your friends a favor But if youthink a little about what goes on in your head you might be able to do a little attitude adjustment to giveyour scores a bit of a nudge along.

Make no mistake; performance in shooting is more than 90% mental. We all know how to work our bodies untilwe are physically fit. But what can we do to improve our mental disposition so that when the time comes toperform we have a focused and uncluttered frame of mind? I honestly dont know all the answers to this. Ivebeen searching for many years and have found but a few pieces to the greater puzzle.

Step One A Positive Outlook on LifeEvery person we come into contact, whether we consciously realize it or not, has an effect on our state of mind.This may be profound, or it may be negligible, depending on our susceptibility and the strength of character ofthose who influence us. It is also possible to catagorize these people as having either a positive or a negativeeffect on us.

Just as an interesting exercise, think about your daily acquaintances and put a mental plus or minus besideeach name. And Im not talking a plus for physical attractions either, guys. Do they leave you feeling better fortalking to them, or is it an inevitable downer? In most cases the swing probably isnt too far one way or theother. But on the other hand, if you have a day full of interaction with people who have a negative outlook eventhe most cheerful disposition takes a beating. Im not saying you should sever all ties with the minus crowd, buttake the cumulative effect into consideration. You may certainly wish to avoid certain influences for a couple ofdays leading up to an important match.

Step Two - A Positive Outlook on ShootingI know that I have made this point before, but it is a ripper.

After a match, what are the particular shots that stick in your mind? When asked how did you shoot, do you

mention a magic ten in your third series or do you bemoan the seven and four eights? Sure, the bad shots arereal and should not be ignored, but to dwell on them means youre reinforcing them. Ive seen shooters whomake such a production out of shooting a six, berating themselves with much wailing and beating of breast, thatits only a matter of time before they send another snow bunny out there to keep it company. To agonize on abad shot is to expend too much mental energy in a negative way.

Every match has at least one memorable shot that makes you feel great. Its ideal to pause after shooting agood technical shot (not necessarily a ten). Use this time to remember how everything felt. Replay as much of itas you can remember in your mind. In this way you are reinforcing something good, and it will help you torepeat it, time and again.

It is also important to adopt a poker face for your match. This will help you adopt a calm demeanor thatultimately will become second nature. Showing anger either with facial contortions, muttering or outright curses

serve no positive purpose. You may be embarrassed by making a disturbance, you will certainly be unpopularon the firing line, and if anything you are encouraging your competitors with your obvious lack of self control.

I have watched some of the worlds best shooters put an eight down range, but to their credit you would neverknow. They understand what is required to recover. They might switch to dry fire or they might take a breakfrom their shooting. Either way, they accept the outcome, get over it immediately and look to making the nextshot a technically correct one. This composure and maturity is what makes the difference between goodshooters and great shooters.

Step Three Creating a CalmLife these days can be both hectic and chaotic. Pressures of work, family commitments and even the sheervolume of external distractions leave our poor little brains dazed and confused.


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There are a number of cures for this ailment. Various forms of meditation can help. I recommend avoiding at allcost the intelligence-killing influence of television, but as in all things moderation is the real secret here. But thebest remedy for uncluttering my ravaged gray matter has been floatation.

This is not a common form of therapy in the United States, but it does exist in larger areas. It comprises afloatation tank (it looks like an oversized bath with a cover), with just a few inches of body temperature water ofextremely high salinity. The idea is to turn the lights out and float for a period of usually an hour. All sensory

perception is removed. The water fully supports the body, which will take anything up to half an hour to fullyrelax on the first visit. There is no light or sound. The sensation is one of self simply floating in nothingness.For some reason this period of total sensory deprivation leaves a feeling of wellbeing and order. One hour in afloatation tank is equivalent to seven hours sleep, but it refreshes the mind to an amazing degree. The wholeworld looks different.

Step 4 Protecting the CalmOnce again I have harped on this before, but the act of being prepared for any calamity will prevent confusion,anger and despair. Simply by writing out a list of contingency plans should ANYTHING go wrong and having iton hand to reinforce your state of mind you will be prepared for the unexpected. This should be an integral partof your Match Plan.

At a major match some years ago the 32 semi auto I was using threw its rear sight under recoil. I could not findit on the ground or in the grass nearby. I had fired all but one shot, and I was in my final series of Center FirePrecision. I called the range officer over. I pointed to my gun. I said, Ive fired four shots. Ive lost my rear sight.I want to claim a break and cease to function.

He looked at my gun. He looked at me. He said, You still have a minute and a half.

I looked at him. I looked at the gun. I looked back at him. I said, I want to claim a break and cease to function.

He looked at my gun. He looked at me. He said, Cant you fix it?

I said, I cant find the rear sight. Id need a hammer and a drift to drive in a pin thats probably sheared off

anyway. I want to claim a break and cease to function.

But youve still got time to get your shot away. He was clutching at straws. Hed never dealt with a break andcease to function and it clearly scared him witless.

This was beginning to sound like a Monty Python sketch. I want to claim a break and cease to function! Thistime loud enough to disturb the referees pleasant reverie. Finally he came over to sort out the trouble.

In the end I was allowed extra time for a shot with my brothers gun to finish my series.

My point to this story is, due to my experience I knew the rules well enough to know my rights as a shooter. Iwas in an unusual situation, which was compounded by a green range officer who had no idea of the rules. Had

I been less experienced I would have either lost a shot or been convinced that I had to take a blind shot andhope it hit the paper somewhere. But worse than that, so much worse, would have been the state of mind Iwould have been in by the time I reached the Rapid Fire section of the match.

The other piece of invaluable advice is to mind your own business on the line. Your neighbor might be having abad day and might want to share his misfortune with anybody who will listen. Dont. You can alwayscommiserate with him after the match has ended.

I once saw a lady shooter who threw such a tantrum when scorers could not find a fifth shot on her target thatthey gave her another shot out of sheer embarrassment. Everybody who witnessed it was deeply annoyed. Byallowing themselves to become emotionally involved they let their own performance suffer.

Your target might break down. Dont take it as a personal affront. It happens. Theyll move you to another targetthats just as good. It will even in all probability be the same distance from the firing line.


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It Ain't Over...Follow through in shooting has long been considered a physical part of the game. Id like to contendthat there is no other part of the shot process that is more important to attaining a positive mentalattitude towards shooting performance.

Throughout our lives we are slaves to numerical tyranny. More is better. To earn more money is to succeed, tohave a home and car costing more dollars is part of the capitalist dream. All throughout our schooling ourintelligence is measured by percentages. We strive to achieve these higher numbers. It becomes instinctive. Itis hardly surprising that every time we line our sights up on the target we are satisfied with nothing less than thehighest number up for grabs a ten.

This is not a bad thing in itself.

But there is a danger that this overpowering urge to shoot a possible with every bullet may in fact interfere withthe proper execution of the shot.

How often have you seen a shooter take a shot and immediately bend down to scope it before the pistol has

even reached the bench? How often have you been guilty of this yourself?

Our natural inclination is to want to shoot a ten. Therefore the one thing we want to see, the one thing we canbarely wait to confirm, is that beautiful sight of a bullet hole through the x-ring.

Small wonder that we have barely let the bullet get out the end of the barrel before we check out to see whatscore we have just shot. Its what is bred into us from an early age.

But shooting is known as a discipline for many reasons. Not the least that we have to overcome our naturalinclinations in order to become good at it. We have to fight our desire to watch the target, since its only naturalthat we want to see what were hitting. We have to fight our desire to MAKE the shot break when it looks good.But we also have to fight our impatience for instant gratification towards the end of the shot sequence, or all of

our hard work will have been for naught.

Without an honest follow through our mind has already left the station before the shot has broken. Were lookingforward to the good bit, where we reap the reward of seeing a shot hole in the paper. What could be moreboring or pointless than holding up the pistol for another second or two? In fact Ive known quite a number ofshooters who did this just to keep their coach off their backs. They would hold for a good few seconds after theshot had broken, but their minds had switched off. Sad fact is they might as well have banged it down and takena quick peep.

Follow through without full concentration is like cheating in solitaire. Youre not being honest to yourself so youprobably wont even keep up the pretense for very long. But once you know WHY follow through is so importantI guarantee youll want to rethink the whole concept.

Okay, the first plus is a physical benefit. You will ensure that you dont end the shot too early and pull it way outof the aiming area. Duh. I guess I shouldnt have to even mention that one.

The second is a matter of concentration. If you make yourself believe that the shot is not complete until AFTERa period of follow through (it may be half a second, it may be three seconds, it really doesnt matter), you will beTHERE on the sights and trigger all the way to, through and beyond the breaking of the shot. There will be nochance of waning attention leading to a stray shot that you didnt call.

This will build more of that magic ingredient, discipline.

Use the time after the completion of the shot (ie AFTER your follow through) to analyze your performance. Usea counter on a disk to call your shot physically. Turn it into a game, see if you can become good at predictingwhere the shot fell on the card. By doing this you will take away the temptation to check the target so quickly. If


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you know you have to make a prediction ON PAPER you will be taking more notice of your sight picture as youshoot. Oddly enough this has been known to help increase scores!

But the overwhelming benefit of a good physical and mental follow through is that it will have a positive effect onyour attitude. When you succeed in performing a complete and controlled follow though you will have changedthe entire focus of your shooting mindset.

Instead of having a 10% focus on technique and 90% focus on score, you will have turned it around completely.No longer is the prime objective to shoot a ten and confirm it in the scope. Now the objective is to shoot as gooda technical shot as possible, call the shot, and THEN check the accuracy of your prediction.

Fact is, a good shot may not always be a ten. And a ten that had no right to be there is nothing to be proud of.Your heightened awareness of your shooting technique will allow you to more honest with yourself and helpreinforce those factors which go into making a good shot.

By holding your attention with the sights and trigger through and beyond the shot you will ensure your mentalpresence HERE rather than THERE (at the target) at the most crucial time.


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Making the Most of Electronic Trainers - Part 1There are plenty of these newfangled whizbang devices on the market these days; the Noptel, RIKAHome Trainer, SCATT, Kurt, etc, but very little written on their practical use. Firstly we will discuss whyyou should use one. Then we will go into how to set it up to gain the most benefit from them.

I guess I should first qualify my own experience with these units. Obviously I know the RIKA system best, butfor some months I used a SCATT system in Australia a couple of years ago. Most software in this field hassimilar settings and features.

Perhaps it is because none of these units were developed in a country where English is the first language thatthere are no helpful instructions for analyzing the information they provide. This is a guide to hopefully help youbetter understand how to get the most from your trainer.

For the purposes of brevity (thats from the Latin word brevis meaning lazy typist) Ill be referring to ElectronicTrainers as ETs. This is in no way an attempt to appear more scientific or scholarly. Id just like to make thisclear from the outset. Neither would I appreciate any smart alec emails titled Phone Home.

Why Use an Electronic Trainer?In too many instances I have seen ETs used simply as a convenient means of shooting a match. It wont do anyharm, but its like using a semi trailer to go to the corner shop for a bottle of milk. You have, after all, theultimate tool for working smarter rather than harder to improve your shooting technique.

Although these trainers have the ability to simulate real shooting scaled down targets and scoring rings indirect proportion to an actual match it would be a mistake to compare scores shot on an ET to scores shotlive, both competition and practice. This was never the intention of their design.

It is better to think of an ET as being a diagnostic tool. The most important information to be taken from an ETsession has little to do with a final score. For a shooter who is taking his training seriously, there are many partsof shooting performance that can be broken down into specific components. Size of average hold, time taken

for completion of shot, hold stability during actual shot release (trigger control), consistency in follow throughand variations between hold area and hit area are just a few of the important ones.

From a specific ET session it should be possible to identify a particular trait or problem within your shootingtechnique. This will indicate that you need work on this problem for perhaps a week or two. The next session onthe ET will give an indication of whether the exercises you have done have improved this aspect of yourshooting.

How to Approach an ET SessionIm assuming you are setting up your ET at home. If you have a RIKA you will have the flexibility of not needinga set distance, since you can print targets to any specified range up to 10 meters. Otherwise you will have a 5or 10 meter range, possibly near your PC. Ideally range-like surroundings (garage or basement) give a morerealistic backdrop than a lounge complete with competing television set.

Always shoot in the same clothing you would be wearing at the range. For this reason a plushly carpetedlounge also detracts from simulating real shooting conditions. Obviously you should also set the target at arelative height and have good lighting both on the target and your sights.

Try to locate the receiver units cord in such a way that it does not swing below the barrel when you come on tothe target. This can be done by either anchoring an end directly below the barrel or draping the cord up yourarm and around your shoulder. Try to remember you have done this before rushing off to feed the cat halfwaythrough the match, as none of these units bounce well off the floor.

It is also a good idea to have some means of protecting the sensor where it is clamped to the end of the barrel.With a rifle you can use a bipod. Using a pistol you just have to be careful never to bump the end of it, otherwise

you will find your zero could have moved. I used to use a higher than normal bench and rest the pistol on theflat of the grip, thereby keeping the sensor well clear of the bench.


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Otherwise you should do everything as you would while shooting. The same breathing, shot sequence, followthrough and ideally timing. If you have an older computer you might find youll have to wait a little while betweenshots for it to catch its breath.

Maximizing Your ET SettingsJust because your ET has come with default settings, dont be afraid to change them to suit yourself. Otherwisemuch of the information you receive will not be of much use.

The first thing I do is expand the maximum run time of the trace to at least 20 seconds. Many of them come setat 5 seconds with dire warnings of taking up unnecessary space in the computers memory if you go over that.What it will do is give all of your shots a maximum recorded time of 5 seconds, whether you take 6 or 16seconds to complete the shot. You will never know just how long you are taking, and this could be something inyour technique that needs to be addressed.

If you are given a choice of scoring ring for holding this should be selected depending on the level you haveattained. A 560 shooter should be trying to hold 9 ring or better. A 530 shooter should be trying to hold 8 ring,and Id recommend anybody else to select the 7 ring, or the size of the black. What this will provide is apercentage of time (that you can specify) before the shot is broken that is held within this area. Most ETs willalready give the ten ring as a separate percentage, but this secondary hold area is up to you. I generally set the

time value at 2 seconds, as my optimum hold time after I have settled into the aiming area is 3-5 seconds, and itwill give a good indication of how I am holding. Shooters who prefer to hold for a shorter time may wish toshorten this accordingly.

It is also possible to extend your trace further than one second after the shot. This is handy for checking thatyour follow through does in fact exist. Many junior or inexperienced shooters will assure you that they do in facthave a follow through, but the straight line that zips off the target immediately out of the shot hole is a deadgiveaway.

If your ET has the capability of offsetting the shot on a time basis, it is an interesting experiment to set it at plus0.5 to 1.0 seconds and see what the possible result would have been. A good follow through should net ahigher score as trigger release no longer plays a part in the hold.

This function also gives a good indication if trigger control is not as finely tuned as it should be. By setting tominus 0.2 to 0.3 of a second, if the projected score is noticeably higher than your actual result, it probablyindicates poor trigger release. We typically have a reaction time of approximately two to three tenths of asecond between recognizing a good sight picture and sending the message through our nervous system to setoff the shot. If we consistently pull the shot from the center of the target to a less central point of impact we havecertainly fired consciously and have to work on a means of setting off the trigger in a more subtle manner.

In my next article I will expand further the finer points of making the most of the information available from anET.


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Making the Most of Electronic Trainers - Part 2In Part One we discussed the best way to set up your ET to derive maximum benefit. In this article welook at the various results available to the shooter apart from a basic score.

Lies, Damn Lies and StatisticsNow we come to the interesting part of the proceedings. I begin with an apology for the extent to which this willbe incomplete. As I mentioned in Part One, there is little or no literature available on data analysis from thesedevices. I hope this basic outline will evolve into a far more extensive guide in future.

As I am most familiar with the Rika system I will be Rika specific in this section.

Repetition ModeThis is better than television. Not only can you watch the colored lines squiggle across the target, you canreplay those golden moments of glory when you punch right through the x-ring.

When you start looking closely at patterns within the trace some trends may become apparent. A low left to highright diagonal oscillation (for a right handed pistol shooter) shows some weakness in wrist lock or poor contact

between the hand and the grip. Try to recognize any patterns of wobble that may be caused by body sway,incorrect body alignment (a tendency to drift to one side) or up and down movement (which may be caused bytrying to swivel at the hip to hold the correct height on the target).

I have a personal favorite shot I like to call the rubber band. It starts with a nice central hold. At about a tenthof a second before release the trace straightlines out to the 8 or 7 ring, drops the yellow dot way out there andstraightlines back to the center of the target in follow through. Quite often this happens so fast the shooter neversees it happen. Mostly they are pulled shots to seven or eight oclock, or heeled shots to one or two oclock(again Im speaking for right handers). But its a dead giveaway that it was a now! or consciously fired shot.

Sometimes if you watch carefully during the breaking of the shot you will see a noticeable kick of the trace asthe shot is released. This is due to excessive after travel, especially on pistols with 500 grams or more in trigger

weight. If the trigger finger does not squeeze rearwards in a perfectly straight line it will kick the muzzle as thetrigger pulls through the sear release and hits against the stop.

That purple line of follow through is most instructive. We all are certain that our follow through is exemplary. Butthe trace does not lie. Many of us take a little nervous jump just after the shot breaks. Seeing this helps usrealize that we must maintain control of our hold through and after the shot.

In the case of the Rika, the final static image showing the various stages of trace and fall of shot also includessmall green crosses showing the impact points of the other shots in the series.

In general after studying the trace for a while it is easy to recognize what a good tight hold looks like. Thistranslates to a good sight formation hold from a shooters perspective. This kind of reinforcement will help theshooter recognize the importance of this. It can also prove that not all tens are good shots. If the trace waveredall over the black and just happened to break as it raced past the center of the target there is reason for somerueful reflection and honest appraisal.

Average Placement and Holding for SeriesThis function gives a center of group for the hold and actual hits. For those with a statistical bent it will givestandard deviation and maximum distance between shots in millimeters for the hits, and similar figures for thearea of hold.

Ideally the figures for the hits should not be a great deal higher than those for the hold. The greater thedifference, the greater the effect of trigger release on the overall group size.

Centers of hit and hold are also displayed. This can be very interesting as it often shows a tendency for the shot

to be pushed or pulled away from the center of the hold as it breaks.


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Single Shot AnalysisThis function takes each shot on its own and gives the average hold (shown as a rectangular frame) in relationto the center of hits and hold in the series, as above. The rectangular frame will be in proportion to the size andshape of hold before the shot broke.

Possible Score by Time TransferenceThis really is the most telling set of figures to my way of thinking. It consists of a bar graph giving potential

scores for every tenth of a second starting one second before shot release and ending one second after. Thesefigures are calculated either by ten shot series or the entire match. The highest potential score is shown as agreen bar.

A shooter with good trigger control will display a flat or almost level pattern in the center of the graph. Poortrigger control will inevitably show a definite dip, probably starting two or three tenths before the shot broke,before raising again for a tenth or two into follow through.

If the graph rapidly declines from a tenth of a second after shot release its apparent there IS no follow through.

There is no point in here debating whether the shooter should be firing consciously, unconsciously or trusting insome higher being. The function of this program is to demonstrate just how effective the shot release procedure

really is. If the results are not satisfactory it is time to rethink your approach.

Time ChartsThese graphs show individual shots on a time line from go to whoa. The main graph uses the same colorscheme for the trace as the first graphic section above. The difference is, the y-value shown on the graph isdistance from the center of the target. It is therefore easy to see at which points during the taking of the shot thehold is within an acceptable area.

I have found from studying my graphs that between three and six seconds from settling in the aiming area myhold is at its most stable. The longer I hold after this the more it becomes a lottery. Again it providesreinforcement for the doh factor, that which we really know but need to be reminded.

The secondary graph in this section separates movement from center of the target to a red trace for side to sidemovement, and a blue trace for vertical movement. This will highlight a particular problem of excessivemovement in either direction.

There is a third graph that is generated only when a trigger sensor is hooked up. This shows the gradual (ornot-so-gradual, as the case may be) loading of the trigger weight on a parallel time line to these other twographs. This can be very instructive in showing up the now syndrome where a shooter makes a definitedecision to take the shot and pulls the trigger rapidly to complete it thereby pulling the gun from the center ofthe target. In this case a rapid curve on the trigger graph will correspond with a sharp downward curve on thedistance from target center graph.

This sensor really only works well with triggers of air pistol weight or heavier.

CantShown on a shot-by-shot basis, this graph will show the physical cant of the gun for the duration of the shot.When initial fine calibration is completed by the shooter the unit takes the cant during those sighting shots andsets it as zero. All angles shown from that point on are in relation to that setting.

Where it becomes instructive is when the angle changes as the match progresses. It may be because ofphysical fatigue, it may be caused by mental fatigue, or it could be good old fashioned complacency. Should theangle grow more than a degree or two there will certainly be a change in the point of impact in relation toapparent sight picture.

Series OverviewThis function merely shows each series as a ten shot target. Handy for seeing if the groups change as the

match progresses, or if the groups expand as fatigue sets in. Its a neat graphic but really does no more thanhaving paper targets to study.


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Percentage CalculationsThis set of figures will give some indication as to how tight your hold is just prior to the shot release. Parametersfor these results are set by the shooter depending on his holding expectations. The length of time before theshot is normally set at around one second. The amount of time the hold remained during this specified period inthe 10 ring will be defined as a percentage. The second parameter is also set by the shooter he will choose ascoring ring (say the 8 ring) and a second percentage will be given for the time the hold remained within thatring.

This data is then split into three possibilities. The first is related to the actual target. The second is calculated asif the shot itself were the center of the target. The third calculation is assuming the center of the hold was thecenter of the target.

Realistically I dont believe any but the first is relevant.

Score/Hold TimeThis graph shows actual score of each shot of a series or the whole match on the y axis, while the x axis showsthe elapsed hold time for each shot. Typically there will be a sweet spot where shots breaking within a certaintime will show a cluster of higher scores. Another common trend is to see the shots that linger out to the rightside of the graph, those where the shooter has held too long, to string out and become far less consistent. More

solid evidence to convince unbelievers of the obvious.

A time study graph at the bottom of this page is also of more than passing interest. It shows the overall time ofthe match and how shot strings were broken down within that time (again shots are shown against the y axis forvalue). Did the shooter wait to fire an 8 before taking a break? How did he manage his overall time?

This concludes my basic tour through the statistic functions of the Rika program. As I have never hadexperience with the heart rate monitor I have not included this feature.

There really are many possibilities with a device such as this. Im certain others have conceived of this, but Ihave never seen it discussed before:

Suffering For Your ArtFor those with a masochistic but practical bent, it is possible to turn up the difficulty level to condition theshooter to having to perform at a higher level of technical excellence to achieve an acceptable score on theRika. With a keystroke you can have your target scored as if it were at 11, 12, 13 or however many metersaway you like, depending on how much pain you wish to self-inflict.

It could also be used for deflating overblown egos, but Im not here to put evil thoughts in scheming minds.

To change the distance within the Rika program you enter Administration and select Shooter and TargetDatabase. The Targets folder will then allow you to select the target (eg 10m Air Pistol) and Edit. At the bottomof the specifications it is possible to specify any distance, and to make the degree of difficulty hard enough topunish undisciplined shooting I set it at 12 meters.

This is akin to the hill training approach that runners use. Of course the score will no longer have directrelevance to real air pistol, but this is a positive rather than a negative. No longer will your practice matches bealways better than your competition scores. Nothing changes in sight picture (as it would if you were tophysically set a 10 meter target at 12 meters).

Conversely for new shooters its possible to reduce the distance to help build a little confidence in the first fewshooting sessions. There really are many possibilities with this feature.


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How To Make Your New Pistol User-FriendlyNew generation target pistols come with a startling array of adjustments. Tuning to taste can bebewildering, especially for newer shooters. Here are a few hints to make life easier.

The GripThere are several aspects of the grip that are interrelated and may take a while to sort out completely. Manypistols now have adjustable rake angle, some even have a small amount of cant and rotation available. This isnot something that you should leap into as soon as you unpack the box. It will take a little while to learn the feelof the pistol, and from there it will be easier to judge your most natural wrist position.

As in many cases a middle of the road approach is sensible at first. An upright grip is more difficult to maintain alocked wrist. An acute angle of rake will sorely stretch the tendons that require free movement to work yourtrigger finger. So somewhere in between lies an excellent starting point.

Make the gun comfortable in your hand. Take your normal shooting stance. Raise the gun while looking straightout in front of you, or close your eyes if you dont trust yourself not to cheat. When the pistol is pointed roughlyat target height, take a look at how it is pointing. Ideally you should be looking straight down the sights. If not, it

may be time to start adjusting the rake until it does. But as I said before, Id get familiar with it by shooting a fewtargets before leaping in to make adjustments.

Dont make the mistake of clamping the palm shelf too tightly against the base of your hand. If you make yourhand too snug it is very difficult to judge how tightly you are holding the grip. In a worst case scenario thetension felt in a tight grip will give the impression of a firm grip while the gripping fingers are actually quite limp.This can be disastrous, as a firm grip is needed to maintain a good hold on the target.

Remember that on hot days your hand will swell up. Dont be afraid to adjust the palm shelf accordingly. Thatswhy its adjustable.

Trigger Position and Adjustment

Here is a critical adjustment that can easily be misjudged.

Most triggers these days are two stage. At the very least they have a certain amount of takeup. When I seeshooters adjusting the trigger shoe position most make the fatal mistake of leaving it too far to the rear. They setit so that the trigger finger is comfortable and in a position to pull straight back but without taking the triggerback to the point of release. That, after all, is where its most important to have that ideal relationship betweenfinger and trigger. So by the time they have taken up the trigger slack their finger is beyond its ideal angle andstarting to push to the left on release.

Try to avoid angling the blade of the trigger shoe. It was a fashion a few years ago, especially in Free Pistol, butapplying pressure anyhow but in a direct line rearwards is not likely to be successful. Shooters with shorterfingers should make every effort to modify the grip or perhaps have another shoe manufactured rather thanattempt this.

Target triggers these days have a great deal of adjustments. The best rule of thumb is, until you have hadconsiderable experience with the gun, dont be tempted to mess with them.

Most triggers will have a relatively light first stage, and more than 50% of total trigger weight on the secondstage. Contrary to popular belief, a lighter trigger does not make for easier shooting. If that were the case FreePistol scores would be at least as high as Air Pistol. So by loading up the first stage to make the second stagerelatively lighter it may seem to be an advantage. It may also cause you to consciously fire, waiting on the brinkof release for a good sight picture and tweaking it at the last. Best of luck if you do.

If you try somebody elses trigger and swear it is better, bear in mind that while shooting another gun that youare NOT used to, you will concentrate on the basics and possibly shoot better. Once or twice.


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Try not to wear out your trigger adjustments by constantly striving for the perfect trigger. Like an honestlawyer, its a myth that doesnt exist. Try instead to create the perfect trigger release technique.

I know I may be in the minority here, but I like to set the trigger stop so there is little or no movement of thetrigger shoe after the shot breaks. I find that if I dont do this, and my trigger pull is anything but perfectly straightback, I will kick shots to the side without seeing it happen.

SightsA lot of discussion has gone into what the ideal front sight width is, how much gap there should be on eitherside, and whether to aim at six oclock, sub six or center. There is no correct answer. If you manage toconcentrate on the sights while they are holding nice and tightly in your aiming area and have the gun go offwithout upsetting anything, it will be a ten.

Should you feel you MUST have a front sight the same width as the black, most factories offer a 5mm blade,which will come close. Dont close in the rear sight too much at first, as a tight gap will have a similar effect to along sight radius.

New shooters should consider shortening their sight radius. Most pistols have several positions on the barrelshroud for attaching the front sight, and some models offer a sliding rear sight. By shortening the radius

(distance between front and rear sight) the apparent movement is lessened. This makes for more confidence inthe hold. Consequently this makes it much easier to have the confidence in squeezing the trigger and having asmooth release of the shot. As the new shooter builds strength and attains a better hold, the sights can beslowly moved apart again.

I do notice that Steyr airguns have a very shallow rear sight notch as they come from the factory. It is well worthconsidering loosening the lock screws and dropping the plate at the rear so you have a deeper sight picture.This is especially important on ranges with low light.

BalanceThe attachment of weights to a pistol is very personal. I like some weight forward of the trigger guard as it givesme a little more stability in my hold. Others like to have more weight toward the rear o

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