Training Versus Practice

An old friend of mine has a great saying "if you want to keep on getting what your getting, keep on doing what your doing".

There is a distinct difference between training and practice. Practice is generally thought of doing the same thing over and over again. This can be a double edged sword. If you are doing something wrong and practice it over and over again, you might develop the improper techniques to the point where they are second nature and you have perfected it. Training is a bit different. Your goal is not to repeat the same thing over and over again but rather to explore different things which can help to develop your skills.

I used to practice all the time. I would go to the range and shoot the national match course over and over again. Every time I went to the range, I shot a NMC. I really didn't do anything different to improve my technique. So, in essence I just trained myself to do the same wrong things and perhaps some right things. My scores never seemed to improve and when you think about it, why should they. I didn't do anything to change what I was doing.

My scores improved the most when I spent time trying different things. This would allow me to explore different techniques to find things that worked and made sense. I have tried: different stances, different grips, different loads, different bullets, different holds on the guns, different trigger finger placements, different sights, different breathing techniques, different mind control techniques, different shooting distances, different physical conditioning routines, and the list goes on. You will notice that most of what I tried different had to do with "WHAT I DID DIFFERENT". Sure, I tried to buy some points with different equipment, but the majority of improvement came from trying to do things differently. Let's face it, as a shooter and with modern firearms, the burden of responsibility falls on our shoulders. Blaming the gun or equipment for continued poor performance isn't going to help things get better.

I personally feel that the majority of low scores are the result of poor trigger control. I have heard it many times from new shooters saying "I know the fundamentals" and they very well may know them. But executing them on every shot is VERY different than knowing them. It is through training and practice that you develop them to the point where you execute them, not simply by reading about them.