I’m going for consistency not speed
Tonight after doing some basic dry fire drills, I’ve come to some realizations.
I need to do something about the thumb safety on the para as my thumb bleeds after a dry fire session. If I change it, I believe I could be disqualified from IDPA since it’s an external modification.
With my normal grip, when I remove my support hand, my thumb cannot reach the mag release button. I have to shift my grip a little, which costs me time and introduces the possibility of 2 additional errors:
1) Reloads can be fumbled because I cannot consistently put the gun in the same spot/angle/orientation.
2) I have to shift my grip back again and if not done correctly, the recoil from the first shot will be inconsistent, making the follow up shot much slower.
Adding a large mag button is also prohibited in IDPA. So I think for now, I don’t need to think about speed. I need to think about consistency. I have some par times recorded for Burkett reloads and regular reloads. But instead of practicing them using the methods Steve Anderson suggests in his books, I’m going to modify the drills so that I will only lower my par time if I can complete 10 perfect repetitions.
At my level, the difference between a 1.2s vs 1.7s reload is negligible. I think I will gain a lot more if I can perform a 1.7s reload every time.
If I can perform 10 perfect 1.7s reloads in a row, my time will come down anyway.
This is not a criticism of Steve’s dry fire method, just the realization that I need to work on some fundamentals before I take his speed based approach.
I found consistency to be the key for me also. I have seen several people switch IDPA firearm classes (e.g. move from SSP to CDP) and try to shoot the same as they did in the prior class.
They end up getting frustrated from a loss in accuracy and speed, and switch back. Once they switch back they improve and switch again… this constant changing causes them to not have consistency and to master the fundamental skills. Thus they end up a long-term mediocre shooter.
You know, although speed is a concern, it’s really not my primary focus now. I know that speed will come with time. Looking back at my martial arts experience, I know that in order to be fast at something, you need to be able to execute the basic movements correctly without even thinking about them. I’m not yet at that point, so for now I need to do a few thousand more reps and keep my focus on a good sight picture, i.e. hitting As
I like your approach. Anybody that dryfires untill they bleed is going to go places.
Thanks Ben
I’ve since taken the dremel to the grip safety to remove the corner that was cutting the web of my hand during reloads. I still practice as hard, I just don’t have to worry about infections.