Besides the shooting at a stationary target, what do you guys do to practice?

Some Dryfire, range, and mostly the 1st stage of the match!

Airsoft, Dry fire, range, first stage of match

drawing and reloading, safely of course.

You can practice drawing and reloading.....but it's pretty hard to "practice" unless you have accurate airsoft guns, room to set up a stage, and a friend to buzz and time you. I have been trying to get one of my friends into it, he keeps saying he wants to "practice" first by shooting at the range. Standing still, shooting at one target, all with a normal heart rate is NOTHING like the real thing. The best practice? Go to a match.

I built a few stands and bought IDPA targets. I set up my own IDPA/UISPSA stages at my outdoor range and that's how I practice.

 

I like practicing drawing, holstering, and dry-firing since you can practice in your house.

I built a few stands and bought IDPA targets. I set up my own IDPA/UISPSA stages at my outdoor range and that's how I practice.

 

I like practicing drawing, holstering, and dry-firing since you can practice in your house.

 

I do that with airsoft.

I don't play airsoft but those vids are pretty sick Nick!

I take ballet lessons.

 

My take is that you can practice draws, reloads, transitions, leaving and entering shooting positions, and awkward shooting positions with an empty gun at home. For everything else shoot matches. Between OB and CJ you can shoot a match every weekend if you include the indoor matches at OB.

You can do everything but recoil management with dryfire alone if you are honest with yourself and what you are actually seeing at the time you break each shot.

 

At the range you can be as simple as 3 targets and you can practice a lot of drills on those alone.

 

When you do practice at a range know what you are going there for and only practice that. Have a specific set of goals for each session and do not let it be more than 4 techniques total. Outside of a few warm up shots, practicing draws and reloads as well is almost a waste of your time. Either of those 2 are easier to practice at home. Some people like specific drills and some like to set up stages for practice. I prefer drills and feel that I get more out of them.

 

When I practice I usually start with shooting a group to check zeros and then just work on timing drills, target to target, and then movement drills. If I feel any other skills are slipping or need work I will work on them, ie: strong hand/weak hand, retrievals w/empty or w/loaded, off balance or awkward shooting positions, transitions to prone and/or kneeling, barricades, aproaching or leaving ports, distance (40+yards)etc.

 

Unwanted advise...if you find you are not really into the practice and are just throwing rounds downrange, just pack up and save your ammo. If you can not focus to improve or reinforce then you will not get anything out of it and may actually develop a bad habit(s) for the next match.

 

Brian