As I type this, I have a Beretta Model 92 sitting amongst the clutter on my desk. It is off to my left. The magazine is out. There is no ammo in this room, and a Laser Ammo SureStrike cartridge is inserted into the chamber of the pistol. Every time I come to the end of a paragraph, I pick up the pistol, focus on the front sight and “fire” five rounds at the switch plate on the wall across my office. How luck am I to be training at my desk?
Mixing It Up
The last five shots were fired left-handed, with my right hand folded across my chest. The next five will be fired right-handed, with my left hand dangling “lifelessly” in front of me to simulate being wounded and unable to bend my arm. I want every press of the trigger to have a training value. Sometimes I “shoot” with my glasses on. Sometimes I take them off.
Just now I missed the second shot about half an inch to the right. I was unsteady as I tried to hurry through the shot string. My goal is to always focus on the front sight and move through a smooth trigger press. I want that press to be so smooth that the sight remains on the target throughout the entire manipulation of the trigger. Then, I will increase the speed, reminding myself to keep that front sight centered on the target. I want my physical responses to become almost automatic.
I just finished 15 shots — three strings of five — strong-hand, with a two-handed grip. After each string, I returned to the high-ready position. At the start of the second string, I noticed that I could not see the front sight. It was not aligned to the target, and I had to “slow down” to find it.
Train Deliberately
I’m pretty sure most of the people reading this would not be allowed to conduct laser dry-fire drills at their desks at work. I wish it were not so, but such is the world we live in. Still, I’m not bragging about having the greatest job in the world (even though I do have the greatest job in the world). I’m talking about training. More specifically, I’m talking about training very deliberately. I’m thinking through every step of what I’m doing, and I’m focused on doing it to the best of my ability.
If you decide that every press of the trigger should have a training value, and if you follow through with that decision by paying attention to every press of the trigger, your shooting will improve. I’m certainly not the perfect shooter. I’m cross-eye dominant. I’m sure I have too much wasted movement in my draw. There are countless other things people who have seen me shoot can list.
But I practice. I practice with purpose. I want to get better. I want to get faster. I want to know that I’m giving myself the best chance to survive if I should ever have to draw my gun in self-defense.
Practice Where and When You Can
You don’t have to practice like this at work. You can train like this in your own home. Set up a dry-fire training center in your basement or your garage. Focus on your form and then increase your speed. Practice sight picture, sight alignment and trigger control. Work your draw. It’s what responsibly armed Americans do.
Sources:
Laser Ammo: Laser-Ammo.com
