Food for thought

Whilst the tips below were intended primarily for pistol shooters, most of them can prove beneficial to other precision disciplines as well.

What do you think that you can do to convert normal 10.1's into scorching 10.9's? Read on, some of these might be of help to you.

If you try to copy others, then you are already accepting second best. By all means, learn from others but, if you want to succeed then you have to be original and take ownership of all aspects of your shooting.

Are you happy being 2nd or 3rd best or do you really want to do something about it and become a winner?

Are you shooting just to fire shots down the range at match cards or because you want to train to improve?

Are you carrying out your warm-up exercises completely and correctly every time before you start shooting? You cannot expect your muscles to perform well without a warm-up. (Warm-up Procedures)

There is a very fine line between being full of confidence and being over confident. If you fall into the second category, then you are already losing some of the fine detail in your concentration.

It is often a good challenge to carry out an experiment outside of your comfort zone. If you do not experiment, you will never know if it works for you. Make sure that you document the results. It may take more than one session to reach a complete conclusion.

Train smarter not necessarily harder – Take time to review your training, re-read your notes and learn from the positives.

The results in a match are directly related to the quality of the training put in beforehand.

How often do you check your Natural Point of Aim? This should be for every shot that you take.

Preparation for every shot is so important. If you fail to prepare, then you have to be prepared to fail.

Mentally rehearse and use visualisation/imagery for every aspect of your shot creation cycle, to ensure that you execute this to perfection, every time.

If you have developed a consistently timed and effective shot creation process and if the range conditions remain unchanged, keep to your established process timing. Why change something if it is not broken!

Loss of concentration whilst going through your shot creation process will probably result in an erratic shot placement. Mentally train yourself to ignore all distractions. Some call this getting into "the zone".

Does your hand fit your pistol grip exactly the same for every shot? Changes in the position of your hand and grip tension will make a change in the point of impact on the target.

Is the placement of your finger on the trigger blade/shoe exactly the same for every shot? A small variation in the position of your finger on the trigger can contribute to irregular shot placements.

Are you 100% certain that you are looking through the centre of your sights for every shot? If not, why not?

You cannot expect to achieve a consistently high standard and good shot placement if your foresight image is blurred.

Loss of focus on the foresight can cause a greater variation in the shot placement and consistency.

Are you shooting with a variable amount of cant? If you are, then you will be achieving a variable group placement.

Do not take your shooting position for granted. Re-check all of your settings and be prepared to experiment and make adjustments. Make sure that you record your findings.

If you are grouping consistently but in slightly the wrong place and if your stance is correct, then don't be afraid to make adjustments to your rear sight. Clicks can make points.

Accepting 'near enough' is never 'good enough'. If you have trained to expect a 100% perfect shot, then you have to put 100% concentration and effort into every aspect of your shot creation processes, for every shot.

Perfection of the shot placement is not easy. It must be constantly worked upon if you wish to achieve your desired results.

The way to achieve more 10.9s is to ensure that your concentration and attention to the finest detail is at its highest level for every shot.

You have to give every shot your utmost attention in order for the result to be what you have trained and worked hard for.

Are you 100% confident that your shot creation process is absolutely perfect for the shot that you are creating? If not, start again. An unperfected shot creation process will result in a poorer shot placement.

Consistent high-quality shot placements don’t just mysteriously happen, they are created by you, the shooter.

F             Focus on what you are trying to do, i.e. what is required for you to create the perfect shot creation process.

               As part of Focus, you need to be totally in control of every individual and complete aspect of your single shot                 creation process.

A            Attention to detail. Do not skimp or miss out any of the processes identified in the Focus.

C            Concentrate completely on the above two items to ensure that you are not distracted.

               The result will be the perfect shot creation process with hopefully the expected outcome.

If your last shot was a really good ten, what is there preventing your next shot from being the same? Only your lack of confidence to execute your shot creation process perfectly. 

Are you thinking about the previous shot or the score that you are trying to achieve? If so, you are not concentrating fully on the shot creation process required to create the next perfect shot. Think about the NOW, not the past or the future.

Concentration on the shot creation process is of paramount importance. Forget about the previous shot scores, as you can do nothing to improve it.

You need to keep your concentration on the shot process, not on generic and uneccessary 'shooting related' items.

Once you have confirmed the shot placement, control and dismiss your emotions, move on to the next shot and put your full attention to detail into the next shot creation cycle.

High performance outcomes are a direct result of self-controlled learning, smart training and finding out what works best for you.

If you follow your well learnt and correct process for every shot, then the outcome should be good.

However, if you decide to do the just the same as the previous shot, you might be lucky.

There is always a chance that what you think is the 'same' will be translated into accepting something that is 'similar', which means that you are no longer following your correct full shot creation process.

Performance is a measure of the outcome and therefore a direct result of the full concentration on the fine attention to detail in the process.

Consistent high-level performance can only be achieved by ensuring that every aspect of your shot creation process is performed to the highest level of your ability.

Changes to your diet or the time that you eat, can often make a considerable difference to your ability to perform consistently at your highest level of achievement.

Make sure that you keep yourself hydrated whilst shooting. Dehydration can seriously affect your sharp focus on your sights.

If you have perfected and checked your stance and your breathing and the sight picture is really good and stable, then get on with the controlled operation of the trigger, as the sight picture will not get any better.

Make sure that you are taking the full amount of time to observe and analyse your follow through, for every shot that you take.

Improving your mental recognition of how your muscles feel, can assist in providing you with the essential feedback on your overall shot creation process.

High performance outcomes can only be obtained by achieving a consistent natural point of aim, without any muscling of the sights or shot.

If you cut corners in your shot creation process, you can expect your group size to increase exponentially.

It is all very well creating a detailed shooting/training diary, however it is even better to actually re-read your notes and learn from them.